Do
everything without complaining or arguing,
So
that you may become Blameless and Pure,
Children
of God without Fault
In
a Crooked and Depraved Generation,
In
which you shine like stars in the Universe
As
you hold out the Word of LIFE--(Philippians 2:14-16)
Without
submission to Christ Jesus we are all Crooked and Depraved.
That
is why Christ Jesus came--
To
offer us a way out of this Terrible and Condemned Condition--
THE
ONLY WAY OUT--His Way—by His Truth—receiving His LIFE.
Everyone
else stands Condemned before the Living God. (Matthew 3:18)
This
is the Context for this natural life we have been given by God.
Listen
to the apostle Paul:
Paul
and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To
all the Saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi,
Together
with the overseers and deacons.
Grace
and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I
thank my God every time I remember you.
In
all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with Joy
Because
of your Partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now,
Being
confident of this,
That
He Who began a good work in you
Will
carry it on to completion until The Day of Christ Jesus.
It
is right for me to feel this way about all of you,
Since
I have you in my heart;
For
whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the Gospel,
All
of you share in God's Grace with me.
God
can testify how I long for all of you
With
the affection of Christ Jesus.
And
this is my prayer:
That
your love may abound more and more
In
knowledge and depth of insight,
so
that you may be able to discern what is best
And
may be Pure and Blameless until The Day of Christ,
Filled
with the fruit of Righteousness
That
comes through Jesus Christ—to the Glory and praise of God.
Now
I want you to know, brothers,
That
what has happened to me has really served to advance the Gospel.
As
a result, it has become clear throughout the whole Palace Guard
And
to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.
Because
of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord
Have
been encouraged
To
speak the Word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
It
is true that some preach Christ out of Envy and Rivalry,
But
others out of good will.
The
latter do so in love, knowing
That
I am put here for the Defense of the Gospel.
The
former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely,
Supposing
that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.
But
what does it matter?
The
important thing is that in every way,
Whether
from False Motives or True, Christ is preached.
And
because of this I rejoice.
Yes,
and I will continue to rejoice,
For
I know that through your prayers
And
the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
What
has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.
I
eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed,
But
will have sufficient courage so that now as always
Christ
will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
FOR
TO ME, TO LIVE IS CHRIST AND TO DIE IS GAIN.
If
I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for
me.
Yet
what shall I choose? I do not know!
I
am torn between the two:
I
desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;
But
it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.
Convinced
of this, I know that I will remain,
And
will continue with all of you for your progress and Joy in the Faith,
So
that though my being with you again
Your
Joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.
What
ever happens,
Conduct
yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ.
Then
whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence,
I
will know that you Stand Firm in One Spirit,
Contending
as one man for the Faith of the Gospel
Without
being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.
This
is a sign to them that they will be Destroyed,
But
that you will be Saved—and that by God.
For
it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ
Not
only to believe on Him, BUT TO SUFFER FOR HIM,
Since
you are going through the same struggle you saw I had,
And
now hear that I still have. (Philippians 1)
Today,
the World is raging against God, rushing toward oblivion. (Psalm 2)
This
World in its present form is passing away. (1 Corinthians 7:31)
America
is being ground to powder because of her SIN against God.
Save
yourself from this Corrupt Generation! (Acts 2:40)
As
God has written, so shall it be! Hallelujah! Maranatha!
Father,
Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as in Heaven!
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