Tuesday, July 17, 2018
Kingdom first
Philippians 3:7
But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
For some reason people tend towards extremes, middle ground and balance seem pretty hard to achieve. This happens in most areas of human endeavour, including how we live our lives as Christians.
Many older Christians tell of a time when, given the fact that Jesus is coming soon, they were discouraged from pursuing higher education, professional development, and material possessions. These things were not needed because “this world is not my home, I just passing through.”
People have built cults and have shipwrecked the faith and lives of many by peddling teachings that caused others to give up school, work, home, family and lives to move into communes and the like in the expectation of the fulfilment of something the leader promised. Thousands have died following such heretics.
Of course, today, with the immensely popular health and wealth preaching and teaching the opposite is true. People expect that, as followers of a God who wants to see you prosper and be in good health, we would have everything here and now. For them, sickness is as a result of a lack of faith, and financial struggle is as a result of failing to tithe and give and sow as they teach.
Many poor and struggling people are giving up the little they have in the hope that they would please the god of wealth who would eventually open the windows of heaven and pour out such a blessing that they would have to build new barns or get a new bank.
One group condemn the rich and the other group criticize and despise the poor. So we are challenged always to determine what God requires of us and how do we find the balance between these extremes.
The passage we are looking at today, Philippians 3:1-11, is very helpful in this regard. Paul wasn’t writing about the matter raised above. He started out condemning those who were pushing the heresy that Christians needed to be circumcised. The Jewish believers were adamant the male rite was a necessary requirement and not faith in Jesus alone. As Paul pushed back on that he addressed the issue of what things are really important.
Listing his credentials as a Jew among the Jews he gave us this gem, “Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith” Philippians 3:8,9.
The apostle here was not promoting poverty and ignorance. This was not a rant against education or wealth. This was perspective on what was really important. The pursuit of the knowledge of God, and obtaining righteousness were more important than the qualifications and possessions. Paul’s point was not that he didn’t have credentials and qualifications but that they did not get you to the right place with God.
Paul went on to add, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:10,11.
Paul had a clear spiritual goal that superseded material things and qualifications. We are trained today that the only things that matter are out material things and qualifications.
I knew a very accomplished Christian man who died recently. As family and friends mourned his passing I stop with his brother in his study just looking around at his precious things. We observed his collection of books, and music (he still had old-fashioned records and CDs), his paintings, and his photographs. As I was absorbed by one particular piece his brother was gazing at all of the certificates that were on one of the walls. He mumbled, as if to himself, but for me to hear and react, “what is the value of all of these accomplishments now?”
As I listened to this man reflect on his brother’s life I didn’t answer. I didn’t think that he was asking me for an answer or comment. He was just facing the reality that if we pursue one set of things to the neglect of the other, in the end, it would be purely worthless and useless. If we didn’t strike the balance, judgement would be a difficult experience.
Poverty and ignorance are not to be embraced like virtues, and wealth not to be pursued as an end in itself. “Those who trust in their wealth and boast in the multitude of their riches, None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him” Psalm 49:6,7
Rather than promote poverty and encouraging people to abandon education and their possessions as some have done, and rather than promoting prosperity as the true measure of blessing as others have done, we should be challenging people to pursue the knowledge of God and righteousness as their number one priority. With the pursuit of God as our focus, God orders everything else around us for our good and His glory.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33. Some of us will live among the poor to show them the love of God, and some of us he will adorn and take us before kings.
Think on these things:
- What are the things that matter the most to you?
- Are you pursuing a good education and professional development with neglecting your faith and service to God?
- Have the things that God has blessed you with like you work and education become a barrier to your availability and service to the Kingdom?
Prayer focus:
Let us pray today that we would put the pursuit of righteousness ahead of any other pursuits in our lives.
In His Grace
Pastor Alex