September 24, 2017 Philippians 1.21-30
The Fight for Faithfulness Pastor Jacqueline Hines
The church in Philippi was known as the happy church. Philippi
is in the country of Greece. Anyone been to Greece? Philippi was named after Philip II of Macedon
born about 400 years before Christ. He lost his right eye in battle. [slide # 1 Philip of Macedon] He was
the father of Alexander the Great. Because Philippi was a gold rush town,
people were anxious to settle there and make their fortune. To bring some order,
Phillip protected the native citizens of Philippi by developing what I
imagine was a sort of gated community, at least a policed community. No doubt,
that protection brought some stability and peace to the area. [slide # 2 ancient soldier]
Each of us appreciates a sense of protection and security. Can
you imagine living in a country where the military is weak? The U.S. military
is strong. [slide # 3 army strong] It is trained
and equipped to fight to protect and secure our liberty lest we be carried off
at gunpoint by a stronger military force.
Can you imagine being a part of a church that is weak and unwilling
or unable to fight our spiritual enemies? The United Methodist church as well
as many other denominations is trained and equipped to fight and secure Godly
peace, justice, and freedom lest we be taken hostage by our sins or the sins of
our neighbor. [slide # 4 be strong…]
I like to think that with so many people coming and going in
Philippi for the gold rush, they learned to get along with people from a variety
of places and situations partly because they felt some security that the
government would protect them if need be.
It was in Philippi that Paul found folks who opened their mind
to the gospel and cooperated together. That made them happy. It is a wonderful blessing
to be happy, especially when all around you all hell is breaking loose. Paul
wrote the letter to the church in Philippi while he was being detained for
sharing his faith.
In verse 29 he notes that those who shared his faith in Philippi
had also suffered for the faith. They suffered in patience and joy knowing
God was making miracles out of many messes. [slide # 5 suffering] Some may have been picked on for being holy
rollers or holier than thou. Others may have been left off of the invitation
lists of the in crowd. Some may have been like Paul, imprisoned for their
faith, for not fitting in, for not bowing down, for attracting too much
attention and money from other sources, for putting too bright a spotlight on
crime and corruption.
Paul was imprisoned for his faith and evidently, these faithful
worshippers in Philippi were also feeling the pinch, but the joy of the Lord
was greater than their troubles.
Do you know anyone who is in prison because they shared their
faith? Perhaps you have heard of someone through the television news that comes
out from other countries, or through an email, Facebook or Twitter.
Thomas Kemper [slide # 6
Thomas Kemper] the General Secretary of the United Methodist Board of Global
Missions is the only lay person who is in charge of a United Methodist General
agency. All the other CEO’s are preachers.
Kemper is also the first General Secretary who is not from the
United States; he is from Germany. He works to help the United Methodist Church
be united around the globe, not just united around the United States! In
his report to General Conference he noted that he had staff from 30 different
countries; we can imagine that some speak English better than others. We can
imagine how complicated it may be to send missionaries everywhere who
also come from everywhere in order to fulfil one of their main goals of seeking
freedom, justice, and peace. We even have missionaries who come to the United
States to serve us in our need.
Not every country agrees on the ways to grant freedom, justice,
or peace for each of their citizens. Some citizens who disagree with the powers
that be even leave their homeland and cross dangerous seas in search of
freedom, justice, and peace. Some countries rather fight than act for the good
of the people, while some cultures may have their own dictates and
definitions of what everyone’s rights should look like and they try to force
their will on others.
Apostle Paul was preaching about Jesus who could help everyone.
His message was an unwelcome message to those who wanted good things, for some,
but not for everyone.
Oh, it is soooo natural to think only of ourselves. It is
supernatural to think of everyone. God helps us, and that is a wonderful thing.
Praying and asking that God do God’s will in our lives can be a very, very
exciting adventure. It can also be quite a scary adventure. It can also be a
strange adventure.
My high school Spanish teacher was very memorable. She was a sweet
woman, a Cuban refugee who cried in front of the class when she told of finding
a hard bag of sugar in the back of her pantry. It had been rationed during the
Depression and had sat there forgotten for many years. She never let her sorrow
interfere with her love for teaching or her love for her students.
Influenced by her caring nature, I have practiced that high
school Spanish my whole life. But, when I felt guided by God into a strange
adventure of being a substitute Spanish teacher, it felt weird and scary, and
exciting at the same time. The school District I taught in was so challenged
that they could not keep qualified Spanish teachers, so they settled for me as
a long-term substitute who could at least keep the kids in the classroom
instead of wandering the halls making mischief.
Nevertheless, God had wonderful plans for the three classes I
taught. The stories of what God did in the realm of ADHD, medicated and
intoxicated students, eager learners, anger management, compassion, extreme
talent, disabilities, and gang warfare between the Crypts and the Bloods will
forever be etched in my mind.
There were heartaches as well as joys that overwhelmed the
suffering. It was a little better than my time with the middle school where a
permanent dent was kicked into my leg as I was trying to break up a fight. My
tires were slashed, I suspect, by a new student whose level of hostility was
off the charts. She did not last long.
The biggest lesson I learned was that God wants to use us
in extraordinary ways. [slide # 7 God wants to use
you] If we turn the reigns over to God, God will do something
wonderful, though it may be scary and strange, it will also be exciting and
full of blessings that we cannot begin to imagine.
You remember that camp song, “It only takes a spark to get a
fire going…” [slide # 8 spark]
The spark that gets the fire of God’s love moving you in a
certain ministry, may begin with a Cuban refugee, or a forgotten homeless
person, or an executive of a Fortune 500 company. God multiplies blessings in a
diversity of experiences and exposures. Your ministry may be messy at times,
but it will also have countless benefits for you and the building of the
Kingdom of God!
You may not go to prison like Paul. [slide # 9 Paul in prison] You may
not be persecuted like Christians in your school, your workplace or in other
countries, but it will not always be easy to follow God’s will.
When John Wesley, the founder of Methodism [slide # 10 John Wesley horeseback] left his
native country of England to go on a mission trip to serve the Native American
Indians in Georgia, he quickly stereotyped them as savages. He saw them as
liars, thieves, and murderers. He wanted to go into the Indian villages and
preach until they repented, but Georgia governor James Oglethorpe, would not
allow Wesley to go to the Indian villages, knowing that with that attitude
Wesley would be killed and scalped for sure.
Wesley became more compassionate and understanding when he got
to know one of the Indian Chiefs personally. He also got to meet other
Englanders who had had taken refuge in the colonies in order to get away from
the King. He met African slaves in Georgia and spoke bravely against the
inhuman treatment of anyone, everywhere.
His mission was not as easy as he planned, but he learned some
important lessons in ministry. He got on a boat, sailing back home to England.
It was a long tedious boat ride, not like our luxury cruise ships of today. [slide # 11 ship in storm] It was
probably hurricane season. The boat was tossing and turning something terrible.
Wesley heard the screams of terrified passengers, afraid they were about to
die, but some Moravians were on the ship worshipping God and, without fear,
singing songs of praise until the wind finally died down. Witnessing the faith
of the Moravians, inspired Wesley to exercise his faith so it could get
stronger and stronger!
One thing led to another and Wesley found himself preaching to a
convicted felon named Clifford, and together they started visiting prisons.
Wesley was urged by George Whitefield to preach to coal miners and others who
were very, very poor. He began speaking out against abuses of all kinds and
advocated and prayed for all who could not speak up for themselves. He
understood that the whole world is our parish, not just a few. [slide # 12 world map on hands]
To this day, as United Methodists, we continue exercising our
faith and our spiritual disciplines in the same that John Wesley did. So we can
say to the world like Paul did, follow me as I follow Christ, follow Bethel as
we follow Christ. [slide # 13 I have decided to
follow Jesus]
Are you ready for the adventure of a lifetime? Just put your
hand in the hands of Jesus and follow where he leads. He will give you strength
and joy for the journey. Amen. [slide # 14
Joy in the journey]
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