Philippians Part Two

Philippians 3

Key Themes in this chapter are:

Rejoicing in the Lord, Warning against False Teachers and The Goal of Knowing Christ.

Paul begins by encouraging the believers to rejoice in the Lord. When we rejoice in the Lord always we experience a profound joy that is rooted in faith. This joy doesn’t fluctuate based on circumstances.

I’m sure many of us have gone through difficult circumstances. Times where it is hard to see beyond the negative. Where we feel like we’re just about getting through each day. Maybe we’ve tried approaching someone for pastoral support and they berate you for the emotions and feelings you are currently experiencing.

Paul teaches us that no matter our circumstances when we rejoice in the Lord we can experience profound joy. Joy is not happiness. It’s not being able to smile and laugh and go about our day. Happiness is dependant upon our circumstances. Joy is an inside job. We can have joy whilst walking through some of the most difficult times of our life.

There have been times in my life where it would have been easy to focus on achieving happiness

God walks us through difficult circumstances. How else would we learn that we need to fully rely on Him. How else would we learn that we need to let go of trying to be in control. How else would we learn that God knows best and he really does have our best interests at heart. How else would we learn to be patients, that not all breakthrough happens instantly, the process is needed.

There are some things over the last 12 months that I got involved with, some because I wanted to feel wanted, some because I thought it was something God would want me to do. I have learnt that even though some things look godly, it doesn’t mean they are for you. It could be a church ministry, it could be being involved with something that is a Christian ministry but not attached to the church. I have a tendency to think that because it is promoting the faith it would be something God would want me to do. The lesson I’ve learnt is to ask God if it is on his heart for me. I say yes to things without spending enough time in prayer petitioning God if this is the right place for me. It does not mean that these things or ministries are not of God, it does not mean that great breakthrough and healing won’t happen in those ministries for people. It could mean that those places are not where God has placed me. I don’t want to miss what God is wanting for me and by saying Yes to something that is not God’s plan could prevent me from saying Yes to something that is.

In this life I’m not concerned with if it makes me happy – that comes as a natural by-product of finding yourself right in the middle of God’s will for you. I’m concerned with if what I am doing is what God wants me to be doing. If where I place myself is where God has placed me. It is not about what I want, it’s all about what God wants for me. Yes the Word teaches us that God gives us the desires of our hearts. But think about that for a moment. If those desires are wicked, self-serving or hurtful to others, that isn’t something God is going to honour. I believe that the more we seek after God, the more we spend time with Him, the more we love Him, the more our hearts desires become aligned with His.

In the waiting we can have joy. When things don’t go our way, where does our focus go. Are we able to rejoice in the Lord and what he has done for us regardless of what circumstances around us are saying.

Paul warns us to be on guard against false teachers. Not all who differ in their beliefs are false teachers. There are things to look out for to measure whether those we are listening to are trustworthy.

One way is to ensure any teaching aligns with biblical scripture. Cross-referencing passages to verify the truth. In order to do this well this means studying the word for yourself. Don’t be someone who only relies on the Sunday sermon. One this is not a good way to check if the teaching is trustworthy and two, that is not enough to give you a solid foundation in your own life and for your own growth and witness. It is wise to constantly measure what you are being taught against the Word. If you know the Word well and you are in a close relationship with God, you will get a knowing from the Holy Spirit, or a prompt that will confirm to you one way or another.

Another way is to do thorough research on the teachers and leaders that you follow and listen to. Check their theological stances, check the fruit in their lives. As we learned earlier on in Philippians you can’t fake fruit and this can be a good way to see if teachers and leaders are staying true to the Word.

Participating in study groups and having discussions about faith will sharpen your understanding and insight into different perspectives. There are things within the Christian faith that are non-negotiable, things like the Trinity and the resurrection. There are other things and you have Christians who will debate both sides of an argument. Often times we will debate from a place of our lived experience. We see this a lot when people are praying for healing. Perhaps the healing doesn’t happen. The Word teaches us that it is always God’s will to heal. Do we believe this or do we allow our experience of someone dying after people had been praying to trump what the Word says.

The more you put into practice testing what you hear, and what you see and really listening with a humble heart, growing closer to God, the easier it will be for you to spot false teachers. Be careful not to assume cause because someone you may trust believes a certain way. Do your own research and draw your own conclusion.

In this chapter Paul expresses his desire to know Christ, and how everything that he gained in life means nothing compared to knowing Jesus. Paul used to take pride and confidence in his flesh. Such things as being circumcised, of Jewish heritage from the tribe of Benjamin and his strict religious observance. Paul realises, after encountering Christ, that these things were worthless to compared to knowing Jesus. Our righteousness is not based on the Law, but on our faith in Jesus.

In the same way we shouldn’t take pride in our achievements to where it becomes more important that knowing Christ. Or to the point where our achievements become where we find our worth and our identity. Our worth and identity is found in Jesus. This is something that can never be taken away from us. It’s ours. Worldly achievements or accolades fade away, circumstances change. We cannot fail if we base our worth and identity on who we are in Jesus and as it says in Colossians 3:2 , focus on the things of heaven, the things that never fade away.

A brief summary of what Philippians Chapter 3 teaches us which you can use to delve deeper into Philippians 3 in your own study time:

3:8 – The value of knowing Christ

3:9 – Our righteousness is through our faith in Christ

3:10 – The power of the resurrection and the fellowship of suffering

3:12 – The call to humility

3:13-14 – Press on towards the goal ahead

3:17 – Follow godly examples

3:18-19 – Guard yourselves against distractions

3:20 – Our citizenship is in heaven

3:21 – The joy of anticipation.