A Reversal of Values

The apostle Paul in writing the letter to the church at Philippi speaks of a reversal of values he experienced in his life. The things that he counted as gain for a better part of his life were a loss, and the things he considered a loss were a gain as it pertained to his calling. This letter was written from Rome where the apostle was held as a prisoner of the state.

In Philippians 3:8-12, we have a simple outline of what it means to be alive in one’s spirit, what it means to know the power of resurrection and live it out in daily life.

In verse eight, the apostle speaks of the adequate One, the Lord Jesus Christ, for whose sake he had counted all things as loss. (notice the transition from verse 7 to 8- in verse 7 he had “counted” (past tense, one time decision) all things as loss for the sake of Christ, but in verse 8 he says, “I count” (present continuous, each moment, each day, ongoing, a lifestyle, not one-time).

As believers, this is important to understand. Christ is not known merely through one salvation prayer or one decision card or one encounter as Saul of Tarsus discovered on the road to Damascus. Yes, the encounter with the risen Lord did get his attention. But it was just the first step, it was the gate by which he entered a fuller understanding of the person of Christ. It is the same for believers. He had a revelation of Christ when he came to the end of himself, (his education, training, knowledge, wisdom, family background) being let down through an opening in the wall by his disciples. He discovered that all his education and training did not come to his aid in saving the Jewish nation. His own people, the Jews, plotted to kill him. Even the apostles and his Christian friends did not want anything to do with him. They were unsure which camp he belonged to. (Acts 9:23-26). Defeated, he is directed back home to Tarsus. For the next five to seven years, this Saul of Tarsus is in seeming oblivion. No ministry, no work for Christ, no preaching, nothing. Absolute silence. Those years in the wilderness transformed him. He writes to the church in Galatia “For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 1:11-12); it was in those hard years that he was able to pen the words we read in Philippians 3:8-12. It was not just an encounter; it was a transformative experience that revealed who Christ is to him personally.

One vast difference between the early church in the book of Acts and the 21^st century church is this- the early church was quite content to display what Christ could do through them; the latter is busy trying to show the world what it can do for Christ.

Have you performed such an evaluation in your own life? Write down what is important to you, those things that you keep depending on to give you worth and a sense of fulfilment, those things that you think you could not do without. They are things that you look to for respectability, for advancing in life, and for acceptance in the eyes of others. Have you learnt the secret that the apostle Paul is talking about in these verses? Once you have done that exercise, then remind yourself, that if you depend on those things, you cannot gain the riches that are in Christ Jesus. You cannot serve two masters. You cannot drink from broken cisterns and at the same time from the inexhaustible waters of the river of life.

In verses 9-12, we have a practical outworking of what it means to be alive in the spirit (1 Peter 3:18), what it means to live in resurrection power each moment of each day.

The adequate One, the Lord Jesus Christ, gave the apostle an adequate morality, an adequate ministry, and an adequate motivation for living.

Adequate morality- verse 9- a righteousness that is anchored in who the Lord Jesus Christ is. Morality in this context is not the self-righteousness that plagues many Christians nor the negative law-based system that demands of us things we can never keep, no matter how hard we try. It is however reflected in a heart that is considerate of others, patiently, lovingly enduring the faults and failures of those around you, and yet, staying focused on the call on one’s life.

Adequate ministry- verse 10- three things to note- resurrection power, compassion, and purity/liberty. Resurrection power within a believer is a power unlike any other power. It can do in us more than we can ask or think. It is a power adequate for every circumstance; believers can confidently act in faith with the assurance that the Lord is acting out His power through us simultaneously. You see that at the grave of the Lord Jesus Christ, and at the grave of Lazarus. Hopeless situations giving way to hope, sorrow to joy, death to life, failure to triumph and so much more. This power puts to rest all worry and anxiety that many Christians are plagued with. Constant worry is a sign of inadequacy. This power is the antidote to an unforgiving nature, which holds things against others. This power transforms life. Secondly, there is the fellowship of His sufferings. The sufferings of Christ are always for someone else, never for oneself. This speaks of compassion for people around you. God is love, and love suffers (1 Corinthians 13:4) for others. Then, one last thing. The apostle speaks of ‘becoming like him in his death’ or ‘being made conformable unto his death.’ The death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross was for sin and self-pleasing. Not His. He never had any. It was for sinful mankind. As believers, when you accept the verdict of the cross of Christ, you will not permit those sinful, dead things to keep passing through your life. You are increasingly walking in purity, in freedom in every aspect of life. If you accept the verdict of the cross, it sets you free from your ease-loving, luxury seeking heart. You are free to be real men, real women, uncluttered, delivered, no longer worrying about what happens with you, but what happens with Christ and His testimony.

Adequate motivation- verses 11 and 12- the apostle’s heart is set on eternity, when the Lord Jesus Christ will gather all his saints in one big family, Jew and Gentile. He sees himself in that multitude before the throne of God. He knows that that day can not come, until the church is complete, mature in Christ. His motivation is that he may demonstrate a ministry of power, compassion, and purity in the pursuit of bringing the bride of Christ together. The dead in Christ will rise to be with Him, and the apostle looks forward to that day when he would be amongst them. That was his greatest motivation; that he would lay hold of Christ, as Christ laid hold of him, and fulfil everything He had in mind when He encountered him on the Damascus Road.

As you read this, there are some important questions you must ask yourself. What is the purpose for which you are living? Have you discovered why the Lord has laid hold of you? What work has Christ laid a hold of you for? Have you discovered the power by which to live it out? And finally, have you discovered the unshakable platform of morality in Christ, that is beyond any earthly examination?

May the Lord grant a spirit of wisdom and revelation in these days.