You’ve Got To Get Out Of The Building

Philippians 4:13-23 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. 14 Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction. 15 Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. 16 For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. 17 Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. 18 But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God. 19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 20 Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

In the 1950s Solomon Asch (pronounced ash) conducted a series of social psychology studies to determine how people conform to group peer pressure. Asch had a PhD in psychology, and taught at Swarthmore College and Harvard University. Dr Asch wanted to see how peer pressure would cause someone to conform to the majority opinion even when that opinion was obviously wrong. Dr Asch asked an individual to take part in a vision test. The test subject was placed in a group of 7-9 people, but here’s the rub:

Only one person was being tested.

The other participants were actors that Dr Asch employed, and they were supposed to purposely agree to give a wrong answer. The participants were shown cards with one standard line, and three comparison lines labeled “A”, “B”, and “C”. The participants were asked to specify which of the comparison lines looked like the standard line. Very simple. Dr Asch would ask the participants which line matched, one at a time, and would always ask the test subject last. When the first few cards were shown, both the actors and the participant (who didn’t know the others were actors) all answered correctly. Then the actors intentionally began to give the same wrong answer. At first, the test subject stood against the group, and answered correctly. But after the first or second disagreement, the test subject – about 75% of the time – would conform to what the actors said. Only about 25% of those tested refused to give a wrong answer in order to please the group. This only mattered in open discussion in the group. When secret ballots were taken, conformity to the group dropped.

Recently Senator Josh Hawley questioned Dr. Nisha Verma, a board certified OB/GYN, asking her simply (and about 10 times) “Can men get pregnant?”. She refused to answer the question. The Senator asked her:

“It’s not complex. I’m trying to get to an answer, and I’m trying to test, frankly, your veracity as a medical professional and as a scientist, can men get pregnant?”

She refused to answer, but verbally danced around the question. Why?

Because we live in a dark, sin addled world. Jesus said, “Everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). He said, “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believes in Me will not abide in darkness” (John 12:46).

When someone comes to Jesus and gives their life to Him, He “sets them free from slavery to sin” (Romans 6:17-18, 20; Titus 3:3). Believers do not become sinless, but to us sin is abnormal, not normal. Jesus knew that when He sent us into the world that the believer would be at odds with the unbeliever. Jesus told us:

Matthew 10:34-36 (ESV) Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And A PERSON’S ENEMIES WILL BE THOSE OF HIS OWN HOUSEHOLD.

Jesus knew that His Kingdom and His believers would be at odds with the lost world. Jesus said:

John 15:18-21 (ESV) If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 IF YOU WERE OF THE WORLD, THE WORLD WOULD LOVE YOU AS ITS OWN; but because you are not of the world, but I CHOSE YOU OUT OF THE WORLD, therefore THE WORLD HATES YOU. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ IF THEY PERSECUTED ME, THEY WILL ALSO PERSECUTE YOU. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know Him who sent Me.

The Church Must Go Outside The Building

Why was Jesus hated? Because Jesus got out of the building. If Jesus had started a little monastery somewhere, and kept His teachings out of the public arena, He would have never been hated. Where did Jesus teach? He taught in the Temple, among the Chief Priests and Pharisees and Scribes and Sadducees that hated Him. Jesus didn’t hide what He believed. You didn’t have to believe Him. You didn’t have to listen to Him. You didn’t even have to like Him. You could go your own way away from Jesus, and never hear Him until Judgment Day. But Jesus got out of the building. You won’t be persecuted if you hide your faith. Jesus didn’t get hounded and crucified because He hid the message of the Gospel.

Jesus was slandered, mocked, beaten, stripped naked, and nailed to a Cross because He refused to compromise with the darkness, openly speaking the Word of God. And Jesus expects His Church to go outside the building and stand boldly for the Scriptural truth.

Jesus told us all:

Mark 8:38 (ESV) For whoever is ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when He comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Matthew 10:32-33 (ESV) So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before My Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies Me before men, I also will deny before My Father who is in heaven.

Professor of Christ, if you are ashamed of Jesus, ashamed to boldly represent Him outside of this building, He will be ashamed of you. Professor of Christ, if you refuse to acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior outside of this building, He will deny you before the Heavenly Father. When you were called to salvation, IF you were called, you were called to love Jesus and love His Book, even if it offends the whole world. And it will!

Philippians 4:13-14 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. 14 Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate {sygkoinōneō} with my affliction.

The Church at Philippi got outside the building. When Paul wrote the other Churches, like the Church at Corinth or the Church at Galatia, he rebuked the Churches for open sin and compromise with false teachers. The believers at Corinth got outside the building, but in a horrible way. They were so bad in some of their sins that Paul told them:

1 Corinthians 5:1 (LSB) It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and sexual immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife.

Paul said, “You’re getting outside the building – but in the wrong way! You’re doing stuff that even the lost pagans don’t do!”. The other Churches that Paul addressed all got off course. But not Philippi. They got outside the building. When Paul was arrested for preaching the Gospel, he said:

ye did communicate {sygkoinōneō} with my affliction

When the trouble came, the Philippians reached out to Paul in the midst of his suffering. They didn’t find a foxhole to hunker down in, but fellow-shipped with him. They stood in the line of fire with Paul.

Philippians 4:15 Now ye Philippians know also, that IN THE BEGINNING OF THE GOSPEL, when I departed from Macedonia, NO CHURCH COMMUNICATED WITH ME as concerning giving and receiving, but YE ONLY.

Where Paul speaks of “IN THE BEGINNING OF THE GOSPEL”, he is saying that from the time he preached the Gospel to the Philippians, from the very beginning of that Church, the people assisted Paul by GIVING and RECEIVING. This was not the case with the other Churches. In fact, the Church at Corinth was so self centered and stingy that the Apostle told them:

2 Corinthians 11:8 (ESV) I ROBBED OTHER CHURCHES by accepting support from them in order to serve you.

Corinth was so flesh oriented that, though he had the right to receive financial support from them, he said “I did not make use of this right, lest it hinder the Gospel of Christ” (1 Corinthians 9:12, 15). That Church was divided, prideful, sexually immoral, and status seeking. That was not the case with the Church at Philippi. In fact, when Paul planted the Church in Thessalonica, the Philippians reached out.

Philippians 4:16 For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again UNTO MY NECESSITY.

The Church must work together, helping its ministers to go outside the building. Though Philippi could not go everywhere Paul went, they nonetheless supported him financially and prayerfully. Paul couldn’t do the work he did by himself. No one can.

Jesus Himself was assisted by others in sharing the Gospel of the Kingdom, even in the midst of threat. The Father sent John the Baptist ahead of Jesus (Matthew 3:1-3). Jesus appointed 12 Apostles (Luke 6:12-13). He also sent 35 pairs of men (Luke 10:1) who went before Him to preach the coming of the King. There were women who financially supported Jesus’ ministry (Luke 8:1-3). If God Incarnate can’t do the work of the Kingdom by Himself, we who are mere humans certainly can’t !

You Will Never Be Blessed Until You
Get Out Of The Building

Philippians 4:17 Not because I desire a gift: but I DESIRE FRUIT THAT MAY ABOUND TO YOUR ACCOUNT

Paul never demanded help from the Philippians. But he wanted them to receive the blessings of giving. The Church at Corinth – a stingy bunch of rich believers – had to be warned by Paul:

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 (LSB) Now this [I say], he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows with blessing will also reap with blessing. 7 Each one [must do] just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make every grace abound to you, so that in everything at every time having every sufficiency, you may have an abundance for every good deed;

When a believer gives to God’s work, giving of both funds as well as physical effort, “God LOVES THE CHEERFUL GIVER”. God gives us abundance of health and physical blessings so that we might get outside the building and bring glory to the Lord. If you sow little:

little labor
little good deeds
little love
little witness

Then you can expect little blessing from God. The Apostle went on to say:

2 Corinthians 9:10-12 (LSB) Now He who supplies SEED TO THE SOWER AND BREAD FOR FOOD will supply and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness; 11 you will be enriched in everything for all generosity, which through us is bringing about thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also abounding through many thanksgivings to God.

Miss Ruby Owens used to say, and I remember hearing her well,

“You can’t outgive God”

Paul praised the Philippians for giving, not because it would bless him, but because the Church and the Christians. The Bible tells us:

Proverbs 11:25 (ESV) Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.

Yes, Paul suffered for the Gospel. He “bore on his body the marks of Jesus” (Galatians 6:17). But to give for the Lord is to be blessed.

Philippians 4:18 But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God.

Their generosity not only comforted an imprisoned Paul, but was “well pleasing to God”. When we as Christians go outside the building, we are being obedient to Jesus. Has He not command “GO into ALL THE WORLD, and share the GOSPEL with EVERY PERSON” (Mark 16:15, AP). You cannot do as Jesus said:

Matthew 5:14-16 (LSB) You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does [anyone] light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may SEE YOUR GOOD WORKS, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

It is easy to serve Jesus in the building and in the foxhole. We are called to serve the Lord outside the building. Covered light is not light at all! It blesses God when we go outside the building, outside our comfort zone. But further, we read:

Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

God will bless us, too. Yes, we will anger others who love the darkness. But it is our intent to glorify God, not ourselves. As the Apostle said:

Philippians 4:20 Now unto God and our Father BE GLORY FOR EVER AND EVER. Amen.

It glorifies the Father when we promote the Kingdom of Christ. Beloved, we are SAINTS of God, set apart to share the Gospel with whosoever will. The greatest enemy of the Church was not the Pharisees, and not even the Roman Empire. There were Saints – believers in Christ – even at the highest level of Rome. Look at this verse:

Philippians 4:22 All the saints salute you, chiefly THEY THAT ARE OF CAESAR’S HOUSEHOLD.

Caesar hated Christ followers – and yet the early Church had infiltrated the household of Caesar by sharing the Gospel of salvation. God will save. We must TESTIFY. So let’s do it. Starting now. Let’s get out of the building, and tell others about Jesus – that is, if we HAVE Jesus! How is the devil defeated? The Book of Revelation tells us:

Revelation 12:10-11 (LSB) Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. 11 And THEY OVERCAME HIM because of the BLOOD OF THE LAMB and because of the WORD OF THEIR WITNESS, and they DID NOT LOVE THEIR LIFE EVEN UNTO DEATH.

Who do you love more? Yourself, or Jesus? You’ve got to get out of the building.

Philippians 4:23 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.