Jump Start # 1608

Philippians 4:15 “You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone”

  Our verse today is interesting for several reasons. First, it shows that N.T. pattern that a church sent money directly to the preacher. In this case, it was Paul. The money was NOT sent to another church, and then to Paul. The money wasn’t sent to some organization which made decisions who would get what and how much. This was a choice of the Philippian church. They sent their money to Paul. He received what they sent. This is exactly what they wanted done. Paul got it. There was no middle man taking his cut. There was no money that went to some general fund and from that a portion was sent to Paul. One church decided that they wanted to help Paul, and they did. This is the way it ought to be done. Far too many times, others get involved. Things get messy. It doesn’t look like what happened here. This is so easy and so simply. Just do what the Philippians did.

Secondly, we notice that no one else helped Paul but the Philippians. He says, “No church shared with me…but you.” Were there other churches? Certainly. Why did they not help out? Didn’t have any money? Didn’t see the importance? Who knows. Later on, when Paul is in Rome and is tried by Caesar, he states that no one stood with me. They all deserted him.

It’s a cold feeling when others let you down. This is especially true when fellow Christians let you down. This is all it takes for some to quit. They get so disappointed with what others have done that they will give up the journey. They throw in the towel. They are done. You’ll notice Paul didn’t do that. No church but the Philippians came through. He doesn’t quit. He doesn’t give up.

Sometimes we can be let down by the person we are married to. We can feel that the marriage has become one sided. I’ve heard some even say, “It seems that I am the only one that cares about this marriage.” This may be the words of a wife whose husband comes home and buries himself in front of the TV each evening until it is bed time. The kids need him, but that isn’t happening. There are things he could do around the house to help out. But he doesn’t. He works and he watches TV.

Sometimes we can be let down by our church family. Maybe there has been some problems, a crisis and you had to endure it alone. Maybe you longed for spiritual fellowship, but you were excluded. Maybe you were hungry for some depth and teachings, but no one stepped up to help you. You come to worship, but you feel alone in a crowd. It seems that no one is interested in you. It seems that you are invisible and people see right past you. Being let down by your church family is hard to deal with. It’s hard to continue on when that happens. It’s enough for some to say, “I’m done.”

When we read about Paul’s trial before Caesar and the mention of everyone deserting him, he reminds us that the Lord stood with him and strengthened him. The Lord will not desert you. The Lord will not leave you. The Lord will not let you down. Others may forsake you, but the Lord won’t. Don’t quit the Lord because of what others have done. Don’t take your disappointment in others out on the Lord. Paul stayed with the Lord, until the very end. He finished. He kept. He fought. Even though other churches didn’t come through for him. Even though other Christians didn’t do as they ought to do.

Far too many times we get all worked up about how others have treated or mistreated us. We can’t move past those things. We dwell on what others have failed to do. We talk and talk about it. We can put far too much attention and concern about how we are treated rather than how the Lord is being honored and obeyed.

There is a wonderful third lesson found in our verse today. Those amazing Philippians. They came through. They delivered. They were there for Paul. No other churches BUT the Philippians. Thank you, Philippians. What they did made a difference. What they did was recognized by Heaven and greatly appreciated by Paul. What they did was amazing. Now, do you see a lesson here? Do we praise the Philippians in our lives or are we only seeing the churches that did nothing? Elijah had this problem. He thought he was the only one who was doing right. He never saw the thousands, not dozens, not hundreds, but thousands, who had not bowed to Baal. Why did he not know about them? Why did he not see them? Could it be that he only saw the churches that did nothing rather than the Philippians that did what they could?

We can feel the same way about our homes. Maybe we don’t see the teenager who is helping out. We can feel this way about our church family. Maybe we don’t see the family that is doing what they can. Maybe we don’t see the deacon who comes down to the church house on a Saturday morning to do what he can. It is so easy to focus upon the churches that don’t do anything, rather than the Philippians who did what they could.

I guess this is nothing more than the “half empty or half full” principle. Complaining about what others are not doing can blind us to what some are doing. We can paint with a broad brush the gloom and doom picture. A teenager sleeps during services. We can think all the teenagers are weak. Someone forgets their class book and we can declare that no one is interested. That broad brush of generalization often points the finger at people who are innocent and more than that, people who are trying.

Have you been let down by others? You can spend the rest of your life reliving that sad memory over and over, or, you can be thankful that God has put some Philippians in your life. You have been blessed. God is good to you. God’s people are amazing, talented, and helpful.

The way some talk, I wonder why they even show up at church on Sunday. Nothing is right. Nothing is good. Nothing is working. Instead of dwelling on that, maybe we ought to see what an awesome spiritual family there is. They give a guy a second chance. They love. They care. And even when some fumble the ball, there is always a Philippian here or there that will make a difference.

No church…but the Philippians. Something to think about.

Roger

Jump Start # 1605

Philippians 2:4 “Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

  One of my dearest friends, Rickie J., is with us for a couple of days. He is an amazing friend and an incredible preacher. He’ll be speaking for us tonight in our special spring series and I can’t wait to hear him. We have preached at each other’s place many times and have been together in lectureships. We have a common saying that we share often with each other that came from a story I told a long time ago. We end emails with “I wish I was you.”

We were up last night catching up, taking concerns and talking about preaching. In our conversation Rickie shared a great quote he found in a book, “It’s none of my business what you think about me.” That’s a great thought. It’s none of my business what you think about me.

Each person has the right to think what they want. They may think too highly of me than what they should. They may think wrongly about me. They may think bad of me. They might not even thing about me at all. We get all worked up worrying about what others think about us. We want people to like us, but some go out of their way to put so much effort into trying to get others to think highly of them. This is the Hollywood scene. It is also the Main Street scene. This is why bullying is so effective and destructive. We worry about what others think about us. That concern leads to making sure our image is spotless. We want to look good to others, even if we are not good on the inside. Image and perception replace character and substance. And all of this leads to the very things that Jesus noticed in the Pharisees, hypocrisy. They were like a cup that was washed on the outside, but on the inside it remained unclean. They were like tombstones that where white but under the soil was decaying bodies. The Pharisees were concerned what others thought about them. They wanted others to think they were righteous when they weren’t.

Imagine walking though a day and living this statement, “It’s none of my business what you think about me.” So a co-worker doesn’t like you.  A family member doesn’t like how you live within your means. A church member doesn’t like how you are raising your kids. Have you noticed what some thought about Jesus? Some of his own family said that He was “out of his mind.” Some said He had a demon. Some used the racial expression that He was a Samaritan. They criticized Him for what day of the week He healed people. They criticized Him for what town He was from. They didn’t like what his disciples did. They demanded He change. They questioned Him. They accused Him. Jesus wasn’t bothered by what others thought about Him. What He did, was live true to His values, convictions and the will of His Father. Jesus remained true to His purpose and mission. He wasn’t reshaped by what others thought about Him. He didn’t change because others wanted Him to.

That’s what we have to do. Now, if we are not doing right, we ought to listen to what others tell us. But if we are living according to the word of God, walking in the Lord daily, then it doesn’t matter what others think about us. That includes family members. That includes co-workers. That includes church members. This is a hard lesson for those of us that preach. We hear it all. We want to be liked. But if we are more concerned about our image and what people think about us than simply living for Christ, we will always be changing and becoming what other people want. It’s none of my business what you think about me.” I’m going to keep doing what God says. You may not like me. That’s your business. You may “de-friend” me. That’s your business. You may not invite me. That’s your business. It’s not my business to be concerned about what you think about me.” I am to please the Lord. If you don’t like that, that’s not my problem. It’s not my business what you think about me.

After Rickie and I talked about that statement, we came up with another expression. “It’s none of my business what you think about me…but it is my business what I think about you.” I am in control of my mind, my heart and my attitude. What I think about you, is my business. I am to be kind, compassionate and loving toward you. I am to pray for you. You may not like me, but I still need to be Christ like towards you. This is nothing more than the golden rule of Matthew 7. I am to do unto you as I would want you to do to me. You may not ever do what you should to me, however that will not stop me from doing what I should to you. The golden rule is not a response or a reaction to how you treat me. If you are nice, then I will be nice. If you ignore, then I will ignore. No, rather, if you are not nice, I still will be nice. If you ignore, I won’t ignore.

It is my business what I think about you. It is my business what I do towards you. It is my business how I treat you. We seem to get this all backwards. We go home in tears, like a middle school girl, if someone says something unkind to us. That’s their business. They may not know the whole story. They may be influenced by other things. They may just be mean. What they think about me, is not my business. We can get so worked up and bothered about what others think about us. Worrying about what others think about us has led some to switch jobs. It has led some to find another church. We put so much attention into what others think about us. We cannot control what others think.

Just live a righteous life in the grace of the Lord. Don’t worry what others think about you. You know. The Lord knows. I’ve had people come to me all upset because they believed someone didn’t like them. I don’t know what the solution to that problem is. Just live your life. It’s none of your business what they think about you. But what you think about them, IS certainly your business. That’s where we need to put our focus. We must be sure that we don’t act in ways that God wouldn’t be pleased with.

Maybe our feelings would be hurt less if we understood that “it’s none of your business what others think about you.” That’s a great statement. I hope to get that into my DNA. It certainly would make the day go more smoothly.

Roger