ray choi

A follower of Jesus

Roman jailer

Phil 1 – Just One Thing (pt3 of 3)

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2) The gospel leads to Fellowship

Phil 1
27 Just one thing: Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or am absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind…

Let’s follow Paul’s argument. He begins with “living is Christ”, then he continues by saying “live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Paul unpacks that a little more and explains what this life worthy of the gospel looks like. A life worthy of the gospel is one that is standing firm in one spirit and with one mind. This is an appeal to unity. Why did Paul start with unity? I think Phil 4:1-3. [READ]

Euodia and Syntyche, like Lydia, must have been prominent women in the church at Philippi. And these 2 women were fighting. Guys don’t fight as much as women not because we are more godly. We don’t fight as much simply because guys don’t speak as much as women do. Compared to women, men are mute. Jackie speaks 95 words for my every 5 words and so I play catch-up on Sunday during my preaching.

Plus, if guys get in a fight, the next day they might see each other at church and one guy says, you okay? Yeah, and you? Yeah, I’m okay. And they go out for a burger and it’s as if the fight never happened. But women like to talk and words can be dangerous weapons. Obviously, whatever was said between these two women is not blowing over. Paul is aware of the problem and so even at the very outset of the letter in chapter 1, he begins by addressing the problem of disunity without mentioning any names.

Unity is such a delicate thing. It can take years to build unity at a church around the gospel of Jesus Christ and you can have a bad day and you speak one careless word and the unity can be shattered in an instant. We can speculate as to what happened between Euodia and Syntyche. Perhaps, Euodia said something to Syntyche. At first, Syntyche was shocked and confused. Why did she say that? Later, shock and confusion turns to offense. How dare she say that to me! She is offended and she tells some of her close friends in the church what happened. Euodia, on the other hand, feels justified in saying what she said because she feels she is totally objective and she is confident that Syntyche is completely in the wrong.

Then, at the next house gathering, Euodia notices that Syntyche’s friends are giving her the cold shoulder. Later, Euodia finds out that people are against her because Syntyche is falsely portraying the situation. Now Euodia is really mad. Her anger boils over not only against Syntyche but also the friends that took her side. So in a fit of rage, Euodia starts a campaign. She begins telling all of her friends via Facebook the “real” story in order to garner support, to have people in her corner. And before you know it, the church is divided into two factions.

Considering the makeup of this church, I’m sure unity at this church didn’t come easily. Lydia is a successful Asian business woman. I’ve met a few CEOs and high-level executives in my day and if Lydia is anything like the people I’ve met, then she probably needed to have things done a certain way. Her way. On top of that, she was likely one of the biggest financial contributors to the church. Her financial giving coupled with her CEO background, don’t you think she would’ve had a strong opinion on how the church should be run and how the offering ought to be used? Do you think this kind of personality was easy to deal with for the other church members? I’m guessing that having her in the mix tested the unity of the church.

What about the demon-possessed slave girl? Do you think she might have had a problem with trusting others? After all, her own parents abandoned her and sold her into slavery and her new owners used her as a source of income for fortune telling. Don’t you think she would’ve put up walls to keep everyone at arm’s length? Wouldn’t this kind of guarded, wounded person test the relational strength and unity at Philippi?

What about the Roman jailer? This guy probably fought in the Roman military. He’s probably used to settling disagreements with his fists. You got a problem. Let’s take it outside and settle it. I bet he was a violent man. There are clues in Acts 16 that this Roman jailer didn’t simply keep watch over Paul and Silas in prison. Paul and Silas were not placed in a normal prison cell. They were placed in the “inner prison” and their feet were secured in stocks. Inner prisons were like torture chambers. It is likely that this jailer tortured them. The jailer was likely a violent man who abused his power and who got pleasure from seeing people suffer under his authority. Don’t you think that it’s quite possible that this Roman jailer had some rough edges even after he was converted?

None of us are transformed into the spotless bride of Christ the moment we are saved. All 3–Lydia, the slave girl and this jailer–were works in progress. Lydia. The Tiger Mom fashion executive who had to have it her way. The slave girl with emotional scars from her past and trust issues. The jailer’s rough-edged personality. This is a small sampling of the kind of vastly different people God brought together and said, you are the church at Philippi. Be one, one in spirit, one in mind. This is the power of the gospel to create a new kind of fellowship. This kind of fellowship doesn’t happen in the world. Only Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit can create this kind of fellowship. Where I can call an African American man from the ghetto my brother. And an Asian Tiger Mom from NY my sister. And a Caucasian soccer mom who lives in the suburbs and drives a SUV my fellow sibling in Christ.

How can you and I keep the unity? The answer is v21 – living is Christ. You return to the Person through whom unity was made possible in the first place, Jesus Christ. Paul urged the Philippians to stand firm in one spirit, with one mind. Stand firm because relational conflicts and spiritual battle will knock us down and challenge our unity. Brothers and sisters, unity is hard, but even if you and I are knocked down, get up, stand firm in one spirit and one mind. When we start to falter and loose our footing, go back to v21. The gospel of Jesus Christ. Living is Christ.

The gospel leads to freedom, fellowship, and finally…

3) The gospel leads to Fearlessness

Read Phil 1:27b-30. [READ]

Let’s follow Paul’s argument. v21 – living is Christ. The verses that follow tell us how to live FOR Christ. Live in a manner worthy of the gospel. How can you demonstrate that you are living for Christ? By your fellowship and unity where people of different backgrounds are brought together under the Headship of Christ. That’s one change that Christ and the gospel brings to bear. Freedom first, then fellowship. Lastly, the gospel leads to fearlessness.

We read about that in v28 – not being frightened in any way by your opponents. Then in verses 29-30, Paul talks about suffering. Don’t be afraid because Paul knows that the opponents of the gospel in Paul’s day were not out to win some public debates or to make them suffer by hurting their feelings. The opponents of the gospel were out to throw them into prison and to kill them. This was a literal, physical suffering that was brought on by their faith in Jesus. In the face of this persecution, Paul tells them, don’t be frightened. What’s the worst they can do to you? Take away your life? But even if that happens, you can rejoice because dying is great gain because you are with Christ. Be courageous. Have no fear. Whether you suffer or whether you die, Christ is with you and you are with Him. Nothing else matters.

For us, we have to be humble because our situation here in America is worlds apart from the situation facing the Philippian church. No one is throwing us into prison or causing us bodily harm because of our faith in Jesus. This is why I believe in missions. How can we know if we are fearless when our lives are comfortable and our faith requires little or no suffering? We need to go to places and see for ourselves how our brothers and sisters around the world are suffering. Suffering from a lack of food and material provisions. And suffering because of persecution. Satan is not playing games. He hates every one of God’s children. He knows he is going down and he wants to take as many of us down with him as he can. Don’t be afraid of Satan. Seek out volunteer opportunities in our area. Look for ways to get out of your comfort zone.

In addition to putting ourselves in situations where we will witness or experience suffering first hand, I think for us, we need to go a little deeper and get at the root issue. I believe the root issue ties back to point #1 and freedom. Before we can be fearless, we need to be free. Freedom precedes fearlessness. Someone might not be opposing you for your faith nor causing you to suffer, but does that mean we are not fearful? We have tons of fears. Fears of not be loved. We have fears of being a nobody. We fear what people will think about us. We fear letting people down. We fear disappointing our parents. We have fears of not having enough money for our retirement. We have fears of tragedy hitting our lives directly or our loved ones. We have fears of not achieving our goals of the perfect life with the perfect spouse, the perfect job, the perfect bank account, perfect kids, the perfect American Dream.

Examine your fears and they will point you to your master. If money is your master, you fear what will happen if you don’t have enough of it. There’s your master. If career is your master, then you fear what will happen if you don’t achieve your career goals. There’s your master. If romance is your master, then you will fear a life of loneliness. There’s your master. Any one of these masters will lead to enslavement and a lack of freedom. Instead of freedom, you will be enslaved by your fears.

But if Jesus is your Master, there is freedom. Christ came to set captives free. If you have found your freedom in Christ, then you can be fearless. Even before death, you won’t fear because dying is gain. Paul was so fearless because he found his freedom in Christ and Christ was his Master.

A lack of freedom and fear go hand in hand in the same way that freedom and fearlessness go hand in hand. Are you fearful? Then, go back to v21. Living is Christ. Only if Jesus is your life can you begin to live FOR Christ. Go to Jesus. Surrender your life to Jesus again and again. Let him be your Master so that you can be free. Fellowship and fearlessness are the byproducts. Before we think about having a unified, godly fellowship and before we think about doing things or suffering for Christ fearlessly, may we experience the freedom and joy that can only be found when our life IS Christ. Living is Christ. Seek Jesus, follow Jesus, love Jesus. Then, everything else will fall into place.

Phil 1 – Just One Thing (pt2 of 3)

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If the priority is right, v21 – living is Christ, then you can talk about v27.

Phil 1
27 Just one thing: Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.

If I were to combine v21 and v27, my paraphrase would be this. Living is Christ, now that you got the main point, just one thing, live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Living is Christ, now live for Christ. Living in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ presupposes that you already understand part 1 (v21). It assumes you understand the gospel and you’ve seen the beauty and supremacy of Christ. You can’t live in a manner worthy of the gospel until you first understand the gospel. You can’t live FOR Christ until you first KNOW Christ. Not just know Christ, but believe deeply from your heart that nothing in the universe compares to knowing Jesus.

What does living in a manner of the gospel of Christ or what does living for Christ look like practically? Another way to put it, if your life is all about the gospel of Christ and living is Christ, then what changes? What does your life look like to others?

Someone who has encountered the risen and living Christ, someone who understands the gospel will be changed. I want to talk about 3 changes. The gospel leads to 3 concrete changes. One, there is FREEDOM. Spiritual chains are broken. There is freedom in Christ. Two, a new FELLOWSHIP is created where there was only division and isolation before. Three, the person who believes in their heart, my life is Christ, nothing, no one is more important to me than Jesus, then, that person becomes FEARLESS in proclaiming Christ. Three F’s: Freedom, Fellowship, Fearlessness.

Sin actually leads to the opposite. Sin leads to 1) slavery, 2) division and 3) fear. The gospel leads to freedom, fellowship and fearlessness and sin leads to the complete opposite.

Let’s revisit the first 3 converts at Philippi and see how these gospel principles play out in their lives. Last week, we started our journey through the book of Philippians. To understand the background of the church, we went back to Acts 16 and studied how this church was established. If you recall, Paul had his missionary strategy in place. God was fulfilling his Great Commission through Paul and the gospel was spreading from Jerusalem, then to the broader region of Judea, then the region to the north, Samaria. And then the gospel was spreading to the northwest throughout Asia. And suddenly, in the midst of the gospel work expanding in Asia, Paul receives a vision known as the Macedonian call. Through this vision, God reroutes Paul from Asia to Europe.

Acts 16 describes the first converts of Europe who were part of the core group of the first church in Europe at Philippi. Three are mentioned in Acts 16. First you have a rich business woman in the fashion industry with a home in Thyatira and a home in Philippi named Lydia. Next, on the other end of the spectrum, you have a impoverished slave girl who was demon possessed. Third, you have a middle class, blue collar, retired ex-military soldier from Rome who is serving in the local jailhouse–the Roman jailer.

1) The gospel leads to Freedom

When you look at the three and you consider who needs freedom the most, of the three, which one comes to mind? Well, I think obviously, the demon-possessed slave girl comes to mind first. She’s got a demon inside of her. She can’t control her body. She has zero control over her own tongue. Words of negativity and hatred are spewing out of our own mouth and she can’t do anything about it. She is literally in chains, bound, enslaved internally in her spirit and it is obvious to the world that she is not free. Because her bondage is manifest externally.

What about Lydia and the Roman jailer? One is a successful business woman and the other is a blue collar security guard. Before Lydia or the Roman jailer met Christ, I think intellectually we know that they are slaves to sin. They have yet to be freed from sin by Jesus. We know this in our head. But emotionally, I think we give them a pass compared to the slave girl. The slave girl, she’s the one who has the real issue. She’s a slave on the outside AND she’s a slave on the inside. There is no question in anyone’s mind that she is spiritually enslaved.

But on the sliding scale of slavery to sin, we believe in our modern, Westernized minds that the slave girl is in a far worse condition compared to the other two, don’t we? We don’t think of Lydia as being enslaved. She may have some hang-ups or quirks or bad habits, but who doesn’t? The Roman jailer may have some character flaws and a few addictions, but don’t we all? We rationalize sin. We put sin into categories. The slave girl has some serious sin problems. Lydia and the jailer are sinners, too, but their problem is not as serious. Put the slave girl at the front of the line to meet Jesus. She ought to be desperate to meet Jesus. The other two, not so much.

If you think this way, then you are seriously underestimating the deceitfulness of the human heart. Sin manifests itself in so many ways. From God’s perspective, there is no differentiation between the more heinous, egregious, shockingly terrible sins from the more “respectable” sins. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. There is no one righteous, not even one.

Many think, I’m not that bad. My sin problem is not that serious. I don’t have a demon in me controlling my every thought and speech and action. I’m not as bad as the slave girl or that person who is addicted to drugs, or alcohol, or pornography. My sins of gossip and greed are not as bad as demon possession. My career isn’t an idol. I’m just trying to be a good steward of the talents God has given to me. I have to reach my full potential. Ever heard that one?

Or, money is not my Master. God, He’s the one who blessed me financially. What’s wrong with enjoying a good life? Someone has to reach out to the rich and the elites of society. They won’t be able to identify with me unless I wear the same designer clothes and drive the same luxury cars.

Lydia, before she was saved, was a slave to sin in a spiritual sense just as much as the slave girl was enslaved to the demon. But that sin in Lydia manifested itself very differently than it did in the life of slave girl. For Lydia, sin manifested itself, not through the shrieks of someone possessed by a demon, but through her enslavement to her career, to money, her possessions, her greed.

What about the Roman jailer? What was he enslaved to? He was probably a former soldier in the Roman military. He lived for the glory of Rome. He was a patriot. He lived for honor. That’s why, when God miraculously opened the prison doors and the criminals fled except for Paul and Silas, the Roman jailer pulled out his sword to end his life. He could have fled like everyone else. Most jailers in his situation would have fled. But he was a man bound by honor because Roman law demanded his life if anyone under his watch escaped. So he was ready to carry out the law on himself. Living for the honor of a nation like Rome, or the nation of Israel for the Jews, or the honor of your family name, or even the honor of your culture or the honor of your church, these are powerful masters.

If you think you are not enslaved because you’re not a drug addict or an alcoholic and you have a sane mind, think again. If you think you are not enslaved because you are a respectable member of society, think again. In some ways, the demon-possessed slave girl is far better off than Lydia or the jailer because at least for the slave girl, her bondage on the inside was visible on the outside. Without realizing it, we could be utterly bound on the inside while appearing free on the outside. You and I can still go to church and pay our taxes and tithe and play the part of a Christian for 2 hours on a Sunday while living the rest of the 166 hours of the week enslaved to sin.

All 3–Lydia, the slave girl and the Roman jailer–were enslaved. Their sin was manifested differently, but all 3 were slaves. What’s the solution? Verse 21. Living is Christ. All 3 were equally in need of the gospel of Jesus to set them free.

Phil 1: Become a Gospel Partner (pt3 of 3)

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Please turn with me to Acts 16. Let’s look at the conversion accounts of these 3 people: Lydia, the slave girl and the Roman jailer. I think we can glean some important principles regarding our approach when we are preaching the gospel to those around us.

1) Follow Jesus, not a plan.
2) God will reach people exactly where they are in the exact method they need to come to a saving faith.
3) Give your life to Jesus and live as a partner of the gospel with others.

These 3 must have been very special in God’s eyes because Paul had his heart set on reaching Asia. In Paul’s day, the Great Commission was being fulfilled, due in part to persecution at the hands of the Roman Empire and due in part to Paul’s zeal to see Gentiles throughout Asia come to know Christ, and of course, it goes without saying that the Spirit of God was moving powerfully in the first century. The early church started in Jerusalem in the region of Judea. Then the church spread to the north to Samaria. There you have the church at Antioch, which is located in modern day Turkey. From there, the church spread to the west to Syria, Cappadocia, Cilicia, Galatia, where we have the Galatian church. And then the church at Ephesus was planted. Paul’s missionary travels throughout Asia were well underway. Then, God intervened. We read about it in Acts 16:6-10. [READ]

Paul had his plans to continue spreading the gospel throughout Asia, but the Holy Spirit prevented him.

Principle 1: Follow Jesus, not a plan.

We can have our plans just like Paul did. But we have to be open to the Holy Spirit. Paul was somehow prevented from going into Bithynia. God must have closed the door somehow. They ended up in Troas, which was the chief port between Macedonia (in Europe) and Asia Minor. One door closed and another door opened. Bithynia was a closed door and Troas was an open door. While he was in Troas, he had a vision of a Macedonian man calling out for help. Immediately after receiving this vision, Paul made efforts to set out to Macedonia.

Timeout. This is not the main point, but I think this section warrants a quick side bar. You may read Acts 16 and think, why doesn’t God speak to me like this? First, I want to point out that Paul was already living all out for Jesus. He was on mission with God. He was living for the gospel and salvation of others. He was investing in people and raising up partners in the gospel ministry. Second, he had his convictions and plans to reach Asia, but one vision from the Lord, and he threw out his plans. Because it was more important to obey God and follow Jesus than to fulfill his own plans, even though he had good plans to reach the lost in Asia. Paul’s obedience to this vision led to a huge shift in the expansion of Christianity. From Asia to Macedonia. The salvation of Europe began with this one vision.

Before you complain, why doesn’t God speak to me like this, ask yourself two questions. One, are you living all out for Jesus and the gospel? Two, if God has spoken to you in the past, do you have a proven track record of abandoning your plans immediately and following the will and plan of God? Perhaps, God has been speaking to you already for years, maybe not through a vision, but through whispers in your heart and impressions that won’t go away. What have you done with those things? Have you obeyed immediately, or is God wasting his breath? Maybe God even gave you a vision, but you dismissed it. It was just a dream. God doesn’t speak to people through dreams anymore. I ate a burrito yesterday and I had a hard time sleeping. That’s where the vision came from. Black beans and salsa. The vision was nothing. It wasn’t a vision. When God speaks to you through a sermon or through your Bible reading, what have you done with it? Does it remain simply an insight, a stirring in your heart, an emotion and then it ends. Or do you act on it? Paul was living all out for Jesus and he quickly obeyed whatever the Spirit of God told him to do.

When Paul went to a new place to share the gospel, he would go straight to the largest metropolitan city in the region. Like a New York, or Los Angeles. If a large city bends the knee to Christ, then the message of Christ can more easily spread to the surrounding areas. That’s why Paul went to Philippi. Philippi was significant in that region because it was a Roman colony. There was trading, wealth, commerce, it was a center of Greek language and culture. In addition, citizens of Philippi had the backing of the Roman Empire and citizens there had the same legal rights as citizens living in Rome, Italy. There, God established his first European church.

The very first person Paul met after he was rerouted from Asia to Europe was a woman named Lydia. Lydia was a business woman and she was quite wealthy. How do we know that? Acts 16:13-15. [READ]

She was from the city of Thyatira in Asia and yet she had a home also in Philippi. It’s like certain business executives who have a home in New York or LA and they have a second home at Ventura beach or in Paris. She was a dealer in purple cloth and this purple cloth was made in her hometown of Thyatira and she was in Philippi closing some business deals. Lydia was gathered on the Sabbath with a bunch of other women by the river because there was presumably no synagogue in Philippi and so their place of worship was along the river. Paul went to the group of women and he began teaching and the Lord opened Lydia’s heart and she became the first convert in Europe.

How did God reach Lydia? God reached her through a Bible study. Through her mind. Right then and there, since they were beside a river, Paul baptized Lydia and her household.

Next, we read about a slave girl possessed by a demonic spirit. She was not rich. She was on the opposite end of the socio-economic spectrum. She was a slave. And if Lydia was a business woman who had it all together, this slave girl was out of control because there was a demon in her. How did God reach this demon-possessed slave girl? Read Acts 16:16-18. [READ]

God reached this slave girl by a power encounter. The demon within the slave girl was antagonistic toward Paul and Silas. It made the slave girl cry out to distract Paul while he was preaching. So this demon went head to head with an even more powerful spirit, the Holy Spirit that was within Paul. And the demon lost. In the name of Jesus, the demon was cast out. A traditional bible study wouldn’t have worked for the slave girl. You can’t reason your way through Scripture to help someone who has a demon within them. She needed a power encounter.

To me, it’s not surprising that to this day, in countries where there are overt cases of demonic activity and demon possession, the most effective ministers and missionaries are from our Pentecostal brethren. They have certain spiritual gifts that I, as a Baptist minister, lack. I believe that God sends the right people to minister and proclaim Christ in every situation.

Principle 2: God will reach people exactly where they are in the exact method they need to come to a saving faith.

For Lydia, she needed a bible study. A Bible teaching Baptist might have fared well in this situation. This slave girl was reached through a power encounter. A Pentecostal preacher or a person with a particular gifting was needed to reach this second convert.

What about the Roman jailer? How did God reach him? It was through a visible act of honor. Acts 16:25-34. [READ]

When the slave girl was healed, the owners were outraged because she was their source of income. Through the demon, they profited because through the demon, she could perform fortune telling. When she was healed, the owners incited a riot and a mob beat up Paul and Silas and they landed in prison.

While imprisoned, Paul and Silas were praying and singing to God. Again, you see their joy in Jesus overflowing. They could transcend their circumstances and have a worship service in a dark and dingy prison cell. They have something more than mere belief. They have a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus that was clearly evident to anyone who saw them. Even the hardened prisoners took notice and listened to them.

God placed Paul and Silas into that prison in order to reach the Roman jailer. The jailor was your classic blue collar, middle class, retired soldier from the army working at the local jailhouse. He wasn’t rich like Lydia. He wasn’t poor like the slave girl. He was average, the guy you would see at the local bar after a long day at work.

Suddenly, an earthquake struck and the prison doors were flung open and the chains fell off miraculously. Not just for Paul and Silas, but it says everyone was set free. What do you think the other prisoners did? They fled. Of course.

By Roman law, if a single prisoner breaks out under your watch, the person in charge would be killed. It was your life in exchange for theirs. Whenever a criminal managed to get free, what do you think most jailers did? Most jailers fled. Of course. Nobody wants to die.

But this Roman jailer was different. He could have fled for his life, but he is a man of honor. So he drew his sword because in his mind, it was the honorable thing to do to take his life. How did God reach this man of honor? By Paul and Silas’ decision to stay put. The prison doors were open. The chains fell off. It was every man for himself. Everyone fled. But Paul and Silas stayed put because they, too, were men of honor. They obeyed the orders of an even greater Master than Caesar. And this Master wanted them to stay put and minister to this Roman jailor. Seeing this act of tremendous honor, the jailer fell to his feet and trembling, he asked, what must I do to be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.

God reached Lydia through a Bible study. God reached the slave through a power encounter. And God reached the jailer through a visible act of honor.

Principle 3: Give your life to Jesus and live as a partner of the gospel with others.

These are the miraculous beginnings of the church at Philippi. No wonder Paul had so much affection for them. He is overjoyed at their partnership in the gospel. If you really believe in the gospel, then give your life to Jesus. Live for Jesus. Become a gospel partner.