Philippians 1:27-30

²⁷ 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, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel ²⁸ without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. ²⁹ For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, ³⁰ since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

When the world is struck by one calamity after another – be it a pandemic, a war, severe climate disruptions, an economic catastrophe – this passage reminds us that as Christians we are to keep on doing what we have continually been called to do. And that is to simply conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Jesus. And to me that means to keep on walking with God, loving him and others expressing generous and forgiving hearts. 

We are to stand firm and not be afraid. This short command echoes down through the Bible. Jesus said it many times to his followers. We are not to be frightened in any way by those who oppose the Gospel of Jesus and by association those who oppose us. This current way the world works will one day be destroyed and only God’s kingdom will remain. This can add to the joy we already have in knowing we are loved by God through Jesus and have been adopted into his family – his kingdom.  

Paul in this letter, links belief in Christ to suffering. We are servants of a suffering servant. It is inevitable that suffering will come our way one day if it hasn’t already as followers of Jesus. And this suffering can also add to our joy. Jesus told us to count it as joy when we suffer for his sake! 

Tim Hewlett