With One Voice
As of late I am struck by the masterful ways in which we glorify ourselves and demonize others. When in the course of events we all live daily on the edge of disaster: natural disasters, the perils of Satan, the dangers of our own flesh and the inevitable wrath of God that awaits us all.
While all this is taking place, the Holy Spirit is calling us through the gospel to a life beyond all this. The apostle Paul calls this a life of joy. The joy of the gospel is this, that when we accept Christ we live our lives through Him who has done it all for us. Gone are the horrible days of self-aggrandizement.
These aren’t just words; the apostle Paul lived his life through Christ. And when we read the words in Paul’s epistle to the Philippians, our souls are drawn to Christ through the good news the Gospel brings to our weary souls.
Even while in prison Paul felt the contagious joy of sharing the gospel. I am in chains for Christ.Philippians 1:13 Paul saw this as a teaching opportunity. Because of his example, many brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear. Philippians 1:14
Paul takes the opportunity to point out that some preach Christ out of “envy and rivalry. . . out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, but for the purpose of stirring up trouble against Paul.”
Paul rejoices in his living and dying for Christ. Likewise, it brings joy to Paul when he hears that fellow believers are conducting themselves with the same commitment to the Gospel. He rejoices in that they are standing firmly together in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 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. Philippians 1:27-28.
Paul rejoices with his fellow believers that they not only believe in Christ but they have been chosen to suffer together with Christ. Having been so chosen, Paul leaves us in the epistle with these oft quoted words.
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14
When Paul speaks of Forgetting what is behind, he is thinking of the mistakes and the accomplishment of the past. Forget those! Focus on eternal life, the gift which has been won for us through Christ. Until then, Paul admonishes us to run the race, do the work that lies ahead of us. That work is to glorify Christ in our life. That is the work that is set before us–to live our entire lives in obedience to Christ.
The huge mistake we make in understanding what this means is to think in terms of a profession set aside to instruct us on how to glorify Christ–those who preach obedience to Christ. Obedience to Christ is a way of life, not a profession. Doctors, lawyers, Sunday school teachers or a teenager that has a part time job at a food chain restaurant must answer to this call if they are going to see good days and live in heaven forever.
It is a call to a way of life with Messianic roots. I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction.For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. Deuteronomy 30: 15-16
God speaking through Moses says
This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Deuteronomy 30:19-20
Like in the time of Moses or of Paul, we, too, make huge decisions every day. Some are good; some are bad. Likewise, in the course of our lives there are so many things to do, so much that needs to be accomplished. Nothing was more important in the mind of God then that He offer His Son, Jesus Christ as a sin offering for our sins. Once He died and rose again, God’s mission was accomplished. Out of God’s love for you the finished work of Christ accomplished it all. Nothing has been left to do. With one voice and one mind we together glorify God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 15:6
