Marks of a Great Church

Philippians 1:27-30 "Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; [28]  And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. [29]  For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; [30]  Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me."

As Paul wrote this letter to the Church, he stood accused of a capital offense, of treason. If you were in prison today and were writing a letter to your family, what would you say in that letter? If you suspected that this was probably the last letter you would ever write, what would you say?  As Paul stood accused for his stand on Jesus Christ, he decided that his last words would emphasize "What are the marks of a Great Christian Church?"

Philippians 1:27 "Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel"

"Only let your conversation" is the Greek POLITEUO (Present Middle Imperative). This is an interesting word for Paul to use. When the Bible talks about the Christian's "way of life" the usual word used is ANASTREPHO, which means way of life. However, Paul uses POLITEUO, an obviously political word, to describe a Great Christian Church. POLITEUO means, not just "conduct and behavior", but "the conduct and behavior of citizenship".

Let me put it another way: the Great Christian Church realizes that its citizenship is in Heaven, and behaves itself as if this were true. Paul says, "Only let your behavior as citizens of Heaven". Our behavior should not be dictated by our own desires, our own wants, our own satisfaction. No, if we will be a Great Church for Christ, each and every one of us must walk and live the truth, and that truth is our citizenship is in Heaven.

If our citizenship is in Heaven we will speak the clean and pure language of Heaven. We will bear the title of Heaven, call ourselves "Christian", and act so as to not shame our Savior. We will carry on the affairs of Heaven, dress as the citizens of Heaven, love as the citizens of Heaven, conduct our business as the citizens of Heaven, keep our vows before God as the citizens of Heaven, and, in short, conduct ourselves as a Heavenly colony in a lost and dying world.

When you walked into this place this morning, focused on the Lord Jesus Christ and not yourselves, and sought to become a functioning part of the Body of Christ, then you became a haven of God on the earth. Those who enter this place must enter knowing that only truth will be spoken here, truth spoken in love. Some may come here and be repulsed because the truth spoken hurts, and some may leave never to return because of that hurt. But if we are God's colony on earth, if we are His people, then we must speak His Word regardless as to the offense. We represent Him, not ourselves, and must act as if we believe this.
 

Take a fish and place him on the beach. Watch his gills gasp and scales dry. Is he happy? No! How do you make him happy? Do you cover him with a mountain of cash? Do you get him a beach chair and sunglasses? Do you bring him a Playfish magazine and martini?  Of course not. Then how do you make him happy? You put him back in his element. You put him back in the water. He will never be happy on the beach simply because he was not made for the beach.  (by Max Lucado - "When God Whispers Your Name")

Philippians 1:27 "Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel"

"as it becometh the gospel of Christ", "with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel". Each believer in the Great Church must "becometh" or AXIOS, glorify the Gospel of Christ. We are, as a Church, to wear the Gospel like a new suit of clothes, for without this Gospel we are nothing.

Many Churches today are not preaching the Gospel of Christ. They have turned aside to programs, and counseling, and committees. They have focused on a music program, a youth program, an elderly program, a building program. These things are not bad, but they have forgotten the most important thing of all - the Kingdom Message that Jesus saves.

The Church did not start by being a place where people came. No, the early Church started by each Christian telling others about Christ, and in so telling others more came to know Jesus Christ as Savior. As more came to know Jesus Christ as Savior, they banded together in local Churches, which in turn went out and told others about Christ and grew.

Not too long ago a pastoral friend told me that Visitation and Witnessing are pretty much things of the past. I pray that this is not the truth. I pray that the Church does not consider the Gospel of Christ a thing of the past, for if it does then we are lost as a people. When we forget why we're here, and that Jesus is our reason for being, then we are destined to fall.

Philippians 1:27 "Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel"

"in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel"

Paul describes the Oneness of the Church in two terms. First, he said that we must be "in one spirit". All of the members of the Church must be born again by the Spirit of God. We are spiritual people, and as spiritual people we must be charged by God the Holy Spirit and committed to the Lord Jesus Christ. Second, we must be "one mind". We must all be focused on the same thing, the will of Christ. Jesus is greater than the individual, greater than the "I". I must be willing to bow my will to Christ, to do as He calls me to do, and you must be willing to do the same. We must do this as a team, or not at all. "striving together" (SUNATHLOUNTES) is a word taken from athletic contests, a word meaning to "work together as a team". Can you imagine a football team where only one was working, and the others were on the sidelines taking a break? No, we are called to work together like a team.
 

A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and the Savior appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might. This the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore, and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain. Seeing that the man was showing signs of discouragement, Satan decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man's mind: "You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn't budged. Why kill yourself over this? You are never going to move it." Thus giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure, these thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man. "Why kill myself over this?" he thought. "I'll just put in my time, giving just the minimum effort and that will be good enough." And that he planned to do until one day he decided to make it a matter of prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord. "Lord," he said, "I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?" The Lord responded compassionately, "My friend, when I asked you to serve me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to me, with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? "Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewed and brown, your hands are calloused from constant pressure, and your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. Yet you haven't moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. This you have done. I, my friend, will now move the rock." At times when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He wants, when actually what God wants is just simple obedience and faith in Him.......By all means, exercise the faith that move mountains, but it is still God who moves the mountains.

Many have walked away discouraged, believing that our task is fruitless. Many have fallen to the lies of the Tempter, or have walked away from us to find a more entertaining assembly, or becoming discouraged have quit. Our Lord Jesus calls us to walk together in one accord, to push against the mountain - together. We are not called to move the mountain, no, that is His job, but we are called to push against it - together.

Philippians 1:28 "And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God."

As this Church grows for Jesus it will, as the Philippian Church did, suffer persecution. I was thinking the other day, and I honestly cannot think of three members in our Church who are strong in the faith who have not undergone trials and tribulation in the last few months. If we had suffered nothing at all then I would worry about Okapilco, but our trials tell me that Satan views us as a threat, and has taken steps to drive a wedge into us. Paul says:

"And in nothing terrified",  EN + MEDEIS PTURO = in not one little thing should you be panic stricken. If you have only peace and prosperity in your life, yes, be worried about that, but if you are persecuted and in Christ then praise God, you are making a difference.

There are several "fear nots" from God in the Scripture:

Isaiah 41:10  "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."

Isaiah 43:2  When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

Matthew 10:28-31  "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  [29]  Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.  [30]  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  [31]  Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."

Revelation 1:17-18  "And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:  [18]  I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for ever more, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."
 

One night Helen Roseveare, a missionary in Zaire, Africa, worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward. In spite of all she did the woman died, leaving her with a tiny premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. The missionaries had no incubator, no electricity to run an incubator, and no special feeding facilities, so it was an uphill battle for this child to live.  Nights in Africa are often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box they used for premature babies and cotton wool to wrap it in. Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly, upset because the water bottle had burst while she was filling it. Rubber quickly degrades in tropical climates, and this was the last water bottle.  "All right," Helen Roseveare said, "Put the baby as near the fire as you safely can; sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm.".  Helen asked everyone to pray for the baby, and explained that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. Helen also asked everyone to pray for the little 2 year old girl. During the prayer time, one ten-year-old girl, Ruth, prayed:  "Please, God, send us a water bottle. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon."  Everyone gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, but then she added, "And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little two year old girl so she'll know You really love her?"  Could you honestly say, "Amen" to this prayer? Helen had been in Africa for four years and had never received a parcel from home. She believed in God, as do we all, but the only way God could answer this prayer was to send a parcel from home with a water bottle in it - highly unlikely. There are limits to God, aren't they? Halfway through the afternoon, while Helen was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at her front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there, on the verandah, was a large twenty-two pound parcel! She sent for the orphanage children. Together they  pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot, and folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box.  From the top, she lifted out brightly colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas -- that would make a nice batch of buns for the weekend. Then, as she put her hand in again, she pulled out a brand-new, rubber hot water bottle! She cried, not because it was given, but because her faith was so weak she had not truly believed that He would.  Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, "If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!"  Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted!  That parcel had been on the way for five whole months! Packed up by Helen's  former Sunday school class. One of the class had put in a dolly for an African child -- five months before -- in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it "that afternoon."  "Before they call, I will answer!" Isaiah 65:24  (Helen Roseveare, a doctor missionary from England to Zaire, Africa, related this to Thomas Road Baptist Church)

Your God cares for you, Okapilco, and is able to make us a great Church for Him if we let Him. Are you in the will of Christ? Are you in the will of God? Do you want to be great for Jesus, or do you want to "play Church" until our Lord returns. The choice is up to you.