1 Peter 12-2:11 NIVUK
[11] Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. [12] Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
I met my wife on the Operation Mobilisation ship MV Doulos. She wasn’t a missionary there. Neither was I. How we met there is a mixture of Divine planning and timing and my future wife’s biological need to use the ladies washroom.
But that’s another story.
What’s more important is that on that ship she participated in her first international missionary prayer meeting.
I was quite the veteran. I worked in a team of twelve people in Romania that came from ten different countries.
She, however, was not.
For the first time, she experienced the joy and wonder of that little taster of heaven, when people from multiple countries bow the knee and pray together to the same God for the same purpose.
If you've never experienced it, I pray that someday you will.
The wonderful thing is that, on that blessed night at the pier in Cebu City, Philippines, most people on that ship were in a minority. Few were Filipinos. Outside, going about their daily (or, in the case of this meeting, nightly) business were a million Filipinos. We were mostly foreigners, strangers, or, to use the parlance of the American immigration system, aliens.
From tens of different countries.
It was wonderful.
We live in societies in the West that have, unfortunately, retreated into ultra-nationalism and xenophobia, just at the same time as the rest of the world has become more mobile. We delight to, in modern terminology, ‘other’ people from nations that are not our own. It was ingrained in us. It’s a hard habit to break.
But it is absolutely wrong.
Colossians 3:11 NIVUK
[11] Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
This is what Paul taught:
Galatians 3:28 NIVUK
[28] There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Before the Throne of God, there is no ‘other’.
We are all foreigners. We have no right to remain. Only through Jesus Christ can we be accepted into the Kingdom of God. We have no right on our own.
We are going to spend the next seven weeks exploring the early church that was planted in the city of Philippi. This was a city originally founded by the Thasians. It was then conquered and re-named by Phillip 2nd of Macedon, before it eventually became a Roman outpost in Greece. Its temperate climate, relative comfort and riches attracted Roman soldiers who wanted to retire there after their service was over (like Spain for British people). That meant people from all over the Roman Empire who had served in the army could have settled there – not just native-bred Romans or Greeks.
Add to this its position on the Via Egnatia – which connected the Balkans and the Adriatic Sea to the main trade routes across Turkey and onto the Silk Road – and this small city would have been highly cosmopolitan and international.
Yet Paul doesn’t go there willingly: it takes a vision from God to move him to go there and preach his first sermon on European soil (Acts 16:6-10).
We quickly see why: although this city is clearly of great importance, there is no synagogue (that’s why Paul sought Jewish worshippers at a place of prayer outside the city gates – Acts 16:13). Everywhere else, Paul had used the Jewish community to gain a foothold, as he was a Jew. Here, there doesn’t seem to have been such a community of any scale – certainly not big enough to have their own place of worship.
Paul’s mission of preaching the Gospel and planting the church was a lot harder to fulfil.
And what a diverse church this was! Its early founders were a (likely very wealthy) trader in purple cloth to the rich (Acts 16:14), who was from Asia Minor (modern Turkey), and a jailer and his family (Acts 16:29-34).
So we have a church consisting of people from multiple nationalities, and different financial situations, not originating from a Jewish background, in a multi-ethnic trading centre whose one homogenous character was their honorary Roman citizenship (Acts 16:20-21).
Yet, unlike in Galatians, we see no pleas for unity in Philippians that are driven by national identity. Why?
Well, I think in a place like Philippi, where so many nationalities and ethnicities mixed freely on a daily basis, it just wasn’t an issue. Other things were – national identities were not.
However, a bigger issue is: how do you keep such a diverse group of people together when they likely don’t have much in common? How do you keep them together when the flames of persecution are flickering at their door?
Paul has the answer. As does Peter.
Focus.
It’s about the things you focus on and the things you leave to be blurred in the background, like a portrait picture.
Peter uses four points in his letter that we also see in Philippians.
The first of these is who you are.
1 Peter 2:11 NIVUK
[11] Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles... https://bible.com/bible/113/1pe.2.11.NIVUK
Paul echoes this identity in Philippians:
Philippians 3:20 NIVUK
[20] But our citizenship is in heaven. https://bible.com/bible/113/php.3.20.NIVUK
And Peter picks up the theme also, previously in 1 Peter:
1 Peter 1:17 NIVUK
[17] Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.
We even see it in Hebrews, where it’s used to describe Abraham and Sarah (Hebrews 11:13-16).
However, they were literally wanderers and nomads. They lived in tents (Hebrews 11:9). We do not.
So what could this mean for us?
Three things.
Firstly, we travel lightly.
I have lived in another country for an extended period on two occasions: Romania, for three years, and the Philippines, for four months. On both occasions I was restricted in the amount of luggage I could take. A true wanderer, or nomad, takes only what can be carried. They travel light.
This principle is embedded in Scripture, particularly as the church was being persecuted. They were commanded right from the beginning to hold lightly to material things and cling tightly to their Saviour (Matthew 6:19-34, see also 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 for a expansion of this principle). The reason why is simple: our love for anything more than Jesus could be used to manipulate us to abandon Him. So, as foreigners and strangers, we travel lightly.
Secondly, we have lesser rights.
This is really important, but nonetheless a controversial point nowadays. Think on it: a foreigner or tourist or traveller always has lesser rights than a citizen. They have no right to vote or meddle in local politics. There are always restrictions on what they can do or where they can go. And that is not wrong – it’s normal.
I’ll give you an example. My father-in-law used to be involved in local politics. An election was approaching. So he decided to hold a campaign meeting in his own front yard, where my wife and I were staying at the time. I stayed upstairs out of the way. I might have had my opinions on the Presidential candidate he was supporting, but, as a foreigner, I could not vote and should not interfere.
As Christians, followers of Jesus Christ and foreigners here, we deliberately choose not to avail ourselves of the rights and freedoms that other people use freely and without restraint. We do not get drunk. We do not indulge in sexual immorality. We keep our language clean. We seek to treat others as we want to be treated.
Lastly, as our citizenship is in heaven, we have another allegiance – and this is what profoundly irritates every nationalist or dictator in this sick world of ours. Yes, we love our country. Yes, we are loyal to our country. But our loyalty to our country is limited. Our loyalty to our God and to our heavenly country is not. So when the values of our earthly country and heavenly country collide, our loyalties to heaven win every single time.
This is what I mean by our focus being on who we are.
The second focus is on what we leave behind, as Peter continues:
1 Peter 2:11 NIVUK
[11] Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.
We must have in focus that, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, there are certain things that are just not okay for us, as Paul taught the Philippians:
Philippians 19-3:18 NIVUK
[18] For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. [19] Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. https://bible.com/bible/113/php.3.18.NIVUK
And as the writer to the Hebrews agrees:
Hebrews 3-12:1 NIVUK
[1] Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, [2] fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. [3] Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. https://bible.com/bible/113/heb.12.1.NIVUK
As followers of Jesus Christ, our focus leads us to set aside things that are simply not good for us and that impede our progress. We are like athletes in training. An athlete in training will not normally be consuming burgers or filling themselves with candy or downing fizzy drinks. These foods are bad for them. They add extra weight. So they go on a strict diet to gain and maintain physical and mental fitness.
Paul is very good at describing this situation elsewhere:
1 Corinthians 6:12 NIVUK
[12] ‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say – but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’ – but I will not be mastered by anything. https://bible.com/bible/113/1co.6.12.NIVUK
1 Corinthians 24-10:23 NIVUK
[23] ‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say – but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’ – but not everything is constructive. [24] No-one should seek their own good, but the good of others.
2 Timothy 7-2:3 NIVUK
[3] Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. [4] No-one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. [5] Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. [6] The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. [7] Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.
This generation has an exaggerated focus on their rights, as opposed to their responsibilities. Yes, I have the right to smoke or get drunk or sleep around with anyone I choose. No-one can, or should, stop me. That is not the issue. The issue is on where I should: whether by doing these things I will inflict harm on myself and the people around me. And there is no doubt that by doing so, I will.
Every Christian from every generation since the church began has faced moral questions on when they can and cannot do, on what and who they can and cannot support.
The wrong thing to do is to focus on ‘How far can I go? Where are the limits?’ That mentality leads to some theological and philosophical contortionism to justify the unjustifiable (see Matthew 23:16-23 for an example).
Instead, the focus should be on, ‘How will this affect my witness as a believer? Will I still be credible in my culture if I do this?’ If we think like this, then our mind will be much clearer on what is right and what is wrong for us.
However, it’s not just about who we are and what we leave behind, it’s also about what we do:
1 Peter 2:12 NIVUK
[12] Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. https://bible.com/bible/113/1pe.2.12.NIVUK
When we were younger, we did everything we could to fit in and make friends. We dressed like them. We spoke like them (for example, as my mother is English, I went to school with an English accent – I lost it in a week). We watched the same TV shows and movies, listened to the same music, read the same books.
But this verse says something quite striking.
As a Christian, you are weird. So be weird. Embrace the weirdness.
Don’t pretend to be something you are not. Live a good life among those who are living bad lives.
Paul also writes about this in Philippians:
Philippians 1:27 NIVUK
[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. https://bible.com/bible/113/php.1.27.NIVUK
Philippians 3:16 NIVUK
[16] Only let us live up to what we have already attained. https://bible.com/bible/113/php.3.16.NIVUK
In other words, our deeds are like a passport or ID card. We can say who we are, but a passport or ID card proves it. Likewise, the way that we live should prove what we say when we say we are following Jesus.
But there is also more than who we are, what we leave behind and what we do. There is also what we seek. There is a purpose in what we do. It's not random, as Peter explained:
1 Peter 2:12 NIVUK
[12] Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. https://bible.com/bible/113/1pe.2.12.NIVUK
The purpose is to bring God glory. We bring God glory not by singing about Him or talking about Him, but primarily by obeying Him and living out His commands in front of a sometimes hostile audience.
This is also what Paul taught in Philippians:
Philippians 1:21 NIVUK
[21] For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. https://bible.com/bible/113/php.1.21.NIVUK
Let me give you an example.
Shopping malls.
Every time you go into one, multiple shops use window displays to lure you in so you will buy something, and some of them can be pretty elaborate.
We are the shop window for Christianity. We are what people see. We are its reputation.
In a very real sense, we are its glory. As Jesus prayed about the disciples:
John 10-17:9 NIVUK
[9] I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. [10] All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them.
Or, in the opposite sense, when the Jews had sinned and been taken into exile:
Isaiah 52:5 NIVUK
[5] ‘And now what do I have here?’ declares the Lord. ‘For my people have been taken away for nothing, and those who rule them mock,’ declares the Lord. ‘And all day long my name is constantly blasphemed.
Our purpose, our reason for being, should not be to make money or to be rich or even to be satisfied. It should be that always, in everything, we should glorify God in what we do.
We should enhance His reputation in the world.
People should look at us and actually want to follow Jesus.
For that to happen, each of these four steps must have taken place:
· We must realise who we are – that we are fundamentally different
· We must leave behind anything that prevents us from meeting our goal
· We must seek to live good lives, even among those who might misunderstand or mistreat us
· We must do it so that other people praise God because of us and look to follow Him
Often, and particularly when we are young, we spend a lot of time thinking about why we are here – what we were put on this earth to do. We don’t need to: Peter has taught it right here, as has Paul.
And if we get this right, if we focus on this, then the Bible is clear: everything else in our life will resolve itself (Matthew 6:33).
Prayer
Lord Jesus, as I pass through this study on Philippians, help me to loosen my grip on the world and its myriad distractions. Help me to tighten my focus on You and the things that matter. Amen
Questions
1. Have you ever thought of yourself as a foreigner or exile? What might this mean to you?
2. What do you need to let go of to follow Jesus better?
3. Why should you seek to live a good life in front of others who might misunderstand or persecute you? What is the purpose in this?
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