Philippians Chapter 1 Verse 27

· It’s actually an unfortunate translation in my opinion that gives us the word “conduct.” I remember getting report cards. Remember those? I know we still get them but now they are on paper or on the computer but 30 or 40 years ago they were on heavy card stock. Remember them? Like they carried weight! HA! Maybe that was just my perspective…

· And I remember, “English, Math, PE,” (always my highest grade), and then at the end we were graded on “Conduct.” Folks would probably melt today to be judged in such a harsh way! HA! But that’s what I think about when I see that word. Like a grading on how I’m behaving and that’s not what this word is at all…

· The word in the Greek is “politeuomai.” It most literally means, “your citizenship,” and perhaps most sophistically means, “your life conversation.” It’s from where we derive our words “political, politics, polity, policy, and public.” In other words, I think a better translation, that in me solicits a more meaningful response, is “Only let your citizenship, Whom and where you represent, your life conversation, your flavor and your legacy, be worthy of the gospel of Christ.”

· Tell me to clean up my conduct or watch my conduct and not only is that ultra-shallow but something in me drops that directive very quickly. But question my citizenship? Where I’m from. Who I am. Entirely different directive, and maybe that only makes sense to me or just a few of you, but I would hope not.

· Where are you from is an important tribal-type code for us humans. We wear college jerseys; we identify with our originations… We rep our cities and we feel a part of places. Some have accents. Maybe not the place you live today, maybe the place you grew up in. Maybe that place you left but it never left you. As a Christian, and Paul knows this, repeats this several times, we are citizens of heaven and Jesus is our King. Abraham knew this. Had everything. All sort of land ownership and was very rich and yet we read in Hebrews 11:10, “He waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”

· Jesus said in John 14:1-4, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” One of the most comforting phrases for a wandering soul such as myself, “A place for you…”

· Do you sense and feel and identify with this concept that you are a citizen of heaven…,on earth with a work permit? Ha! Or are you so tied to the temporary that your allegiances lie on this planet or with this state or with this political party or with this church movement or even just with THIS life? No problem being a part of any of those things, but the Christian, you’re something more, much more.

· Paul reminds them there at the church in Philippi who had a couple of members that frankly weren’t conducting themselves appropriately (we’ll find that out later in this letter), that we ought to remember whom and where we represent to this foreign world…, and he calls this citizenship according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

· What’s that all about? You didn’t buy into this community. Pay a fee to be part of this society. You didn’t earn it and certainly were not worthy. In fact, you were in the slums, limited, poor, stuck…, but God so loved you that He sent for you, and through His own personal and eternal sacrifice, well, He adopted you as His own son, His own daughter through the laying down of His own life.

· Adoption is special. Kids are typically born to us. We can’t pick ‘em. We sorta get what we get. HA! Not adoption. If you are adopted today then you’re something special because someone looked at you and chose you… this is what God has done for me and for you. That’s how we gained our citizenship. And there is a celebratory humbling that comes along with that realization…

· So, our life conversation, our flavor, our legacy, as a Christian, we must have it reflect our citizenship, where we are from (Holy Spirit now within us) and where we are going…, and that reflection should have the flavor of why as well. Not because we are worthy or good or better or smarter, but because God in His mercy has granted us forgiveness and grace through Jesus Christ.

· Ok, so what does that look like practically? I’m glad you asked…

Philippians Chapter 1 Verse 27

· Paul says, citizens of heaven, this is their culture, their accent, their way of life…, “stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel!” Stand fast is an oddly oxymoronic statement. It simply means to persist, something to keep on doing. And we as Christians should be persistent, resilient, diligent, deliberate to be of one spirit. What spirit? Obvious right. Each of us, all of us, look, either walking in the Spirit which we don’t always do, sometimes we are in our emotions and in the moment and I get that, but if not walking then aware of the mind of the Spirit that we might be correctable and even consolable!

· And Paul says be persistent in being of one mind. What’s that mean? The mind of God, sure…, but more practically this means to pursue and we must be in unity. Focused on what’s important! A unified contingent is a force. A unified contingent that is focused is a powerful force! And the enemy knows it. He can get the upper hand if he can get us separated, but if we are unified and focused, man he is easily defeated!

· I don’t know why people choose to be weak. Those that don’t seek unity in the body of Christ, those that apathetically divide, not only does the Bible call that sin, it’s just stupid. And it certainly weakens the cause and effectivity of the Body of Christ!

· None of us are the same. None of us have the same likes. None of us have exactly the same styles. None of us do right by any or all of us all of the time. But Godly people stay focused on the mission, on what’s important, and strive for unity of Spirit and mind and that, 100%, overcomes the strategies and frontal attacks of the enemy!

· How do I know, am completely confident that’s what Paul is saying? He says, “Stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together…” He didn’t say striving against… If you are striving against a brother or sister in Christ, striving against your spouse, striving against anyone in the body of Christ, you are not only part of the enemy’s strategy and attack, you are his weapon. We are to lock arms, shoulder to shoulder, and strive together against our common enemy… And that strengthens the Body of Christ… Furthers the cause of the church and activates all that the church is supposed to be for the kingdom, the community, and individually!

Philippians Chapter 1 Verse 28

· What does “terrified of your enemies” look like in a Christian life? Strife at church. Stirring up division. Arguments in the home. Broken relationships. Sad spouses. Pitiful children. Broken careers. Compromised ministries and lost or lack of dreams and goals. The world looks at us and sees tragedy at the mercy of the flesh and it says, “Glad I’m not like them, glad I’m not a Christian…”

· But when we are standing fast, persistent, consistent, resilient and diligent and it lasts more than a week a month a year to the point where it’s obvious its not just genuine but even something beyond human ability (because that’s how God rewards faithfulness) then it causes them to question their own inconsistencies and what they are hoping in themselves!

· When we live a life in reaction to the things of the flesh, we inevitably and inadvertently harm our witness and ourselves! I was walking into work on Thursday morning and I go in early and I park nearest to the door of my office. I walk past a field of sorts towards the entrance to the building and its always early so there are typically a bunch of bunnies. One this week freaks out scared that I’m getting closer to it and it takes off running, just reacting…, just doing something because it thinks its in danger! The stupid thing though ran right towards me! HA! I was like, “what are you doing?” And at the last minute it just darts another way! Don’t be a silly rabbit, church…, tricks are for children. And that is what division is…, it’s a reactionary result, of someone reacting in the flesh and it’s a trick of the enemy!

Philippians Chapter 1 Verses 29 - 30

· And here’s where the snowflakes melt, man. When serving the Lord and doing what is right to prop up the power of the Kingdom of God gets personally expensive… Let me let you in on a secret of life. Suffering brings joy. Without suffering there is no opportunity for joy to take root in a heart. It’s just the way it is…

· If you are unwilling to suffer for anything then nothing truly will be important to you. Why are so many depressed and discouraged and so very sad with really nothing to look forward to or celebrate internally? Because the spirit of entitlement and unalienable human rights is our way of life. When hard work, long suffering and personal discipline is the design within each one of us for not only satisfaction with life but with self.

· How do you pick your head up out of discouragement and find joy in each day? By being willing to be inconvenienced, and even willing to suffer for the cause of personal profit, purpose and power YESTERDAY! Paul says it this way, for “His sake!” Its so easy to see in any life by your reactions, decisions, situations and mostly your citizenship…, your flavor and life conversation, what is most important to you… Your sake or His sake… And as long as it stays your sake, you’re going to be depressed, deflated, agitated in the spirit and at least partially incompetent in managing your own life…

· And Paul says the Christian, the Christian is at some sort of advantage here. Why? Because you have the Spirit of the King of kings in you… And through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, you have been granted not only eternal life but everlasting life…

· Those rivers are in you and they are in me and Paul puts on display and he’s trying so hard to explain to us and to give to us that those rivers don’t flow unless we are willing to put in some strive towards the Kingdom and some suffering towards righteousness! To flip a decision switch that Jesus’ sake promotes to most important in our lives, and oddly, other-worldly, that’s when we find and meet and achieve our God designed potential…