Month: June 2024

Philippians 1:12 – Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. ¹³ As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. ¹⁴ And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.

¹⁵ It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. ¹⁶ The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. ¹⁷ The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. ¹⁸ But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, ¹⁹ for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. ²⁰ I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. ²¹ For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. ²² If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! ²³ I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; ²⁴ but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. ²⁵ Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶ so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel ²⁸ without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. ²⁹ For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, ³⁰ since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have. (NLT)

This week we continue in Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi.  Here is Paul, the most active of all Christian missionaries, yet his missionary journeys have been cut short.  Or have they?  Even while imprisoned, Paul continues to spread the gospel message. Our lesson is that we do not have to be on a mission trip to spread the gospel.  This passage teaches us that we all have the opportunity to share the Good News, no matter what our circumstance.

Consider verse thirteen: “As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.” The palace guards were soldiers whose duty it was to guard official Roman palaces.  This would include all high ranking Roman officials.  Before being sent to Rome, Paul spent as long as two years imprisoned in Caesarea at the Governor’s palace.  For several years Paul had been guarded by palace guards. Paul says the knowledge of Christ had spread through the whole palace guard.  We know from ancient writings that because of the high security risks involved within the palace guards, that they were rotated every few months. Within several years Paul had the opportunity to witness to a large number of guards.  In turn, some of those guards spoke to others about Jesus.  From his imprisonment, the Gospel had spread far and wide! 

Paul goes on to say there has been yet another result of his imprisonment.  It seems that there were Christians in the city in which he was in prison, and those Christians had been stirred up because of his presence.  Verse fourteen tells us: “And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.”  Paul was imprisoned for a number of years, but many people who came to know Jesus may have never known had he not been imprisoned!

We may have seasons – or years – where we don’t really like where we are in life.  We must remember, however, that God wants to use us where we are!  If your circumstances don’t seem favorable to you, consider who it is that you have the opportunity to share the message of Jesus.  Today, let us consider who those people are that God is has brought our way so that we may share – no matter what our circumstance. 

Posted by Ramón Torres

Philippians 1:1 – Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,

To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:

² Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³ I thank my God every time I remember you. ⁴ In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy ⁵ because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, ⁶ being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

⁷ It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. ⁸ God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

⁹ And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, ¹⁰ so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, ¹¹ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. (NLT)

In today’s passage we have the opening verses of Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi, a city named after the father of Alexander the Great.  Paul first visited Philippi in 52 AD.  Luke, the author of Acts and the Gospel of Luke, was a traveling companion of Paul during his first visit to Philippi, and in Acts 16 he records their meeting with Lydia.  Lydia was a successful business woman who became instrumental in the establishment of the church in Philippi.  At the time that he Paul wrote this letter, the Church in Philippi was growing steadily.  It was probably a fairly wealthy Church for its time.  They had been called upon by Paul on several occasions to help in ministry in other areas, and to help Paul, as well.

Paul wrote this letter while imprisoned in Rome, not long before the end of his life. Vast changes had swept through the Church by this time. Christianity was no longer associated with Judaism.  Consider how radical this was in the life of Paul. He began as a Pharisee in the Jewish faith, now he was the elder statesman of a Gentile religious movement. It is important for us to recognize these radical changes in the Church and in Paul’s life so that we may better understand the depth of his words in this passage. 

In verse five Paul speaks about their partnership in the Gospel from the first day until the present.  Much had changed from that first day, yet these people had remained faithful.  I suppose we have all seen some changes in the Church in our lifetime, maybe some good and some not so good.  We are called, however, to remain faithful like the Philippians.  We, too, are in partnership with the Philippians, Paul, and all of those who have come before us. We partner with them in living out the gospel, confident that the one who began this work in us will see it to completion (verse 6).  In this endeavor, we should pray for one another as Paul prayed for the Christians in Philippi: that our love may abound more and more as we grow in insight; that we will be able to discern what is best; and that we would be filled with the fruit of righteousness (verses 9-10).

Today, let us remember that together we are partners in this calling! 

Posted by Ramón Torres

Philippians 3:17 – Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. ¹⁸ For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. ¹⁹ They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. ²⁰ But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. ²¹ He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.

Life is often difficult.  We have days, which sometimes run into weeks, when we struggle.  Perhaps we have a crisis of health, and our faith is threatened.  Maybe, we find ourselves in a relationship that takes its emotional toll.  We may face difficulty with children, or parents.  Whatever our trouble, we’ve all been there, and maybe some of us are there today.  We know that daily we should turn to God’s Word for strength and guidance, but when we find ourselves in those difficult seasons of life, we need something more than words on a page.  We need a Christian role model.  

Paul had a personal relationship with the Christians in Philippi.  He offers himself as a Christian role model, asking them to pattern their lives after his, and after those who followed his example (verse 17).  There is a great spiritual lesson here for each of us.  We need one another.  When we are in those difficult seasons, we need the spiritual shoulders of other Christians to lean upon.  When we are strong, we need to make ourselves available to others, offering them encouragement. 

I once was asked by a man why he couldn’t be a Christian and not belong to a local church.  He told me that he did not need a church, and he went on to tell me how strong a faith he had – perhaps he did, but he lacked a little humility!  While I spoke to him about several benefits of the church, and quoted Hebrews 10:25, what I wanted to do was ask him how he could be so selfish!  God has a purpose for the Church.  The Church is to be the Body of Christ at work in the lives of all people (Ephesians 4:12).  Yes, the Body of Christ is to serve the lost and hurting of the world, but often the hurting are right within our own churches.  Whether in the world, or in the church, we are to be a Christ-like example. 

In light of God’s Word, let us seek to be a Christ-like example for others.  Let us also be quick to seek a Christ-like example to pattern our lives after when we find ourselves in difficult seasons. 

Posted by Ramón Torres

Psalm 16 – Keep me safe, O God,
for I have come to you for refuge.

² I said to the Lord, “You are my Master!
Every good thing I have comes from you.”
³ The godly people in the land
are my true heroes!
I take pleasure in them!
⁴ Troubles multiply for those who chase after other gods.
I will not take part in their sacrifices of blood
or even speak the names of their gods.

⁵ Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing.
You guard all that is mine.
⁶ The land you have given me is a pleasant land.
What a wonderful inheritance!

⁷ I will bless the Lord who guides me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
⁸ I know the Lord is always with me.
I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

⁹ No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.
My body rests in safety.
¹⁰ For you will not leave my soul among the dead
or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
¹¹ You will show me the way of life,
granting me the joy of your presence
and the pleasures of living with you forever. (NLT)

It is traditionally believed that this psalm was written by David as he lived among foreigners during the time that Saul was seeking to have him killed.  Surrounded by those who worshiped other gods, David affirms his faith in the one true God.  This psalm has a profound spiritual application for Christians.  For me, the most striking verse of this psalm is found in verse three: “The godly people in the land are my true heroes! I take pleasure in them!”

Like David, we often find ourselves surrounded by people who worship something other than the one true God.  We find ourselves surrounded by people who worship money, status, power, sexual relationships, chemicals, possessions, and the list goes on.  Surrounded by such people, who are our heroes?  We live in a culture that makes heroes out of movie stars, athletes, and the rich.  This is not to say that there are not godly people who fall into those categories, but what is the requirement to be one of our heroes?  David stated that the godly people in the land were his true heroes, but who are ours?

Webster’s Dictionary defines a hero as: someone admired for their achievements.  When searching for a hero, David looked to the achievements of the godly.  Now consider David – he was a great warrior! What kind of achievement was he looking to when he considered heroes?  Was he looking at military success?  I think not, for I believe his answer is found in verse seven: “I will bless the Lord who guides me.” I believe that David saw success in those who were led by the Lord.  Whether it was a humble shepherd, or a mighty general, those who allowed their lives to be led by the Lord were David’s heroes.

Today, let us take a moment to consider our heroes.  If we use David’s criteria, we just might find a few new heroes we have been overlooking! 

Posted by Ramón Torres