Life Here and There

Paul went from persecuting the church to being a persecuted apostle of the church. After his arrest in Jerusalem, during his first imprisonment, he wrote a letter to the Philippians in which he boldly declared this short but profound line…

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (1:21)

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We’re walking with the apostle Paul on Wednesday evenings and we’ve just received our call to Macedonia (modern-day Greece). We parted ways with Barnabas, taking Silas instead, and we picked up Timothy and Luke on the trip. In Philippi, God took the city for Himself! How did it happen?

On Saturday, one business woman named Lydia, a “seller of purple” came to faith in Christ along with her house. Then Paul caused a riot over God’s power to rescue a girl being used by adult men for monetary purposes. A jailer got saved and a bunch of prisoners’ lives were changed forever. In Thessalonica, another riot.

As I watch Paul through the eyes of Luke (the writer of Acts), I get the feeling that the gospel was influential and divisive wherever it was taken. People reacted with warm embrace or heated rejection, but nobody was neutral, and everyone took notice. Riots usually ensued.

Out of this wild and crazy second missionary journey of the apostle Paul comes these three realizations of what it looks like when God takes a city for Himself, such as Philippi…

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Based on 2 Timothy 4:6-8

ONE GREAT TRUTH: It is possible to live life without regrets, but only as we understand God’s unfolding plan of redemption in our lives.

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I’ll just try harder. That’s the mentality of most people who are trying to be good Christians. “Well, I tried and I blew it, so I’ll just try harder.” The problem is that God resists the proud, so the more you think you can handle sin and temptation on your own, the less God will help. But He gives grace to the humble, so when you admit your helplessness, God comes to the rescue and gives grace, which provides strength.

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At our wedding, Angie and I chose to have Louie Armstrong’s song played… What a Wonderful World. In light of yesterday’s shootings, and so many other monumental tragedies in recent years, is it really a wonderful world? We were driving to Fort Smith yesterday for the annual meeting of the BMA of America and were reflecting on some of the tragedies that have taken place at this same time of the year such as the Oklahoma City bombing (April, 1995), the Waco compound burning (April, 1993), and Columbine (April, 1999). Each of these tragedies evoked emotions of fear and trepidation about living in this present world.

Our daughter begins kindergarten this fall. She’s nearly five years old and we’re already speculating about the nature of the world in which she will grow up and go through school. The news media tackles subjects like campus security and the psychological reasons behind such an awful rampage. But the secular media can never fully comprehend the nature of human depravity. Evil men will do evil things, no matter our level of security. If not on a campus, then in a restaurant, an airport, or a World Trade Center. Is this really a wonderful world?

There are natural and supernatural factors that can only be seen through a God-centered world view. The depravity of man runs deep in the heart. Evil abounds in humankind and murder, war, and bloodshed will continue as long as lost mankind has some dominion over this present realm. Further, Satan is labeled in Scripture as the “prince of the power of the air… the god of this world.” We who live on earth, live in a time and place where darkness has dominion. Is it really a wonderful world?

My answer, surprisingly, is yes. Why? Because it is in this present realm that God is actively working to extend His saving and healing grace to a lost and depraved people. It is here that God moves. It was into this humanity that Jesus, the light, came into the world. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. God’s glory was put on display through the life of Jesus Christ, through His atoning death, and through His miraculous resurrection. Do we live in a wonderful world? Only insomuch as Jesus makes the difference.

Last night, we were ministered to by a wonderful gospel singer who performed the old song Beulah Land. I love the lines… “Beulah land, I’m longing for thee, and someday on thee I’ll stand…” Our world, inundated with pain and loss and suffering, is merely a waiting room, a practice run, an incubation chamber for eternity. For those who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, heaven is our real home. Hell awaits those who reject His free offer of grace.

Amazingly, we cannot forget that it is this world which will someday be renovated by fire. This world will be redeemed. It currently groans with birth pains, waiting to be delivered from its depraved lostness. It’s a wonderful world, plagued by the inherent sinfulness of humankind. It’s wracked with pain and evil. Yet everything on God’s time line is moving toward a great and triumphant finality. Jesus will rule and reign.

Our hearts are gripped, in times like this, with uncertainty and fear. Then Scripture speaks on behalf of its divine author… “For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7) “Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) “Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

Is this world your home, or do you seek a city to come, a home not made with human hands preserved in the eternities for you? Jesus Christ came to be the light and hope of a lost and dark world. He came to offer you peace, pardon, and eternal life if you’ll only trust fully in Him, even in the world’s darkest moments. More is to come. Scripture foretells that times will wax worse and worse. Yet Jesus’ hand is always extended toward you. Embrace Him who is ready to embrace you, and enjoy the unspeakable peace and confidence of God.

“But I trust the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state. For I have no man like-minded, who will naturally care for your state.” -Philippians 2:19-20

Paul knew of noone else in the world who would be as others-focused as Timothy. He qualified his recommendation of Timothy with these words, “For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.” Timothy was in a class by himself. The whole world seems to put self first, but Timothy was willing to be Christ-centered. His thoughts ran to Jesus and to others before himself, what a rare gem!

It should really be our desire to be a gem so rare as Timothy, a diamond in the rough. Our motive should not be such that men will praise us, but rather that in all things Jesus may get the glory and people may be cared for. Timothy simply lived the great kingdom virtue that Jesus had spoken of in the Sermon on the Mount when he said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto thee.”

When we put God’s kingdom first in our thoughts, all other thoughts seem to become secondary. Life takes care of itself when the kingdom is our focus. What is your first focus today? Could Paul say of you that you’re one of only a few people in this world who doesn’t put self first? Let Jesus know you want Him to come first for you today.

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”—Philippians 2:13

One of the most popular questions that modern Christians have is “how do I know the will of God?” It’s a good question and it often gets bad answers! We sometimes fall into the trap of being almost superstitious about the will of God. We border on throwing out the chicken bones to know where He wants us to go next. It’s really much more simple than that according to Paul.

God works in you in such a way that you will want to do His good pleasure and that you will act on that want. In other words, are you at the center of His bigger will for your life? By “bigger” I mean not “where does He want me to go?” but rather “who does He want me to become?” If your life is daily being transformed by the infilling and renewing power of the Holy Spirit, then your wants will be in line with His will. You’ll be “predisposed” to do His will.

So let Him work in you! Let Him speak to you daily. Stay close to Him. Take your cues for what you should “want” from Him and His moment-by-moment leadership will be reliable and trustworthy. Then, venture out into life at the center of His will and you won’t go wrong. Don’t misquote me. Before there can come a significant change in your direction, there will probably be a message from God to your heart but for you to receive it with clarity, you need to be close to His side at all times.

“Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil.” -Isaiah 1:16

Some people have the mistaken assumption that the God of the Old Testament is a harsh God and the God of the New Testament is a soft God. The reality is that God’s character has never changed at all. He said through the prophet Isaiah, “cease to do evil…” He said through His Son, “go and sin no more…” He is loving, but harsh toward our sin. He forgives, but He has high expectations as well.

Repentance is sometimes misunderstood as being the same as confession, but repentance means to change the way we think. It involves confession, which means to agree with God about our sin. So if we confess our sins, thereby changing the way we think about our sin, then the follow-through will be a ceasing, a forsaking. God is patient and knows that we often make the same mistakes repeatedly. That does not, however, lessen His expectations for us, nor does it weaken His potential to work in us.

If you feel like your sins are impossible to overcome, remember this truth: God would never command you to do something you are not capable of doing in His power, such as ceasing from sin. Instead, He wants you to learn to rely on him for “it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13) The desire to cease from sin comes from Him, as does the ability. Before you can cease from sin, you must surrender to Him.

“For to me to live is Christ…”—Philippians 1:21a

What defines your life? What holds the primary interest and attention of your heart? What is it that receives your greatest devotion and determines the direction of your future? Is it Christ? Paul essentially proclaimed, “For my entire life is defined by my relationship with Jesus.” If others could describe you in a phrase, would their words include Jesus at all?

These are serious questions. For most of us, religion is a novelty, church is an activity, and service is a nuisance. Charles Spurgeon wrote, “If Christ be anything He must be everything. O rest not till love and faith in Jesus be the master passions of your soul.”

It’s time we break free from the burden of self-centered living and begin to live with Christ at the center of our lives. He’s the first cause of our existence as well as the Savior of our souls and He promises complete and final redemption for all those who will say, “Jesus, be everything to me.”