Sometimes

Christians appear a little shaky. Some lash out at critics. In some

cases, because of fears that a “culture war” might cause trouble

for the church, some Christians urge people to engage in hardball

politics to try to get their way.

Make

no mistake: Paul tells the Philippians to stand firm and not to

compromise the gospel. We have enemies to face. But we have to face

them in a way that is consistent with the gospel and with Jesus, who

willingly suffered rather than lash out in anger. “Don’t be

scared of those who oppose you,” Paul says, in effect; “fear is

for uncertain people. But if we are certain that we have already won

the victory in Jesus, then we have nothing to fear, and our

confidence proves to our enemies that they have already lost!”

These

verses from Philippians deliver a daunting challenge. For Paul’s

first readers, this was not easy to do in the Roman Empire, where

hostility toward the church became state policy. Nobody would want to

suffer. Yet Paul says that suffering was “granted” to the

Philippians, as though it was a gift.

That’s

the way Paul saw it. To suffer for Jesus and like Jesus— well,

that’s a gift. And it helps the world see Jesus more clearly than

if we try to inflict suffering on others because of our fears.