Suffer For His Sake

Only conduct yourselves *in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are *standing firm in one spirit, *with one mind *striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by *your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to *suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me. Philippians 1:27-30

“In a manner worthy:” as a human child is expected to display polite behavior and obedience to the human parent, we Christians are expected to be exemplary representatives of our heavenly Father. Not to earn position, but because of the position we already occupy. We are Royal Family of God, and we should always behave as such. In humble dignity, showing forth the love of our Lord Jesus Christ to one another as we labor together in the world.

“standing firm in one spirit:” we are empowered and sustained by God the Holy Spirit.

“with one mind:” Let’s keep our doctrine true and clear. We have the Word of God in writing. We have pastor-teachers to instruct us in the original languages and in systematics. We must not be distracted by emotional feel-goodism, legalism or personality conflicts. We have a job to do. Let’s pull together.

“striving for the faith of the gospel:” Do not tolerate distortions or false interpretations of the gospel message. The gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ has paid in full the penalty for all sins of the human race. It is not about being good, or punishing oneself or about any kind of political practice. Jesus Christ and Him crucified! That is the gospel message. We must never allow that to be obscured by religion, entertainment or social behaviors.

“your opponents:” come in many forms. They are wolves in sheeps’ clothing, deliberately seeking to use and abuse your kindness and love. They are legalists who will try to entrap you with guilt-trips and what-ifs. They are belligerent unbelievers who despise the name of Jesus and all He stands for. They can be well-meaning family or friends who think you’ve gone off the deep end with your devotion to Christ and God’s Word. Don’t be afraid of them. God knows who they are and He will deal with them just as He is rewarding you for your faithfulness. And don’t despair. There may come a day when they see the truth you are teaching and believe. Then it will have all been worth it.

“suffer for His sake.” Not physical illness or weakness, but discrimination, ridicule and contempt of the world for your faith in Jesus Christ. Persecution and torture for your teaching about Jesus Christ. Rejection by family and former friends for your devotion to Jesus Christ. It was the reason for Paul’s suffering, the reason for persecution of the early Church, and the reason for our current struggles with a society that tries to ignore Him and eliminate Him from all public events.

Suffering for Christ is specific to the tribulations of a Christian who is under pressure for his testimony. We all have various adversities in life. That's life. When we carry the cross of Jesus, it means to be firm in our declaration of Jesus' finished Work as the only means of salvation. That testimony brings the wrath of the world on the believer, because of the world's hatred for the Name of Jesus. Paul had many human troubles, just as everyone will, but he was persecuted and imprisoned for one thing only: preaching Christ. We who believe could very well also be granted the privilege to suffer for Him.

He will comfort us in that, just as He did Paul, even to his death.