After reading the section, go back and read verses 1: 27 - 30 again.
Paul has been writing about his circumstances and how he chose to respond to them. Then he talks about the circumstances that the Philippians are having to deal with and how he wants them to respond. In verse 27 he shifts gears ... the content of the letter moves from personal comments to exhortation, to teaching.
"Whatever happens." You see, Paul does not know the outcome of his trial. He does not know what his tomorrow might bring. The Philippian believers did not know the details of their next days either. Neither do we. So - whatever happens - Paul wants those believers (and us believers!) to know some things.
First, he wants us to know that it is of critical importance that we conduct ourselves in a worthy manner. Worthy of what? Worthy of our citizenship. The word he chose that is translated "conduct" is a political word. Philippi was a Roman colony - so it was a little piece of Rome even thought it was far from the capital city. Philippians were proud of their Roman citizenship. Paul plays off that pride with the language he chose. It is as if he says, "You are proud of being Romans. You walk as Roman citizens. But, you, my fellow believers, are actually citizens of the Kingdom of God. So walk as a citizen! Conduct yourselves as citizens of the Kingdom of God. All the way through the "whatevers" of life." The church is to be a little piece of the Kingdom of God on earth. So, my fellow believers, conduct yourselves as citizens of that kingdom ... whether you live in the United States, or Mexico, or England, or Russia, or ... conduct yourselves as befits your real citizenship.
How do we do that? Now Paul changes images in his language. He now moves to an athletic reference. When he says, "stand firm" and "contend as one man for the faith of the gospel", he uses words that are generally used in an athletic context. So the image is one of teamwork ... together ... one goal. Which, from Paul's perspective, is the advancement of the gospel. We have already talked about what gospel means ... the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. We stand united ... we work together ...
All Satan has to do to damage the testimony of Christ's church is to divide us - to convince us to pull in different directions - to fight each other. And his tactics have proven very effective.
Let's be different! Let's stand together and say, "No more!" We will hear the words of Paul ... we will respond to the spirit of Paul ... we will CHOOSE to stand united, contending for the faith of the gospel. I will not fight over things outside of the gospel. I will fight for the gospel, together with my fellow believers ... but I will scrupulously beware Satan's ploy to get me to fight over things that are not "gospel".
Paul reminds these believers that the way will not be easy. The task is hard and the opposition is fierce. But he encourages them to not be afraid.
I believe that if the apostle Paul walked into our churches today, he might say,
"Whatever happens, behave as citizens of the Kingdom of God. Stand united. Let the world fight and fume, quarrel and compete ... you behave differently. The only goal to fight for is the furtherance of the gospel. The advancement of the name and work of our Lord ... now THAT is worth fighting for. Don't be afraid. God is your Father ... the Lord is your brother ... and, whatever happens, you are secure in His Kingdom."Whatever happens ...
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