Philippians 3:12-16

This past weekend I was helping lead a high school retreat for a church and the message of the weekend was over Philippians 3:12-4:1. 

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. 18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

4 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

This passage speaks for itself. Its clear, direct, convicting but most of all encouraging. It does not need to be dissected and broken down verse by verse to understand. Press on toward the goal of living like Christ, don't live in shame of the past but push forward to the life ahead. God, through his power, can transform us to be more like him. 

Paul, the author of Philippians, wrote the book to encourage the Philippians to live their lives as citizens of a heavenly colony; to serve Christ and to love each other.

12-16:

Paul has some serious credentials: He was circumcised on the 8th day, a dependent of Israel through the tribe of Benjamin, he was a Pharisee and he wrote half of the new testament (Phil 3:4-8). He counted everything at loss for the sake of knowing Jesus. After his conversion he sought to have a righteousness found through Christ by faith, not through his own effort and the law. Paul understood how serious his sins were and realized his own imperfection. Paul confessed that he was not perfect but that he was pushing forward to become mature in his faith.

We are all imperfect in our own ways. It might be lust, pride, cursing, idolatry. We all have our own vices that we need to be aware of. Satan attacks and tempts us in our weakest moments.He tempts us when we are tired or frustrated and he tempts us before we even realize what has happened.  Becoming more aware of the sin in my life has helped me avoid and counter it through prayer. 

13

Paul encourages us to continually push ahead and not live in our sinful pasts. Paul was a persecutor of Christians. He killed Christians for a living. But God revealed the truth to him and Paul became a spiritual powerhouse whose writings fill half of the new testament. If Paul had lived in the past with the guilt of his sin he would have never been healed from sin and been filled with the spirit to do the works he did. The same applies to us! Even though we have all sinned before, that sin should not control us or prevent us from growing in our faith. But to fully move on from sin we must confess to God and run to him for healing. His grace is never ending but we must seek it. 

14:

Paul had an incredible understanding of human wickedness and the pressing need to seek constant growth in our spiritual walks. Paul encourages us to live a purposeful life and to aim for a heavenly goal. This is the prize Paul mentions. This prize is salvation and an eternal life in Heaven. 

This is what we are living for. We are not living for grades, we are not living for involvement, leadership positions, relationships, hookups, drunken nights and memories. Our purpose in this life is to seek eternal life and along the way perform the works God set aside for us. Ephesians 2:10 " For we are his(God's) workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which god prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them".

15:

The greek word for mature is the same word used in verse 12 for perfect. They are interchangeable. Paul encourages us to seek maturity or perfection in our faith. The more mature we become, the more we realize our wicked nature and our constant need for mercy and grace.  

Matthew5:3 " Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Poor in spirit is an understanding that without God we are nothing and without him we cannot achieve salvation. It is a lifestyle that is dependent on him. The result of this is receiving the kingdom of Heaven. 

So now what? What does all of this mean? 

Paul's purpose for Philippians is to serve as encouragement. Let his words encourage you to continue pursuing a relationship with Christ and to shed the temptations and sin that are holding you back. For me, lust has been holding me back in my relationship with God so that is something i'm looking to improve on. For some of us, it might be relationships, drinking, pridefulness, lust, cursing, and not getting into the word enough. Continue to seek personal and inner change through God's power and by placing trust in him. 

More to come in Philippians 3:17-4:1

Service

          Part of our Youth Staff training this summer was a book study over the Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. This book has challenged the way I live, and more than anything it has taught me how to grow in my faith. This summer has not been a time of intense spiritual growth and my heart is not radically different either. But this summer has taught me how to learn, how to study the bible, and how to work on the condition of my heart. One of the disciplines Foster outlines in the book is Service. Service is something I have never quite been able to "master". I've been on mission trips to Mexico, New Orleans, Atlanta, El Salvador, and Joplin, Missouri. I've woken up at 4am to feed the homeless a few times a year and I will occasionally go out of my way to help a friend. I have gone out of my way to help others in need and sometimes it is purely for helping others and not for any sort of approval I could expect in return. But my life is lacking service as it is outlined in the bible. Doing so selflessly, not for approval, simply to serve the needs of all.

"Radical self-denial gives the feel of adventure. If we forsake all, we even have the chance of glorious martyrdom. But in service we must experience the many little deaths of going beyond ourselves."
"Nothing disciplines the inordinate desires of the flesh like service,and nothing transforms the desires of the flesh like serving in hiddenness. The flesh whines against service but screams against hidden service...It will devise subtle, religiously acceptable means to call attention to the service rendered." 

         These two passages convicted me. So often do I wish God would give me an opportunity to do something radical. Something so counter-cultural to this world that people would recognize it as an act of spiritual roots. This desire is two part; seeing Christ move through me, and myself being recognized as the hands and feet of something radical. Healing someone, going on a mission trip to Africa for a year, dropping out of college to go to Seminary, sacrificing everything for God. All of those are incredible things that God can work through. But the ulterior motive here that reflects the condition of my heart is to be seen performing these acts of obedience.  All of this is rooted in and continues my habitual sin; Pridefulness. This book has outlined a way to work through this and change the condition of my wicked heart. And that is found not through grand acts of "radical self-denial", but by adopting a lifestyle of servitude, to find joy in the smallest acts of service; washing the dishes, cleaning the youth room, mowing the lawn, prayer, to be in tune with the needs and wants of others and to serve indiscriminately. 

"True service is a life-style. It acts from ingrained patterns of living. It springs spontaneously to meet human need."

         The opposite of this holds true for me. For years I have lived with ingrained patterns of adding to my pride. That wicked pridefulness now springs spontaneously from my heart to protect me when I am made vulnerable or feel exposed. It covers up my shortcomings and I use it to ignore the sinful nature that is right beneath the surface of a confident and godly demeanor. Scared of what I could uncover if I took a pause from the busy pattern of my life to examine the true inward condition of my heart.

"True service rests contented in hiddenness. It does not fear the lights and blare of attention, but it does not seek them either....True service is free of the need to calculate results. It delights only in the service 

          One thing I plan to change is a renewed sense of prayer. Prayer is a simple way to serve and love each other without making it known. Going directly to God and asking Him to cover the needs, to help them walk through the valley of the shadow, to be their stronghold in hard times, for them to grow in their faith. Prayer is a powerful tool of ministry and in spiritual warfare. Prayer can also be a hidden way to serve without any sort of recognition. 

Summer 2012

              This summer I had the opportunity to work at my church in Austin as an intern with the Middle School ministry group. It was an absolutely incredible experience. Getting to lead a bible study, teach sunday school, and go on a retreat to Colorado were all growing experiences for me. But the best part of the summer was spending time with the kids. Middle schoolers in general are crazy. Middle school guys are a different breed. Going into the internship I wasn't too excited about working for the middle school group. I was really interested in working with high school kids. But God placed me there for a reason. He opened my eyes to see the joy that middle schoolers have and to experience the happiness I felt leading them. This summer I finally got to experience my calling of vocational ministry and it created a passion in me that hadn't been present in my life for over a semester. Getting to talk to kids about their faith, to see new believers borne, and to enjoy the awkwardness of middle school interactions, this summer was a huge blessing. Nothing in this life has ever brought me more joy than one night at a church retreat in Colorado called Great Escape. 6 years exactly after I first accepted Christ into my life, I got to witness three of the kids I was closest to take that monumental first step in their spiritual walk.
              Moving forward I want to apply what I learned this summer to my life back at A&M this fall. The idea of treating college as a mission trip. Pouring out my energy to serve others, and help them experience Christ. Implementing spiritual disciplines like solitude, fasting, study, and prayer into my life on a weekly basis. Diving into the word and studying the truth in new ways. This summer was not a time of growth like I had hoped it would be, but it was a time of learning how to grow. This semester I want to grow closer to Christ, not through legalistic confines and to-do lists, but by experiencing Christ in new ways through fellowship, study of the bible, and prayer. I'm looking forward to sharing this experience as I grow in my relationship with God and look to build community around me.