Sermon Tone Analysis

What Do Christians Do?

The text is pretty straightforward.

“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents.

This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.” —

I think this text provides a behavioral definition of gospel worthy life.

I think Paul is saying that a life lived worthy of the gospel means “standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents.”

“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents.

This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.”

The text is pretty straightforward.

But there’s another way to take it.

It could be that Paul isn’t providing a definition of what it means to live a life worthy of the gospel, he’s assuming they know generally what that looks like.

And that this deep missional unity is the result of a group of people living lives worthy of the gospel.

If you want to know what it means to live a life worthy of the gospel of Christ, Paul gives a very simple definition.

So he’s either saying that living a life worthy of the gospel produces community or he’s saying that a deep commitment to biblical community produces is a gospel worthy way to live.

Does gospel community empower godly lives.

Or do godly lives empower gospel community?

“I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents.”

The definition of Christian success is bound up in Christian community.

A life lived alone is not a manner of life worthy of the gospel of Christ.

I can see it both ways.

Part of my job as a pastor is to help Christians who have spiritually broken down on the side of the road.

I’ve help change a few soul tires over the years.

Rodney has too.

I think we’d both say that there’s no way to be firm in the faith without fellowship.

See .

It is exceedingly difficult to live like God wants you to live without the help of other believers.

A life lived alone is not an appropriate adornment of the gospel.

It is exceedingly difficult to stick in a biblical community if you haven’t made the decision to live for Christ.

The main point of v. 27 is missional unity.

Brothers linking arms and striving together side by side for faith in the gospel.

But how exactly do we live a life linked arm and arm?

I’ve seen it play out both ways many times:

Like the good leader he is, Paul is modeling that very thing in his letter.

In the previous 26 verses, Paul does at least three things that make it possible to live life linked arm and arm.

God uses Christian community to kill sin.

Satan uses sin to Christian community.

1. Confidence in sanctification = patience with incomplete Christians (v.

3-11)

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,  4  always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,  5  because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

6  And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

7  It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

8  For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

9  And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,  10  so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,  11  filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Important things just aren’t as simple as people make them out to be.

I wanted to show you that conflict because we get quite tricky with ourselves.

See the unfinished verbiage (6, 9, 10, 11)

Two different cases:

There’s the Christian utterly defeated and saddened by his sin.

To him I would say, press into Christian community and you will see a difference.

He isn’t highlighting it here, but those unfinished parts of their soul are rough edges that cause pain.

We can be partners and still cause one another pain.

(5) We will hurt one another because that’s what sinners do.

But there’s another who is utterly disenchanted and unsatisfied with Christian community.

They mostly see how it has failed them.

And maybe it has.

But often, the real root is this — christian community is for people desperate to follow Christ.

They are not so much unsatisfied with the church as they are unsatisfied with Christ.

But there’s hope and delight anyway.

Jesus isn’t done with them.

They are unfinished.

We shouldn’t be afraid of our unfinished brother.

We should be confident for him.

However we read it, one thing we can say for sure.

2. Form community on anti-fragile mission (v.

12-21)

The definition of Christian success is inextricably bound up in the local church.

A life lived alone is not lived in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.

The main point of v. 27 is missional unity.

Brothers linking arms and striving together side by side for faith in the gospel.

But how exactly do we live a life linked arm and arm?

Community is only as strong as its common mission.

If the common mission is weak, the community will be weak as well.

But what if the mission is not only strong, but anti-fragile.

Like the good leader that he is, Paul is modeling this very thing in his letter.

In the previous 26 verses, Paul does at least three things that make it possible to live life linked arm and arm.

Nassim Taleb — Antifragile

Be grateful for your church —

There are weak things.

Strong things.

And then there are things that actually thrive when they’re threatened.

“Some things benefit from shocks; they thrive and grow when exposed to volatility, randomness, disorder, and stressors and love adventure, risk, and uncertainty.”

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”

Our common mission is the Great Commission and it will not fail“what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel” (12-13)“most of the brothers are more confident” (14)“some preach Christ out of envy, rivalry, selfish ambition, seeking to afflict” (15-17)

He’s remembering them often — “all my remembrance”

My glory is fragile.

Christ’s glory is anti-fragile.

It will not fail.

He’s praying for them often — “always in every prayer of mine”

He’s moved in his affections for them — “making my prayer with joy”

Church growth is fragile.

Buildings are fragile.

Programs are fragile.

Politics are fragile.

Personalities are fragile.

And if we partner together for these things, then its only a matter of time until the partnership implodes on itself.

3. Endure hardship with one another, for one another (v.

22-26)

He’s being grateful for loyalty — “because of your partnership in the gospel”

Let’s go through these with a little more detail.

Paul was faced with the choice to die and go to heaven or to stay.

He decided to stay for their sake.

He’s remembering them — v. 3

“I am hard pressed between the two.