Monthly Archives: March 2022

FOLLOW MY EXAMPLE

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FOLLOW MY EXAMPLE

“All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

“Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do.” Philippians 3:15-17.  

Paul sounds rather arrogant, doesn’t he? Follow my example! What right did he have to set himself up as an example? Didn’t Jesus say that, if we judge others, the same measure we use to judge will be used against us? What do we use to measure other people? Usually ourselves. So how Paul could set himself up as an example for other people to follow?

Paul was not being self-righteous or arrogant, as we would suppose. He was acting like a true rabbi. A rabbi’s job was to model his “yoke”, his teachings based on the way he understood the Torah – the Law of Moses – and the way he put his teachings into practice in his own life, and to “bind” his yoke on his disciples – those whom he called to follow him.

“Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1.

On the Damascus road, Paul had become a follower of his rabbi, Jesus. As he had learned his rabbi’s yoke and put it into practice in his life, being “loosed” from the yoke of Pharisaism which he had followed from his youth, so it was his duty to bind his yoke on his followers. In no way did Paul set himself up as the measure of righteousness. Jesus was the standard and, just as Jesus modelled the life of a son and invited people to follow him, so Paul followed Jesus as his pattern, and called people to follow him. He was simply making visible to the next generation what Jesus had made visible to His disciples.

It is reassuring to know that, at the same time, Paul did not expect perfection from his followers. He knew that maturing was a process which took a lifetime to work out. All he could do was to be the model and urge believers to follow him and put it into practice in their daily lives. He also depended on the Holy Spirit to reveal the way to them and to enable them to obey as they understood and believed what Paul had taught them.

The main hindrance which Paul understood very well, was translating their understanding into everyday living. It was no use having the knowledge in their heads, but not doing what they knew and believed.

“…Everything that does not come from faith is sin.” Romans 14:32b.

This opens us a truth we need to understand. It is possible to have two opposing beliefs at the same time. Let me explain. You may believe that God will provide everything you need because He is your Father. That belief will work for you as long as you are earning a steady income. But what would happen if you were to lose your job? You would go into a tailspin of anxiety and worry. Why? Your experience and the emotions it has produced has cancelled out your trust unless your previous experience has been of God’s provision in times of crisis.

Your mind will tell you one thing; your emotions will tell you another, and usually your emotions win. You will believe what feels true, not what is true and respond to that belief instead of to God’s promise.

“So,” Paul said, “let’s not go backwards by failing to live up to the measure of maturity we have already attained.” Life is a journey. As believers in Jesus, we are all going somewhere. Paul called it “maturity”. What is maturity? According to him, maturity has to do with becoming one in Christ.

“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-13.

Paul’s counsel was, “Keep moving. If you stop, you’ll start going backwards.” Now that’s good advice, don’t you think?

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

GIVE HONOUR

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GIVE HONOUR

“Therefore, I am all the more eager to send him to you so that, when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. So then, welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honour people like him because he almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to make up for the help you yourselves could not give me.” Philippians 2:28-30.

We can learn a great deal from Paul about how to treat our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

The first valuable lesson is to acknowledge our fellow believers for what they are and what they do.  Paul did not ignore or treat lightly the sacrifice Epaphroditus had made to come to him all the way from Philippi and to serve him selflessly while he was in prison.  He was quick to recognise the risk Epaphroditus took either by travelling overland on foot or going by sea to Rome. Either mode of travel was long and dangerous but he did it out of love for Paul.

The next lesson is that there is no place for false humility in Christ’s body. As much as we are aware of our hopelessness outside of Christ as far as any effort to save ourselves is concerned, at the same time we are of infinite worth to God the Father as His sons and daughters. He gave His Son for us and He values us highly as people created in His image and redeemed by the blood of His Son to reflect Him in the world.

God has put His image in us and He has given us gifts and abilities to use for His glory. That includes His heart of compassion towards one another. Paul was in miserable and lonely circumstances, surrounded by hostile pagans to whom he meant nothing. The Philippian believers recognised Paul’s need and sent Epaphroditus to serve him, to comfort him and to provide him with his everyday necessities about which the Roman authorities probably cared nothing.

It was natural that Paul would be grateful both to the Philippians and to Epaphroditus for their sensitivity to his need, and that he would express his gratitude to them and honour Epaphroditus for his willingness to come. Imagine how distressed Paul must have been when their care and generosity almost cost Epaphroditus his life! Did they take that into account when they commissioned him to go to Paul?

Paul was not slow in giving honour to Epaphroditus. This did not mean that he was paying more attention to him than to God. Not at all! It was right for him to recognise what Epaphroditus had done for him and to express his gratitude to him because it was only through God’s grace at work in him that he could have done what he did for Paul.

As much as he welcomed Epaphroditus with open arms when he arrived at the prison, so Paul urged them to welcome him back with equal joy. Mission accomplished! It was just as unselfish for Paul to send him home as it was for them to send him to Paul. After his brush with death, Epaphroditus was terribly homesick. He was happy to serve Paul but he longed for his brothers and sisters in Philippi. Paul recognised that and willingly sent him back, knowing that it would not be long before Timothy would return with news about them.

All Paul lived for at this moment was the reassurance he received from those who brought news about his beloved converts. Some of them caused his anxiety and heartache when he heard that they were caught up in the sinful practices of the world or deceived by false teachers. Others brought him great encouragement and joy by their steadfastness in the face of hardships and persecution.

He had time and opportunity in prison to pray long and hard for the churches across the empire. And pray he did! He was more concerned about them than about the thousands of unbelievers he had met and to whom he had preached the message of Jesus. He knew that the believers were the message. It was the witness of their changed lives that impacted people with the truth of what Paul preached. He knew that his prayers played a significant part in the multiplication of the church through ordinary Christians everywhere.

Paul did not rely on the “big shots” to do the work. God’s way of spreading the gospel was through ordinary people reaching people. Therefore, it was imperative that his converts learn to live pure lives in the midst of corruption and wickedness. And for that he prayed!

He was lavish in his expressions of gratitude and encouragement because he knew that they needed it in the face of the hardships they endured for Christ. How much better it would be if believers would take a leaf from Paul’s book! There are many out there who look for opportunities to pull fellow believers down, either by failing to honour them for what they do or by exposing every flaw and fault they can find, real or imagined.

God came down hard on Ham for exposing and making fun of his father, Noah’s nakedness. I wonder what He thinks of those who show disrespect for the “nakedness” of others. Let us be quick to recognise the worth of our brothers and sisters and give honour where honour is due.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

A PEEK INSIDE

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A PEEK INSIDE

“But I think it necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.” Philippians 2:25-27.

Paul peppered his letters with little cameos of his life and his interaction with fellow believers. This is one of them.

He had a very special relationship with the people of the Philippian church. From what he wrote, we learn that they had taken care of his needs more than once, sending money to him and one of their members, possibly even a leader or elder to see to his needs in prison.

Epaphroditus could not hop on a plane from Philippi and land in Rome in an hour or two. He had to endure a long and hazardous overland journey to get to Paul. He may have contracted malaria or some infectious disease on the way, causing him a serious and almost fatal illness. No doubt Paul and his fellow-believers in Rome must have prayed earnestly for his recovery. God was merciful and spared his life and Paul the sorrow of losing a beloved friend and companion in the gospel.

Look how Paul described Epaphroditus – brother, co-worker and fellow-soldier. He was a brother in the love that bound them together. Paul was not only the evangelist, teacher and mentor of these people. He was also their brother and they were his brothers and sisters in the bond of God’s family. Their Christian lives would have been sterile without the love that warmed them and drew them together to care for one another.

Epaphroditus was also a co-worker and fellow soldier. He was no spectator sitting in the grandstand cheering Paul on. He was right in the game with Paul, facing the dangers of the Christian life in the arena of misunderstanding, hatred and persecution at the hands of Jews and Romans. He soldiered with Paul in spreading the gospel and caring for the flock of God. Paul was not slack in giving Epaphroditus the honour he deserved for his willingness to labour with him.

I see in this little cameo something very precious in the Philippian church and something that is not always evident in many church fellowships today. These people were held together by a deep love for Paul and for one another. Without that love, they would have believed Paul’s message, come to Christ and formed a group of believers that met together and stuck together simply because they were hated by the world. It was their love for each other and for their beloved apostle which motivated them to give of their resources and themselves.

They gave their money to take care of Paul’s needs. They sent a representative to help Paul in prison. They were concerned for the wellbeing of Paul and Epaphroditus in Rome. They were certainly not indifferent to the circumstances of their “father” in the faith when he was far away. They cared and they showed their care by doing something about it.

Imagine what an impact the church would make on a world of selfish and greedy people if we truly loved and cared for one another as the Philippians did! The world largely treats the church with indifference because, in many ways, the church is no better than a religious “club”. There are power struggles, infightings, factions, competition among leaders, and all the sins off the world blatantly evident in the church as well.

Where is this alternative society made up of true followers of Jesus who have died to themselves and are reflecting the Master they serve as “stars in the universe”? Where are these companies of people scattered throughout the world whose love for Jesus and for one another convinces the world that they are really following Him?

How tragic that many of the big-name leaders in the church are living in multi-million dollar mansions and driving the most expensive of cars with the excuse that their wealth is God’s blessing, while those who are desperately trying to reach the masses with the gospel are crying out for the funds to do so!

Come on, church! Let’s get real. Our treasure is not on this earth. It is laid up for us in heaven.

“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:17, 18.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

A DRINK OFFERING

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A DRINK OFFERING

“But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

“I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no one like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But your know that Timothy has proved himself because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I know how things go with me. And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.” Philippians 2:17-24.

Did Paul’s readers understand what he was saying?

As a Jewish rabbi, he was steeped in the knowledge of the Torah and would have been familiar with the intricacies of the sacrificial system. As a believer in Jesus Christ, he would have understood the symbolic meaning of the sacrifices.

The daily offering of a lamb, morning and evening was to be accompanied by their grain, oil and drink offerings which were a food offering presented to the Lord.

“This is what you are to offer on the altar regularly each day: two lambs a year old. Offer one in the morning and the other at twilight. With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil from pressed olives, and a quarter of a hin of wine as a drink offering… a pleasing aroma, a food offering presented to the Lord.” Exodus 29:38-41, 41b.

Obviously God did not need food – the sacrifice was what the people gave out of their resources to symbolise the Lamb of God, Jesus, whom the Father gave for the sin of the world. The drink offering symbolised the blood that was poured out for us just as the body of the lamb was a picture of the body of Jesus given for us.

Paul was expanding on his song about Jesus who had laid aside His deity and His privileges to become human, humbled Himself even further until He was nothing by becoming a slave and a sacrifice for our sin. Paul saw himself as the accompanying drink offering, pouring his own life out on the sacrifice of his Lord as a pleasing offering to God.

Why was Paul telling the Philippians this? Was he trying to tell them how good he was? Was he boasting about his humility? Not likely! As a rabbi, he had the right to call people to follow him and to imitate him. As a disciple of Jesus, he was following Him.

“Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1.

Since Jesus had poured His life out as an offering so that others mght live, Paul was acting as a true disciple by pouring out his life so that others would follow Jesus and live. He was not claiming to be the sacrifice – that was the role of Jesus alone. Paul was the drink offering that accompanied the sacrifice as a sweet aroma to God.

Like Jesus, Paul never called people to do what he was unwilling to do. He did not follow the tradition of the Pharisees, although he had been one, to say one thing and to do another. Even in his pre-Christian days, although he was wrong, he was sincere and fanatical in his obedience to the Law. Now he was equally zealous and fanatical in his obedience to Christ.

Paul was unstinting in his recommendation of Timothy. He had found him as a young believer and nurtured him in his faith like a loving father. Timothy had turned out to be one in a million. There will always be those who join the cause for whatever reason other than obedience to Jesus, as in Paul’s day, so today. But for Paul, Timothy was a joy because he had turned out to be a true son – serving the Lord as he served him, Paul, as his father in the faith.

Paul knew that Timothy would do anything he asked because he was a true son, growing up under the guidance of his mentor until he, too, would father others in the faith.

“Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.” 1 Corinthians 4:15.

How true that even today we have many leaders who dominate or milk the people but not many fathers – those who love and nurture their people and pour out their lives for them like a drink offering.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

FOLLOW THE BLUEPRINT

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FOLLOW THE BLUEPRINT

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed – not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:12, 13.

Now Paul, just what are you getting at?

Verse 13 can be confusing if we don’t have the overall picture. It almost sounds as though he is telling us that we have to save ourselves. Is that what he means? Not at all! We are self-made people. We are not passengers on a yacht that is sailing away into the blue. We are to be active participants with God in the outworking of what He has done.

It’s a bit like doing a piece of embroidery or baking a cake. You have the picture of the completed article in front of you; you have all the materials or ingredients to make the item. Now you have to follow the pattern and make the object according to the directions until the finished product accurately resembles the picture. The big difference here is that the original Designer is in you, instructing, guiding and energising you to make the object exactly according to the blueprint.

On top of that, the Designer guarantees that, because He is working with you, you will get the job done to its completion. Unlike the piece of embroidery you are stitching or the cake you are baking, He does not leave you to flounder on your own. He is there every step of the way to ensure that the end product is an exact replica of the original. This sounds like an impossibility, doesn’t it, unless we use the key.

What is the key to the success of this enterprise? This is where we come in. There is something we have to do that God cannot do for us. Obey! If we try to follow the pattern without the step-by-step directions on how to make it, we will end up with a mess. Obedience is not about who is watching. Paul said, “Don’t only obey God when I’m there to watch you. Obey because God is there, leading you on to become what He started.”

What, or rather who is the blueprint God has given us to follow? It’s Jesus of course! That’s the reason that Paul joined his beautiful song about Jesus and his instruction to obey with the word “therefore”. Everything God does for us and in us is based on Jesus. He is our pattern and He is the guarantee that we will be just like Him when God has completed what He has begun in us (Philippians1:6).

“Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labour in vain.”  Philippians 2:14, 15.

Paul gave us a second key to this maturing process – praise! He expressed it negatively, perhaps because he was familiar with human nature, or perhaps he was referring back to the Israelites in the wilderness who were so full of grumbling and arguing that they were eventually disqualified from entering the Promised Land. If we are grumbling and resisting God’s working in us at every turn, we will certainly not have an attitude of thankfulness and praise.

Knowing ourselves and how full of impurities we are, how can we ever be blameless and pure in this life? God is not looking for perfection but for the attitude and intention of our hearts. We may not always get it right but in which direction are we facing – the same way as God is facing, towards Jesus – or are we straining against Him in the yoke to go our own way?

King David gives us a clue, surprisingly enough since he did not have all the knowledge and understanding we have with God’s fuller revelation of Himself in Jesus.

“Vindicate me, Lord, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered.” Psalm 26:1.

His prescription for a blameless life was simple – trust in the Lord. This also means a pure heart – unmixed with confidence in any other thing. When we have divided loyalties, God and ourselves, we will not follow God’s pattern and we will not become what His blueprint has set out for us to be.

So, Paul said, “Listen to God; do what He says, and you will become exactly like His pattern, Jesus!”

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.