It’s amazing how quickly things can change… but what’s equally amazing is how some things have never really changed at all.  The truth is some things are probably never going to happen; and there things that are not going to change.

Nevertheless, we wonder… are there things in our world that can change??–things in our experience that can be altered?  Are there things within the sovereign will of God that we have been given the ability to control?  Are there aspects of our lives that we have been given the freedom to choose…that we must deal with personally so as to give glory to God and show the world that Christ is supreme?

The answer, of course, is YES–there is!  From what Paul has said to the Philippians in chapter 1 verses 12-20 of his letter to them, the apostle himself exhorts us that we can change a number of important things in our lives.  In these verses, I have found that God, through Paul, calls us even in this postmodern day to intentionally change that which can be changed–things we have control over–namely our mindset, motive, and methodology.  In these 3 areas, let us examine and evaluate ourselves, and to check and change that which needs to be changed.

The Advance of the Gospel

12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

To Live Is Christ

Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.

Mindset:

I know for myself, my perspective & outlook on the world has a significant impact, if not a direct influence, on how I feel and think about the things that occur in my life.  I have often been in places in life that I personally have not chosen to be in… places where circumstances can change instantly from one moment to another.  Many times I have struggled with what I should do in that particular situation.  While things (and even other people) can constantly change around me, I realize that my mindset is one major thing that I have control over.  I may not necessarily be able to change what happens to me, but I do have the ability to alter my mindset so as to conform my thoughts and feelings to that of Christ Jesus, and how He would think or feel if He were in my position. 

A mindset that is more and more Christ-like can ultimately enable you and I to better respond to the continually varying life circumstances with an assurance that God is sovereign and a conviction that God allows things to happen for our good, for His glory, according to His purposes.  Like Paul, we need to have the kind of mindset that he had–to see our circumstances as a way to minister to the lost, to bring glory to God, to share God’s gracious providence to those in our lives, that our lives my be used to advance the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.  People need to see and to know that we are not constantly whinnying about where we are & what happens in life–but that we are somehow bringing glory to God through where we are & what happens!

Motive:

The other thing in my life that I know I have control over, of which I can change, is my motive.  My intentions, reasons, and purposes for doing what I do.  Paul noted that some people’s motives in preaching the Gospel are impure and unholy, out of envy and rivalry, while the motives of genuine Christ followers are pure, holy, out of love and good will.  While the apostle has rightly proclaimed that motive does not matter as long as the Gospel is proclaimed to the believing, I think our motives does matter when dealing with people within the family of God.  Whereas we are all born-again Christians who love God and one another, we should be considering each other’s needs before our own, sacrificing our own needs so as to serve the Body of Christ with humility and genuine sincerity.

Just as Paul said to the Romans in chapter 12 of his letter to them, our motives must conform to the marks of a true Christian:

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.  Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.  Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.  Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.  Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

I love the ESV translation which commands that our love for each other must be genuine–that is, sincere and without hypocrisy.  Such good, honourable motives are compared to that of evil!  And so, when we contribute to the needs of brothers and sisters and show each other caring hospitality, we must do so out of a humble and sacrificial love–not out of prideful arrogance.

Why are you doing what you are doing?  When we see our criticisms as opportunities for the advancement of the Kingdom and the building up of the body of Christ… then we have the proper motive.   Our ambition should not be selfish so as to arrogantly build up a rosy reputation for ourselves, but rather, it should be selfless.  Sacrificial.  Just as Paul noted earlier in Romans 12, we must “not to think of ourselves more highly than e ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned” (verse 3).

In serving the needs of fellow Christians, our motive must not be to please others, but to please God through our service to His Church and people.  God is calling us to seek His approval, and not man’s, when we pursue a life of self-control, uprightness, and godliness (2 Cor 5:9-10; 2 Tim 3:15).  Why do we do what we do?  Why am I here studying at this school, working in this job?  Is it to make me feel better, or to build up a reputation for myself?  Is it because I have an agenda that is more important than anything else–more important than God’s own fame? You and I must understand that this life of ours is not our own–we do not own it… nor is it under our will to do what we want.  Your body and your life the temple of the Holy Spirit: “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Cor 6:19).

We belong to our Lord Jesus Christ.  It is about His agenda, His kingdom and His glory–not our agenda, kingdom or glory.  And since we are on the same team (God’s team), we should set aside our differences for the glory of God, to further His kingdom.  Because God commands us to do whatever we do in Christ Jesus name so as to give praise to God the Father through Him, may we influence and encourage each other, with words Divine, to live for the glory of God.  Let us love and forgive each other as Christ loved and forgave us first… because of God’s mercy and grace.  We must seek daily God’s preventive and corrective grace for changing our motives–not be conformed to the evil patterns of this world but to be transformed by the renewal of our minds so that by testing we may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Methodology:

Lastly, it is imperative that we check our methodology–how we do what we do.

In building relationships and serving each other to bring glory to God… some people say that it doesn’t matter how we treat Christian brothers and sisters as long as we are individually praising God ourselves.  I think otherwise though–that it does matter how we treat each other.  What we do must be loving–for in this, Christ Himself has said that it is the way in which the world will know that we are His disciples–since Christ loved us first & gave Himself up for us. If we do not treat each other lovingly and sacrificially, the unbelieving world will never see that we are children of God; and we would fail in our witnessing to the world.   Anger, malice or hatred has no place in God’s church and should not even be named among God’s people.  Christ Himself said in Matthew 5 that such is unacceptable for Christians and equates such anger with murder itself:

But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

It is unacceptable to come before the throne of God in singing of songs, if a brother has something against you.  Christ commands us to repent and reconcile with each other before we bring any sacrifices to the altar.  It is impossible to stand before the Holy God Almighty and not receive His wrathful judgment if we come into his sanctuary with contempt against each other.  We cannot pay Him lipservice; what we do is not considered worship without reconciliation first taking place.  As it says in Hebrews 10:26-27, “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.”

There are methods that do not bring glory to Christ, ways of doing church/fellowship/small groups that do not magnify the Father’s name.  These are things that we ought not to do.  In examining our methodology, we must ask ourselves: “Is what we’re doing pure and right, and does it bring glory to God?”…so that whether in life or death, regardless of how much growth there is, we are exalting Christ.

Circumstances will change, and we will want things to change, to decide that it could be different.  But is our mindset pure?  Is our motive right?  And is our methodology, a cause that brings glory and not shame to Christ.

Some things may not ever change in our lives; but there are some things that we can alter and that we can change.  For the glory of the kingdom, let us check and change that which can be changed.  For His name and the unending memory of His name.

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This post was written in reflection to the chapel sermon at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary preached on September 5, by Dr. Frank Page, President of the Southern Baptist Convention.