In 2013 a European horsemeat scandal broke, Great Britain’s Food Standards Agency closed a slaughterhouse and a processing plant after investigators found horse carcasses had been used to make beef burgers and kebabs. A month later, the parent company of IKEA which is a giant Swedish meat company was charged in another food labeling scandal as authorities said they had detected horsemeat in frozen meatballs labeled as beef and pork and sold in 13 countries across the continent.
Shortly after the officials in Iceland decided to run tests to make sure the same thing wasn’t happening in Iceland. Fortunately, Icelandic meat inspectors didn’t find any horsemeat, but one brand of locally produced beef pie left them stumped: it contained no meat at all. Instead it was made from vegetable products. One of the lead inspectors said, “That was the peculiar thing. It was labeled as beef pie, so it should be beef pie.” (CBCNews, “Horsemeat found in IKEA meatballs in Europe”, 2-25-13; CBCNews, “Iceland tests find meat pies contain no meat at all”, 3-1-13; www.PreachingToday.com)
We like to consume 100% pure products don’t we? We proclaim the label “Christian.” The question then, is what do you suppose people should expect? I invite you to turn in your Bibles with me to Philippians 1, where the Bible clarifies what it means to be a pure Christian to present a pure image of Christ to those around us.
Philippians 1:27a “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ,”
The Bible states that, if we call ourselves a “Christian,” we should live distinguished lifestyle…
LIVE IN A MANNER WORTHY OF THE GOSPEL.
As you have your Bible open to Philippians 1:27, there are a few distinguishing words that I would like to highlight to help us understand how to present pure Christianity.
The first word is the adverb “only” (monon). We get our English term mono from this word. This word implies a sense of priority. It literally means only, alone. The word “only” conveys that “living worthy of the gospel” should take precedence in our life.
The second word in the Greek language is a phrase in our English translations, “your conduct.” The Greek word (politeuomai) is the origin of the English word politics. It is a word built upon the Greek word for “city” (polis) and implies that we have citizenship responsibilities. Verse 27 literally says, “Politic in a way worthy of the Gospel of Christ.”
I suppose our politics today are anything but worthy of the Gospel, but “politics” is a good word. It is important to tell you that the context uses this word to describe a person who has a proper reference to one’s obligations in relationship to others, as part of some community—‘to live in relation to others.’
A Christian should live as a citizen “worthy of the gospel of Christ” which means to represent Christ to others.
As Paul wrote, he is also aware that a Christian is a “dual citizen.” Paul’s use of the noun form of politeuomai is found later in Philippians 3:20 where Paul writes, “For our citizenship [politeuma] is in heaven.” The point that Paul is suggesting is that while we are citizens on earth, we ought to behave like heaven’s citizens.
“To live your life as a citizen “worthy of the gospel of Christ” means to represent Christ on earth.
The third distinguishing word is “worthy” (axios) it means to weigh something on the scales. The idea is that our conduct in life consists of as much of the gospel as possible. Have you ever thought of the “worth weight” of the gospel? The Bible describes the gospel as something priceless. Psalm 36:7 “How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.”
As we study Paul’s life we can understand how he lived. He kept a submissive and humble attitude against offensive and objectional situations for the benefit of others to hear the gospel. In summary verse 27, means we should live on earth sacrificially so others to know the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Back when the New York Yankees were a dominant team in major league baseball, every rooky was told, “it’s an honor just to put on the New York pinstripes. So when you put them on, play like world champions. Play like Yankees. Play proud.” (Bill Hybels, “The Certainty of Suffering,” Preaching Today, Tape No.164)
That’s the idea we have here. We have to put on Christ. The Bible says we are clothed in His righteousness. Therefore, we should live like victors not victims. We should conduct ourselves as Christians, who have already won.
Philippians 1:27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,
As we continue in this passage, Paul encourages the Philippians to live for Christ whether he is able to come see them or whether he just hears a good report. What a great comment! Paul expects that the impact of these Christians would be known far and wide.
A distinguishing characteristic of a Christian is that they live with these distinctives…
STAND TOGETHER FOR THE GOSPEL.
Paul yearns to hear about the church “standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel” (1:27b).
The word translated “stand firm” (steko) described a Roman military formation in which the soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder with their shields up and their spears outward. It was strong defensive position. The word was also used of a soldier who defended his position at all costs, even to the point of sacrificing his own life.
To “stand firm” means to hold our ground regardless of the danger or the opposition. Figuratively, it means to hold fast to a belief, a conviction, or a principle without compromise, regardless of personal cost.
Impacting the world begins as Christians stand together “in one spirit.” As followers of Jesus, we need each other. We are to join arms and hearts, offering encouragement and hope in our struggles. We are not to isolate. Jesus promised that all men would know that we are His disciples by our love for one another (John 13:34–35).
Paul has used political and military words, now he moves to the world of athletics. All this in one verse! The next word is translated “striving together” (sunathleo) and gives us our English word “athletics.” Paul pictures the church as a team, and he reminds the Philippians that it is teamwork that wins victories. It’s like a coach saying to his players, “We win together and we lose together.”
The local church is not made up of superstars. The church is a team in which Christ is the superstar, and we are joined together with Him to compete. In this case, we play as a team to advance the truth of God and the gospel. Our motivation and common goal is “for others to know the gospel of Christ.”
Well, what does all this mean, exactly? What does that look like in our relationships with one another? Look again at verse 27
Stand with one spirit. Strive with one mind, or more literally, as one soul.
To put it simply, we have to come together at the deepest parts of our being. Our spirits and our souls must unite as one spirit.
Now, the word, “spirit” literally means wind or breath. And if you can picture a great choir, with each member taking all their breaths at the same time, you get the picture we have here. How many of you have ever sung in a choir? Then you know how important it is to start and end each phrase at exactly the same time. The choir music even has breath marks, so the choir members know when to breathe. That way they sound like one voice, rather than 50 different voices, each trying to do their own thing.
A research study has found that the heart rates of choir members actually synchronize when they sing together. They used pulse monitors attached to the singers’ ears. The researchers from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden measured the changes in the choir members’ heart rates as they navigated the intricate harmonies of a Swedish hymn. When the choir began to sing, their heart rates slowed down. But what really surprised them was that it took almost no time at all for the singers’ heart rates to become synchronized. The readout from the pulse monitors started as a jumble of jagged lines, but quickly became a series of uniform peaks. The heart rates fell into a shared rhythm guided by the song’s tempo. (Anna Haensch, “When Choirs Sing, Many Hearts Beat as One”, Shots Health News from NPR, July 10, 2013; http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2013/07/09/200390454/when-choirs-sing-many-hearts-beat-as-one)
Wow! What a picture of the way the church is supposed to function. When we come together as one great choir, with one wind, and with one breath, our hearts are in sync, and we make God’s praise glorious! Not that we’re all going to be singing the same notes, because God made each of us different. But those notes must come together in perfect harmony, as we work together to bring honor and glory to our Lord, Jesus Christ. If we want to live worthy of the Gospel, we must come together.
The theologian Francis Schaffer said, “We cannot expect the world to believe that the Father sent the Son, that Jesus’ claims are true, and that Christianity is true, unless the world sees some reality of oneness of true Christians. (Francis Schaeffer, “The Church Before the Watching World;” Christianity Today, Vol. 34, no.1)
In other words, if we don’t come together, the world will have no reason to believe that the Gospel is true. Do you see how important our unity is? It has an effect on people believing the Gospel. Our unity, or lack of it, can make the difference for some people. That’s how important it is!
What does it mean to be a Christian? It means a Christian also has this distinctive…
United together for the Gospel.
Philippians 1:27-28 “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.”
Verse 28 conveys that our unity is a sign that the enemy has been defeated at the cross of Christ. But it’s also a sign of our salvation, our ultimate victory.
There is a YouTube video that shows four lions pouncing on three Cape buffalo as the buffalo drink from a watering hole. The Cape buffalo – mother, father, and calf – scatter when attacked, but the four lions are able to get hold of the tiny calf, and it doesn’t look good. Gnawing, biting, tearing, and dragging, the lions fight to bring the calf out of the water to the ground. Then, some crocodiles get in on what seems to be a food fight. The little buffalo has no way of retaliating. All he can do is hang in there.
There are at least a hundred Cape buffalo. A solid wall of muscle and horns encircles the four lions. The largest, strongest bulls stand side by side, forming a battering ram of horns at the front of the mass. One at a time, the largest bulls take turns charging the lions. One bull gores a lion, throwing it ten feet in the air. The other lions keep gnawing at the calf, which is still alive, but now out of the water and away from the crocodiles. The lions don’t take the herd seriously—until another lion gets gored. And another gets stampeded. Finally, the calf breaks free from the last lion, and the largest bulls chase the pride of lions away.
What no single buffalo could do alone – chase away four lions – the community of buffalo easily did together. In the end, the calf walked away without a limp. (John S. Dickerson, The Great Evangelical Recession, Baker Books, 2013, p. 153; www. PreachingToday.com)
Pure Christian conduct means 1st, living worthy of the gospel, standing together with other believers, staying united because of the gospel and… It means a pure Christian also has this distinctive…we will.
SUFFER TOGETHER FOR CHRIST.
We will go through some hard times together. Experience some pain together. Struggle together for the cause of Christ.
Philippians 1:29-30 “For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, 30 having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.”
Paul and the early believers struggled together for the cause of Christ, and they considered it a sacrifice for Jesus. And that’s exactly what it is!
Romans 5 tells us that suffering produces perseverance, character, and…hope (Romans 5:3-4). James 1 tells us that suffering develops perseverance, maturity, and completeness. And this passage, Philippians 1, implies that the difficult circumstances that we experience in life brings us into fellowship with Christ and to each other.
Our trials and suffering are offset by God’s grace. Suffering also allows us to understand Christ’s suffering.
Several years ago (2001), a lion (Leo), a Bengal tiger (Shere Kahn), and an American black bear (Baloo) were rescued from their owner, a drug dealer, who didn’t take care of them very well. The bear’s harness had grown into its skin, because the owner didn’t loosen it as the animal grew. All three animals were abused and neglected until they were rescued in 2001. The bear’s harness was surgically removed, and all three have recovered 100 percent. They were taken in by Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary in Georgia.
The staff initially tried to separate them, thinking the three large predators would fight, but they acted out all the more. During separation, the animals were uncooperative. But once they were reunited, they calmed down and behaved well. The three unique friends spent their days together playing ball, cuddling, chasing each other, and eating cookies. Allison Hedgecoth of Noah’s Ark said, “They live together and they don’t see their differences.” (Steve Osunsami, “Lion, Tiger and Bear Make for Odd, Yet Happy Family at Ga. Sanctuary,” abcnews.com, 8-10-13; www.PreachingToday.com)
Their shared suffering brought these natural enemies together like nothing else could, and that’s what hard times do. They bring people together. As we suffer together, we can have a stronger bond than we’ve ever had before. But only if we depend on Jesus and His Grace. Otherwise our trials will serve only to tear us apart, rather than bring us together.
A very clear verse that shares the good news to all of is John 3:16. This good news of God’s love requires us to be genuine representatives of Jesus.
- Walk worthy of our citizenship,
- Stand up for the gospel.
- Unite together for the gospel.
- Encourage one another as we sometimes suffer together for the cause of the gospel.