Philippians 1:25-27
Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith... Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, together as one for the faith of the gospel
When Paul discipled the fellow believers, his two goals were to "continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith." First, he wanted brothers and sisters to make progress in faith. Paul said that they ought to "conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ." Progress is not necessarily a result of how many sermons were heard or how much knowledge was learned. When I was studying in the seminary, there were two Chinese classmates who always got A on exams and reports. They had, however, personality conflicts and were fighting all the time. Even though they were familiar with the Bible, their knowledge did not make them grow. Paul told us here that growth means living out the truth of Christ. Everyone likes to listen to sermon, particularly to listen on someone else's behalf. After Sunday service, we often hear that "the pastor was talking to you." No wonder it's hard to us to grow spiritually. The book of James says that we must live the word, not just listen to the word and fool ourselves. If you have grown in your spiritual journey for a long time, you must start obeying God starting with the most trivial commandments. Even it's a small thing like saying sorry someone, you'll find that your life inside will be renewed again!
Second, not only did Paul expect all believers to grow, he also hoped that they will be joyful. Why is joy so important? Because it proves that our life is from the Holy Spirit. A person can live out the teachings of Christ through natural life and disciplined personality; he can serve and make offering faithfully, and even sacrifice himself for others, but he might not have true joy in his heart and faith becomes the law that binds him. When a person is serving by the power of the Holy Spirit, however, the Lord's life will naturally prompt him in the heart, the Holy Spirit will remind him with soft voice. Spiritual life of the person will naturally flow out and bring forth joy of freedom. I often use joy as the indicator of a Christian's spiritual life. In the letter to the Philippians, Paul repeated described the condition that Christians ought to be in as joyful or happy. So, all truly mature Christians should be filled with joy - Not just in theory, but also in daily life. Do you have joy in your life? If not, you must welcome the Holy Spirit to come and work inside you, to remove any darkness and bondage inside you, and bring forth joy of freedom!
Pray with Pastor Tong
Lord, I thank you because your word carries power as soon as it's spoken. May the Lord help me to obey your word by the Holy Spirit. Not only do we listen to the word, or just listen for other people, but actually become a Christian that lives the word. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!
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