23:26 - March 25, 2009
Philippians 1:29
"For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him,"
For all the versions of the gospel running around out there, one thing that cannot be avoided is the fact that once someone becomes that new creation in Christ, they will encounter resistance. Even Jesus himself assures us of this. "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (Jn 16:31)
We are agreed that there is definitely trouble in the world. He goes on to say that we should have courage, because He has overcome the world. Huh? Ok, let's take this in a slightly different order.
Trouble in the world (Check)
He has overcome the world. This particular verse comes from the Last Supper, which was a last chance for Jesus to get the disciples as ready as he could for what was coming. We've all seen the tv program or movie with the deathbed scene, right, of close family/friends gathered around the loved one who is sharing all s/he knows because this is it, folks. That's what Jesus is doing here. He knew He was about to kick the bucket and was taking the golden opportunity to explain so the family could do what it needed to do.
So Jesus dies and rises again on the third day. Well, what happened in the interim? Did he go on vacay? Exactly the opposite. During those three days, I believe Christ descended into hell, defeated death in every form, and rose on the third day to proclaim, once and for all, He is the victor. Back to our checklist.
Trouble in the world (Check)
He has overcome the world (Check)
Take heart. This is where our verse from Philippians comes in. Let's go back to our new creation in Christ. Why does anyone come to Christ in the first place? Well, most people who have grown up in church have grown up around Christ, and they see "accepting" Christ as another cog in the progression of being a good Christian. Growing up in church does not count as knowing Christ.
Then there are the others. Those people who don't look like "normal" people, or smell weird, or act weird. In the world's eyes, it is polite to describe them as the "least of these". But what does Christ have to say about them?
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" (Matt 25:40)
Pretty strong words. So how do people like this come to Christ? They come because they realize they are desperate. They come because He is the only one who can fill and heal the giant gaping hole within their lives.
"For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him".
John Wesley talks about prevenient grace, which is defined as "the divine love that surrounds all humanity and precedes any and all of our conscious impulses". So we can see that we don't even really come to Christ on our own, because on our own, we would stay in our pride. Humility takes real strength. Which is easier to say, "You made a mistake" or "I made a mistake"?
Here's where it get's funky. Another twist in some of the gospels out there is that God saves you, but it's basically up to you to stay saved. Nothing could be further from the truth. God continues to give us grace after our conversion, and it is then our choice to operate within that grace or not. "It has been granted to you on behalf of Christ...also to suffer for him." See, God isn't the flash-bang type. By that I mean that he usually operates in a process of working things in or out. There are certainly times when he takes away or gives instantaneously, but this is more the exception than the rule.
"Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." (Phil. 2:11-13)
There will be suffering. When your flesh stops getting it's daily rations of fear, worry, pride, etc, it will put up an epic temper tantrum. Be ready. Feed your spirit it's daily rations of the word. We have been given the grace (power) on Christ's behalf to suffer for him. But we also have to stand up for our help. We do this in prayer, asking for God's help. We also do this by speaking God's word out loud as it applies to our situation. We can do this as we become better acquainted with the word from our daily rations.
Final Checklist:
Trouble in the world (check)
He has overcome the world (check)
We have courage (check)
Go in peace.
