All posts by Luella Campbell

PAUL’S HAPPY LETTER…ATTITUDE – 8

Bible Study, ,

“Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We must remember that Paul’s counsel to this church was not based on criticism or correction but on his desire to fine-tune their lives in their faith and obedience to Jesus as Lord. As we have already noted, it’s all about attitude.  

“In the Bible, attitude means the inner mindset, spirit, and disposition of the heart that guides a person’s actions and words. Key biblical attitudes include humility, love, and a Christ-like mindset.” Google AI. 

Complaining…murmuring…the subtle undercurrent of discontent. Not loud, or insistent, or vocal…just a quiet disturbance of harmonious, peaceful fellowship. Debate…introducing another subtle opportunity to question…and even to argue about doctrine, about the things they did or did not do or the way they did them. The subtle disagreements could  be as much about doctrine as about the peripheral things that caused them to rub against each other. 

Paul was not accusing these believers. He was cautioning them against allowing these subtly divisive attitudes to creep into their fellowship. They were to shine like pinpricks of light in very dark world full of rot and corruption. Their individual light might be minuscule but very noticeable in a dark environment. 

Any small attitude of darkness, any tiny deviation from the truth in their faith or behaviour would dim or extinguish the light that keeps them on track and points others towards Jesus. 

Once again, Paul makes clear that they are not the source of light but the bearers of the light that is in them. Practical and do-able…

“Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5‬:‭7‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The light within them would expose and reveal…expose the deeds done in darkness and reveal the truth that would shine out of their words and behaviour. 

“Hold firmly to the word of life…”

“The teaching of your word gives light, so even the simple can understand.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119‬:‭130‬ ‭NLT‬‬

So, Paul encouraged his beloved Philippian believers to cling to God’s word, the source of the light that was in them…to live by it themselves and to share it with others…because this was the only light that would guide them and others to Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life. 

The obedience and faithfulness of these Christians in Philippi to Jesus and His word was Paul’s only guarantee that his labour was not in vain. Their increasing likeness to Jesus showed him that they were firmly grafted into the true vine and bearing the fruit of that union. 

Attitude itself is not seen but revealed through the words and deeds of those who follow Jesus as much as through those who don’t. Attitude influences and drives the way we function and relate to others.

Attitude could be another way of understanding “spirit”…not a supernatural being in them, controlling them…but a mindset that underlies who they are and the way they live. 

And so with every believer who follows them…

To be continued

PAUL’S HAPPY LETTER…FRUIT – 7

Bible Study, ,

“Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭12‬-‭13‬, ‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

How could Paul ever know that God’s work through him was real , bearing the fruit of the gospel? Not by those who answered altar calls. Not by those who prayed the sinner’s prayer. Not by those who signed on to church membership.  Not even by those who were “born again”. 

Jesus said there is only one test,  to find out the nature of the tree… fruit! A simple lesson from nature! Jesus taught His disciples to apply the test. 

“You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Always moving his converts towards greater maturity, Paul appeals to them to grow the fruit of their salvation by applying themselves diligently to his instructions. Two powers are at work in them…the work they put into their obedience and the work God does in them in response to their work of obedience. The one without the other doesn’t work!

We must never separate the two. We can never work for our salvation. Only God can do the work in us. By His grace, He made us alive, forgave our sin, reconciled us to Himself, reinstated us as His sons and daughters, blessed us with every spiritual blessing, and gave us citizenship in His kingdom. 

Our “work” is to respond to God’s work by working it out in obedience to His commands by…believing in Jesus (leaning our full weight on Jesus)  and…loving one another (helping each other in all circumstances at our own expense). 

When and as we obey Jesus’ instructions, His Spirit in us grows the fruit of our union with Him…the outward evidence of the nature of the tree. If the tree of which we are branches is the vine of which Jesus spoke…He Himself and our union with Him… we will bear the fruit of that tree…

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There is only one way to remain in union with the vine…

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me…Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.”

‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭4‬-‭5‬, ‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Vine…branches…prayer…fruit! It’s a process…slow but sure. 

God’s word is the sap that flows from the vine to the branches, nourishing them and growing the fruit the identifies the vine. So, Paul exhorts…

“Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important.”  

Paul’s instructions would eventually be recognised as the very word of God. 

Staying in the vine and bearing the fruit of that “vine” is not airy -fairy but practical…remain in Jesus’ words. The word and the Spirit are never separated. 

“Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.”

‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭31‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“But if you remain in me and my words remain in you…”

‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭7‬a NLT‬‬

So, there we have Jesus’ secret of fruitfulness encapsulated…living in the word, and sharing the word with one another with joyful and grateful hearts…

“Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬ 

To be continued

PAUL’S HAPPY LETTER…ATTITUDE – 6c

Bible Study, ,

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset (attitude) as Christ Jesus:…”

It’s all about attitude!

Google AI’s definition of attitude helps us understand what Paul was saying. 

“In the Bible, attitude means the inner mindset, spirit, and disposition of the heart that guides a person’s actions and words. Key biblical attitudes include humility, love, and a Christ-like mindset.”

What better example could Paul use than the one who was the model of humility in His earthly life…Jesus!

Let’s examine Jesus’ attitude more closely. 

How could Jesus live like He lived, do what He did, die like He died? To whom was His attitude directed?

“Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; 

he took the humble position of a slave 

and was born as a human being. 

When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God 

and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Look at the key words used in this description…”He humbled Himself”…”He made Himself nothing “…” He took the humble position “… He stepped down to the lowest position on earth…a slave who had no rights. 

We learn about Jesus’ attitude by the way He related to the Father. He chose to set aside His divine attributes…not to lose them but to veil them in a human person for the duration of His time on earth. He chose to subject Himself to the Father’s authority, fully and completely, in every detail of His existence on earth…to say and do only that which the Father authorised. He chose to obey the Father…even to the point of sacrificing His own life in the most humiliating, cruel, and agonising way. 

Jesus’ submission to the Father was motivated by love and His obedience driven by purpose. He never moved outside of His predetermined goal, and the reward for obedience. 

“…For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

In his prophetic vision, Isaiah saw the outcome of Messiah’s obedience and suffering…

“But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53‬:‭10‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus gave up everything He was to the Father for one purpose…to do the Father’s will… in that will and in His obedience to the Father was His reward. 

Now, says Paul, this is the way, and the only way, to accomplish the Father’s will…to relinquish what we hold onto, however fiercely…our will…our self-determination. God gave us free will as our right but He asks us to give it to Him…

…motivated by love…driven by purpose…

…and in that will, blended with the will of God, is the only perfect way to live…to experience the love, joy, and peace, and the unity which mirrors the Trinity… that is the way of God’s kingdom and the atmosphere of heaven…

To be continued

PAUL’S HAPPY LETTER…UNITY – 6b

Bible Study, ,

“Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

As always, “therefore” is the bridge that connects what Paul wrote before with what follows. Conversion, for these Philippians, from paganism to faith in Jesus, had produced supernatural transformation in them. United with Jesus, they learned and experienced His love so real that it had drawn them together in a strong bond of love for one another. So…

If Paul has nothing to rebuke or correct in his letter to this congregation in Philippi, why would he write to them and what would he say to them in this happy letter? He has begun by commending them and praying for them. Now, what next?

If you were writing this letter, what would you say to people who were well on the way to maturity? Paul knew that, as much as they were growing in their faith in Jesus and their love for one another, they needed constant encouragement to fine-tune their understanding and behaviour in this new life. 

There was a goal to be attained, a goal which might be forgotten if they did not keep it in mind and strive together, in the Spirit’s power, to move towards it. So, Paul clearly describes what this goal looked like and how to move towards it. 

Paul sets the bar for them higher than it was already. 

“…being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind…”

…of one mind, one in spirit, and having the same love! 

Paul not only sets the goal but he gives them practical ways to reach it, impossibly high as it was. His instructions are simple and clear, but absolute…the same as the prescription he gives in every letter…put the self to death, live for Jesus by lovingly serving one another. 

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition (strife or contention) or vain conceit (vainglory).”

Let’s examine these two words…strife and vainglory. 

“In the Bible, selfish ambition (translated from the Greek word eritheia) is the pursuit of personal gain, status, or power motivated by pride and self-promotion. It is characterized by putting one’s own interests above others, often leading to division, jealousy, and conflict.” (Google AI)

“Vainglory refers to excessive, unwarranted pride, vanity, or boastfulness. It describes a state of being overly conceited and full of oneself, often characterized by a preoccupation with seeking attention or empty, unjustified self-glorification…” (Google AI)

Can you see what Paul is highlighting? He is explaining the two opposing selves that cancel each other out. The selfish self is the one with which we were born…the one that controlled our lives  from our first breath until we were “born again”. When we believed in Jesus, we were reborn…with a new self, the nature with which the first human, Adam, was created before he rebelled…the image of God. 

These two “selves” are functioning in us but perpetually at war…striving for control…depending on which one we choose. If the selfish self is in control, it will destroy the unity in the body of Christ by elevating self above everyone and everything else. However, if, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we choose to put the selfish nature to death…or rather, to consider the old nature already dead, we will create the environment in which unity is possible. 

“In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭11‬-‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

Is this way to live easy? No! Is it necessary? Yes! However, the thing is…not that we must put our selfish self to death every time we make a choice but, rather…that we are already dead… that we step into that new nature by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit… and that we live out of the new nature that is alive inside us. 

Paul put like this…

“For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

How do we make this “death” real in our lives?

“In the same way, count (reckon) yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭11‬-‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“In the Bible, “reckon” means to calculate, count, or consider something as a definite, absolute truth. It comes from a bookkeeping and business term where a person adds up numbers, enters the final sum into an account, and treats it as a settled fact.” (Google AI)

A “settled fact” means that we can consider it true and act on it as the truth. 

So, Paul is asking the Philippian believers to live their lives together out of the settled fact that their old lives are already dead and their new lives in Christ are in control. Humility, taking their rightful place before God and one another, will keep them all on one level. 

In this way, putting others before self will preserve the unity that the Holy Spirit has created, and will be a powerful witness to the world that Jesus has come and that the Father has loved them as much as He loves Jesus. 

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

‭‭John‬ ‭17‬:‭20‬-‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Love and unity…the two most powerful evidences that their faith was real and that the Holy Spirit was at work in them. 

To be continued

PAUL’S HAPPY LETTER…TOGETHER – 6a

Bible Study, ,

“Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.

Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1‬:‭27-‭29‬ ‭NLT‬

Standing…fighting…struggling together…this doesn’t sound like an easy ride. God’s children were never meant to be pushovers. There is a resolve built into their spirit that refuses to give way under pressure. 

There is a stark contrast between the Christian’s inner life and the outer struggle. Where grace and peace are operating inside, striving, struggling, and contending are the inevitable on the outside because we live in a fallen world which is anyways out to get us. 

This resolve… and, with it, the stubborn resistance that refuses to move from its firm foundation…that is, citizenship in God’s kingdom…is what keeps God’s children steadfast in the face of mortal danger. Later in this letter, Paul gives his readers the rope that ties us to God and pulls us towards the future. 

“Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Cling to what is indestructible and eternal…the word of life. We don’t hold on to “airy fairy” theories, or human philosophies, or people’s fanciful inventions about God and life. We hold on to the anchor that is attached and secured in heaven itself…the truth that Jesus Himself has revealed to us. 

“So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭6‬:‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What is it that anchors our souls to the eternal realities that hold us steady in the fiercest of battles? Our hope lies in a person and in God’s promises and His oath about that person, Jesus…according to Hebrews…that cannot fail because these words are secured in heaven itself, in the Most Holy place, where God is enthroned. 

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭6‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.”

Here’s the strategy… and we must note this carefully…

In the Old Covenant, the hub and focus of the covenant was loving God wholly and completely…and obedience to God’s laws, the evidence of that love… which His people found impossible to obey. 

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.”

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭6‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Although Jesus echoed this commandment in response to a question, He did not demand obedience to it as a condition for salvation. Instead, He gave us another condition for entry into His kingdom…”trusting in Christ”. 

“For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭10‬ NIV

Throughout the New Testament, the emphasis is on faith in Jesus, not loving Him, that leads to salvation. Loving Jesus is the evidence of, not the condition for salvation. Our life of obedience to Jesus in the kingdom of God is our response to His love for us. 

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins…We love because he first loved us.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭10‬, ‭19‬ ‭NIV‬

Jesus’ requirement is never to love Him perfectly but to live out His love in us towards His people by  trusting in and identifying with Him in what we say and do…no matter the consequences. This, which Paul explains, is a privilege rather than an obligation. 

A privilege to believe…and a privilege to suffer! Whoever thought that suffering was a privilege? Peter fleshed this thought out for us. 

“For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭19‬-‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The greatest of all privileges, strangely enough, is not sitting with Jesus in the heavenly realm, but suffering with Him through refusing to retaliate to the same kind of injustice He suffered…obeying the Lord, no matter the consequences, because this is the right thing to do…

“Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

When we view suffering for doing right as a privilege rather than a punishment, our attitude changes…resentment to rejoicing!

“But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬, ‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What s strange way to respond to suffering! 

“The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭5‬:‭41‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This is something the world can never understand…a transformation inside so radical that it turns persecution into a privilege. If we are armed with this conviction, there is nothing the world can ever do to God’s people that can crush or destroy such a spirit. 

How else can we reveal to the world that God is our supreme authority and that we trust and fear nothing outside of Him?

To be continued

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