Philippians: Joy Through Fellowship in Suffering


(Click here for an audio version.  The intro and conclusion are from ‘Disciple’, by Petra, converted from vintage vinyl!)

"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now."  (Philippians 1:3-5, NASB)

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith,"  (Philippians 1:21-25, NASB)

"For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me."  (Philippians 1:29-30, NASB)

"that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead."  (Philippians 3:10-11, NASB)

As part of my regular rhythms in God’s word, I take a deep dive into a book of the Bible, and I just recently finished Philippians 1.  Sometimes looking into a seemingly inconspicuous word can be incredibly eye opening (Psalm 119:18,130).

For example, the word ‘granted’ in Philippians 1:29 has the same root as the word ‘grace’, in other words, to be given a gracious gift.  What is this gift?  ‘not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake’.   Insane?  In Acts 5:41 we see this reflected in the apostles who were ‘rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.’

I also noticed in Philippians 1:30 the word ‘experiencing’ in context has the sense of ‘receiving as your duty or assignment.’  This assignment involves a continual conflict of opposition from others to the Gospel.  This was not just Paul’s lifelong assignment (see Acts 9:15-16), but he brought others into it.  This may not seem gracious, but it is, supremely!

Many will reject Christ, but some will follow Him.  They become our lifelong family for eternity.

What keeps you and I from joyfully receiving this assignment?  What enabled Paul and the Philippians to receive and even embrace it?

The answer, quite simply, is CHRIST Himself.  Paul’s all consuming passion was to know Christ (Philippians 3:10) and to enable others to know Him (Philippians 1:21-25) at the expense of his own benefit and his own life.

If you are pursuing Christ, you are giving up convenience at the very least, and even life (See Luke 14:25-33).  The cost is supreme in this life, but the benefit is supreme in this life and into the next.  But you gain CHRIST, now and into eternity.

If you are pursuing convenience and the preservation of this life, you miss CHRIST, now and into eternity (Mark 8:36).

Who is at the center of your story?

May you know and experience Christ, with ‘joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.’ (see 1 Peter 1:8-9) 

Here’s to your enduring suffering and eternal joy!

In His Grip,

Mark
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