Worthy of The Good News

 Meditations on Philippians

May 20, 2021

Worthy of The Good News

Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ.

Philippians 1:27a

Read: Philippians 1: 27-30

As I scanned the media this morning two items caught my attention. First, I noticed how some Christians were making antisemitic statements about Israel’s response to the recent rocket attacks on Tel Aviv. Secondly, a clergy friend noted how witnessing a UMC clergy attack another clergy person in a UMC Clergy Facebook group is incredibly sad. Such is our world culture. In our passage today, Paul lifts up the importance of the followers of Christ maintaining their Christian integrity in the face of hostility.

The culture in the USA is becoming increasingly hostile to the Christian movement. The followers of Jesus had a profound influence on both the initial settlements in America and the eventual founding of the US. That influence shaped the prevailing culture in the US until the post-Civil War era. Since then the prevailing culture has been increasingly anti-Christian. Paul’s words to his friends in Philippi are certainly apt for our times as well: “For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him” (Philippians 1:29).

My Takeaway: When Paul encourages us to not be intimidated in any way by our enemies, he includes our enemy within which continually wars against our new life in Christ. We are challenged each day to do our part to be transformed by the renewing of our minds as we choose to believe that what is true for Jesus is just as true for his followers. When we do, we can joyfully receive Paul’s charge:

“Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven,

conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ”

(Philippians 1:27a).

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.