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Thursday 18 October 2012

Philippians 1:27-30 - Suffering for Christ

Whatever happens we should conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. We often faced with situations where we don't know what to do. We can feel out of our depth, overwhelmed by the circumstances. In these situations we should take the focus of ourselves and instead  focus on trying to please Christ. Despite the worries and the pressures we may feel we should see how we can help others, we should focus on praising God, we should remain calm. We will then often find that insoluble situations become soluble. 
There is a unity between all Christians, and this unity becomes reality when we work together with the Holy Spirit. In seeking unity we often worry too much about how much you should come over to my way of thinking, and how much I should go over to your way. In truth we should focus on how we get closer to the Spirit's way of thinking.
There are always those who oppose the gospel, sometimes violently. We should remain calm in the face of opposition, continuing to live Christlike lives at all times. This is the way to defeat the opposition. We must beware of giving in to fear, for this will lead to error. Note also that this is no promise of an easy way. Paul reminds us that suffering with Christ is part of the deal. Christ suffered, Paul suffered for Christ, as did all the apostles. Suffering for Christ is normal.

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