Just in case the Philippians would be confused of what that worthy conduct looks like, he goes on to tell them what he’s looking for. He identifies in verse 27 three things that should be happening for them to have worthy conduct. Remember, however, this is worthy conduct in the middle of persecution. Read verse 27 with me.
Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you
The first thing is to stand firm. Don’t be moved. Don’t give an inch of the ground you stand on. Paul wants them to have a tenacity about them where they are firmly planted in the truth of God’s Word, in their Christ-like conduct, in their persistent proclaiming of the gospel, of remaining a faithful and obedient witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
They are being imprisoned and beaten and shut out in society just as Paul was. Paul says so in verse 30 when he says, “since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.” The Philippians saw Paul beaten and thrown in prison when he first came to build a church there 10 years ago. They’ve heard he was imprisoned again even as they received his letter. They were going through the same struggle, the same beatings, the same imprisonments they were seeing Paul go through. But just as Paul was standing firm no matter what the circumstances, they too were to stand firm no matter what the circumstances.
I think the greatest thing in all of sports is the double play in baseball. But, the second greatest thing is when a catcher gets plowed over by a runner trying to score. One of the rules of baseball is that a catcher can block home plate if he has the ball to try and keep a runner from scoring. The only way the runner is going to score is if he collides with the catcher hard enough to make him drop the ball. If the catcher holds on to it he’s out. A collision must happen. The catcher is a perfect example of standing firm in the face of opposition. He is acting defensively – he is receiving the blow - but his goal is to stand firm and not give up the ground he is holding.
As Christians we don’t face collisions with base-runners, but, we do face persecution when we testify to Christ. It comes in all forms and I’ve got a small list here: Teasing, mockery, insults, slander, malignity, verbal abuse, false accusations, rejection, socially kicked out, physical attacks, financial loss due to moral choice based on Christ, job loss due to Christian convictions, imprisonment, torture, martyrdom. Regardless of the form or the severity, Paul wants us to stand our ground in Christ and not give up one inch under the attacks that will come our way. Stand firm.
To stand firm we need to rely on God in faith. According to 2 Corinthians chapter 1 it says, “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ … it is by faith you stand firm.” It is only by faith that we can stand firm.
Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you
The first thing is to stand firm. Don’t be moved. Don’t give an inch of the ground you stand on. Paul wants them to have a tenacity about them where they are firmly planted in the truth of God’s Word, in their Christ-like conduct, in their persistent proclaiming of the gospel, of remaining a faithful and obedient witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
They are being imprisoned and beaten and shut out in society just as Paul was. Paul says so in verse 30 when he says, “since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.” The Philippians saw Paul beaten and thrown in prison when he first came to build a church there 10 years ago. They’ve heard he was imprisoned again even as they received his letter. They were going through the same struggle, the same beatings, the same imprisonments they were seeing Paul go through. But just as Paul was standing firm no matter what the circumstances, they too were to stand firm no matter what the circumstances.
I think the greatest thing in all of sports is the double play in baseball. But, the second greatest thing is when a catcher gets plowed over by a runner trying to score. One of the rules of baseball is that a catcher can block home plate if he has the ball to try and keep a runner from scoring. The only way the runner is going to score is if he collides with the catcher hard enough to make him drop the ball. If the catcher holds on to it he’s out. A collision must happen. The catcher is a perfect example of standing firm in the face of opposition. He is acting defensively – he is receiving the blow - but his goal is to stand firm and not give up the ground he is holding.
As Christians we don’t face collisions with base-runners, but, we do face persecution when we testify to Christ. It comes in all forms and I’ve got a small list here: Teasing, mockery, insults, slander, malignity, verbal abuse, false accusations, rejection, socially kicked out, physical attacks, financial loss due to moral choice based on Christ, job loss due to Christian convictions, imprisonment, torture, martyrdom. Regardless of the form or the severity, Paul wants us to stand our ground in Christ and not give up one inch under the attacks that will come our way. Stand firm.
To stand firm we need to rely on God in faith. According to 2 Corinthians chapter 1 it says, “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ … it is by faith you stand firm.” It is only by faith that we can stand firm.
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