How to Stand When They Want You to Fall - Part A

Never feel like you're the missionary surrounded by cannibals. Missionary noticed one cannibal was staring intently at him and got really nervous and so are you looking at me so intensely and the guy said I'm the food inspector is sort of feel like the world is watching you as they want to gobble you up. Paul understood this dilemma. Paul understood that if you become a Christian and you follow Christ boldly that the Christian life is not a playground man. It's a battleground watching to see how Christians live. You may be someone's only perception of who Jesus is all about today on connect with Skip Heitzigs, Skip share several ways you can stand strong in your faith witness for Jesus would first want to tell you about a recent will encourage more in your walk God reading the Bible can lead to asking some serious questions like is the rapture real or overcome anxiety. These two questions are among those answered in pastor skeptics a new DVD of four impactful messages I skip. I think, imagine knowing somebody who knows everything about. Now imagine somebody who knows everything about you and loves you and that's what were dealing with and we deal with the knowledge of God.

This collection of some of pastor's gifts most memorable teachings also includes what most people don't know about heaven and it's our thanks for your gift of $25 or more to connect more people to God's life changing word visit connectwithskip.com/offer to get online securely or call 800-922-1888, 800-922-1888 and request your copy of pastor Skip Skip Heitzigs for today's teacher in Philippians chapter 1 never feel like you're being watched by unbelievers never feel that unbelievers look at you and they analyze you and scrutinize you. Well, if you ever get that feeling you're right. That's what they're doing and not only are they analyzing and scrutinizing you there criticizing you and probably more so now than ever before in American history. The Christian church is being criticized by the unbelieving world. Every Christmas you hear the same stories about how kids can't sing Silent Night in a public setting or throughout the year you hear about a Christian group who doesn't go along with the mainstream idea of sexuality, etc. and there labeled as being intolerant and mean-spirited. I was listening to the news yesterday in North Carolina the board of commissioners every year get together for the last 50 years.

It has been their practice to get together and open up their public session with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a prayer spin in their history a long time so they did at this time. They opened up their session with Pledge of Allegiance and prayer, but this time the ACLU was watching them and filed a lawsuit against them because they prayed and get this, they said the worst thing of all, you could say they said at the end of the prayer in Jesus name so that became a violation and a lawsuit was filed, and you know I've been asked pray publicly from time to time in a couple time people is a well. The only thing were skittish about is if you use that term at the end. In Jesus name. He probably shouldn't use that as a slave. Do you want the prayer to work I saw an article on CNN.com that admitted that Christians are becoming. I hated minority. I hated minority. I've long had an article in my arsenal about the neighbors that Americans don't want living next door. The articles: not in my backyard and it's actually a little grass that shows this truth it says this is the percentage of Americans who do not like the following minorities as neighbors 1% say they don't like Catholics living next door to percent don't want Protestants living next door 3% don't want Jews living next door. 9% say they don't want Hispanics as neighbors. Then comes unmarried couples, then comes Blacks.

And finally, the bottom of the list, the highest percentage, 13% say they don't want religious fundamentalists as neighbors. They especially hate bold believers, the kind that make us stand for what they believe because bold believers know the kind of don't fold with the culture and just sort of go along with the flow that the bold believers. They're the ones that will be labeled narrow, myopic, bigoted and biased.

One website that I found one honest ADS road and I quote, I considered myself an atheist for for five years and I feel a real hate of Christians, more so than any other religious cult and its growing inside of me I cannot just read a story or watch a video of a Christian without this huge fireball of impatience and anger coming up through my body." So who's intolerant never feel like you're the missionary surrounded by cannibals in the missionary noticed one cannibal was staring intently at him and he got really nervous and said what are you looking at me so intensely and the guy said I'm the food inspector is sort of feel like the world is watching you as they want to gobble you up. Will Paul understood this dilemma. Paul understood that if you become a Christian and you follow Christ boldly that the Christian life is not a playground man.

It's a battleground. He got that he understood that effect. Here's part of his resume in second Corinthians 11. He says I've been in prison frequently. I've been flogged severely, I've been exposed to death again and again five times I received from the Jews 40 lashes -13 times I was beaten with rods and once I was stoned. That's not Colorado's stone that's stone with rocks. Now it's we have been reading in the book of Philippians.

This chapter. This book of joy. We saw that Paul begins by writing to the Philippians as saints. Paul and Timothy to the saints who are at Philippi in Christ Jesus. Then he writes to them as servants, those who enjoyed the fellowship of the gospel with him. They were partners in the gospel but now there is a shift now. He writes to them, not as saints, not as servants but as soldiers, as it were, and the focus of his letter, beginning in chapter 1 verse 27 turns from his imprisonment to their predicament and you notice by just the wording in this little grouping of sentences. The word adversary disappears or enemies.

The words supper shows up in the word conflict is all in what we are about to read.

So what I want to show you from this set of verses is how to stand for Christ. When the world wants you to fall. Verse 27 Paul writes only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you are an absent, I may hear of your affairs that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way be terrified by your adversaries. Which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.

For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me, and now here is in me what you picture something in your mind and want you to picture a man and around him is standing a hostile crowd. The crowd does not like the man in the crowd is yelling at him, shouting at him, threatening him there cheering in their taunting and they wish him ill. They want to see him gone or hurt now with a picture of mine. I want to show you for qualities on how to stand and not fall in the midst of a hostile world going to picture it started like a stool with four legs.

Each leg will add a little more stability to the whole first consistency. Consistency is the first quality verse 27 Paul says only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ is the work conduct to give you a literal translation of the nominee explainable the word means your political affiliation. Don't think of politics and the terms of modern America. The Greek word is politics. You will owe impolitic to all, is the word by which we get our work, political, or politics or policy or police. They all come from this word because Pollock 20 was all about the whole lists in ancient times, a polis is a city or more accurately a city state a free state its citizens that belong to a city state and they conduct themselves in a manner that represents the best of that state.

So the idea carries the word carries the idea of being a good citizen honoring the political affiliation or the city state which are part of and what what are we a part of chapter 3 will say your citizenship is in heaven. So the ideas let's conduct ourselves so that we are offering the very best of the kingdom of God wherever we travel we represent our nation, whether we like it or not you're an American. I don't know if you know what the reputation of Americans is around the world is not favorable in most cases, the loud American, the ugly American are several things that we are noted for around the world and I remember on one trip I was on in India. I was with a group of people from different places and there was one group of guys that were very very loud and they were at a meal in the ring, laughing and loud and obnoxious and the Indians in that culture did not read these guys. They distort about. I guess this is how Americans act, you know I'm over in the corner.

You note my head in my hands going they don't represent the best. My country has to offer.

Trust me, but they were representing their kingdom. They were conducting themselves in a certain way or like the time I went to England and tried to sound like I was English. I tried really hard to come of the best British accent I practice it I thought I had it down so I went to breakfast and I ordered an English accent and the maître d' look to me. Is it any old from California, so I must've given myself away therein. My fake British accent or the mannerisms that I displayed. So let your conduct your display of your national identity and notice what it says let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ. The word worthy means to balance the scales or to weigh as much. That is the weight on one side of the scales equals the weight on the other side of the scale we use the word in that way we will say that person is worthy of his pay what we mean is the money we are giving that person corresponds always as much as the output of the work that he or she produces. If we say she is worthy of this honor. We are saying the accolades we give her way as much or correspond to the productivity for the achievement that she is produce. So when Paul writes let your conduct be worthy of the gospel. That's his way of saying that your practice must match your proclamation if it's like a set of scales and on one side disabled.

This is what I believe that your proclamation your practice what you do needs to match up needs to weigh as much and by the way, John the Baptist use this word like that. He said bear fruits worthy of repentance.

If you say you have a repentant life. Let's see it in what that life will produce so what Paul is doing here is calling us to a consistent Christian life. If you're called Christian then live up to the name of a Christian must never live beneath his theology a Christian must never live beneath his belief. I know that you've heard all the research statistics for years are in the research. Every year comes up with what Americans say they believe in. And every year were always astonished because every year we find out that a large majority of Americans say that their Christian and a lot of them say their born-again Christians. But as I look at the American landscape.

I just gotta say it didn't quite weigh the same, what they say we are is really what we are. There's gotta be some inconsistency in the back in 1986 get this and IRS 25 year auditor, a veteran of auditing for the IRS was arrested and convicted for tax evasion.

You know, that just gets to you right it's like yeah those are the guys a try to stiff me there always bummed out about this little discrepancy. They audit me. Will this auditor thought that he had found a loophole that he had found a flaw in the system. He didn't. The system found a flaw in him when they found it they find him $115,000. She was inconsistent what he said he believed in what he actually practiced in his personal life were vastly different in John Bunyan put it this way a man can be a saint abroad, and a devil at home and if that is the case, then that is on worthy conduct is inconsistent only turn that around one of the greatest weapons you can use against the devil is a consistent life. A consistent live a godly consistent life. Not that God expects perfection. He does not. The Bible says he knows our frame that we are dust, but he does expect that as citizens of the kingdom of God, of the kingdom of heaven that we show a consistency in that John says. First John chapter 1 verse six if we say we have fellowship with him and we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth so simply put our lives must give proof that they have been touched by the gospel, by the good news about Jesus Christ as worthy of the gospel.

So here's a question. Is your life filled with love, because the gospel is for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son is your life filled with forgiveness because the gospel is is your life filled with hope, because the gospel is is your life filled with holiness because the gospel is so consistency is the first tool weapon strength that will help you stand when the world wants you to fall.

Here's a second unity unity, he says, continuing on in verse 27, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together. That's the unity for the faith of the gospel appalled is an of these in the liver.he said that I do, delivered Diana for him to be set free RC incarcerated. I may come and see you. I may not. But that doesn't matter whether I'm around or not does not matter. What matters is that whether I'm with you or not you stand firm now that soldier talk the word that Paul uses here in the imperative state got today. Stand firm means standard post.

Don't leave your guard. It speaks of a soldier who would stand his position. Even with the onslaught of tremendous opposition or temptation.

So go back to that little picture I put in your mind, there's a man there's a hostile crowd around him. He standing may be sorta standing upright in a relaxed position, but the crowd gets louder and closer so he does this he widens his stance to give him more stability.

He's now the stand firm. Stand fast. He's not in a move his position, but he would be better served if he himself wasn't the only one standing fast but had a whole bunch of friends next to him, doing this right when you have other people standing with you, your odds for victory increase. That's the thought of this verse. Stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving to gather for the faith of the gospel. I just gotta say there are some great metaphors in this section, Paul the apostle uses some great words. The words first striving together a single Greek word son Leo summoned the prefect for together. Leo, we get the term athletic or aptly from, so come together as athletes. You might say, striving stand together in this race as athletes, it is clear, it is evident that Paul saw the church as a team sport not, as some little private personal island experience that I have with God all by myself know. He said our team is in conflict. Our team is in a battle and it takes teamwork.

We have to stand together. We need unity night would like to explain when the New Testament talks about unity.

What it doesn't mean and what it does me unity in the Bible doesn't mean necessarily unanimity where everybody thinks exactly the same.

It doesn't necessarily mean a uniformity where everybody acts exactly the same.

If you think that you're going to get every Christian to agree on every point of doctrine and style of worship. Good luck not going to happen. You may not agree with my view on certain things you may not agree with my view on eschatology the rapture of the church. You may not agree with my view on spiritual gifts. You may not agree with my view on the election of the believer and I always give anybody the privilege to be wrong and believe it or be like somebody once said, if you find two people that agree on everything. One of them is not thinking so I think vigorous debate can be good can be healthy can be helpful as long as we don't divide over.

Can you imagine if we could assemble the great Christian minds throughout the centuries and put them in one room together. For example, if we were to go back to the fourth century and get Augustine of hippo north Africa who spiritualize so many text of the Scripture put them in the room and sit next to him. The 10th century. Bernard of Clairvaux and for fun, let's add the 16th-century reformer John Calvin next to him and then to really spice things up will go to the 18th century will get John Wesley, Charles Wesley and George Whitfield disposed three and of themselves would be fireworks then let's go to the ninth century and put in Charles Haddon Spurgeon in the L Moody guard of the 20th century will put CS Lewis in that room, and Billy Graham will go to the 21st century and put the likes of NT Wright in their I'm gonna tell you something.

There is not going to be unanimity on every single point. It'll be a very very lively discussion, but at the end of the day what you will have is unity when it comes to the essential historic Christian gospel were not much different than an athletic team.

You've all heard of teams every season season starts out with his bickering between some of the individual players on the team forgot about for their own glory out for themselves. But as the season moves on, and they near the playoff. They know they need to act together because victory is inside if they made the playoffs they better give their best parts of who they are to the team so they can win the battle that the series technical. Right now you look Bible study trip to Israel is a life-changing Bible study will never be the same Skip his lip in Israel, and lead tours.

Many many times were used to invite you one is next to her. You know there's always something new to see and experience in Israel and I'm so excited to let you know that I'm taking another tour group to Israel next bring in 2022. You're in for an incredible time as we travel throughout Israel and experience the culture that's so unique to that country will start on the Mediterranean Sea and head north. Seeing places like Caesarea and Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River will spend several days in and around Jerusalem and see the temple mount Calvary, the garden of Gethsemane and the Mount of olives and much more. This remarkable itinerary is made richer with times of worship, Bible study, and lots of fellowship. Now I've been to Israel in the number of times over the years that I can honestly say that visiting the places where the events of the Scriptures unfolded. Jesus lived taught and healed.

It just never gets old. I can't wait to see you start planning and saving now to go to Israel with Skip Heitzig information, inspiration, cruises.com/C a VQ that's inspiration cruises.com/C a VQ to mid tomorrow. Skip Heitzig to encourage you how to stand strong in your faith in the face of opposition and so Skip Heitzig presentation of connection communications to go through ever-changing time