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Striving Together for the Faith of the Gospel
By daniel | October 3, 2004
My beloved brethren,
It?s Tuesday morning as I write this and I?m praying. I?m praying Philippians 1:27 for us as a church. Maybe you could take a look at that verse and pray along with me.
Paul is writing from prison to the saints, the faithful brethren at Philippi. He is unsure as to whether he?ll remain in prison for a while or be released soon, and from that position he offers this directive, “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ,” and then goes on to describe a conduct that is, in fact, a worthy reflection and expression of the good news of the present availability of Christ to all.
Before we see what a worthy walk is, let?s reflect on what it?s not. Often, I think, we get confused about this matter. Growing up, I was always told that a worthy walk was mostly about what you abstained from ? sex, drugs, rock?n?roll, cussing, long hair, and being a Democrat. Later, I was vehemently instructed that a worthy walk could be quantified statistically by how many doors you had knocked on, tracks you had passed out, and souls you had “won” (a phrase that occurs once in the whole Bible and has nothing to do with evangelism). Later still I became convinced that a worthy walk was mostly about the number of spiritual disciplines you included in your daily life (prayer, study, meditation, fasting, solitude, silence, celebration, service, etc.) and how contemplative (i.e. “deep”) you had become.
None of these paradigms are adequate and each, to different degrees, is damaging. We are better served to look directly to the Word to define this worthiness. When we do we see that the walk worthy of the gospel is invariably described as a matter of practiced oneness (c.f. Ephesians 4:1ff). The gospel called us into one body, and we walk worthy of the gospel when we devote ourselves utterly to living as one.
Returning to our passage we see Paul opens the directive with the word “only.” The idea is, “Whatever else happens, just see to this one thing for me.” He?s simplifying life for us. No long list of rules, just this one request. And the request, as we have seen, is to walk worthy of the gospel of Christ, which is really about living out our oneness in Him.
Paul gives us some detail, a description of what he?d like to hear through the grapevine concerning us. His ears itch to hear, “that [we] are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.” Let?s pull that apart and let its components inform our prayer.
First, “standing firm in one spirit.” When you and I were born anew we were immersed into the one Spirit. Now my spirit and your spirit are continuous; that is, mine is mine and yours is yours but you really can?t tell where I stop and you start. There?s a fluid connection between us. When we gather in the Spirit we gather on the ground of our unity in spirit. The unity of the spirit is secured and given ? it?s an inarguable, inviolable fact. “Standing firm in one spirit” is simply standing on the grounds of our real oneness, refusing to be moved away from the basis of our fellowship by differences in opinion or theological preference. As saints we are one, and when we stand fast in one spirit we?re simply insisting on the reality of that unity and choosing to ignore divisive elements in order to live as one.
From this posture we can act “with one mind.” Unity of spirit is given; unity of mind must be worked at. In the second verse of chapter four Paul urges two sisters to “be of the same mind in the Lord.” This is helpful in understanding the principle of one mind. In every situation the Lord has ground He wants to gain, something He?s after, and so He has His own ideas about how it should go down. When you and I come together full of our own ideas we cannot hear His. However, if we seek to ignore our own mind on the matter, and seek to know by the Spirit the mind of Christ (I Corinthians 2), we arrive at one mind, the Lord?s.
But in what context are we acting with one mind? We are to be, with one mind, “striving together for the faith of the gospel.” The gospel is the good news of the present availability of life in Christ and in His kingdom (which is now coming to earth). The faith of the gospel is the way of life consequent to trusting Jesus and lived out by continually trusting Jesus. It is not a collection of doctrines; it is a lifestyle of practiced confidence in Another. To strive together for the faith of the gospel is to stand as one, seeking the Lord?s mind together on how to take the earth around us in the name of Jesus. Worthiness of the gospel of Christ is about a practiced oneness worked out in the context of invasion ? the revolution of the kingdom of God in the earth.
So, this I pray. I pray that each of us may come to learn what binds us, and ignore what divides. I pray we may stand firm in one spirit. I pray we might develop low opinions of our own opinions, and that we might in fact come to value the Lord?s opinion above all else. I pray we will learn to find His mind on all matters, each and all checking our preferences at the door and genuinely expecting the living Christ to speak. And finally, I pray that with one mind we might become mindful of the world immediately around us. I pray that we might take the energy we are devoting to our thousand other things and channel it into intentional ministry, seeking to hold forth the word of life in plain view of our neighbors. Your neighbors ? the ones on your street.
May we come into such a life together that someone might hear that we are “standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.” Let it be, Lord Jesus.
Maranatha,
Virgil
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