Philippians 1.27-28
“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents.”
A quick update on my battle with cancer. The strategy the medical team is focused on is “managing disease progression.” Because my cancer is late stage, it is not curable. The goal is to slow it down and add as many years to my life as possible. That means utilizing various treatments one after the other.
The current therapy is a recently approved radiation treatment delivered via IV. I will get six treatments total, and receive my third this week. The results so far have been mixed. Scans show that some of the tumors are getting smaller, some bigger, and I have a couple new ones. Hopefully the cumulative impact of the series of six treatments will reduce the size of all the tumors.
After that, it will be back to chemo again. The chemo in 2020 was quite effective, so I anticipate positive results again when that time comes.
Side-effects are a hassle (mostly fatigue and weakness), but I embrace that as part of the battle. Despite the physical stuff, I am strong spiritually and mentally. The Lord’s promise that His strength is made perfect in our weakness is very real!
I deeply appreciate all of your prayers and support!
In the Philippians passage quoted above, the apostle Paul gives a personal appeal for us to be authentically Christian.
The phrase “let your manner of life” is the Greek politeuesthe, and it literally means “live as citizens.” It is derived from the Greek word for city (polis) and is related to our English word “politics.” Paul is telling us that by virtue of being redeemed by Jesus and brought into his kingdom, we have citizenship responsibilities. He is saying, “Live as citizens of the kingdom of God.”
This message is underscored later in the book when Paul again uses the word, this time in the noun form: “For our citizenship [politeuma] is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 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.” (Philippians 3.20-21).
We live and work in the midst of the fallen world, and yet our true citizenship is in the kingdom of God. Through Jesus’ redemptive work, the Lord has moved us from the realm of the evil one to a life lived under the loving rule of Jesus.
“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1.13-14)
Authentic Christians behave like citizens of heaven and not like citizens of the fallen world. Their attitude and actions reflect the principles of God’s kingdom, not the practices of the present world. This is precisely what Paul means when he says “let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Scripture says it very directly in Romans 12.2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”
The command to stay far away from the things of the world is most clearly expressed in 1 John 2.15-17.
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”
In this passage, John warns of three “things of the world” that we should be on guard against.
- The desires of the flesh. This is when the world tempts you with things that feel good. It is a reference to the impulses and passions of the old nature. The desire of the flesh is powerful; it can be fun, enticing, attractive … and deadly. Not everything that feels good is good for you.
- The desires of the eyes. This is when the world tempts you with things that look good. Not everything that looks good is good for you!
- The pride of life. This is when the world tempts you with things you mistakenly think will make you look good: appearance, position, possessions, popularity, power.
The world is constantly trying to seduce us with things that feel good, look good, and that we think will make us look good. We must resist. We must stand firm in the face of these temptations. We must always remember that we are citizens of the kingdom of God, and not give our attention or affection to the distorted things of the world.
It is an incredible blessing to be a citizen of God’s kingdom. It is also a great and high calling that carries with it great responsibility.
“I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” (John 17.15-18)
The Lord is calling.
