Philippians 1:27-30(KJV) Your Lifestyle (CONVERSATION)

Philippians 1:27-30(KJV) “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; 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. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer fo his sake; Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and hear to be in me.”

Look at this phrase “Let your conversation be”: These 4 words are actually derived from 1 Greek word which means; literally “a townsman” or actually a “citizen” or of a “citizenship”. When I am in America most everyone knows that I am an American citizen, most of the time, I look like an American, I talk like an American, although it be southeastern American, some times I dress like an American. I don’t know if any of you have ever been to a foreign county, but, the minute you encounter a person who is a citizen, of that country you are in, you know right away that they are somewhat different than you and your friends or your family. You know it by their language, by their dress, their actions and etc. It’s the same way for them when they see you. Now if you are in the U.S. military they know it right off by your uniform. But if you are not in your uniform they can read it from your talk, your actions, your swagger, and other attributes you may have, or in other words your lifestyle or “conversation”.

But now back to this word “conversation”  actually it could have been translated in our language today as “LIVE YOUR LIFE IN A WAY THAT SHOWS TO OTHERS THAT YOU ARE NOT OF THIS WORLD BUT THAT YOU ARE JUST PASSING THROUGH” the GREEK word that was translated “as it becometh” means “appropriately” or “after a GODLY sort” or in a manner of representing the fact that “we are in this world but not of this world”, as I said a few minutes ago, simply, we are citizens of HEAVEN so Paul says “live like it.”

Look at this phrase “Stand fast in one spirit, with one mind”: which means to be stationary, that is to PERSERVERE or stand fast. It also means, and is used for the snyonmns abide, appoint, continue in covenant with, establish, hold up, lay up (which is an old nautical term), stand still(like standstill and see the salvation of your LORD), commit to your position, some of my favorite meanings are what my dad used to say  “dig in” and “stay put.”

I would like for you to read the 16the chapter of Acts verses 8-34 to refresh your memory of Paul’s vision of a man in Macedonia calling for Paul’s missionary group to come over and “HELP ME”, and how he and Silas answered that call. 

Now, why I wanted to have you read these passages was so that you could see an exerpt of Paul’s life, of Paul’s “conversation”. In their day it wasn’t like life in our times, but of course, GOD’s word and his directions are always good and usable whereever you are, or whatever century you are living in. Travel, today in our time, is a lot quicker. Usually when Paul and his entourage arrived in a city or port it might be a week or 2 before they could get a ship to another port so Paul, and I assume his friends, would work to support themselves, of course Paul was a tent maker, and I am sure his friends had some kind of profession they would work at till they could move on, so while they where in an area they would also go to the temples and they would preach, teach, witness or talk about JESUS and live their lives or “conversation” like they usually did in their own country. So, while doing that, they had went down to the Zygaktis river where a crowd was gathered to pray, because it is believed that there was no temple there, and the first Christian convert, of that area, was made that day as GOD opened the heart of a lady named Lydia who was a seller of purple. Then as you read on you will find that “a certain damsel” had a an evil spirit, a divination spirit, and Paul cast that spirit out of her, and that made some of the locals’ mad, because that same group of locals were taking advantage of this tortured girl. So Paul and Silas were thrown into prison, the jailer didn’t know about these new inmates so he carried on his daily or nightly duties. Not knowing anything about GOD or that HE was fixing to learn something about these people that were called “people of the way” this people that were “so different”. God caused an earthquake and freed the prisoners, but they didn’t run or escape because they knew GOD was at work. Because of their belief and of their actions a great work and witness was begun in Macedonia that is still going on today and matter of factly in all of Europe, there were no Christian churches there in Europe till Paul and his group saw a vision and obeyed GOD. Good things always happen when we obey GOD, please never forget that. Always obey GOD no matter what others think of it. Dr. Luke was the person writing this account in ACTS and I want us to pay particular attention to the word he used “WE”. In verse 10 he told of the “VISION” that Paul had, and then said: immediately “WE” endeavoured to go into Macedonia,” which shows the point I am wanting to really stress. They were of “ONE MIND and ONE SPIRIT.” It is my heart’s desire and my wish that all of GOD’s churches, in every place are of “ONE MIND and ONE SPIRIT.” So that GOSPEL of CHRIST that we preach, teach and live will cause people to BELIEVE in JESUS and be “BORN AGAIN”

NOW, I am going to look at this next word because it is the opposite of the word that the Apostle Paul used when he said in verse 27 “that ye stand fast in one spirit, with”ONE MIND”striving together for the faith of the gospel;”

The word “Double minded”: Which is a compound Greek word which actually means TWO-SPIRITED, that is VACILLATING (in opinion or purpose) and of course double-minded. It is used two times in the Bible, once in James 1:8 (KJV) “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” and once in  James 4:8(KJV) where James wrote “Draw nigh to GOD, and HE will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” Just like a person who is “two spirited” is unstable in all of his ways so is a “two spirited” CHURCH is unstable in all of it’s ways! So a church “a specific body of CHRIST” has to be “likeminded” or “of similiar spirit” so when a church gets to this point what should they be doing, well Paul says that next when he says “striving together for the faith of the GOSPEL;” The GREEK word translated as STRIVING is only used 4 times in the Bible, and it actually means “FIGHTING or BATTLING together” and then Paul says: “and in nothing be terrified by your adversaries:” so then who is my adversary? Now let me kind of answer that for us, of course it is satan, but really “it is anyone, FAMILY  FRIEND  GOVERNMENT  HIGH PLACES such as (CHURCHES or Religeous entities), or we can group all of my or your adversaries as anyone who is against you or me in our FIGHT, or our plight to strive together for the faith of the GOSPEL. Because it is every CHRISTIANS’s job to advance the GOSPEL of CHRIST, only many different methods or ways are used, some preach, some teach, some do it with music, some can’t go out much but are able to GIVE so that others might be able to go , so if someone or something is against that “TASK” that we have been given to do, they become our “adversary”. The word “terrified” means in the HEBREW: well let me first say, it is a primary word or root which means it was used early in time as words that were used to define a situation, place or thing not usually combined with are be added to another word; now after saying that, the word terrified in the HEBREW means to awe or to dread; hence to harass, but let me first list some of the synomyms, to better assist us in knowing exactly what the APOSTLE Paul is talking about, to be affrighted (afraid, dread, feared, terrified), fear, oppress, shake terribly. Kind of like when, I wore a younger mans’ clothes, and had not been a good boy, I would be thinking “man, I dread that whipping I am going to get when I see dad.” I was “TERRIFIED” and rightly so because I had disobeyed my dads’ rules, probably more than once, and dad was going to “tear my tail up” Paul is saying though now don’t be afraid, just git out there and get the job done. Why not be afraid? Well, because our Lord and Savior said in:

Matthew 10:26-31(KJV) “Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. 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. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.”

and again HE said in:

Luke 12:31,32(KJV) “But rather seek ye the kingdom of GOD; and all these things shall be added unto you . Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”       

Listen “brothers” and “sisters” in CHRIST, JESUS is saying that what you are out there doing is for the advancement of the cause of the “KINGDOM OF CHRIST” and GOD will not lead you where HE can not protect you or is not “ready” to reward you bountifully for your labor.

Listen to what he told HIS people in the OLD TESTAMENT IN:      

 Isaiah 35:3,4(KJV) “Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees; Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.”

If while we are doing the work that GOD has sent or commanded us to do, we are persecuted then so was CHRIST when HE was here on earth. Just like also when STEPHEN was stoned for preaching the truth of the GOSPEL he looked up into heaven and there he saw JESUS “STANDING” at the “RIGHT HAND” of GOD. The very “SON of GOD”, GOD IN THE FLESH giving HIS laborer a standing ovation, a “WELL DONE THOU GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT”.

Do not be TERRIFIED of those who are your adversaries, because when you are trying to advance the GOSPEL of CHRIST you will have adversaries, you will have satan using others to try and stop you from causing the church to grow, FEAR NOT, why? because JESUS has said, I WILL NEVER LEAVE NOR FORSAKE YOU.

Satan will try every TRICK in the book, or probably even write some new ones, to get you to forsake the WORD of GOD or to forsake spreading the WORD of GOD, I have had people to hint very strongly, to me when I was visiting them, saying if you would give-in just a little bit and maybe not preach on HELL, on SIN, or on “ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED, or other doctrinal truth’s, that really CUT, that really shine a light on those things that we do that are not right, we might just be there every SUNDAY, or we might GIVE more MONEY. But!!! WE, GOD’s PEOPLE, preachers, teachers, and yes even all that are “BORN AGAIN”must, now, let me say that again, MUST, its not a suggestion, but a command, an order from the LORD, to be faithful to preach and teach GOD’s WORD and stay likeminded with one another and likeminded with GOD.