Christians, more than anyone else, should be joyful. Expressions of joy, or the call to rejoice, are replete throughout the Bible, particularly in the Psalms. But the New Testament book that is most often associated with the theme of joy is Philippians. In the English Standard Version, the word joy appears five times within this book, and the word rejoice appears nine times. The book is centered around the theme of Paul’s joy, his exhortations to his readers to rejoice, and the reasons for each.
As we began our series on the book of Philippians, Pastor Wil laid the foundation for our study by outlining the reasons for Paul’s joy, as they are seen in chapter 1. Before doing that, however, he noted, as we will note here, some of the background and circumstances surrounding Paul as he wrote this letter.
The apostle Paul was originally named Saul. He was known as Saul of Tarsus. Saul was a Pharisee, a religious leader, who vehemently opposed this new religious movement that eventually came to be known as Christianity. According to Acts 7, Saul was present at, and gave hearty approval to the stoning of Stephen, the Church’s first martyr. Then, verse 3 of chapter 8 tells us that Saul travelled about the countryside, “ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.”
Then Saul had an encounter with the risen Jesus Christ. You can read about it in Acts 9. On that day, he became a Christian. The Lord changed his name from Saul to Paul, and Paul began his lifelong mission of actually spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. Most of the book of Acts, from chapter 9 on, is an account of the rest of Paul’s life and ministry.
Now, the Jewish religious leaders of his day, as well as the Roman authorities, remained hostile to the gospel. Hence, as Pastor Wil stated it, “The man who once persecuted the Church was now persecuted for the Church.” He suffered many hardships, and was dogged by his enemies every step of the way. Paul was put in jail, beaten, stoned, and had to deal with false teachers on a constant basis.
The book of Acts ends with Paul being imprisoned in Rome; actually, he was under house arrest, being chained to two Roman guards at all time. At least one tradition says he was later set free for a time, then imprisoned again, and eventually put to death.
It was during this time of imprisonment that Paul wrote the book of Philippians, causing us to ask why a man in prison (even if it were only house arrest) would write a letter expressing such joy, given the circumstances.
As we learned on Sunday, Paul’s joy was rooted in the gospel, which is specifically mentioned six times in this chapter. And his joy began with his relationship to Jesus Christ. Here, I would say that nothing can compare to this relationship. Jesus died on a cross, paying the debt for our sins, and resurrected from the dead, having victory over death. Through Him we have the forgiveness of sins, as well as all the other benefits that accompany salvation. To explore the richness of each aspect of salvation would take a lifetime. But as a starting place, I would recommend studying Eph. 1:3-14, which may be aptly titled, “Our Position and Our Possessions in Christ.”
Secondly, we learned that Paul found joy in his relationship to the Church, particularly the Philippian church. Paul was grateful for them and to them because they were partners in the gospel with him. In Philippians 4:15, he speaks of a time when this church was the only one to provide financial support to his ministry.
But partnership in the gospel encompasses far more than financial support given to the local church or other gospel-oriented ministries. It means getting involved in the ministry. Just to use myself as an example, I am a partner in the gospel with Pastor John and Pastor Wil by writing these study guides for use in our e-groups. The people who set up the food for our time of fellowship are partners in the gospel. Juan is a partner in the gospel by running the sound system. Those who volunteer at the Salvation Army and Vision House are partners in the gospel. As involved members of Imago Dei, we are all partners with each other in the gospel.
Verses 12-18 of our chapter tell us that Paul found joy in the advancement of the gospel. Verse 13 indicates that Paul took advantage of the opportunity to share the gospel with the Roman guards to whom he was continually chained. Verse 14 indicates that other Christians, seeing Paul’s faithfulness, even while he was in prison, were encouraged and embolden to preach the gospel wherever they were.
How much joy do we find in the advancement of the gospel? To be sure, we are happy when we hear about someone becoming a Christian. However, there are times when we can be skeptical, as well. Ted Bundy reportedly accepted the gospel just before his execution. And yet, even within the Christian community, people questioned whether or not he was sincere in accepting Jesus as his Savior.
More significantly, though, our joy in the advancement of the gospel ought to motivate us to be more involved in its advancement. It is hypocritical of us to say, “I’m really happy that so-and-so is spreading the gospel,” if all we do is go to church, listen to a sermon, and sing a few songs. We need to be about the business of advancing the gospel, both through our involvement at Imago Dei and in our own daily lives.
QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND APPLICATION
1. In Philippians 1:1, Paul identified himself as a servant of Jesus Christ. What does this say about Paul’s relationship with the Lord? What was it about being a servant that gave Paul joy?
2. Briefly scan Eph. 1:3-14. Without getting into too much detail, list some of the blessings we have received because of our relationship to Jesus.
3. With whom are you a partner in the gospel, and in what ways? How involved are you at Imago Dei? What other ministries do you contribute to? Why those ministries?
4. How genuine is your response of joy when you hear about someone becoming a Christian? Are you ever skeptical about a person’s profession of faith? Why?
5. What are you doing to advance the gospel? How can you do more?
Friday, February 24, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Viral #5: God's Economic System
One of the most important, yet most frustrating, issues in our society is money. It always has been. Everyone in the world operates on some sort of economic system, even if it is buying toothpaste with cigarettes, as in the Nazi concentration camps of WWII.
People tend to stress out over their money and finances more than anything else. We never seem to have enough. We’re constantly asking ourselves, “How am I going to pay these bills?”, “How am I ever going to get ahead?’, or “How will I ever afford to retire on this kind of income?”
As PJ taught us on Sunday, there are two economic systems; the world’s economic system, and God’s economic system. On one hand, the world’s economic system was designed by God and is encompassed by God’s economic system. On the other hand, the world has polluted its economic system, so that it no longer reflects God’s intentions for it.
The overarching principle that governs the world’s system is individuality. The world says, “Get every dollar you can, and hang on to it with all your might.” The world teaches us to look out for #1. And cash is the bottom line. Your level of success is measured by the size of your bank account. Hence, we often hear reports of how much money certain individuals are worth.
God’s economy is different. Contrary to what some have taught, God does not want us to live in poverty. In my opinion, those who take vows of poverty are, foolish for thinking that is the way to godliness. John 14:1-2 and Malachi 3:10 tell us that God’s resources are unlimited. Psalm 24:1 tells us, “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it” (NIV). This includes money.
Couple this with God’s love and His desire to bless us. Ephesians 1:3 tells us that He has already “blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” II Peter 1:3 tells us He has given us everything we need for life and for godliness. And in Matt. 6:31-32, Jesus said, “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’…your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.”
Because we have a God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10), and because He loves us and promises to meet all of our needs, according to His riches (Phil. 4:19), we are encouraged, and even commanded, not to be focused on the world’s economic system. Instead, we need to look beyond its façade and start doing things God’s way.
Now, the secret to financial success within God’s economic system is summed up in one word: GIVE. Give to the church. Give to people you know when they are in a bind. Give to the poor needy. Give to charitable organizations. Give, give, give. Why? In Acts 20:35, Paul quotes Jesus as having said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
This is completely opposite of what the world says. To the world, this doesn’t make any sense. Anyone operating in the world’s economic system looks at this principle of giving and says, “Give? How can you expect me to give when I don’t have enough to pay my bills, as it is? I can’t afford to be giving away any of my money.”
Ah, but you can when, in response to your giving, God gives to you. Malachi 3:10 offers an interesting challenge. Amidst all the verses commanding us not to put God to the test, this verse gives us permission, and even challenges us to test Him in one area. “Bring the full tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house. And thereby put Me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, [and see] if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need” (ESV). Another translation renders it, “there will not be room enough to receive it.”
My personal belief regarding this issue of God’s economic system (and I hope PJ would agree) is this: God’s promise to meet our daily needs is, for the most part, unconditional. In Matt. 6, Jesus did not say that God will meet our needs if we obey certain commands or if we give. He simply stated God’s promise to meet our needs. But the promise of blessings that go above and beyond our needs is conditioned upon our obedience to God, as well as how charitable we are in our giving. It is one thing to have God pour out blessing to the point of meeting our needs. It is quite another to have Him pour out such a blessing that we could not have enough room to receive it all.
One thing we must be wary of is allowing our greed to motivate our giving. Watching the late-night televangelists, you can get the impression that if you give to God, then God will make you rich. Do you want to be rich? Do you want to have more money than you know what to do with? Then send your $1,000 love gift to the ministry.
Don’t be fooled. Heaven is not listed on the stock exchange, and God’s blessings are not for sale. Greed is a sin. God does not honor greed, and He does not honor any actions that are motivated by greed, even if those actions would otherwise be noble.
The Bible’s command is that we give out of a spirit of giving. In addition, we need to remember that, while God’s blessings are often financial, they may not always be so. As Eph. 1:3 says, He has blessed us, and continues to bless us with spiritual blessings, which are of eternal value.
QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND APPLICATION
1. On Sunday, PJ showed us a chart, depicting one circle inside another circle. The inner circle was labeled, “World’s Economics.” The outer was labeled, “God’s Economics.” In what ways does the world’s economic system correlate to and fit within God’s economic system? In what ways has the world’s economics distorted and deviated from God’s?
2. To what degree have I bought into the world’s economic system? Am I able to look beyond all of that and see how God’s system works?
3. Read Ephesians 1:3, II Peter 1:3, and Matthew 6:31-32. How does the promise in Matt. 6 relate to the truth stated in Ephesians and II Peter? How does the promise to meet how material needs stem from the fact that God has “blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places”?
4. What is my overall attitude and pattern in giving? To the church? To charitable organizations? To people standing on the street corner?
People tend to stress out over their money and finances more than anything else. We never seem to have enough. We’re constantly asking ourselves, “How am I going to pay these bills?”, “How am I ever going to get ahead?’, or “How will I ever afford to retire on this kind of income?”
As PJ taught us on Sunday, there are two economic systems; the world’s economic system, and God’s economic system. On one hand, the world’s economic system was designed by God and is encompassed by God’s economic system. On the other hand, the world has polluted its economic system, so that it no longer reflects God’s intentions for it.
The overarching principle that governs the world’s system is individuality. The world says, “Get every dollar you can, and hang on to it with all your might.” The world teaches us to look out for #1. And cash is the bottom line. Your level of success is measured by the size of your bank account. Hence, we often hear reports of how much money certain individuals are worth.
God’s economy is different. Contrary to what some have taught, God does not want us to live in poverty. In my opinion, those who take vows of poverty are, foolish for thinking that is the way to godliness. John 14:1-2 and Malachi 3:10 tell us that God’s resources are unlimited. Psalm 24:1 tells us, “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it” (NIV). This includes money.
Couple this with God’s love and His desire to bless us. Ephesians 1:3 tells us that He has already “blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” II Peter 1:3 tells us He has given us everything we need for life and for godliness. And in Matt. 6:31-32, Jesus said, “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’…your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.”
Because we have a God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10), and because He loves us and promises to meet all of our needs, according to His riches (Phil. 4:19), we are encouraged, and even commanded, not to be focused on the world’s economic system. Instead, we need to look beyond its façade and start doing things God’s way.
Now, the secret to financial success within God’s economic system is summed up in one word: GIVE. Give to the church. Give to people you know when they are in a bind. Give to the poor needy. Give to charitable organizations. Give, give, give. Why? In Acts 20:35, Paul quotes Jesus as having said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
This is completely opposite of what the world says. To the world, this doesn’t make any sense. Anyone operating in the world’s economic system looks at this principle of giving and says, “Give? How can you expect me to give when I don’t have enough to pay my bills, as it is? I can’t afford to be giving away any of my money.”
Ah, but you can when, in response to your giving, God gives to you. Malachi 3:10 offers an interesting challenge. Amidst all the verses commanding us not to put God to the test, this verse gives us permission, and even challenges us to test Him in one area. “Bring the full tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house. And thereby put Me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, [and see] if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need” (ESV). Another translation renders it, “there will not be room enough to receive it.”
My personal belief regarding this issue of God’s economic system (and I hope PJ would agree) is this: God’s promise to meet our daily needs is, for the most part, unconditional. In Matt. 6, Jesus did not say that God will meet our needs if we obey certain commands or if we give. He simply stated God’s promise to meet our needs. But the promise of blessings that go above and beyond our needs is conditioned upon our obedience to God, as well as how charitable we are in our giving. It is one thing to have God pour out blessing to the point of meeting our needs. It is quite another to have Him pour out such a blessing that we could not have enough room to receive it all.
One thing we must be wary of is allowing our greed to motivate our giving. Watching the late-night televangelists, you can get the impression that if you give to God, then God will make you rich. Do you want to be rich? Do you want to have more money than you know what to do with? Then send your $1,000 love gift to the ministry.
Don’t be fooled. Heaven is not listed on the stock exchange, and God’s blessings are not for sale. Greed is a sin. God does not honor greed, and He does not honor any actions that are motivated by greed, even if those actions would otherwise be noble.
The Bible’s command is that we give out of a spirit of giving. In addition, we need to remember that, while God’s blessings are often financial, they may not always be so. As Eph. 1:3 says, He has blessed us, and continues to bless us with spiritual blessings, which are of eternal value.
QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND APPLICATION
1. On Sunday, PJ showed us a chart, depicting one circle inside another circle. The inner circle was labeled, “World’s Economics.” The outer was labeled, “God’s Economics.” In what ways does the world’s economic system correlate to and fit within God’s economic system? In what ways has the world’s economics distorted and deviated from God’s?
2. To what degree have I bought into the world’s economic system? Am I able to look beyond all of that and see how God’s system works?
3. Read Ephesians 1:3, II Peter 1:3, and Matthew 6:31-32. How does the promise in Matt. 6 relate to the truth stated in Ephesians and II Peter? How does the promise to meet how material needs stem from the fact that God has “blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places”?
4. What is my overall attitude and pattern in giving? To the church? To charitable organizations? To people standing on the street corner?
Friday, February 10, 2012
Viral #4: Lord, if it is You...
Satan said, “If You are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread” (Matt. 4:3). The crowd in Jerusalem said, “If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross” (Matt. 27:40). Peter said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water” (Matt. 14:28).
There is one significant difference between these three incidents. Jesus did not command the stones to become bread, and He did not come down from the cross. But He did tell Peter to “Come” (Matt. 14:29).
As our new associate pastor, John (AKA PJ 2.0), pointed out, Peter’s language was very much like the language used by Satan when He tempted Jesus and the language used by the crowd when Jesus was crucified. Clearly, on those two occasions, the words, “If You are the Son of God…” were words of doubt and skepticism. Those who spoke them were questioning whether or not Jesus truly was the Son of God.
Peter’s words reflected an element of doubt, but I’m not certain that he doubted to the same degree as Satan or the crowd. I wonder whether or not he doubted whether or not Jesus is the Son of God. It may be that Peter had the understandable doubt as to whether or not the person he saw out on the water was in fact Jesus.
Peter heard a voice. It sounded like Jesus’ voice, but amidst the noise of the storm and his friends crying out in fear, perhaps he couldn’t be certain. Peter saw a figure, but it was dark and stormy, out there on the sea. He couldn’t clearly see who or what was out there. Peter wanted to be certain it was Jesus. He didn’t want to follow or listen to the voice of another.
I’ve had a couple occasions in which I thought God was talking to me about some specific things that were going to happen in my life. But they did not happen. When it became clear that those things were not going to transpire, it became obvious to me that God had not spoken to me as I thought He had. Either the devil had deceived me, or I had deceived myself into thinking God had said something that He had not said.
So we do need to be careful about whose voice we’re listening to. But I will say that when it is clear that God is speaking to us, we need to listen to Him and do whatever He tells us to do.
Now, Peter’s request of proof that it was Jesus is interesting. “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” On Sunday, John suggested that this reflected Peter’s pride. “God, give me the ability, so I can do it on my own.”
Certainly, Peter did have his issues with pride. Later, it would be Peter who boasted, “If all the others fall away, I will never away. I am ready to go with You to prison and to death” (cf. Matt. 26:33; Luke 22:33). But only a few short hours later denied Jesus—not once, not twice, but three times—adamantly declaring, “I don’t know the man!”
Peter’s pride may be reflected in his request when he saw Jesus walking on the water. And we certainly must be wary of praying, “God, give me the power to do things on my own.” Of course, this is difficult in our western society that holds rugged individualism and independence up as a virtue. The Christian life is not to be a life of independence, but of dependence upon God. In John 15:5, Jesus said, “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” The Christian life is not about what we can do for God. It is all about what He does for us, in us, and through us.
But then I think of Romans 8:13, the latter half of which says, “But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Certainly, this cannot be done apart from the enabling of the Holy Spirit. We cannot do it on our own. But the command is clear. We must put the deeds of the flesh to death. The Holy Spirit empowers and enables us, but He does not do the work for us. Philippians 2:12-13 teaches us that it is God who gives us both the desire and the ability to obey Him. But He does not do the obeying for us. We must obey God. And there is nothing wrong with asking God for the ability to do so.
The difference may be subtle, but definitely there. Rather than arrogantly praying, “God, give me the ability, so I can do it myself,” we must humbly pray, “God, empower me to obey You and to do Your will for Your glory.”
QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND APPLICATION
1. Read John 10:27. What does this verse teach us about the Christian’s ability to hear God’s voice? How can we tell when God is speaking to us and when He is not?
2. Have there been any times in your life when you thought God was speaking to you about something when, in fact, He was not? How did you discover that it wasn’t the Lord speaking to you? What happened?
3. Have there been times when God was speaking to you, but you were not listening? Why didn’t you listen? What happened? What were the consequences of not listening to God?
4. How often to you pray for God’s power to be manifested in your life? When you do pray for this, what is your motivation? Do you want to bring attention to yourself and brag about what you’ve been able to do? Or is your desire simply to obey and glorify God?
There is one significant difference between these three incidents. Jesus did not command the stones to become bread, and He did not come down from the cross. But He did tell Peter to “Come” (Matt. 14:29).
As our new associate pastor, John (AKA PJ 2.0), pointed out, Peter’s language was very much like the language used by Satan when He tempted Jesus and the language used by the crowd when Jesus was crucified. Clearly, on those two occasions, the words, “If You are the Son of God…” were words of doubt and skepticism. Those who spoke them were questioning whether or not Jesus truly was the Son of God.
Peter’s words reflected an element of doubt, but I’m not certain that he doubted to the same degree as Satan or the crowd. I wonder whether or not he doubted whether or not Jesus is the Son of God. It may be that Peter had the understandable doubt as to whether or not the person he saw out on the water was in fact Jesus.
Peter heard a voice. It sounded like Jesus’ voice, but amidst the noise of the storm and his friends crying out in fear, perhaps he couldn’t be certain. Peter saw a figure, but it was dark and stormy, out there on the sea. He couldn’t clearly see who or what was out there. Peter wanted to be certain it was Jesus. He didn’t want to follow or listen to the voice of another.
I’ve had a couple occasions in which I thought God was talking to me about some specific things that were going to happen in my life. But they did not happen. When it became clear that those things were not going to transpire, it became obvious to me that God had not spoken to me as I thought He had. Either the devil had deceived me, or I had deceived myself into thinking God had said something that He had not said.
So we do need to be careful about whose voice we’re listening to. But I will say that when it is clear that God is speaking to us, we need to listen to Him and do whatever He tells us to do.
Now, Peter’s request of proof that it was Jesus is interesting. “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” On Sunday, John suggested that this reflected Peter’s pride. “God, give me the ability, so I can do it on my own.”
Certainly, Peter did have his issues with pride. Later, it would be Peter who boasted, “If all the others fall away, I will never away. I am ready to go with You to prison and to death” (cf. Matt. 26:33; Luke 22:33). But only a few short hours later denied Jesus—not once, not twice, but three times—adamantly declaring, “I don’t know the man!”
Peter’s pride may be reflected in his request when he saw Jesus walking on the water. And we certainly must be wary of praying, “God, give me the power to do things on my own.” Of course, this is difficult in our western society that holds rugged individualism and independence up as a virtue. The Christian life is not to be a life of independence, but of dependence upon God. In John 15:5, Jesus said, “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” The Christian life is not about what we can do for God. It is all about what He does for us, in us, and through us.
But then I think of Romans 8:13, the latter half of which says, “But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Certainly, this cannot be done apart from the enabling of the Holy Spirit. We cannot do it on our own. But the command is clear. We must put the deeds of the flesh to death. The Holy Spirit empowers and enables us, but He does not do the work for us. Philippians 2:12-13 teaches us that it is God who gives us both the desire and the ability to obey Him. But He does not do the obeying for us. We must obey God. And there is nothing wrong with asking God for the ability to do so.
The difference may be subtle, but definitely there. Rather than arrogantly praying, “God, give me the ability, so I can do it myself,” we must humbly pray, “God, empower me to obey You and to do Your will for Your glory.”
QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND APPLICATION
1. Read John 10:27. What does this verse teach us about the Christian’s ability to hear God’s voice? How can we tell when God is speaking to us and when He is not?
2. Have there been any times in your life when you thought God was speaking to you about something when, in fact, He was not? How did you discover that it wasn’t the Lord speaking to you? What happened?
3. Have there been times when God was speaking to you, but you were not listening? Why didn’t you listen? What happened? What were the consequences of not listening to God?
4. How often to you pray for God’s power to be manifested in your life? When you do pray for this, what is your motivation? Do you want to bring attention to yourself and brag about what you’ve been able to do? Or is your desire simply to obey and glorify God?
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