”Rallying Around Unity, Contending for the Faith” ~Phil.1:27-2:3(PT.II)

“Rallying  Around  UNITY ,Contending Together For The Faith” ~~ Philippians 1:27-2:4 (07/01/21) Phil. 1:27 Only let your conversation/conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,(NKJV) “Only” connects this all inclusive exhortation that Paul begins this portion of scripture with, with the previous verses (vs. 23-26) where we saw he was ‘between a rock & a hard place’ about whether he should remain with them or go to be with Jesus in Heaven…He knew they needed His ministry & whether his salvation or deliverance meant being phys. Free from house arrest or not  he was now confident that he would be able to continue his ministry to them & that that was what he was to do. OPENESS  of heart by the Philippians was needed as Paul now begins to address basic spiritual needs of the church; rubber meets the road principals are  now provided throughout the rest of this letter to correct certain things in their lives & provide for what they may be lacking “Conversation/Conduct”  KJV uses conversation, which in that day had a different meaning than currently  ( an interchange or discourse between people)…a better rendering is manner of life, behavior ,conduct……………HOWEVER THERE IS MOREJ “POLITEUO” (Grk)( Poly –too-i-mi) this is the word from where we get our word politics, it referred to the  public duties devolving on a person as a member of a body of people Acts  23:1 I have lived (politeuo) =conducted myself  as a worthy citizen of heaven before God until this day FURTHER meaning….Manage the state (steward) , administrate civil affairs, here it speaks of citizenship …that is “Live as the citizens of heaven would exuding heavenly attributes” The use of Politeuo…is a kind of play on words as Philippi was a Roman colony & being a good citizen of Rome was imperative , so Paul uses this to show our relationship relationship to being good citizens of heaven   The use of this specialized word here COLORS the rest of the Epistle…giving it a Heavenly atmosphere,,,,we are heavenly people, with a heavenly destiny, & a heavenly origin…with a responsibility of living here on earth as being of the heavenly realm in the midst of ungodly people & surroundings. 3:20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. 3:12 All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name. Only let your conversation/conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ….The construction of the Greek language conveys STEPPING up To ONES spiritual RESPONSIBILITY as ‘Heavenly Citizens’… being responsible to exhort OURSELVES to live this way daily!= Maturity!:-) Only let your conversation/conduct Be Worthy of The Gospel—KJV says Be as It Becometh the Gospel Becometh …literally to have the weight of(weighing as much as) another thing. It means of like value or worth as much **SAINTS are to see to it that their manner of life weighs as much as the gospel they profess to believe or their words will not have weight** WORD STUDY: Eph. 4:22-24 You took off[a] your former way of life, the old self[b] that is corrupted by deceitful desires; 23 you are being renewed[c] in the spirit of your minds; 24 you put on[d] the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.(HCSB)  “Conversation”  anastrophē ‘manner or way of Life’(conduct) ITim. 4:12, Heb. 13:5-7, Jn. 3:13, I Peter 1:15-18 **I Peter 3:1,2, II Peter 2:7,3:11       “That You STAND FAST” Be Firm & Upright in holding ones ground Implication:  there is an enemy(s) we must confront, When you become a Christian you enter a ‘Spiritual Battle’ (Eph. 6:12)..Here Paul begins to address the attack on Unity that was coming against the Philippian  church “One Spirit”…This speaks of the Unity of the Spirit which the Body of Christ is to be fused & blended in…of course produced in our spirits by the influence of God’s Holy Spirit “Mind”….trs. of Grk. Word ‘Soul’…our reasons, our will, emotions…this is where EXERTION takes place as we are influenced by God (not the World) “Striving” (synathleō)is the trs. Of a Grk. Word used in an Athletic contest…our words ‘athlete’ & athletic come from this word….the GREEK language conveys a Powerful picture of an Athletic team WORKING TOGETHER in Perfect coordination to Win a competition/game.(Lk. 13:24,Ro. 15:30) Paul here is exhorting the Phil. To work together in perfect co-ordination like a team of Greek Athletes toward a common Goal/ Prize…………………LOL!! Paul must have been a ‘Sports Fan’! he is always using athletic metaphors to expound upon the Christian life….(see…I tim.4:7-10,IITim.2:5,I Cr.9:24-26,Phil. 3:12,13,Heb. 12:1, Eph. 6:12) “Only (since my only reason for remaining on earth is for your progress in the Christian life), see to it that you recognize your responsibility as citizens (of heaven), & put yourselves to the absolute necessity of performing the duties devolving upon you in that position, doing this in a manner which is befitting to the gospel of Christ, in order that whether having come & having seen you, or whether being absent I am hearing the things concerning you ,namely, that you are standing firm in one spirit, holding your ground, with one soul contending (as a team of athletes would ) in perfect co-operation with one another for the faith of the gospel.” ~Philippians 1:27 The New Testament Expanded Translation ~ Kenneth S. Wuest   “Terrified”  used by the grks. To describe the terror of a startled horse …”Adversaries” here Paul is referring to the pagan idolators in Philippi who would oppose the Saints “Evident Token” a law term that denotes  proof which is obtained by an appeal to facts,,,which were “that of God.” Connecting ‘striving together’ (vs. 27) this evident token is A possible allusion to A Gladiators contest in the Ampitheater …The Christian Gladiator Knows GOD is the director of the contest & Has given Him a sure/evident token of deliverance The idea verse  28 conveys is the Saints in Philippi have not allowed themselves to be scared by antagonism from the pagan community & thus this  was clear evidence to convince the pagans that they (the pagans)were on the road to hell & the Saints were clearly saved I Peter 2:12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. I Peter 3:12-17 because the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are open to their request. But the face of the Lord is against those who do what is evil.[a]13 And who will harm[b] you if you are deeply committed to what is good?[c]14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear or be disturbed,[d]15 but honor[e] the Messiah[f] as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason[g] for the hope that is in you. 16 However, do this with gentleness and respect, keeping your conscience clear,[h][i]so that when you are accused,[j] those who denounce your Christian life[k] will be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will,[l] than...