Philippians 1:27-30
“Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, 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 for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way 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 hear is in me.”
Paul calls us to a clarion call to live a life worthy of the gospel and lays out three practical steps on how the church can do so: by standing firm, fighting for the faith of the gospel, and not fearing. He talks about our enemies: “and not in any way terrified by your adversaries.”
Who are these adversaries? Who are these enemies of the Philippian church? On one side, it was their Roman government and Roman culture, which was filled with idols and the worship of Caesar everywhere, street by street. Caesar’s image had to be everywhere, as it was a Roman colony. They would only receive all the government benefits of citizenship if they worshipped Caesar, burning just a pinch of incense before his image and saying, “Hail Caesar.” Now, these Romans saw Christians who condemned all idol worship and emperor worship and would not participate. So, they started creating problems for the Christians in different ways at work and in society. They would probably persecute them, just as we face today, saying, “This Roman colony is only for people who worship Caesar. We will remove your Roman citizenship and privileges.” That is one group of enemies, just like we face today from our culture and government.
Secondly, although there were very few Jews initially in Philippi—remember, Paul did not have to find a synagogue when he came to Philippi—we see in Acts that these Jews would travel wherever churches were formed and cause trouble. Some of them even posed as believers and corrupted the gospel. We see Paul rebuking them in Chapter 3: “Beware of dogs. For we are the circumcision.” So, the enemies Paul is talking about are, on one side, the government and the idol culture, and on the other side, these false Jews who corrupted the gospel of Christ. Don’t we see that we have the same struggle today? Now, how can they and we stand before these powerful enemies for the gospel?
Paul says to declare war for truth. Stand firm, never compromise with their errors, fight with wrestling strength to your last breath for the gospel, and do not fear with an undaunted courage. We may ask Paul, “How will our small church standing with boldness make any difference in this vast, blind Roman idolatry culture?” The same question applies to us today: “How will we, standing firm, fighting, and not fearing, make any difference in this generation, which is on one side full of an idolatrous, hardened, blind culture where religious fanatics blindly follow the government, wanting to build temples everywhere? On the other side are false churches that, in the name of churches, don’t stand for any truth but are only an entertainment religion to make people feel good.” How can a small church like us have any impact on such an impossible, blind culture? What will be the consequences of our war for truth?
Paul gives the answer in verses 28-30 to encourage them to pursue such a life of standing firm, fighting, and not fearing with undaunted courage, like a charging horse that never draws back when it sees opposition. He tells them that there are God-ordained results that will happen if you wage this war of truth from such a lifestyle.
There are God-ordained consequences of a truth war: First, this lifestyle will be a sign to enemies and a sign to believers. “And not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.” When you stand firm, fight, and do not fear, your undaunted courage manifests something to them, but also something to the people of God. This is an evident token of perdition to them but of salvation to you.
Second, you may face suffering because of the gospel. How should you face that suffering? “For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.”
Third, he gives a personal, comforting example for that suffering: “having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.”
So, let us look firstly at how this lifestyle will be a sign to enemies. A sign to enemies: “and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition.” For adversaries, this undaunted courage is an evident token of perdition. The word “token” is used two or three times in the New Testament and means a proof, an indication, or evidence. In 1 Corinthians 8:24, Paul is urging the Corinthians to complete the collection for the poor saints in Judea, and he says, “Your generous help is the proof, the evidence, the tangible manifestation of your love.” It is proof of your love for the suffering churches.
Then he uses the word “perdition.” In the Gospels, it is used many times and refers to the destruction that comes to men when they fall under the final wrath of Almighty God and drop into the state of eternal loss and ruin in hell. Paul himself uses that word in Philippians 3:18: “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.” These people are not concerned about truth, spiritual matters, or the gospel; only worldly things. Their stomach is their god, their mind is on earthly things. They are enemies of the Cross; they will attack us. He says their end is perdition. The word never means annihilation but that every man will suffer eternal, deathless suffering in hell.
So, Paul says, “stand firm, fight, and do not fear.” No matter what they do—the double negative—whether they give you verbal abuse, whether there is physical abuse, economic boycotts, or they remove your citizenship, no matter what your adversaries do, let nothing terrify you, let nothing frighten you away from your faith in Jesus Christ. And if you do this, he says, this will be to your very adversaries a token, a proof, a manifestation of their eternal perdition. By your courage, you will show them that they are heading toward eternal hell. Now, how in the world is the Christian’s undaunted courage a token of perdition to the enemies who oppose us?
Someone advised me that I should not preach theology and only focus on what is in the verse. But how can you explain this verse, and many verses like it, without a full understanding of Bible theology? If we are to understand what was in the mind of the apostle, we need to understand a fundamental Bible truth: how God created every man, even the most bitter enemies of the gospel.
And the first thing you must understand is that all men, whether the Romans and Jews of that day or today’s hardened fanatics and people of entertainment religions, are all created in the image of God with a conscience. However, they may be hardened in idolatry, or fanatics, or emotionally mad after entertainment in their religion. Even though their conscience is marred by sin, they may be controlled by the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, by the devil, there is still a moral consciousness of right and wrong, a sense of law inside. Their conscience smiles or frowns inside for everything they do.
And even in those who have never seen one page of a Bible, when they are continually living against God, their conscience deeply nags inside them and never gives them true peace. They really do not have true peace inside, whatever religion or entertainment religion they may follow. Romans 2:14 states, “For when Gentiles that have not the law, that is, the written scriptures, do by nature the things of the law, they show the work of the law written in their hearts.” Their conscience bears witness, accusing or else excusing them. So there is the voice of God, an active function of conscience, in the heart and mind of all men.
And the second thing is, with that conscience comes a sense of accountability to God for all acts of this life and an awareness of a terrible, deserved punishment for evil. Romans 1:32, speaking again of those who do not have the scriptures, says that “who, knowing the law of God, their conscience tells them they who practice sins against the law, are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also consent with them that practice them.” Their conscience tells them they will be terribly judged and punished, knowing the law of God. How and who taught them this? God has stamped this consciousness upon their very being as creatures made in His image.
With that understanding, think of what Paul is saying. You Philippians are seeking to live humble, Christ-exalting lives, lives worthy of the gospel in your unified standing, steadfastness, and fighting for the spread of the gospel. And then, opposition arises; enemies attack them verbally. Some are opposed at work, in business, on the streets, and in society. We see in church history later that anything that went wrong in the Roman Empire was blamed on the Christians. If anything happened—an earthquake, a flood, no rain—it was because the gods were angry because the Christians were not worshipping them. Blame it on the Christians. They, in fact, even made the Christian religion illegal for some time.
So, these enemies attack you, oppose the gospel, but when they see in these humble people an unshakable firmness, like iron in their souls, undaunted courage for the gospel, and they dare to face their adversaries, no matter how big they are… If the Roman government forces them to worship Caesar, they would stand and say, “If you want me to worship Caesar and his idol, please know I am even willing to die, but I will not betray my Lord and dishonor Him. I will not give my worship to anyone but only to Christ. This is right, this is the gospel. I will stand for the truth with unshakable firmness, fight, and have undaunted courage.”
When these enemies are used to seeing only spineless, fearful people, they themselves may believe in their religion because of the fear of death. When they see such a firm, unshakable reaction from a believer standing with a clean conscience for truth, knowing he is accountable to God and His law—however hardened the enemies may be in sin and false religion—when they see someone so firm for truth, standing with undaunted courage, the sleeping conscience in that enemy awakens. The voice of conscience is then intensified. Its volume is turned up.
His conscience reminds him how he is, how shamefully he is just following a man-made religion for worldly benefits and fear of death. How wrong he is! Conscience accuses him, saying, “You, with a conscience, should have been like that man standing for truth, come what may, but for cheap money, politics, food, your belly, and worldly desires, you are following such a wrong path.”
So far, the enemy would have stifled the voice of conscience amidst the pursuit of carnal pleasures, following culture, religion, friendships, and a job. But when he meets a suffering Christian who stands resolutely unafraid in the presence of any fellow mortal because he knows he stands before Almighty God, suddenly the volume of that conscience is turned up. Such a reaction brings light into the darkest consciences of men; he can ignore it no longer.
When enemies are living in fear of death, they see a Christian who is not even afraid to die for the gospel. That conscience not only makes the enemy sensible of his wrong path but also reminds him of the consequences of his wrong path, that he will face eternal judgment and the wrath of God in hell. It makes him realize his way is wrong and he is going to hell. That is how Paul says if you stand firm, fight, and do not fear with undaunted courage, it is a token, proof, and manifestation of the coming perdition of that adversary of the gospel.
We can see many examples of this in the Old and New Testaments, even in church history. Do you remember the story of Nebuchadnezzar? If you want a picture of living worthy of the gospel, standing firm, fighting, and not fearing, turn to Daniel 3. The king made a big statue and commanded that at the sound of the trumpet, all should bow. Daniel’s three friends—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego—stood firmly. They did not bow. The king said they would be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. They answered, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”
Yes, because of his pride and arrogance and anger, he did cast them in. But can you imagine what would have happened to his conscience when he saw another one in the furnace? Their boldness awoke the king’s conscience and showed his perdition. Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this.” Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon.
Another example is the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17. Remember the great giant Goliath, who had been defying the armies of God, and David is standing before this big enemy. Goliath, with all his armor, military dress, and weapons in hand, with a helmet, bends down and sees this boy who does not even have a mustache, a small baby with a fair face. He says, “I will take and kiss him.” David has no weapon, no military dress, no shield, just a stick. Goliath says, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with a stick?” and uses his gods’ names to curse the God of Israel. David should be trembling as he stands there, but we see his firmness and undaunted courage. He says, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” He continues, “Goliath, you may be worshipping 101 stones, but there is one true and living God, and you have cursed Him. Today, not only you but all your armies will perish, and birds will eat their bodies, so that all the earth may know that there is a true and living God in Israel.”
Then what happened? “And it came to pass when the Philistine arose and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.” Now, that’s the point at which I believe we need to insert our text. I wonder what went on in the conscience of that giant when he saw such boldness in a small boy. Here he had stood with all his weaponry and all the imposing elements of his own vast, hulk-like stature. David says, “You have cursed one true, living God, you will die…” and then David begins to run toward him. I wonder what went on in the conscience of the giant. At that point, David’s undaunted courage was a token, a proof of Goliath’s destruction. I wonder if the moment he saw the small boy running toward him with a sling in his hand, the giant did not already die a thousand deaths in the court of his own conscience and of his own heart, because he knew this man was actuated by God’s spirit. The conscience reminded him of realities which he had a haunting consciousness of: there must be one true and living God, and I’m about to meet this God now through this boy. David’s courage was a sign of the perdition of Goliath.
Another example is in the New Testament, in Acts 7:26. You remember Stephen. He stands firm for the truth with undaunted courage, set upon by an angry mob in Jerusalem. And as they heap stones upon him, and as his life ebbs away, we find this record of Stephen’s final words in verse 59 of Acts seven: “And they stoned Stephen, calling upon the name of the Lord and saying, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, ‘Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.’ And when he had said this, he fell asleep, and Saul was consenting unto his death.” Now here are the adversaries, and the epitome of the adversaries is the man, Saul of Tarsus, this man who was committed to the obliteration of the Christian church. He beholds Stephen in the midst of his adversity, not terrified whatsoever. Not terrified of death, not terrified of his accusers, not terrified even of the cruel method of death. In quietness and calmness of spirit, he commends his own spirit to Christ.
Well, though this initially angered Saul, later the Lord apprehends Saul of Tarsus. The Lord told him in Acts 26:14, “Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the goads.” A goad was a big plow used in the Old Testament, with sharp pointed sticks. God knows the heart of the apostle, and he knows that he is kicking against something that is acting like sharp stakes biting his conscience.
It may be that this principle of conscience was pricking Paul about Stephen’s boldness, who was terrified by nothing from his adversaries. It became to the apostle a token of his own perdition. Because he knew that with all of his Pharisaic religion, with all of his ritual, with all of his external pomp and activity, he could not face death in the calmness of a Stephen. He could not have that spirit of forgiveness that Stephen manifested. And it could well be that the apostle got his theology of Philippians 1:28 right out of his own heart and from his own experience. I would not dogmatically assert it, but I am saying it could well be. We see several examples of this in church history where enemies saw the courage of dying believers, which made them come to Christ.
So, Paul says that whether you face a powerful Goliath in idolatry or an outwardly religiously fanatic society, when you stand firm, fight, and do not fear, it will be a sign of their perdition. Your boldness will awaken their conscience and remind them of their sins, and God may even use that to bring some to repentance, as He did for Saul. So, we are never to be terrified, no matter what they do, no matter what they say, no matter what they threaten. Why? Because we know that this undaunted courage will be to them a token, a sign, a proof of their coming perdition at the hands of Almighty God. Your courage will remind them of their eternal destruction.
Secondly, but now notice what such undaunted courage is to the people of God. It is not only a sign to them but to you, Paul says: “but to you of salvation.” It is a sign, a token, or a proof of salvation. The very undaunted courage which is a proof to your adversaries of their coming perdition is a proof to you, Philippians, of your salvation. Now, what did he mean by that? See, we all have a goal to grow in faith and attain assurance, to make our election and calling sure. God gives many assurances that we are elect and saved.
Paul says this is a sign and evidence to their own hearts that God had elected and indeed begun a good work in them, and that He who had begun a good work in them would perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ. Naturally, left to themselves, they are full of weakness, cowardice, and are like traitors who would deny their Lord like Peter. They natively hate persecution and want to be accepted by everyone. When there is strong boldness to stand for the gospel, and yet, if you meet your adversaries with undaunted courage, not terrified by them in any way, not worrying about social pressure and economic pressure, and at any cost, stand firm, it is a sign that you are a true elect of God, truly saved. This will be a proof to you of your salvation.
Notice he doesn’t say it will be the basis of your salvation. No, the basis is Christ, and the work that Christ did is the basis for our salvation. But how do I know I have true saving faith? In the parable of the sower, which revealed the true state of the soil, the seed sown on rocky soil had a very temporary, superficial faith. They thought they had saving faith for a long time, but when the sun of tribulation and persecution arose because of the word, it dried. In the same way, we can call ourselves true believers and come to church, even become members. How do we know if we truly have saving faith? When you are attacked for your faith and you stand firm, fight, and are fearless, it is a sign that you are truly elect and saved by God’s almighty grace.
See, amazing Paul says this is not just human determination, but the origin of this sign for unbelievers and believers is from God. This matter of our undaunted courage having these two results—who is behind all of this? Look at the end of verse 28: “This thing is from God.” The token on the one hand of coming perdition to our adversaries and of salvation to the people of God, Paul says, and this entire complex of reality behind it is God. This thing comes down from God.
Paul is ever aware of a higher hand that rules the acts of men. It is not just that you become strong and some oppose you; this is the work of God. The failure of adversaries to intimidate believers and the believers’ fearlessness is proof that God is carrying out His program. This is a divine sign because the invincibility of boldness cannot be made by any man in this world. Such fearlessness is a gift of God, a fruit of the Spirit.
In other words, the Philippians are being taught by the apostle to look behind the faces of their adversaries, look behind that external wall of the felt world of spiritual reality, and see behind it, beneath it, above it, and surrounding it, the mighty hand of a sovereign God working out His own purposes, even in their afflictions and in their opposition. The origin of all of this is God Himself.
Pastor, what if I face suffering because of standing firm? Paul in the next verse tells us how we need to view and approach suffering. “For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” In this context, enemies are making believers suffer. Suffering in itself is not a privilege; we all naturally hate suffering, and we should not invite it, but when suffering comes on behalf of Christ, for His gospel, such suffering is a great privilege and a great blessing. We should expect it.
He says to expect suffering when you stand for the gospel. You will have no suffering if you are a spineless coward, compromising with people. When you stand for the gospel and start living a life worthy of the gospel in every area, we may have to face suffering. Change your perspective. All of us think that when we stand for the gospel, there are only blessings. Yes, there are blessings, but we will also suffer. People will attack us and say all kinds of things.
As God’s child, it has been granted to you eternally to believe on Christ, to rest on Christ, and to depend on His accomplished work for your life and eternity. It is not granted to everyone, but saving faith is granted only to the elect. Just as faith is a gift of God, understand that suffering is also granted to you. In fact, in a way, they are inseparable. If you have faith, you will have suffering. It’s a package deal, and these two are inseparably connected.
Expect it. It will not be easy as a church to live worthy of the gospel. It works out in different ways, in different degrees, in different measures, for different Christians, depending on a lot of different factors: where you are, where you live, and how visible you are as you are identified with Christ. Whether it is being rejected by our own family members, whether it’s being rejected by in-laws or relatives, whether it is being passed over for a promotion, you’ve been abandoned by an unbeliever, whether it is you actually receive insults from people, or whether it is the loss of a job, there is a wide spectrum. 2 Timothy 3:12 says, “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
You will suffer, so see what a marvelous view he gives of suffering. In verse 29, “He has granted you” is from the Greek word ekcharist, which comes from charis, meaning “grace.” It is a gift of grace. He uses the word here related to “grace.” God has chosen you not only for salvation; He’s also chosen you for suffering. “He has graciously gifted you not only with faith but with suffering.” Did you know that suffering is a gift from God? It is a great privilege.
See, all these false prosperity gospel churches should see this verse. They keep lying to thousands of people, saying that God only gives you health, wealth, and prosperity, and that God wants to save you from suffering, that suffering is a curse, and that God does not want you to suffer. Maybe that is why God is raising this government to make them realize how foolish they are. Maybe God will use this government to scatter such false churches. Suffering for Christ is a gracious gift. When you suffer for the gospel, hostility for the faith, persecution, and rejection, it is an amazing privilege and gift.
“Why is it a gift? What’s so good about it?” I think Pastor Jerald preached a very good sermon in a family conference about why God allows suffering and what suffering does in our lives. Even Pastor Bala preached on enduring hardship for the gospel. Suffering for the gospel brings many blessings into our lives.
- First, it assures you of your salvation. 1 Peter 4:14 says if you are suffering for Christ, it is a great sign that the Spirit of glory rests on you. Then imagine what spirit rests on these false teachers who say suffering is not God’s will.
- It brings Christ nearer to our souls. It helps us grow in experiential union with Christ. Paul says, “I want to know him very intimately” by “the fellowship of His sufferings.” Suffering for Christ helps believers to wonderfully grasp the suffering of the one who suffered for them, and there is a strong, sweet, enduring, abiding fellowship between them. The Lord always comes very close and intimately near us at no other time than when we suffer, filling us with strength, peace, and joy to meet that suffering. Supernatural heavenly peace, strength, and Christ’s presence come to us when we suffer for Him.
- It brings great joy due to the privilege, like the early church, who “counted it all joy to suffer for His sake.”
- It leads to great eternal reward. Matthew 5:11 says, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” 2 Corinthians 4:17 says, “Our light affliction is producing an eternal weight of glory.”
- Many times, suffering for the gospel helps us bring many to Christ and is an encouragement to other believers.
- It produces the hope of heaven. It perfects you for usefulness. It strengthens the church. Ultimately, it glorifies the Lord. So expect it.
Then we see in verse 30 a God-ordained example for our comfort. He says, and when you suffer, “don’t feel alone.” Verse 30 says, “you’re not alone.” All the faithful servants of the Lord have suffered. He gives a personal, comforting example for that suffering: “having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.”
Very wisely, with a tactful, intimate, and beautiful genuineness, he first says, “the conflict you saw in me.” When he went to Philippi, Paul had been fighting a war of truth in that horrible, pagan, idol city of Philippi. The Philippians had seen how he was flogged, persecuted, and jailed. “You saw it when I was at Philippi,” as told in Acts 16, “how I fought as an apostle against the kingdom of darkness, and now you hear about it in me here in Rome.” Now they are hearing from this letter through Epaphroditus how he is fighting in a Roman jail in chains. He is engaged in a gladiatorial contest of life or death for the gospel. This implies a prodigious exertion of energy against a very powerful foe, Satan.
He is suffering now in jail, and he is standing firm, fighting, and not fearing. What are the consequences? It is a sign of destruction to unbelievers… many are led to salvation, even in Caesar’s palace. All of it leads to the progress of the gospel, and it was a sign of salvation for him. He is closer to Christ and wrote the deepest epistles from jail. We see a man who is overflowing with divine joy. So, he sets himself as a wonderful example to stand firm and be ready to suffer for Christ.
Application
Firstly, do you see what a great gospel work you can do in the hands of God when you stand firm, fight, and do not fear? You cannot be used by God to bring anyone to Christ if you are fearful or cowardly, nodding your head and saying, “yes, sir.” We have to be humble and gentle, but when it comes to gospel truths, people should see an iron firmness in us. The great need of our church today is unshakable courage and a spirit to fight for the spread of the true gospel.
See the power of unshakable courage. In today’s hardened, stubborn culture of idolatry on one side and false Christianity on the other, we cannot have any big impact if we are fearful and spineless. We have to be bold in the office, in the shop, in the school, at home, with our neighbors, wherever you may be. Even if people oppose us, it is only our undaunted courage that can pierce through all their outward, fleshly covering and pierce their consciences, making them realize we are speaking the truth. Our boldness is a sign, a token, a proof of their coming perdition. We cannot wage a war for truth without touching the conscience. God has called us to be conscience-waking through the gospel.
Be bold! We have to try in every way to awaken the conscience of people when we see them doing wrongs, sinning, speaking bad words, worshipping idols, or dishonoring God. Use that to awaken their conscience. Who knows what our courage will do to them?
Isn’t this our problem? We are fearful. Why are we not able to share the gospel and strive to spread the gospel fearlessly? We are fearful of the suffering and outcomes. We may be insulted, people may think wrongly of us, and they may isolate us. But God says we have to see suffering for the gospel’s sake as a gift from God.
See what horrible, selfish lives we are living. What will suffering do to me, to my comfort zone, to me socially and personally? We must learn from this passage. If our passion is to live a life worthy of the gospel, then our prayer should be, “Lord, give me the grace to stand firm, to fight, and may I in nothing be terrified by my adversaries. May my courage be a proof that speaks to the conscience of unbelievers, showing them that they are going to stand before You in judgment. Maybe my courage will awaken their conscience, and at the same time, may that courage and whatever suffering You send me strengthen my confidence that I am indeed Your child. This suffering and conflict is a gift from God, and so victory is sure for all those who fight this war. So, fight on.” Unless we stop seeing suffering from a selfish point of view and see it this way, as a granted gift, we will not be able to do anything for the gospel.
If the Holy Spirit can just transform our minds and help us see every rejection and every insult we receive for the gospel as a blessing and a privilege, we will be very bold. And when people reject us and don’t care, we will take it with a smile and joy that we are counted worthy to suffer for the gospel.
Oh, may God break this selfish shyness in many of us. Isn’t this our problem, not only hindering us from speaking the gospel but even within the church? We shy away from talking to new people in the church. New people don’t understand we are the most shy church; they take it as an insult and go away saying we don’t have love. Yes, I was a shy person. Most of us… can we call ourselves a church for shy people?
This selfish shyness is impacting fellowship even within our church members. It’s “touch and go.” Oh, why? “If we speak too much, they may insult us, speak something wrong.” We are fearful that we will hurt them or they will get offended. Oh, give me a break! Shake yourself of this shyness. How many years will we be like this? Shy, shy… come out of it. When will we get out of our comfort zone? We come shyly and go away. Stop! If we don’t become bold, nothing will be achieved for the gospel. God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power and boldness. If you are still shy, you are grieving the Holy Spirit. Oh God, give us boldness for the gospel. See, Paul says that boldness is a sign of our salvation and the victory of the gospel. If we continue to shy away in fear, we are living lives unworthy of the gospel, and it may be a bad sign for us. I plead, come out of your shyness.
Pray to God for boldness. Step outside your comfort zone. Start small. Come out of your comfort zone, go and start talking to someone new every week, not the same groups. God’s purpose in your life cannot be fulfilled unless you learn to interact with others.
Start small: Take baby steps outside your comfort zone. If speaking in front of large groups is overwhelming, start by striking up conversations with one or two people after church.
Focus on others: Stop thinking that everyone is looking at you. Shift your focus away from yourself and onto others. Ask questions, listen attentively, and show genuine interest in people’s lives. This can take the pressure off and make it easier to connect.
Find your niche: Look for opportunities to serve in your church or community where your skills and interests can shine. This can boost your confidence and build meaningful relationships.
We have created discipleship groups. We don’t have gospel boldness, so that also will be “touch and go.” We have to boldly and firmly execute. “Oh, that brother said something off. That sister felt upset. I will not talk to her.” Stop! This year we have a goal for each of us to bring two people. If we start standing firm, we will be able to bring two every month.
Be bold in service. Silently… can someone start saying “amen” loudly? The praying brother will be encouraged. “Lord,” the brother prays. Can someone loudly say “amen”? Only Francis says it. Men, where are your voices? So many of you just quietly come and go. Say “amen.” First, show boldness inside. That should wake others’ consciences. The Lord said to Joshua before you conquer anything, you have to conquer your internal fear and shyness. Be strong and courageous. Our faith’s sign is boldness. Unbelief is a sign of fear and shyness. May God break this curse among us.
Those of you sitting here who are still not saved and have not put your faith in Christ: However much you may reject my word, reject God, and reject the gospel, I keep speaking to you again and again, and you know why? Because inside you, there is a monitor called conscience that softly tells you what I am saying is right. That is a hook that God has put inside you to pull you to the gospel.
The voice has been regularly telling you about the wrongs you do, and He’s been reminding you that one day you’ll stand before God and receive punishment for all you do now. Your conscience tells you judgment is coming for you. When I preach about hell and judgment, there’s an inner sense of terror and dread. You say, “I know it’s true.” The voice has been thundering to you at times in your own conscience.
Even though you’ve tried to dismiss such thoughts, even though you’ve done your best to try to ignore that by being busy with mobiles, phones, and entertainment, when you are alone with nothing to do, it speaks to you. You try your best to avoid that. In fact, all your life you are running away, hiding from that conscience. Don’t you sense deep inside that you are running from something that is talking to you inside, but you are unable to escape? Children, you can escape from your parents’ reminders, but do you find peace? You know why? The voice inside seems to be scourging you always, making you feel depressed always. Telling you are wrong, it will never give you peace.
Oh, my friend, listen. Don’t stifle the voice of conscience. It is the image of God’s voice in you. It can lead you to God. There’s an hour coming when God will force every man to see that what conscience told him all his life is true. That’s the day of judgment. Oh, how scary. And if there is anything that meets the description of hell as the place where the worm never dies and the fire is never quenched, the picture of a consuming worm that is always eating and yet always has something upon which to feed, surely it must be the worm of a guilty, condemned, and uncleansed conscience in hell to remind you that every single pang of agony that streaks across your whole humanity for eternity is deserved. Every bit of it is deserved, my friend. Because it will rise like a giant and with a hammer, beat and tell you, “Didn’t I tell you? Didn’t I tell you? You are doing wrong… that wrong… all your sins will be terribly punished. You didn’t listen. You deserve all this eternal hell.”
There’s only one place where that conscience can be completely cleansed and satisfied, and it fills you with peace. It is not religion, not church rituals, not a Ganga wash or baptism, not in temporarily silencing it by religious activities. “Oh, I feel guilty, so I will read the Bible, pray, and feel good,” or turning a deaf ear to it.
Only in one place can your conscience be cleansed. You go to Him who hung upon a cross and there bore in His own body the wrath of Almighty God against sins. See His body full of scourging, dripping with flesh and blood for sins, which reflects your conscience. You behold His horrible, terrible pain, His body suffering the hell of hells, in the writhing form of Jesus Christ. You listen to the cry of dereliction, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” See how God’s anger burned against sin when it was judged in His only beloved, only begotten Son. And you flee to Him who cried, “It is finished.”
When you put your faith fully on Him and His work on the cross, saying, “Lord, you died for my sins which my conscience accuses, I trust you,” you show your guilty conscience to it. “Yes, conscience, I don’t have to hide or keep running from facing you anymore. Stop and say to that conscience, ‘Yes, I am horrible, I am deserving. I have done horrible things deserving eternal hell. But now I put my faith in the one who died on Calvary. See there how he suffered for me. Is that suffering enough?'” Then, the conscience that scourges you always will be completely satisfied and cleansed. A peace like a river you have never known will flow in your heart. Today, I am preaching the gospel to you boldly. It is a sign to you that you are going to hell. Why don’t you believe in Christ today, so this becomes a sign of salvation to you?
Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Bangalore 