Grace, mercy, and confidence of the on-going process of Holiness of believers

Philippians 1:1-11

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

“Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:1-2

Paul “adopted” Timothy in the same way that Jesus Christ has adopted us into the family of God. Timothy was from a home where his parents were not on the “same sheet of music“. This put Timothy in a “meat grinder” because his father was a Greek unbeliever and wasn’t supportive of raising Timothy as a Christian. In contrast, Timothy’s mother was a Jewish follower of Jesus Christ and raised Timothy to live by the Gospel. Paul brought Timothy out of that conflicted and divisive home to live with him in the Christian faith. This is described in Acts 16 and succinctly said in Acts 16:1.

Today, we live in a culture where much conflict and divisiveness are created between those who welcome the entity that gives them what to think, feel, say, and do and those who don’t. On is O.K. with having the image of the beast enlivened to live and speak through them, and the other is not. God wants to pull us out of the family of today’s culture, through Jesus Christ, to set us apart by embracing the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, most of the world has chosen to be groomed to the mark of the beast by what they are given to say and do. “All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb…” Revelation 13:8 The “him” in this verse is the beast of the image and mark of the beast.

This letter was sent to all of the believers in Philippi, along with the local Church leaders. Actually, the whole Bible is written to Christians, and the four Gospels are written to reveal to us God’s plan of Salvation to whoever believes in Him through His Son Jesus Christ, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

The most important greeting that we can give is one of grace and peace, the grace and peace received from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; Philippians 1:3-6

Our memories of Christian friends should be filled with joyful prayers, desiring fellowship with them in the Gospel Jesus Christ. Our confidence is that every member in the family of God will have an ongoing work of sanctification happening within them, through the Holy Spirit, and will continue until the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“…just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:7-8

Grace is what makes our sanctification happen, which means no matter how many times we slip, fall, and otherwise fail Jesus Christ, He is always there to pick us up and continue to complete the good work that He began in us. We are like newborn babies, we go through the “terrible twos”, have “teen-age” moments of rebellion, and we have to mature as adults in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. We are all partakers of the Gospel of Christ with Paul, who said by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.” Romans 7:14-15

Under grace, it is right for us to think well of other Christians, knowing that no matter how many “curve balls” this world throws at us, being struck out might be the end of the inning, but it is not the end of the game. God will always be there for us till the end of the game, through Jesus Christ by the presence of the Holy Spirit. We live in a world governed by a very powerful entity that has power over physiology to influence what we feel, think, say, and do, like the thief stilling candy from a baby. As Christians, we can say with Paul, about our love for fellow believers, “For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.“

“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1;9-11

The Holy Spirit gives us discernment in what we think, feel, say. and do, as a defense against the entity that has power over physiology to enliven the image of the beast to speak and live through us. “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:12-13

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11