The First Task of the Church
Philippians 1:12-30
I know that you were looking forward to another eleven weeks in Genesis, but there is, in fact, a whole other testament to the Bible that we haven’t touched since early June. It’s called the New Testament and it concerns this man named Jesus. Today we begin a more modest four-week series through one of the smaller books of the New Testament, Paul’s Letter to Philippians. Philippians comprises just four chapters, and we’re going to read a bit from each one, beginning today with chapter one.
The Revised Common Lectionary, which I generally follow, begins the reading for chapter one with verse twenty-one, but as you just heard we began our reading with verse twelve. That’s because it’s important for us to understand Paul’s context in writing this letter, and as you heard in verse thirteen, Paul refers to his “imprisonment for Christ.” Paul wrote this letter while under house arrest, probably in Rome, although there is some debate about where exactly he was confined.
Paul had been accused of sedition and of being one who stirs up riots, making him a threat to public order, a charge that the Romans took seriously. As a Roman citizen, however, Paul was not thrown into a dungeon but was placed under house arrest. Although he was under constant guard, he was able to live in his own rented lodging, receive visitors, and continue teaching and corresponding, writing letters such as this one addressed to the church in Philippi.
Philippi…now this was a town with some history! Located in what is today northeastern Greece, Philippi was founded in 356 BC by Philip II, the father of Alexander the Great. Three centuries later, in 42 BC, Philippi was the scene of a great battle in the Roman civil war that erupted after Julius Caesar was assassinated. In the Battle of Philippi the forces of Octavian and Mark Antony—allies of Caesar—defeated his assassins, the senators Brutus and Cassius, effectively ending the Roman Republic. Octavian would go on to become the first emperor of Rome and would become known by his title, Augustus.
Many of the veterans who fought for Octavian in the Battle of Philippi settled there, having been given land as a reward for their victory. Over time, Philippi became a full-on Roman colony. Philippians were automatically given Roman citizenship, were exempt from land taxes, and were granted a degree of self-governance. Philippi was like a little slice of Rome on the Aegean Sea.
Paul was intimately familiar with the history and culture of Philippi, and as we’ll see later, intentionally addressed the church there using language with military overtones but in a highly subversive way. Paul knew Philippi not only from his history lessons but from having planted the church there. Paul first visited Philippi about ten years prior to writing this letter, having been directed there by a dream in which he heard a man beckoning him to cross the sea and come to Macedonia, the wider region of which Philippi was a part.
Through a series of conversions—first a merchant named Lydia, then an enslaved woman possessed by a spirit, and finally the jailer who kept Paul and his partner Silas under lock and key after they were arrested for proclaiming Christ—Paul established an outpost for the gospel in this predominantly pagan part of the world. From the seed of those three conversions grew the very first church planted on European soil.
Perhaps because he had not initially planned to visit Philippi, or because of the unlikely nature of the first conversions, or because of the church’s loyal support of Paul’s other missionary endeavors, Paul had a uniquely close and tender relationship with the church in Philippi, as we’ll see over the course of the next three weeks. One way that shows up is in the number of times that Paul uses the words “joy” and “rejoice” in this letter. For example, Paul rejoices in the prayers that the church offers for him, even while he is imprisoned.
Can one feel joy while in prison? How is that possible?
Can one feel joy while in prison? How is that possible? Even while Paul was under house arrest, not languishing in a dank Roman dungeon, he was still in literal chains, shackled to a Roman guard at all times. He had no freedom of movement. He was still under a potential death sentence. And yet he can say with joy, “my imprisonment is for Christ.” “I have been put here for the defense of the gospel.”
Paul doesn’t lament his imprisonment. He doesn’t bewail the fact that he has been persecuted for proclaiming Jesus. Compare that with people today who cry “Persecution” when the cashier wishes them “Happy holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas!” Paul is facing legitimate persecution and possible execution, and yet the word on his lips is “rejoice.” “Yes, and I will rejoice,” he writes, “for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my salvation.”
This is not a blind trust that Paul has. It is not a hope that everything will work out for the best. Paul has already observed how his persecution has served as proclamation for the gospel. Again, this is why having the fuller context for this passage, going back to verse 12, is so important. It helps us see the irony at work that is the source of Paul’s joy. “I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually resulted in the progress of the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for Christ.”
In other words, Paul is saying of the Roman authorities, they may have confined me to my home to silence me, but all they’ve done is allowed me to proclaim Christ to an even wider audience. Now even the imperial guard over seeing Paul’s imprisonment have heard the gospel!
What’s more, Paul’s imprisonment has served to energize and instill confidence in his fellow Christians in Rome, who now “dare to speak the word with greater boldness and without fear.” Who dare to speak the word with greater boldness and without fear.
Fear, in some ways, is the opposite of faith. Not doubt but fear.
Fear, in some ways, is the opposite of faith. Not doubt but fear. Fear of letting go of old ways and embracing the way of Christ. Fear of what people may think when you do so. Fear of the ruling authorities who might be hostile to Christ’s proclamation of good news for the poor and his call to welcome the stranger. And then, of course, there is the fear of death.
Death is an ever-present possibility for Paul as he awaits a hearing before a judge. In addition to the sedition charge that he faced, the Roman authorities did not take kindly to Paul’s referring to Jesus with the terms Lord and Savior. The Roman emperor at the time that Paul wrote Philippians was Nero, a man not exactly known for his humility. Among Nero’s many exalted titles were “lord of the whole world” and “savior and benefactor of the inhabited world.” Now, the Romans understood salvation differently than how Paul meant it. For the Romans salvation was a political matter, rather than a spiritual one. It referred to the safety, prosperity, and civic order provided by the emperor. Even so, Paul’s language was highly provocative and set the church in opposition to the empire.
You might think that the threat of death would give Paul pause, maybe make him consider dialing it down a bit. You might think that, but that’s not what happens. Quite the opposite, in fact. Paul writes that “by my speaking with all boldness Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death.”
Not only does Paul not fear death, in a way he welcomes it, because in death he will be united to Christ. “For to me,” he writes, “living is Christ and dying is gain.” If Paul lives, that means he can continue preaching and teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, a calling to which he is especially suited and in which he has been remarkably successful. And yet, in spite of all the churches that he’s planted, the conversions he’s made, and the friendships he’s formed, he writes, “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better, but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you.” In other words, I’d prefer to die and be with Christ, but you all need me, so I don’t think I’m going anywhere.
And now we come to the heart of the passage. Everything that’s come before has been exposition. Now we come to exhortation. Having described the circumstances in which he wrote the letter and how he has carried out his calling as an evangelist, now Paul exhorts the Philippians to fulfill their calling. “Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel and in no way frightened by those opposing you.”
Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel. That’s the key phrase. But what does it mean? One common way of understanding it has been to hear Paul addressing individual Christians, as if he were saying to each individual, “Be moral. Be righteous. Read Scripture. Pray. Attend church.”
Another similar way of understanding what living in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ means has been to accentuate what the follower of Christ ought not to do. Don’t lie. Don’t cheat. Don’t steal. Don’t curse at the driver who cut in front of you without signaling.
The first task of the church is to be the church.
But both of these interpretations miss the fact that Paul is addressing the church not as individual believers but as one body, not as individuals but as a collective…almost as though they were a military unit. In fact, Paul’s language suggests just that. He wants to see the Philippian church “standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind, and in no way frightened by those opposing you.” That sounds like a Roman general addressing his army before battle, which suggests two things. First, Paul understands the cultural context of the Philippians. He knows that there are many veterans of the Roman Legion living in Philippi, perhaps even some within the church. This type of language will resonate with them.
Second, and I think more significantly, Paul is getting at the mission of the Church, not just the church in Philippi but the Church of Jesus Christ everywhere. Paul is suggesting that the mission of the Church will set it in opposition to the world. He says as much in verse 29, acknowledging that God has graciously granted the Philippians “the privilege not only of believing in Christ but of suffering for him as well.” That shows an understanding of the Church as set apart from, and in some sense, set against the world.
I’ve mentioned in the announcements for several weeks now that for the next session of the Tea-ology Book Club we’ll read a book co-authored by Stanley Hauerwas. Hauerwas has a gift for crafting short, pithy lines that are not only memorable but also theologically rich. His most famous one I’m going to save for next week. But another worthy contender is the following: “The first task of the church is to be the church.”
Now, that may leave you saying, “Duh!” or perhaps “Huh?”, so let me try to explain what I think Hauerwas means when he says that the first task of the church is to be the church. What makes the church the church is that the church knows the story of how God is with us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. What makes the world the world is that the world does not know or does not accept that story. And so God has created and equipped and empowered the church to proclaim that story to the world. In that sense, the church does not exist for itself, but in a real and tangible way the church exists for the world…even a world that is hostile to that story, as most of the Roman world was in Paul’s day, or indifferent to that story, as much of the world is today.
Therefore, to live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ means for us, as the church of Jesus Christ, to witness to the world, in our word and in our work, that Jesus Christ is Lord.