September 21, 2007

STRIVING TOGETHER

Philippians 1:27-30

I have a question for you to think on this morning. Are believers called to a life of conflict or a life of unity?

Continue to keep that question in mind as you listen to Paul’s words to the Philippians. (Read Philippians 1:27-30)

So, now how would you answer the question: Are believers called to a life of conflict or a life of unity?

I believe the clear answer to that question is “Yes!” If we understand Paul’s words in Philippians correctly, we can only conclude that, as Christians, we are indeed called to both.

Let us consider the first statement together. Believers are called to a life of spiritual conflict. Make no mistake about it, the Christian life is not a playground, it is a battle ground.

Last week I concluded my message by saying that while the Christian life is essentially very simple, it is not easy. It is not easy because it is a life of conflict and battle and struggle. This sometimes takes Christians, especially new Christians by surprise

The evangelist was reaching his conclusion. His words rang with conviction. “Jesus is the answer! He will give you the abundant life you have been looking for! He will meet your needs. He will satisfy your longings. Won’t you come to Jesus tonight?”

John was a typical young adult. He wanted an abundant life. He knew something was missing from his life. And so, when the evangelist gave the invitation, he went forward and gave his life to Christ.

And it was true. Life was exciting. There were new friends, new excitement. The loneliness was gone. He enjoyed reading the Bible and praying and going to church.

But as the weeks turned into months, he began to experience some disappointment. He found that his life was still difficult. In fact, in some ways, life was more difficult now than it was before he became a Christian. Yes, he had new friends. But some of his old friends made fun of him and didn’t seem to want him around any more. They couldn’t understand why he wanted to go to church all the time. His boss at work became more demanding, and seemed to always find something to criticize. He also became aware of the failings of his new Christian friends.

John began to wonder what had gone wrong. Where was the abundant life he had been promised? Why was life still so difficult? He became more and more confused. He even stopped going to church. He wondered if he had made a terrible mistake by becoming a Christian.

What went wrong for John? John isn’t a real person. It is just a story I made up. But his story is similar to the experience of many who come to Christ. What John (and many like him) failed to realize (and which the preacher neglected to tell him) was that the Christian life is a battle field. It involves enemies, struggle, conflict and suffering.

Many years ago, I volunteered to be the coach of my son Dennis’ football/soccer team. It was for young boys, only 6 and 7 years old. For most of them, it was their first experience in team sports. We had several weeks of practice. We gave the boys their uniforms. Everyone was very excited. The day for the first game came. We met at the field. All the boys had their uniforms on, and they were kicking a ball around to get ready for the game. Then the other team arrived and began to warm up on the other end of the field. One of our players named George came over to me with a frown on his face. “What are those guys doing here?” he asked. You see, George didn’t get it. He didn’t understand that the game was a competition, that there would be opposition. He thought we were just going to spend the morning kicking our ball around the field and go home when we got tired! Some Christians are like George. They don’t understand that we are in a battle. They don’t realize that we are facing real enemies. Maybe it’s not their fault. Maybe they have not been warned or prepared for the opposition.

But let’s look at Paul’s words in the passage of Scripture in front of us. In verse 28, Paul tells them not be “frightened in any way by those who oppose you.” The KJV refers to “adversaries” or enemies. The word literally describes someone who has set himself against us to prevent us from moving forward.

The word “frightened” is also interesting. It is the word used to describe a spooked or startled horse. We should expect opposition in the Christian life, and not be caught off-guard or startled by it as by something unexpected.

In verse 29, Paul tells us something else. He says there that it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him. It is an interesting choice of words. It has been given as a special privilege, a grace gift, to suffer for Christ. This suffering for Christ’s sake should also not take us by surprise. Peter tells us the same thing in I Peter 3:12-13: Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the suffering of Christ…

In verse 30, Paul comes back to this theme again. Since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have. The word used here for “struggle” is “agona”. It comes from the root word “agon” which was used to describe an arena or place of assembly where the ancient wrestling matches and athletic contests were held. The “agona” was the struggle, the competition that went on in the “agon” as a wrestler struggled against his opponent in hand to hand competition. The intensity of these contests is revealed in the fact that the root word has found its way into the English language in our word “agony” and “agonize”. When Paul says that the Philippians saw this struggle in him in the past, he is recalling the birth of the Philippian church and the beating and the night in prison and the stocks locked around his ankles. When Paul says that the Philippians “now hear that I still have” struggles, he is referring to his present status as a prisoner of Rome. “You saw my past struggles, you have heard about my present struggles, and you yourself are going through the same kind of struggles. None of this should take you by surprise.” Believers are called to a life of spiritual conflict.

I want to elaborate a bit on this theme, by bringing in a few additional Scriptures. As we look through the Scriptures, we are engaged in spiritual battle against three significant enemies: the world, the flesh and the devil. These three have been the subject of much helpful writing and teaching in the church’s history. But sadly, much of this kind of teaching has been neglected by the church in the modern day. I think it’s worth taking a brief look at each of these enemies as they are identified in Scripture.

1. The world.

When the New Testament uses this word in a spiritual context, “the world” refers to the world system and humanity as it has organized itself to operate independently of God and his will. In I John 2:15-16, John tells us, “Do not love the world, or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does - comes not from the Father but from the world.

This world system not only does not come from God. It actively opposes him and those who follow Christ. Listen to Jesus’ own words in John 15:18-19: If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. That is a significant enemy.

2. The flesh.

I am using that term in the Biblical sense to refer to the old sin nature. The Bible teaches us that even after we come to Christ, we still have a sin nature within us which rebels against the Holy Spirit’s control over our lives. Paul instructs us on this arena of struggle in Galatians 5:16-17: So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. The NIV has translated the term “flesh” as the “sinful nature.” However you translate it, it is in conflict with the Spirit of God who indwells us. So, a significant part of our struggle is the battle that rages within us.

3. The devil.

The Bible is very clear that there is a real spiritual being, a fallen angel. He is sometimes referred to as “the devil” and sometimes as “Satan”. The name “Satan” literally translates as “adversary”. He and his dominion of fallen angels and evil spirits also oppose us as Christians. He is the ultimate controller of the “world” system and he is the puppet master who ultimately pulls the strings on our old sinful nature. He is opposed to everything God desires to do in us and in the world. He is the source of much of the Christian’s suffering. Listen to Peter’s instructions in I Peter 5:8-9: Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

The world, the flesh and the devil; as I said, there was a lot more teaching about these topics in churches a generation ago. It seems like they are hardly mentioned in many churches today. Oh, there may be an occasion seminar on spiritual warfare and the devil in some circles. But the flesh, the sin nature? We’re taught that people are basically good, and with a little therapy, they can be even better. And the world? We’ve cozied up so close to the world, we hardly see it as an enemy at all! Yet the Bible is very clear. These are all opposed to us and what God wants to do in and through us. With three such significant and powerful enemies, we should not be surprised that the Christian life is a struggle, a battle field, and a place of spiritual conflict. Believers are called to a life of spiritual conflict.

But I began by asking, “Are believers called to a life of conflict or a life of unity?” And I concluded that the answer is “Yes” on both counts. I believe it is Paul’s thesis in this short paragraph that believers are called to unity in the midst of spiritual conflict. We have been looking at the conflict and its sources. Now let’s consider together the call to unity.

As we consider Paul’s vocabulary and imagery in these verses, we find that our unity comes from two sources. The first is a common citizenship. Verse 27 starts with the words “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel…” The KJV reads, “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the Gospel…” Neither translation does full justice to Paul’s original words. The word he uses refers to the conduct and responsibilities of a citizen. It is the word from which we derive the English word “politics”. It was a very significant word in this context, because the city of Philippi was a colony of Rome. That meant it had a direct relationship with Rome with special rights and privileges, and the local government and administration were all modeled precisely after that found in Rome. Roman citizenship was a matter of great pride and significance in Philippi. This is why it caused such consternation in Acts 16 when Paul informed them that he was a Roman citizen, yet he had been beaten without a trial. The rights and responsibilities of citizenship was an image that would have carried great significance in the church at Philippi. Paul uses this image and vocabulary again in the letter in Philippians 3:20 where he states that “our citizenship is in heaven.” So Paul’s call to unity here is based on a common identity and a common citizenship.

The second source of our unity is a common commitment to Christ and his Gospel. At the end of the verse, he also describes Christians as engaged in a common struggle to defend and advance “the faith of the gospel.” So in Paul’s world view here, Christians are perceived as having a common citizenship and a common cause. This becomes the basis for his call to unity found at the end of verse 27. “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. That’s what good citizens of the heavenly kingdom do!

There are actually three phrases describing this unity. In one spirit can either refer to the Holy Spirit, or could mean simply a oneness of human spirit that shares a common identity and cause. In the next line, the NIV uses the phrase “as one man,”  which can be translated more literally as “with one soul.” The third phrase is capture in the word “contending.” The KJV translates this “striving together”. This word especially captures the essence of what Paul is calling for. It is a compound word, comprised of the Greek preposition “sun” or “with” plus the Greek word “athleo” from which comes our English word “athletics” and “athlete.” The picture is that of athletes competing together as team mates in an athletic competition. We are team mates, competing on the same side, and our “event” or “sport” is the “faith of the Gospel.”

In the first message from Philippians 1:1-11, I gave you a definition of fellowship as “a joint participation in a common interest and activity.” Although Paul does not use the Greek word for fellowship (koinonia) here, this word for “contending” or “striving together” precisely captures its essence. “Striving together in a common cause” and that cause is the gospel of Christ. Paul rejoiced in that first paragraph because of the Philippians and their “partnership in the Gospel.” Now he urges them to continue to strive together as team mates for the cause of Christ and his Gospel. As Christians, we not only have a common citizenship, but we have a common cause: the Gospel of Christ. Proper “conduct for citizens” then is a spirit of unity and cooperation as team mates in this common cause of advancing the Gospel. Believers are called to unity in the midst of spiritual conflict. The Christian life is a team sport. It is not an individual event. We have powerful enemies. We should expect conflict and opposition and suffering. But we are called to face our enemies as a team with a united front, supporting and encouraging and urging one another on.

As I look at those first two propositions: Believers are called to a life of spiritual conflict, and Believers are called to unity in the midst of spiritual conflict, a third reality comes to my mind. In the heat of battle, there is a danger of confusing our allies and our adversaries.

In recent years, there have been a number of stories in the news coming from the war zones of the world. They are stories of what is referred to as “friendly fire incidents.” They are tragic stories of human error and miscommunication which have led to soldiers being fired on and killed by their own comrades. Sadly, I fear, in the Christian church we often lose our focus in the heat of battle. We forget who and where the enemy is and we turn our guns on each other. I mentioned last week the last job I had before I came to this church. I was a pastoral counselor in a ministry that worked particularly with Christian missionaries and pastors. Oh, how many broken people I talked to who were victims of “friendly fire.” What was even more tragic, if I had been able to meet with the “other people” in these conflicts, I am sure they would have told a very different story – that they were the misunderstood victims. At the end of the day, Christians often pour huge amounts of energy and angst into “striving together” against each other, rather than “striving together” against their real enemies.

I am not usually much of a fan of motor sports, but I have been intrigued in recent months by an ongoing saga in the world of Formula One racing. There are two drivers, Alonso and Hamilton. They drive for the same team. But they are also running first and second for the individual driver’s championship. The season has been a soap opera of incidents and accusations and counter accusations as these two team mates battle each other, cutting each other off, ignoring team instructions, all to pursue individual glory at the expense of the team goals.

How often that same spirit of competition and strife creeps into the church to disrupt our unity and spoil our testimony. There is a large church denomination in Kenya that I am familiar with. They currently have a court case pending in the constitutional courts of Kenya because one man was elected bishop, and the man who lost the election is suing and claiming that the proper constitutional rules were not followed in the election. Meanwhile the churches suffer. There is an African proverb that says, “When elephants fight, the grass gets trampled.” Who is the enemy? Who are my allies? Meanwhile I can picture Satan, our real adversary, rubbing his hands with glee. Fighting churches and fighting Christians are no threat to him or his kingdom.

Christians, be careful. Be on guard. In the heat of battle, we are prone to forget who our allies are and who the enemy is. There are more than a few hints in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, that there were some problems with interpersonal conflict and strife within the fellowship. That is why Paul argues so passionately for the unity of the church and coming together as team mates and partners around the common cause of Christ and his Gospel.

Believers are called to a life of spiritual conflict. The Bible is clear about that. There is a battle going on. It’s fierce. Real bullets are flying, as well as metaphorical ones. I have no doubt that every one of you has felt the heat of the battle even this week. Don’t be surprised by it. But here is my question. In the sense of conflict and strife you have felt this week, are you sure you have correctly identified your allies and your enemies? Remember, believers are called to unity in the midst of spiritual conflict as we strive together for the faith of the Gospel.