Monday Devotion - 8th June 2020
Scripture: Philippians 1:27-30
27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
In verse 21, the Apostle Paul penned these words; ‘to live is Christ, and to die is gain’. Shocking words. The essence of what he is communicating is that to truly follow Jesus means that we must be prepared for sacrifice. Even ultimate sacrifice, as Paul was prepared for. And that is what he turns to next in verses 27-30. The implicit question that is woven into these few verses by the Apostle is; are you prepared to live sacrificially?
Paul exhorts the Philippian Christians to live lives that are worthy of the gospel of Christ. He is calling them to consider how they live? And we must note the exclusive nature of verse 27. ‘Only’ means that there are no alternatives. There is a single way to live as a Christian. And that is to live according to the gospel of Christ.
What is the gospel?
This verse is challenging and stimulating as it immediately causes us to consider the most glorious message this world has ever heard; the gospel. If your life as a Christian is to reflect the gospel, it is of utmost importance that you understand what the gospel is.
Unfortunately for many of us when we are summoned to define or articulate the gospel our answers are usually filled with the glorious benefits that are a result of believing in the gospel e.g. forgiveness of sins, the guarantee of heaven or attaining a greater purpose for life. And those things are wonderful and true. However, they are not the gospel.
Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 clearly outlines what the gospel is. And the gospel first and foremost is a message. It is a message of good news that is all about Jesus Christ. It is that Jesus Christ died for our sins on a cross, remained dead in a tomb, and then rose again three days later.
How would you summarise the essence of the life that Jesus lived? We can summarise it in one word; sacrifice. He lived sacrificially and he died sacrificing his life for you, me and this entire world.
Gospel Lifestyle
As Christians, we are called to mirror that gospel lifestyle in how we live. We may never have to lay our lives down but who knows. Many throughout our world are willing to do that and have. Nevertheless, we are called to live gospel lives that place God and others before our wants, needs and comforts.
If we say that we are Christians we can not neglect this exhortation. If we think that we can take the benefits and ignore the sacrifice then we are seriously misguided. In-fact we may not even be placing our faith in the true, saving gospel of Christ.
However, one final point to consider on this subject. Why should we live like this? Well, one answer is obedience. God’s word commands it, so we should humbly and gladly comply. Another answer is to magnify God in our conduct. And closely tied to that is our witness. The Philippians are to live for Christ and Paul is desperate to hear of their faithful standing.
You and I live in an increasingly secular world. The Bible is outdated at best and intolerable, misogynistic and homophobic at worst. I think we can safely say that for the post-modern West, the days are gone of an unbeliever randomly picking up their Bible for truth and guidance.
That reality places a heavy burden on how we decide to live.
One of John MacArthur’s timeless comments fits well here;
‘‘You are the only Bible some unbelievers will ever read’’
How about this next week starting each day by asking this question; ‘Am I conducting myself in a manner worthy of the gospel?’