Tag: Philippians

Philippians 1:18-21 (Devotional Thought)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:18b-21 ESV)

When I was in the 5th grade my class used to take field trips to the local university swimming pool. I don’t remember much, but I do remember that it had a high dive. By high dive I’m not talking about the big diving board at your neighborhood pool, I’m talking about an Olympic size diving platform!

I was thrilled… then I was terrified. I didn’t get scared until I climbed all the way up to the top and stood out looking over the edge. Somehow the pool got a lot smaller. It wasn’t until one of the older students walked out to the edge with me, told me what to expect, and jumped with me that I ever really experienced my first jump off a diving platform… Then I was hooked.

For some people facing death can be terrifying. (I’m sure it’s a lot more scary than a kid looking down at a pool for the first time.) Unlike my dive platform experience… There is no one who has been there before to walk you through it… Or is there?

Paul is in chains and one of the very real outcomes of his situation is death. Yet somehow he finds a way to rejoice. He rejoices because he knows that he doesn’t walk through this dark valley alone. The church at Philippi is praying for him and of course he has the spirit of Jesus. Paul can’t help but know that Jesus has never left him. He remembers that first day when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. Jesus said, “Saul why do you persecute me?” He learned very quickly that Jesus is very much present with his people. Now that Paul belongs to Jesus, Jesus is present with him and Jesus will see him through this to the end.

This gives Paul hope and courage. He knows that God is not far away but He is right there with him. He can be bold because He’s not alone. He can be brave because Jesus has faced worse and will be with Paul no matter what happens. Paul doesn’t know what will happen, but God does and he can rest in that.

Paul has been on both sides of the coin. It’s ironic that we first hear about him when he is going around Jerusalem looking to throw Christian men and women into prison and now we catch a glimpse of him writing from prison accused of the very same crimes he accused those early believers. The persecutor has become the persecuted.

Pray that you will not be ashamed of Jesus today, and that you will have courage and confidence to tell others about him!

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Philippians 1:15-18a (Devotional Thought)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. (Philippians 1:15-18a ESV)

Not everyone was rejoicing with Paul. Some people saw Paul’s being in prison as an opportunity to talk bad about him. Perhaps they would have done things differently. Perhaps they thought he was being too bold or brash. You expect the bad guys to say bad things about you, but these people were Christians!  How would you feel if Christian people were saying mean things about you?

Paul reveals that their motives weren’t exactly pure. They were envious and they wanted the recognition that he got for leading people to Jesus and planting churches. So they preached Christ but they did so in such a way as to drag Paul’s name through the mud. They got the gospel right, but they got Paul wrong. They actually took some kind of weird pleasure in causing Paul pain.

Yet, even in the midst of this harsh judgment from Christian brothers Paul finds a way to praise God. He doesn’t focus on himself but rather what is happening with the gospel. Sure there are people out there talking him down, but are they talking Jesus up? That’s what Paul wants to know. He doesn’t care why they preach as long as what they preach is truth about Jesus.

This Jesus first, Paul second attitude allows him to see the good in people who have said some mean things about him. He does not get bogged down in personal attacks. He does not write to the Philippians telling them that this person is a jerk because they said mean stuff about him. He simply says don’t worry, as long as they are preaching the gospel God is glorified.

Sometimes we get this picture in our mind that if we could just go back to the New Testament church where everything was perfect, life would be better. However, even in the first churches people weren’t prefect. Many of them did great things for God while holding on to sins like envy and rivalry with God ordained leaders like the Apostle Paul. It’s not that God looks lightly at this, but that God used them despite their sin. Paul chose to look at this situation and rather than take personal offense, he put a priority on the gospel. He chose to see how God could use even this bad situation for something great like telling the world about Jesus.

We live in a day and age where it is too easy to get offended over the slightest thing. The gospel is greater than our personal feelings. Many times we get offended because we put ourselves ahead of God or ahead of the gospel. Paul reminds us that when we put the gospel first, personal attacks and criticisms don’t sting as much.

Criticism always stings. It stings so bad that sometimes we are just afraid of what people ‘might’ say. Ask God to give you courage today to put the gospel first no matter what people say or might say about you personally.

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Philippians 1:12-14 (Devotional Thought)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. (Philippians 1:12-14 ESV)

Paul is writing this letter to the Philippians from prison in Rome. He was arrested for causing a riot. People were angry that he was preaching the gospel. He was a Roman citizen and had a right to appeal to the emperor and Paul claimed that right and was shipped to Rome. When he stands before the emperor he may be released or he may be killed, but at the time he writes this letter he is in prison.

When we go through difficult circumstances because we follow Jesus it can become easy to get depressed and wonder why we are suffering, but not Paul. Paul saw everything that was happening as God’s plan to take the gospel to a place it would have otherwise never gone. He was placed with Roman guards all day and all night, rather than telling them about how he was innocent or trying to convince them to put in a good word with someone, he was telling them about how Jesus had changed his life and could change theirs too! They were listening. Some, like the jailer from Philippi, were responding to the gospel and trusting in Jesus! And while the whole imperial guard didn’t sit down with Paul individually, he was making such big waves with those who were that they couldn’t help but tell the story of Paul, why he was in prison and about this Jesus that he preached. I imagine some people thought he was crazy, but others listened, and many believed.

This had another side effect. Other Christians had been watching Paul and when they saw that he was being bold to share the gospel it encouraged them to be bold as well. They weren’t afraid of what people would say anymore. They weren’t afraid of what people would do.

The gospel changes the way we look at our circumstances. Have you ever wondered why you live in the neighborhood you live in, attend the school you do, or have the interests you do? When you look at them through the lens of the gospel you see the reason you are where you are is to tell other people about Jesus. You may find yourself in a crumby situation like where you are sick and have to see doctors and nurses all the time, or at a school you don’t like. Think about this though, if God can cause use Paul being in prison to further the gospel then he can use you where you are.

What are the circumstances that God has placed you in for the purpose of telling others about Jesus?

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Philippians 1:7-11 (Devotional Thought)

On By pastorjonathanIn Devotional1 Comment

It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:7-11 ESV)

Wow. It really sounds like the Apostle Paul is getting a little mushy here! He can’t help but be filled with warm feelings for this church who has stood beside him through some tough things. They continue to love and encourage him even though he’s been put in prison, beaten, and ridiculed for the sake of the gospel. They aren’t ashamed to be identified with him.

But it’s not just Paul’s affection that is flowing in this passage. Paul is saying that he loves them like Jesus loves them! In other words, he can’t help but be crazy about this church because Jesus is crazy about this church! Sometimes as a believer it helps to be reminded that God loves us with a “never stopping, never giving up, always and forever kind of love.” Because Paul loves this church like Jesus loves the church, he prays for them.

How do you pray for the people you love? Do you love the church like Jesus loves his church?

Sometimes we pray for the people we love in a kind of selfish way. “Thank you for my mom and dad.” or “help my dad want to give me that big present I want for Christmas.” Or when someone is sick we pray, “help mom to get to feeling better.” I suppose that those kind of prayers are good to an extent because we are told to “cast all our cares upon Him” (1 Peter 5:7). But these selfish prayers are different than how Paul prays for the church at Philippi.

Paul prays for the church to grow more in love. Sometimes we can think of love as an emotion, but love is more than an emotion. Love requires knowledge and action. I can say that I love my wife but then I have to know her and act accordingly. If I know that she doesn’t like to do the dishes then an act of love might be for me to do something like do the dishes. With knowledge comes the ability to act in a way that demonstrates my love. This is what Paul prays for the church at Philippi, not that they would be filled with an emotion, but that they would know God! Then their knowledge of God would drive their actions and emotions. That they would look more like Jesus because of how closely they walk with him. That’s how Paul prays for the people he loves. That’s a gospel payer.

Take time to pray for the people you love today. Pray for them according to the gospel that they would grow in their knowledge of God.

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Philippians 1:3-6 (Devotional Thought)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:3-6 ESV)

When I was twelve I belonged to a BB gun club that met in the basement of a bank. We met each week, shot our targets, talked about BB gun safety, and compared the guns we had. It was cool. I really liked hanging out with my BB gun club friends.

Over 20 years have passed since I participated in the bb gun club and truth be told, I don’t know those guys anymore. I’ve forgotten their names. In these verse we see a picture of a stronger bond than BB guns, sports teams, chess, or stuff like that. He writes about fellowship (it’s the word translated at partnership in the passage above).

Fellowship rightly translated as partnership here is more than getting together and hanging out. It’s a deep bond where both parties are committed to a common goal or agenda. Fellowship requires a commitment of time, energy and even finances.

If you haven’t already, look back at Acts 16 and read about the first three converts to Christianity at Philippi. They hardly had anything in common: a wealthy business women, a formerly demon possessed slave girl, and a suicidal jailer. They were from three different economic classes. They probably didn’t move in the same social circles. They were probably different ages. If they had facebook, twitter or Instagram back in those days they wouldn’t have even crossed lines on social media… but something drew them together! It was the power of the gospel! This rough group of people had a common experience with Jesus Christ that so changed their lives that they partnered together so that other people might experience the same relationship with God that they had.

From the very start the people of this church were dedicated to seeing the gospel not only transform their lives, but transform the lives of others as well! They worked to help establish the church at Philippi, they gave money to help take the good news of Jesus to those who hadn’t heard yet, they are faithful in prayer for the Apostle Paul. This is why Paul can say “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). Paul knew that the gospel had truly impacted their lives because this church was partnering together in various ways to spread the gospel all over the world.

How has the gospel changed your life? If you don’t see how the gospel has changed your life, spend some time in prayer asking God to reveal this to you.

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Philippians 1 (Devotional Thought)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

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Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:1-2 ESV)

Sometimes it can be easy to pass over words like these that are an introduction to a book of the Bible. We don’t think that they can make sense for our lives and so we hurry over the words or we skip down to something more interesting. Today though I want to challenge you to think a little deeper. What do you know about the Apostle Paul? Write down everything you know. No worries, I’ve got time. (If you are unfamiliar with Paul, you can read his back story over in Acts 8-9 where he went by the name of Saul).

Ok. Lets compare notes: Paul used to persecute Christians! He went around from town to town locking Christians in jail and in some cases even approving of their murder (Acts 8:1)! Then through a dramatic encounter with Jesus, on the Road to Damascus, Paul’s life was changed. He went from being a guy who went from town to town persecuting Christians to a guy who now went from town to town telling people about Jesus! He was even thrown in jail, tortured and beaten for telling others about Jesus! God had radically changed Paul’s life.

Paul is the human author that God used to write the book of Philippians. That’s important because God uses the most unlikely characters to do great things in his name. Next question: Who do you think the book of Philippians written too? Go ahead write down your answer. I got time. When you’re done click the more tag.

Continue reading “Philippians 1 (Devotional Thought)” →

Partnering to Remember!

On By pastorjonathanIn discipleship1 Comment

A few years ago an old college friend of mine dared me (and several others) through his blog to memorize the book of Ephesians.  Ok…. actually he didn’t dare us, but he did offer a plan.  I had wanted to memorize scripture on a consistent basis before but found myself with such a variety of options that I had no clear starting point.  I had tried memorizing scripture before by purchased topical memory systems (most recently, including a really cool app on my phone) but the verses seemed to be ones I already knew.  I seemed a little too old to attend Awana, so I resigned myself to ‘accidentally’ memorizing the Bible passages I was preaching through and thought that would be good enough.  The problem is, it wasn’t.   I was logging scripture into my short term memory, but a few weeks later I was unable to recall the passage, other than a paraphrastic sort of way.

Then it happened.  Tim posted on his blog about memorizing the book of Ephesians. At first glance it seemed an audacious and insurmountable goal.  Then, he laid out the plan and the plan made sense. I along with several others took up the challenge and was blessed.  At first it seemed like an impossible goal, but once I got started and stuck with it, it became easier.

Beyond size of the project are the benefits.  When you memorize a book or passage, you are placing God’s word in a place that it can’t be taken away from you.  You will find yourself in situations and circumstances where it is improbable to open a book, but very appropriate to quote and apply the soothing balm of God’s word.  I can think of no better way to get an accurate handle on scripture than commit whole portions to memory to be quoted and recalled often.

That’s why I was excited to learn that Tim has set up a plan to memorize the Philippians by Easter! I down loaded the free PDF and am headed over to the book store later today to pick up my notebook and double sided tape. I’m looking forward to this journey through Philippians and I want to invite you to join me and thousands of others in memorizing this precious portion of scripture. You can find everything you need over at TimmyBrister.com the name of the project is Partnering to Remember.

Philippians 3: Flushed Away

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

What is the one thing that we all come across on a regular basis, but have absolutely no desire to keep. We don’t collect it. We don’t save it up. In fact we have devised creative ways to remove the stuff as far from us as possible as soon as possible. We actually have invented devices and systems to remove this stuff from our house, usually at the push of a button (sometimes 2 buttons on the nicer Eco friendly models). Give up?

It’s “poo!” yes there are other names, but we won’t get into that here. You may find yourself asking… What’s the big deal? Answer: Paul said in Philippians 1:8 that he has suffered the loss of lots of things, but compared to knowing Christ, he counts it all as “poo.” granted your version may say, “rubbish” or even “dung,” but those are just fancier ways of saying the same thing.

The point: You don’t miss your “rubbish!” And Paul is saying He didn’t miss the stuff, power, or popularity he had before risking it all to follow Christ. Not in the slightest.

You see… Stuff, power, popularity… All temporary. Even if I live to 120 years of age, most of the stuff I cling to will be sold at a yard sale for a couple of dollars. Compared to knowing Christ it’s nothing, it’s worse than nothing, it’s something that I can’t get rid of fast enough.

Application: how worried are you about stuff? Does that fancy truck, car, or boat really compare to knowing Christ? Are you over concerned about office politics? Do these things really deserve the amount of affection we give to them? Is it wrong to have stuff… No! Have stuff! But don’t treat it as though it’s anything more than it really is… It’s just stuff and it will pass away like your rubbish is flushed away. We don’t live for stuff, we have been raised to a new life in Christ.

Phillipians 2: others first

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As I was reading chapter 2 this week, verse 3 kept jumping out at me. The apostle Paul writes, “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3).

The weight of this command is found in the verses following where Paul challenges believers to be like Jesus in that He forwent the privileges of heaven to becomes a servant who was obedient even to the point of death. This worked out well, but don’t be mistaken… the suffering wasn’t the purpose, it was the means by which the purpose would be fulfilled… people would come to glorify God (vs11).

So it is when we must put away rivalry and conceit and serve others. We must not see ourselves as in competition with other believers or even better than others. We should put the needs of others ahead of our own… We play for the same team.

What can you do today to put the needs of others ahead of your own?

Do you struggle with an argumentative spirit and feel like you always need to win or get the last word in? How does that effect your ability to put others ahead of yourself?

Philippians 1: Living Worthily of The Gospel

On By pastorjonathanIn Devotional, Kingdom of GodLeave a comment

There is plenty to consider in Philippians chapter 1.  The apostle Paul is penning a letter from prison.  He has every reason and opportunity to be discouraged by present circumstances.  Yet this first chapter reads as a proclamation of the advance of the gospel despite Paul’s personal circumstances.  He rejoices not in his present situation, but in the fact that the Kingdom is advancing.  People are hearing the gospel!  Even while reflecting on his own potential death He muses that he has nothing to lose and everything to gain.  Then he charges the readers with these word…  “let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27 a).  Some versions may say, “conversation” instead of, “manner of life.”  The idea is that of being a “citizen” worthily of the gospel.

In other words Paul is calling on believers to live up to their present reality and not just to their visibility.  If we profess that we have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light… we should live like those who are citizens of the kingdom of light.  A transition has taken place.  We were once enemies of God and lived for ourselves, but then the gospel changed everything.  We are not ambassadors of the gospel to those who live as we once lived.

The temptation is to tuck tail and run at the first sign of difficulty or persecution, but running from persecution isn’t a right representation of the Love of God for sinners.  Jesus suffered on the cross and even gave His life to bring us to God.  Being a citizen of the gospel or having conversation worthy or living in a manner worthy of the gospel is to represent the good news even through present sufferings.  The power to live through voluntary suffering comes not from within our own heart, but on the author and perfecter of our faith… Jesus.  That is why Paul could say, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).