The passage for April is Philippians 1:18b-30:
Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.
Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
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, 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.
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, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. (ESV)
Throughout each month, we will post short articles to give some depth of understanding regarding our text (see the archive links on the lower right of this page for review). Today we will discuss...
Conduits of Grace
We have spent some time discussing the two sides of the coin for the average Christian, If we remain in this life, it is for the good of others. If we go and be with Jesus, that is far better because WE GET TO BE WITH JESUS!
With all of that said, though. We SHOULD long to see Jesus. But we SHOULD NOT fall into a suicidal hatred for life on this side of eternity. As one pastor has said, Jesus made a point of praying that the Father would NOT take us out of this world (John 17:15), so we should see the value in staying here until God sees fit to take us home. His timing is better than ours.
One way to avoid hatred for life is to see God's purpose for keeping you alive.
The Apostle Paul says that, more than anything he is sticking around for the church's "progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again."
Paul isn't their source of joy. Paul is a conduit for the joy to pass through.
A conduit is the device used to move something (like water or electricity) from one place to another.
We all want electricity in our homes. The way electricity travels from the power plant to our home is through the conduit of electrical lines. We all want fresh, clean water. It comes to us through plumbing.
We all want to grow in our faith and to remain steadfast through trials. The joy and faith are delivered to us from God through His Spirit, His Word and in the case of this passage - God delivers joy and growth through his people. He helps the Philippians through Paul. He helps the Warsawians (the church at Warsaw) through you.
The way in which we make it through the troublesome days ahead is to see ourselves the same way Paul saw himself - as conduits of God's Good News, bringing progress and joy in the faith to others.
So, how can you live as a conduit this week? Do what Paul does in this letter:
— Know the people God has put around you.
— Know where they are struggling.
— Know their past enough to help them in the present.
— Help their present circumstances by pointing them to their Future Hope.
— Encourage them in what they are doing well.
— Correct them in love when they are off course.
— Encourage them to live for others more than themselves.
And remember that there is an end goal to all of this. just like Paul, you are designed to help bring progress and joy in the faith so that others can... "have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus."
When Paul says to "GLORY" in Jesus Christ, the word may be easier to understand as to rejoice in or to boast in Jesus.
As we progress and find joy in the faith, we will again and again be pointed to the beauty of the Cross and the Resurrection.
Paul was confident and happy to go on in this broken world because he knew he was on the planet to help people see that Jesus is awesome. Jesus is more weighty and more in control than any of the trials or triumphs of this world and so we can stand steadfast in hard times and good times and we can encourage others through any and every storm because we are people of the cross.
We are on the winning side.
The light and momentary afflictions of this world are NOTHING compared to the Glory to come.
You, yes YOU, Christian are alive to share that good news.
When Paul says to "GLORY" in Jesus Christ, the word may be easier to understand as to rejoice in or to boast in Jesus.
As we progress and find joy in the faith, we will again and again be pointed to the beauty of the Cross and the Resurrection.
Paul was confident and happy to go on in this broken world because he knew he was on the planet to help people see that Jesus is awesome. Jesus is more weighty and more in control than any of the trials or triumphs of this world and so we can stand steadfast in hard times and good times and we can encourage others through any and every storm because we are people of the cross.
We are on the winning side.
The light and momentary afflictions of this world are NOTHING compared to the Glory to come.
You, yes YOU, Christian are alive to share that good news.
While God has you here, you are here with a purpose. Live like the saved. Sing like the saved. Hope like the saved. Overcome like the saved. And go tell others how to have the hope that is in you.
