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 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. Philippians 1:27–28 (NIV)
"Whatever happens!" As followers of Jesus, we are called to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, whatever the circumstance. Being consistent in our conduct is a tall order. What does it look like?
1. Imitate the conduct of Jesus. (He humbled himself, made himself nothing, and considered others' value above his own (Phil 2:5-8).
2. be consistent with Jesus' imitating behavior regardless of the circumstances. Repeating that last part, REGARDLESS of circumstances. Conduct worthy of the gospel is demonstrated Monday through Saturday, as much or more than on Sundays.
3. Do not resort to humiliating others; we are not only inflicting cruelty upon them and causing them to suffer; it is not Jesus-like conduct, and we are sternly warned not to do so. (Mat 5:22).
4. A significant aspect of Jesus-like conduct is striving for unity. Look how often these verses say, "If you have any." Philippians 2:1–2 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do you have any of those? If you do, then every effort to move toward oneness (Phil 4:3).
5. Living out Gospel congruency will require courage and include risk. It's risky to love, especially to love an enemy. It's risky to stand alone for righteousness and justice. It's risky to be associated with sinners like Jesus was. Gospel of Jesus conduct will mean alignment, affiliation, affection, and affirmation of the Kingdom of God, far and above the kingdoms of this earth. Be prepared; people will mock you for not aligning with their earthly devotions, throw shade at you, bear false witness about you, and sometimes even hate you. Take heart: some folks did that to Jesus, too. (Romans 12:9-21, Matthew 5:1-12).
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