In Christ Alone

IN CHRIST ALONE (PHILIPPIANS 1)

In November 2017’s Thanksgiving I went to Israel with 33 members, including spouses, of a seminary where I formerly taught as part of the faculty. On the trip was a retiree from New Zealand who told how he was arrested on his missions trip for preaching in public. The authorities gave him a choice: straight deportation and never return again, or 15 days jail with re-entry clearance. What would you choose?

The man chose the latter, emboldened by the three other local believers arrested with him. Do you know his rations for the day? Just two hard buns with no fillings inside – one for lunch and dinner. The four of them passed the time by singing gospel songs, praying, talking to inmates, encouraging and supporting one another.

Philippians, along with Ephesians, Colossians and Philemon—was part of the Prison Epistles that were written by Paul during his imprisonment in Rome. The Philippi was the first stop in Paul’s second missionary journey after he received the Macedonian call to Europe (Acts 16:12). Paul’s close and candid relationship with the Philippians is symbolized by Lydia’s commanding and compelling plea for him to stay with their household (Acts 16:15). It might surprise readers to know that Lydia stated it in the imperative mood, which was unheard of from any known believer addressing the great apostle n his missionary journeys. Ironically Paul was imprisoned in Philippi (Acts 16:23-24), no different from his present situation.

What would be your attitude if you were arrested or persecuted for the sake of the gospel? Who can step into your shoes? What motivates them? Would the work you started suffer or succeed?

Be Partners in the Work

1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. (Phil 1:1-11)

Neal Krause, a sociologist and public-health expert at the University of Michigan, conducted a longitudinal study of 1,500 people since 1997, focusing particularly on how regular churchgoers weather economic downturns as well as the stresses and health woes that go along with them. Not surprisingly, he has found that parishioners benefit when they receive social support from their church. But or as the laity? he has also found that those people who give help fare even better than those who receive it. He has also found that people who maintain a sense of gratitude for what’s going right in their lives have a reduced incidence of depression. And in another study he conducted that was just accepted for publication, he found that people who believe their lives have meaning live longer than people who don’t. “That’s one of the purported reasons for religion,” Krause says. (“The Biology of Belief,” Time, Feb. 12, 2009) http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1879016-1,00.html

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” —African Proverb

As in some of his book introductions (1 Cor 1:4, 1 Thess 1:2, 2 Thess 1:3, Philem 4), Paul began with an act and expression of thanksgiving (v 3), but unlike other times this thanksgiving greeting is accompanied not with (meta) grace (1 Cor 1:4), faith (Col 1:4) or love and hope (1 Thess 1:3) as in other books, but with joy (v 4). Paul, however, is not praying for joy, but giving thanks upon (epi) their fellowship in the gospel (v 5). Fellowship (koinonia) means communion, companions and comrades. It comes from the Greek word “koine” or common, partners and sharers. The word “share” (sugkoinonos) later in verse 7 is almost the same word with fellowship (koinonia) but with the preposition “sun” or “together,” “joint” and “co-” in front. It is in contrast to distance, desertion and denial. The believers in Philippi supported Paul with all readiness and respect, without reservation and resentment from “the first day until now” (v 5) and will keep doing so “until the day of Christ Jesus,” Paul believed (v 6).