Paul tells the church at Philippi that the problems he had run into – most specifically his imprisonment, probably in Rome – is being used for good. He calls out directly the influence that he has been able to have in the imperial guard.
Paul adopted the perspective we should all take, even when we cannot see the specifics of what God is doing. “When you can’t see His hand, trust Heart.” There’s not a perfect comparison between COVID19 and Paul’s imprisonment, but we can certainly apply the same perspective of “Christ-colored glasses.”
Paul goes on to write about another challenge, that a set of Christians were preaching Christ with wrong motives, in fact trying to show up Paul, possibly some who had been with the church at Rome for a long time and resented Paul rolling in and speaking like an authority. Paul’s response to these people also was “Christ-colored”. As long as there is no false teaching or mistreatment, Paul says to celebrate the work of God, even if done through those who disagree with us or who act with wrong motives.
We are called to address all our issues and conflicts with that perspective. This is especially true within the church. We should approach all relationships with the same open hands and God-centered view.
We prefer the love that occurs among friends we have chosen. But we are called to love even those who we have not chosen, even those we may not get along with. The church is explicitly a place for us to exercise those muscles and to love even those wet may not have natural affection for, or may outright dislike.
Paul also puts this perspective towards the very questions of life and death. He wanted his entire life to both be centered on Christ and to center others on Him. And not just his life, but ultimately his death. “To live is Christ and to die is gain.”
How we live determines what death means. Money, power, pleasure, fame are all things that “to live is” could mean, but in each case death means a loss of all of it. Some Christians live as it that verse was flipped – “to live is gain, to die is Christ.” Life is whatever we want it to be, and Jesus is just a life insurance policy.
But that’s not what we are called to – we are called to live for Christ, and are promised that our death will mean even more of Him.
– Sermon Notes, Mahlon Friesen, Seed Church, Lynnwood WA, May 24, 2020