Phil. 1:27 Only let your 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, 28 and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God. 29 For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, 30 having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.

Introduction

Festo Kivengere, who is a leading evangelical minister in Uganda, wrote a book called I Love Idi Amin. In it he described the history of the church in Uganda. And the truth expressed in that title itself (I Love Idi Amin) is an extraordinary testimony to God's grace if you know anything about Idi Amin. He was a butcher. But that's not what I'm going to focus on. Instead, I want to read an excerpt from this book of the very first Christian martyrs in that nation’s history. He said,

"Earlier that same year, 1885, three Christian boys had shed their blood for Christ in Uganda. The king had ordered the arrest of these page boys in an effort to stamp out Christianity. The eldest was fifteen and the youngest was eleven-year-old Yusufu. They held fast their faith and staked their lives on it, though people were weeping and their parents were pleading with them. At the place of execution they sent a message to the king: ‘Tell his majesty that he has put our bodies in the fire, but we won’t be long in the fire. Soon we shall be with Jesus, which is much better. But ask him to repent and change his mind, or he will land in a place of eternal fire and desolation.’ They sang a song which is now well loved in Uganda as the ‘martyr’s song.’ One verse says, ‘O that I had wings like the angels. I would fly away and be with Jesus!’ Little Yusufu said, ‘Please don’t cut off my arms. I will not struggle in the fire that takes me to Jesus!’ Forty adults came to Jesus the day the boys died. This was a new kind of life, which fire and torture could not control. We have a memorial near Kampala where these youngsters are remembered as the first Christian martyrs of Uganda. By 1887, the end of the first decade of the church, hundreds had died. There were martyrs out of every village that had believers. They were only beginners, they knew little theology, and some could barely read, but they had fallen in love with Jesus Christ. Life had taken on a completely new meaning. The value of living and of living eternally had been discovered. They were not hugging their lives, but ready to give them for Jesus. During these dangerous days, there was an immediate and steady increase in the number of those embracing Christ."¹

How fast has the church grown in Uganda? According to Operation World, 84.7% of Ugandans now claim to be Christian, though we would probably only recognize about 37% as being self-consciously evangelical and Biblical. But even that 37% is still an incredibly high percentage of Christians in African countries.² But the persecution of Christians is not over in that country. There are still many martyrs - especially in the Islamic majority states.

And I started with that story because the Philippians faced similar persecution. Philippi was a Roman colony where Latin was spoken, Roman law was followed, and Roman customs were enforced, including worship of the emperor. The idea was that it was supposed to be another Rome transplanted into the soil of another country, and everyone in Philippi was expected to act as a model Roman citizen. Just as a bit of background, many Roman civil servants, magistrates, soldiers, and statesmen retired to this beautiful city. So it was chock-full of Romans. The Philippian Christians would have faced enormous pressure to engage in emperor worship and in other immoral things, and persecution would inevitably follow their refusal.

The word "only" (v. 27a)

And Paul begins with a word that shows the critical importance of this paragraph when facing persecution. It's the word "only." It doesn't come across as strong in the English, but let me quote Motyer's commentary on the meaning of the Greek. He says,

The force of the word ‘only’ is tremendous, as if Paul had said, ‘This one thing and this only’. Nothing else must distract or excuse them from this great objective; it must be their all-embracing occupation whether Paul was there or not.³

A call to have a Gospel-focused conduct in society (v. 27a)

And what is it that Paul wants them to have nailed down so solidly? Paul calls them to have a Gospel-focused conduct in society that will make a difference in themselves and in others. Verse 27 starts, "Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ..." The word conduct is πολιτεύεσθε, and literally means "acting as a citizen." You can hear the idea of politics in the first part of the word πολιτ - εύεσθε. Every Philippian was a citizen of Rome - an incredible privilege with all kinds of rights that other people did not have. But it also came with incredible pressures to conform to the Roman norms expected of every citizen. For example, citizens were expected to maintain the boundaries between different classes of people - whether slaves, plebians, equestrians, or any of the other classes. But within the church, those strict class boundaries were evaporated making Christians equal in Christ. That would have stood out like a sore thumb to loyal citizens of Rome. They would have thought, "You guys are weird. And you're not loyal citizens." Maintaining the class system was essential in their eyes.

There would also have been pressure for some of the higher social stratas to spend their afternoons with peers at the bath houses (not cool), games (also not cool), gladiator fights (a form of murder), and other social events that involved idolatry, nudity, immorality, and other things that Christians should not be part of. So commentators point out that Paul was not telling them to abandon their citizenship. No. They should use their citizenship to the max, but he insisted that they must use it in a way that is worthy of the Gospel of Christ. That would have been very difficult.

But you too face pressures to compromise the Gospel in your society. Those pressures are not nearly as intense as what the Philippians faced, but they can still make you feel uncomfortable. What do you say when a friend invites you to watch the newest movie in the theatres that you know would be a bad witness to the Gospel? How do you maintain the friendship while repeatedly turning down such invitations? Do you use excuses that you don’t have time, or do you openly explain how loyalty to Jesus does not allow you to do watch that movie? Does your conduct at your workplace reflect well on the Gospel of Jesus, or is your poor work ethic a poor testimony to that Gospel? Can people tell that you are different; that you have something they do not have? Or do you let your boss's bad-hair day get you down? Does the way you file your taxes, or the way you negotiate lower prices with a salesman (which by itself is not bad, but how you do it can be), or the kind of gaming you consider to be entertainment in any way worthy of the Gospel? If not, Paul wants it to be. He wants you to apply the goals of the Gospel to everything - everything.

The three young Ugandan pages that I mentioned earlier did a superb job of showcasing how the Gospel had changed their lives. They could no longer participate in the idolatry and other immoral things that went on in the Ugandan government. They stood out like a sore thumb, and the king would not tolerate that. He wanted uniformity in his government. And even when they were being burned to death, it was obvious to all that they were so infatuated with Jesus and His beautiful Gospel that even fire could not dissuade them. That showed the incredible value that the Gospel had to them. They knew that of the two offers presented to them - physical life and eternal life, which one they would choose. They had a Gospel-focused conduct in society. Their conduct as citizens (the meaning of that term conduct) was worthy of the Gospel. But each of the next clauses hones in on what exactly this means.

Gospel-focused conduct should be so obvioius that Paul would be able to hear reports of it (v. 27b)

The next clause indicates that Gospel-focused conduct cannot be hidden. If the Gospel impacts all that you do, it will be obvious to all. It should be so obvious that even Paul (who was a long ways separated from them geographically) will be able to hear reports of it. It says, "so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs." It is helpful to know that Christians too are watching how we respond to the pressures of culture. Our testimony is not just to the world, but also to fellow-believers. Can fellow believers honestly say about you that your engagement in society as an American citizen exemplifies what Christ has saved you from and what He has saved you to? They should be able say that about you.

Gospel-focused conduct produces what is needed to take a strong united stand (v. 27c)

Next, this Gospel-focused conduct produced in them what was needed to be able to take a strong united stand - "that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel..." Let me break apart each word in that clause. The word for "stand" was a military term - implying opposition. Striving together is another military term that also implies opposition. If you are truly Gospel-focused, it is impossible to live in the world without others noticing that you are different. And those differences will produce a tension - an uncomfortable tension. Those two terms indicate that society is pressuring you to conform, and it would take unity among believers to be able to take strong stands against the various social and political temptations to compromise. The point is that we need each other. We need to encourage and exhort each other to be faithful. Nor was this an irrational stand. It's a stand that makes total sense to those who are Gospel-focused. It makes no sense to those who are not, but it does to us. The phrase "with one mind" shows that they would need to have clear thinking on how to respond to such pressures, and he repeats that thought in the phrase, "for the faith of the gospel" (a rational objective doctrine) to reinforce the idea that the Gospel must make a difference in how we live.

And the call to be united in this stand helps the whole church to have the courage they need. Why do we need each other in the church? Our unity in the faith helps us help each other to keep on keeping on. When you share your testimony of how you almost caved in to a temptation, but how God gave you grace to showcase Christ and be a good testimony, it encourages others to follow your example. In the story I started with, when the fellow Christians who were watching the martyrdom saw the way that the three Ugandan martyrs showcased the supernatural joy of the Lord in those fires and how they were taking a strong stand for the Lord, it inspired the other Christians to be bold and to promote the cause of Christ themselves. Christians need each other. An isolated Christian who is not a member of a church is in a very precarious position.

But it wasn't just fellow believers who were encouraged. The story goes on to show that even unbelievers could not deny the reality of the Gospel's power in these young martyrs. They knew that they didn't have the courage to be martyred themselves and that they didn't have the courage to stand against the king's ridiculous edicts. But they wished they did. They envied what these young boys had. And it made them inquire and 40 unbelievers became Christians that day.

Gospel-focused conduct produces boldness in the face of opposition (v. 28)

The third and most obvious thing that a Gospel-focused conduct produced is boldness in the face of opposition. Verse 28 says, "and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God." Let me break the meaning of that sentence down.

Panic (to be terrified) can be the normal reaction to the threat of persecution (v. 28a)

The Greek word translated as "terrified" is a rare word, not used anywhere else by Paul. Actually, it is only used one other place in the New Testament - by Luke. It refers to a horse rearing up because it is startled or bolting out of fear. That's a very natural response to danger. It's natural to be terrified of being martyred. It's natural to be fearful of what others might think of us. The boldness that those three Ugandan boys had was not natural; it was supernatural. And the more the Gospel works its way into our lives, the easier it is to take strong stands without being terrified. Boldness is one of the signs that we are filled with the Holy Spirit and really believe the truths of the Gospel.

These opponents were not the "dogs" in 3:2, but the same Romans who imprisoned Paul (cf. v. 30)

And as a sidenote, when he speaks of their "adversaries," it might be easy to conclude that he was referring to the Talmudic Judaizers who had crept into the church, and that are mentioned in chapter 3:2. At that point the Talmud had not been written down - it was just the oral traditions of the Pharisees. These Judaizers who had crept into the church were adversaries as well, but adversaries who pretended to be friends. That opposition was much more subtle. But commentators point out that these adversaries are quite different. These adversaries are overt pagan enemies who hated the Christians and whose actions were designed to instil fear. And this is where Paul himself was an inspiring example to the Philippians. Walter Hansen's commentary says,

Paul’s courageous witness to Caesar’s bodyguard presents an inspiring example. He was not intimidated by the most powerful soldiers in the Roman Empire. Neither should the Christians in Philippi be intimidated by the elite corps of Roman soldiers and other top-ranking Roman officials who resided there.⁴

This God-given boldness is a strong sign that they will be destroyed and that you will be saved by God (v. 28b)

The next clause says, "which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God." The Greek word for "perdition" means destruction or annihilation. To the non-elect unbelievers who looked on while the three Ugandan martyrs were being burned, they saw weakness and how easy it was to exterminate Christianity. After all, those Christians didn't fight back. In fact, weirdly, they proclaimed their love for their enemies. They appeared to be weak. But any adversaries who concluded that these three young boys were weak were dead wrong. They were strong in a way that no one else was able to be.

To the elect pagan onlookers who witnessed these martyrdoms - they saw something different. They saw such a sure certainty of going to heaven and such a certainty that the pagans would burn for all eternity in hell if they did not repent and believe that at least they themselves couldn't resist the testimony of the Gospel. As I have already mentioned, on the spot forty Ugandans responded to the Gospel and became Christians. And the same thing happened over and over again in Uganda as a result of both the persecution and the martyrdom of Christians. Multitudes began coming to Christ. In 1 Corinthians 1:18 Paul says much the same thing. He says, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." We who have been saved have such a strong assurance of Christ's presence in us that even being burned at the stake does not remove our confidence that to be absent from the body is to be instantly present with the Lord in the glory and bliss of heaven.

And Paul adds - "and that from God" to make it clear that their certainty of salvation and this boldness did not rest in their human striving or in their wishful thinking. Instead, that certainy was itself a gift of God. God was the source of all aspects of their salvation, including their ability to stand firm in the Holy Spirit. You might worry whether you would be able to stand strong if you were the one being burned in the fire like those Ugandan boys. But you don’t need to worry about that. Here’s the thing; God gives the needed grace when it is needed, not before. So don’t worry about your martyrdom at this point. It was God who gave them their ability to strive together to promote the Gospel, and their ability to stand for Christ even when so many were opposed to them. This is the kind of conduct that is worthy of the Gospel. Keeping our mouths closed out of fear of what our neighbors will think of us is not worthy of the Gospel. It is not. It's natural to keep your mouths shut, but it is not worthy of the Gospel, which is supernatural.

IV. A challenge to realize that both salvation and suffering are gifts of God’s grace (v. 29). List some benefits of suffering

In verse 29 Paul adds another thought. He says, "For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake." Now, that's an astounding statement - that even the suffering was a privilege granted by God. Sam Storms, in 2023, wrote a very humble, tearful, and full-hearted public note of repentance and asking for forgiveness for having supported Mike Bickle - a leader of IHOP (who was an evil abuser who hid his abuse of women for a long time). We can respect leaders who have blown it, yet who publicly repent. That’s another kind of boldness and Gospel confidence. Very few leaders have the humility to do that. Anyway, the same Sam Storms wrote a blog that commented on this verse, and I want to quote two paragraphs from that blog. He said,

Let Paul make his point to you and me with the particular word he chose to employ: “it has been granted” (v. 29a). Most of you know that the Greek word for “grace” is charis. It’s not uncommon for Christians to name their daughter “Charissa.” Even our English term “charismatic” comes from the Greek for grace and refers to our belief in spiritual gifts that God graciously bestows. Well, the verb form of charis is charidzomai. It means to graciously give or to bestow as an expression of favor and love. In Luke 7:21, Jesus is said to have graciously granted sight to the blind...

Here Paul declares that “suffering” is a gift of God’s grace! It is not portrayed as divine punishment for all your failures. Neither is it discipline designed to straighten you out and alert you to the unrepentant sin in your life. This is no chance happening that unluckily came your way when God was preoccupied with other matters. This was no reluctant concession on God’s part as he wanted to prevent it but for some reason couldn’t. No, it is a privilege, a gift, an expression of undeserved kindness!⁵

Wow! Paul is saying that suffering for Christ is a gracious gift from a loving God. If that doesn't blow your mind, it should. But when you realize what God does through suffering, you begin to realize that - Yeah! Yeah, it is indeed a gracious gift. Consider four of about eight different benefits that can only come through suffering on Christ's behalf:

1. First, there are incredible rewards given to those who willingly suffer for Him - incredible rewards. God makes the suffering totally worthwhile. Luke 6:22-23 says,

"Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets."

He says that your reward is great in heaven. Those young believers who were martyred in Uganda will have far greater rewards in heaven than I will - unless of course I get martyred as they did. There are special rewards in heaven for martyrs. But consider the rewards for other kinds of suffering. Acts 5:41 says that the apostles who had just been beaten by the authorities, "departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name." In fact, so convinced were early Christians that suffering for Christ was a great gift with great rewards, that some of them volunteered to be martyred when they didn’t need to be. We don't want to have a martyr complex like some of them did, but knowing the incredible rewards we will have from all of our trials can make those trials seem worthwhile. But back to martyrdom, while martyrdom should not to be sought, we must not fear it. And there is a sense in which some of you have had a martyrdom of reputations, or a martyrdom of comforts, or a martyrdom of security. Some churches have had their tax exempt status revoked in the pastg when they have supported a complete abolition of abortion or have opposed LGBTQ laws - especially in Britain right now where people are being imprisoned for praying silently in certain prayer-free zones. While it is legitimate to push back against that kind of persecution (and we are members of two Christian legal organizations that are willing to fight for us), the persecution itself is not overlooked by God. He rewards richly. 2. A second benefit is that persecution actually spreads the Gospel. It does. I think this is a cool benefit. And there are many Scriptures that illustrate that point. But Christ gave a cool metaphor of wheat. John 12:24 says, “unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” Just as the suffering of the Ugandan church has made the church explode (and it has done so in many other countries), it can cause the church to grow here as well. So don't fear persecution. 3. The third benefit is knowing that Christ powerfully enters into our sufferings with us and enables us to face them with joy. Some of the most comforting experiences of Christ's presence with us come in the midst of suffering. Now, I will admit that I don't know how a glorified Christ can suffer simply because He indwells suffering believers, but somehow He has chosen to share or fellowship with us in those very sufferings. Philippians 3:10 speaks of Paul's longing to know Christ in the power of His resurrection and to know Christ in the fellowship of His sufferings. In Acts Jesus spoke to the persecutor, Saul, and He said, "Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting Me?" (Acts 9:4). There was a sense in which Christ was being persecuted when Christians were being persecuted. Romans 8:17 says that we are "heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together." If indeed we suffer with Him. Somehow Christ considers Himself persecuted and suffering when we are persecuted and suffering. Whether He actually experiences the pain of suffering right now or not, or whether He simply treats attacks on us as legally being attacks on Him is immaterial. There is still a fellowship that we have in His sufferings. He cares. Somehow He goes through it with us and strengthens us in the midst of the suffering. And knowing His presence in the midst of suffering makes it all worthwhile. 4. The fourth benefit is that we grow in grace. James 1:2-4 outlines the various ways that we grow in grace as a result of suffering. It says, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

And actually, when you dig into this subject, you will find many other benefits that come through suffering. Paul was not exaggerating when he called their sufferings a charis - a gift graciously bestowed.

2 Timothy 3:12 says, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” If you don’t desire to live a godly life in Christ, I guess you don't need to worry about persecution in this life, do you? But you better worry about eternal punishment and suffering. In any case, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. It's a fact.

Jesus said, “A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). If you have not submitted to Jesus as your Lord and Master, you can relax in this life because you won't be persecuted. But Jesus guarantees that if He truly is your Lord, you will be persecuted by enemies of Christ - that is, if those enemies exist. There is coming a time in history where there won't be that persecution because those enemies will no longer be on planet earth.

Paul said, it is “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). Again, if you have no desire or intentions of entering God’s kingdom, then you can avoid “many tribulations.” But what an incredible gift the kingdom of God is. It is eternal. Paul is not exaggerating when he says that suffering for Christ is a gift of grace that God graciously grants to us. To repeat a verse I quoted earlier, after the apostles were beaten, it says, they "departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name."

V. An encouragement that Paul was for them in their suffering (v. 30)

But it isn't just that Christ intimately knows, values, and cares about your sufferings. Paul did too. He felt deeply connected with the sufferings that the church at Philippi was experiencing. So he ends this chapter by saying,

having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.

Paul understood what they were going through. He cared for them in their sufferings, prayed for them, wrote encouragement to them. He wanted them to know that what they were experiencing was not unique to them. And I love the way this church (Dominion Covenant Church) cares for one another and ministers to one another when people go through tough times. You can tell that connection of body-life. It's rich. I love it. And I love the way that this church prays in the prayer meetings for others who are suffering. You are exemplifying what Paul is saying. You are acting like Paul by entering into and sympathizing with what they are going through.

But Paul's point all through this passage is that benefitting from our sufferings is not automatic. It’s not automatic. You've probably heard the saying that the same sun that softens wax hardens clay. Suffering can unite families or tear them apart. It all depends on whether that family is living out the Gospel truths. Suffering can deepen our trust in God or produce bitterness. Unless we live out the Gospel in everything we do, it will be very difficult to navigate sufferings in a godly way, let alone to experience God's supernatural joy in the midst of sufferings - one of the themes in this book of Philippians. And as Paul gets into the Gospel truths later in this book you will see what an awesome thing it is to not just intellectually know the Gospel, but to experience the reality of His grace moment by moment.

In 1 Thessalonians 3:3 Paul prays that “no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this.” When you are experiencing suffering, Paul is assuring you that life is not out of control. God destined that suffering for a purpose and He wants you to experience more and more of His grace, and to mature through the suffering, and to depend upon Him more and more, and to be a witness to the world that you truly are different. Gary and I pray regularly that each of you would learn to abound more and more in the grace of God that flows from the Gospel. May each of us become so Gospel-focused that we respond to our sufferings as Paul did. Amen. Let's pray.

Father, thank You for the gift of suffering. Thank you that you do not leave us to face this alone, but that Jesus shares in our suffering and enables us to rise above it. Please remove all bitterness, complaining, and negative thinking about the trials that we have faced. Help us daily to know the reality of James 1 when it calls us to count it all joy when we fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of our faith produces patience. And please help us to take such a stand against the temptations to abandon our posts that we are able to let patience have its perfect work, so that we might become complete, lacking nothing. We desire the supernatural joy of the Lord promised in this book. Grant it to us in the utterly joyless circumstances that we face. We ask this in the strong name of Jesus. Amen.