College Hour

 Introduction: Paul is closing out his letter to the church wants to say thank you for their undying service and support for him. Here he gives us a picture of humility and appreciation for the body. This is important for us to remember because as Paul was appreciative of the service and gifts of others we too ought to appreciate the gift of service from other Christians in the body. We can learn a great deal from Paul’s attitude and Spirit toward the church. It would do us good to imitate him in our relationships one with another. 10 I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.

1. Paul’s Reflection

• True Service unto the Lord is always marked by service. When the body of Christ is compelled by the Lord to move on His behalf, it usually always involves a type of action.
• The Church in Philippi was a Church of Action. Paul here, remembers that they have always been concerned for him, and was always willing to support the ministry.
  1. This church was a giving church
  2. This church was a church of service
  3. This church was a church of generosity

All of these things ought to mark the believer as they walk together with other Christians through life. We should resemble this church. She had all of the qualities of a godly ministry. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

1. Paul’s Recognition

• Servants with grateful hearts work at recognizing humility. Paul is not asking for help here, but by remembering the church’s gifts he can recall how he has had to deal with many situations in life.
• Servants who are content with what they have, and who they are can live in any situation and see the Lord at work in spite of their circumstances.
• This verse implies that contentment is a learned behavior. It is both caught and taught. When one is content they have found the secret to happiness.
• Paul was in prison but yet able to find contentment in his situation. How was this so? Because of Jesus, he was able to endure what ever came his way.

Phil 4:12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. III.       Paul’s Realization

• The secret here to the life of the Christian is to understand the life of contentment.
• The life of contentment is the life that is lived in the freedom from being possessed by possessions.
• The life of contentment can’t be ruled by possessions
• The life of contentment can’t be monopolized by circumstances, it supersedes this and any terrible conditions that I may find myself in.
  1. If you have never been in need, then you can not know what it means to not desire something, you can’t have. Paul say’s “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.
  2. Every person has experienced this phenomenon at sometime or another in life. But here Paul says it is quite possible to be in a dangerous area in your life and still be content in Jesus.

Phil 4:13 [I can do all things]

• From the experience which Paul had in these various circumstances of life, he comes here to the general conclusion that he could "do all things." He could go through any trial, perform any duty, subdue his nature, and meet all the temptations of prosperity or adversity.
• His own experience with the changes of life had him arriving at this conclusion; and now he can easily express confidence that nothing that comes his way would be able to stop him.
• Paul was not boasting here but resting in the fact that he had learned how to view all things and to trust Christ through every situation.

[Through Christ which strengthened me] Note: Jesus does not only guide and direct the circumstances of our life, but he strengthens us in them and through them. The child of God can not go through anything that their Father in heaven does not allow. (1) As a child of God We need not sink under any trial, for there is one who can strengthen us. (Jesus is his name) (2) As a child of God We need not yield to temptation. There is one who is able to make a way for our escape. (Jesus is his name) (3) As a child of God We need not be harassed, and tortured with sinful thoughts and unholy desires. There is one who can destroy evil thoughts we don’t need. (Jesus is his name) (4) As a child of God We need not worry about what is to come. Trials, temptations, poverty, want, persecution, may await us, at every step of life, but Jesus Christ is able to strengthen us, and can bring us through.    

  Spiritual warfare and the world have been in existence since the fall of man. The early church leaders suffered at the hands of Satan and were brutally killed because of their faith. Historians capture these events so that modernity might not forget them. According to Scripture, the followers of Jesus and early church fathers endured spiritual warfare with the world. Satan, the prince and power of the air, convinced men that Christianity was evil and that it must be silenced on earth (Acts 7:12). Stephen The first church Martyr was Stephen in Acts 7:57–58. He was stoned to death because of his faith. Judaism tried to destroy the works of the church. World religion was at war with Christianity. Since that day, world governments and religions have attempted to wipe out the gospel. James James, the son of Zebedee, the elder brother of John, was led to the place of martyrdom, and beheaded for his faith. Phillip the Apostle Phillip the Apostle labored diligently in Upper Asia and suffered martyrdom. He was scourged, thrown into prison, and afterwards crucified (A.D. 54).[4] Matthew The fourth apostle to face martyrdom was Matthew. He was a toll-gatherer. History says he served the Lord in Ethiopia and was slain for the gospel in A.D. 60.[5] James the Less Another apostle and victim of spiritual warfare with the world was James the less. He was elected to oversee the churches in Jerusalem and was the author of the Epistle ascribed to James. At the age of ninety-four, the Jews stoned and beat him; finally, they dashed out his brains with a fuller’s club. This too was an act of spiritual warfare.[6] Matthias Matthias was killed for the sake of the gospel. Matthias took Judas the betrayer’s place as a disciple. His death was a stoning for his faith. These events took place in Jerusalem where he was beheaded.[7] Andrew Andrew was the younger brother of Peter, a follower of Jesus. According to Winston, he preached the gospel to many Asiatic nations, but on his arrival at Edessa, he was taken and crucified on a X shaped cross. He was killed for his faith and for following Christ.[8] Mark Mark, the writer of the Gospel of Mark was dragged to death, because he opposed the gods of Egypt.[9] Peter Church Historian, Jerome, says that Peter was crucified with his head being down and his feet upward, because he said, “I am unworthy to be crucified after the same form and manner as the Lord was.”[10] Paul Paul also suffered under Nero. The soldiers led Paul out of the city to the place of execution where after his prayers, gave his neck to the sword.[11] Jude Jude, the brother of James, was commonly called Thaddeus. He was crucified at Edessa, because of his affection and obedience to Jesus Christ. His charge was that he was Christ’s disciple. This happened in A.D. 72.[12] Bartholomew Bartholomew, before his death, preached in several countries and translated the Gospel of Matthew into Indian language. Because of his ministry in India, he was cruelly beaten and then crucified by idolaters.[13] Thomas Thomas, called Didymus, preached the gospel in India where, exciting the rage of the pagan priests, he was martyred with a spear.[14] Luke Luke the evangelist who travelled with Paul supposedly was hung on an olive tree.   John John, the beloved disciple, was brother to James the Great, was cast into a cauldron of boiling oil, banished to the Isle of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of Revelation. He was the only apostle who escaped a violent death.[15]   Barnabas Barnabas, the son of encouragement and a faithful disciple was from Cyprus. He was killed in A.D. 73. He too suffered because of spiritual warfare and the world.[16] Conclusion These persecutions and deaths did not prevent the gospel from being spread across the world. The church did not cease but rather daily increased, deeply rooted in the doctrine of the apostles and the faith of Jesus Christ. These foundational years of spiritual warfare set the course of action for spiritual battle with the worlds satanic systems. Believers since that time have endured death, prison, physical torture, and other hostilities. Jesus forewarned believers that they would experience such warfare and persecution because of His Name (John 15:19). He informed them of the battle that was ahead of them; they all embraced the cross and endured spiritual warfare and persecution. ¹⁸ “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. ¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.^{[17]   [1]} The New King James Version. 1982 (Jn 15:18–19). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. ^[2] The New King James Version. 1982 (Jn 15:18–19). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. ^[3] The New King James Version. 1982 (Jn 15:18–19). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [4] Ibid., 3. [5] Ibid. [6] Ibid. [7] Ibid. [8] Ibid. [9] Ibid. [10] Ibid. [11] Ibid., 6. [12] Ibid., 7. [13] Ibid. [14] Ibid,. 9. [15] Ibid. [16] Ibid. ^[17] The New King James Version. 1982 (Jn 15:18–19). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

 By Rick Warren If you were to come to my office, you’d find five full-length filing cabinets, lined up one after another. Each of them is full of files: Bible studies, ideas, sermons, messages, research, and such. One of the most important files I have is a yellow one labeled, “Warnings – Lessons to be Learned.” The file is full of fallen Christian leaders. Some of them I knew personally; some of them I didn’t know. But I review the file at the end of every year, just to warn myself. We are in a spiritual battle. That’s why that kind of stuff happens. If you don’t take the Christian life seriously, if you don’t take ministry seriously, the Devil’s going to. You may not mean business, but he does. The most often used analogy for Christians in the Bible is of soldiers. The words that are often used to describe the Christian life are war terms – fight, conquer, strive, battle, overcome, victory. We are living in enemy territory when we live in the world. Scripture makes it very clear. If you are in ministry, you are going to face opposition from the Devil. If you get up in the morning and you don’t face the Devil head on, right at the start of the day, it means you’re going in the same direction. He is opposed to everything you stand for. He hates anybody who’s sold out to Jesus Christ. He will do anything he can to defeat you. Question: So how do we fight this spiritual battle? Here are six essential steps.

1. Acknowledge the adversary. Realize Satan is real. Peter tells us, “Be alert, and be on watch. Your enemy the Devil roams around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Be firm in your faith and resist him because you know that your fellow believers in all the world are going through the same kind of suffering.” (1 Peter 5:8-9)

Whenever you’re being spiritually attacked, just remember: Welcome to the club. It’s proof that you’re a believer. It’s proof that you’re making an impact. The more of an impact you’re making, the more the Devil is going to fight you. You never outgrow it. It just gets more intense.

2. Accept Jesus’ authority. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matt. 16:19) The Bible says if you are a believer, you are given the authority of Christ in spiritual warfare. You have the right to fight back. You have the right to bind and to loose.
3. I put on the armor. The famous passage on armor is Ephesians 6:11-17: “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the Devil’s schemes. Have the belt of truth buckled around your waste and the breastplate of righteousness and have your feet fitted with the Gospel of peace. Take up the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.” You’ll notice six pieces of armor in the passage.

• Truth
• Righteousness
• Gospel of peace
• Faith
• Salvation
• The Word of God

Every piece of this armor is mental preparation for battle. That’s what the armor is all about. You need to put on truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Word of God mentally before you do ministry – whether you’re preaching, leading a Bible study, leading worship, or counseling a grieving member of your community. Why? You expect that you are going to be attacked, so you need your armor on first.

4. Aim the artillery. Spiritual warfare takes place primarily in our thought life. When somebody is opposing you in your ministry, they’re not the real problem. The problem is the thoughts the Devil’s giving them to oppose you. The problem is not that person. The problem is what they’re acting on. You always act on what you think. They’re getting thoughts from the wrong source. There are only two sources for thoughts. When we get thoughts from God, we call it inspiration. When we get thoughts from the Devil, we call it temptation.

We have four weapons in these battles against evil thoughts.

1. The Truth. The truth, God’s Word, is our sword. It cuts through all the mustard. It gets right to the point. When you are in a conflict, the question you want to ask yourself is this: What does God say about this?
2. Humility. The more you humble yourself before God, the more power you will have in your life (James 4: 6-7). That’s just the way it works. As we minister to others, we need to continually acknowledge God’s hand in what we are doing. He’s the one who empowers our ministry. We’re simply his vessel. In humility, we find real and lasting power in ministry.
3. Faith. Without even talking to you in detail, I can tell you exactly what God is doing in your ministry. He’s doing what you expect him to do. Faith is a powerful, powerful tool. (1 John 5:4)  I don’t know why, but when I preach and I expect people to respond, they do.
4. Praise. Revelation 12:11-12 says, “They overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony. Therefore rejoice, you heavens, and you who inhabit them.” How did they overcome the Devil? By the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony. They were praising God. The Bible says when people praise God, “[he] inhabits the praises of his people.” 5. Call on the Holy Spirit. You need to say, “God, fill me with your Spirit as I’m about to do this.” Whether you’re preparing a message, preaching, counseling someone, training your leaders – whatever you’re doing – ask God to fill you with his Spirit.
5. Avoid all distractions. If you’re going to be effective in ministry – in battle – you’ve got to focus yourself. You know what’s important in life. There are so many things that want a piece of your time. The good can be the enemy of the best.

6. Avoid all distractions. If you’re going to be effective in ministry – in battle – you’ve got to focus yourself. You know what’s important in life. There are so many things that want a piece of your time. The good can be the enemy of the best.

I have one person to please and only one – the Lord Jesus Christ. And if I’m pleasing him, that’s what is going to count at the end of my life. Avoid the distractions. If you get distracted, the enemy is going to catch up with you.      

There is a reason so many Christian men and women hang on to the guilt of their sin even though they know about God’s total forgiveness. There is someone who does not want you to be free; his name is Satan. He does not want God to have the glory shown through the miracle of forgiveness. He would much rather Christians walk in a cloud of shame instead of dancing in freedom and praise. Not only is Satan called the father of lies, he is also called the accuser. His job description is to make you feel guilty. Revelations 12:10 tells us that Satan accuses us before God day and night. Can you hear his voice accusing you?Embracing God’s forgiveness may be a theological concept, but it can also have practical implications for your daily life. We want to share with you three steps you can take to find freedom from the enemy’s accusations. STEP 1: Recognize the Voice When you have thoughts that bring on condemnation, can you tell the difference between God’s conviction and Satan’s accusations? God convicts us of sin for the sake of leading us to freedom. Our enemy taunts for the purpose of keeping us in bondage. One way to discern the voice of God is to distinguish between guilt and shame. Guilt is related to what we have done; shame speaks condemnation over who we are. When God convicts us, we may feel guilty for our sin, but along with that conviction is the invitation to confess our sin and to embrace the forgiveness Jesus offers. Satan’s accusations inevitably lead to shame—an overriding sense of help-lessness and oppression. He will convince you that there is no positive way forward and that you can do nothing to be free. God longs for you to know and receive His forgiveness for your past. Satan wants you to dwell on how bad you are. His flaming arrows (Ephesians 6:16) make you doubt that God could or would completely forgive you. Satan will discourage you with thoughts like these: What you did was so bad. You can never be a true Chris-tian with a past like yours. When you discern the condemning voice of your enemy, remember that God would never cover you with shame. His voice always offers freedom. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17). STEP 2: Remember the Cross Satan’s accusations feel powerful because in one sense, they ring true. In our sinful state, we are not worthy of fellowship with God. As the Bible says, we have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). If it were not for Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we would be forever burdened with the condemnation of sin. Satan desperately wants you to forget the cross. He’s happy for you to wear one around your neck or hang one in your house, as long as you don’t remember that Jesus’ death on the cross forever cancelled sin! “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). When she remembered the cross, Lorraine refused to believe the enemy’s lies. She responded, “Satan, you are right. I am a murderer, but that isn’t how God sees me. I have been cleansed, forgiven, and clothed in the righteousness of my Savior.” When Satan accuses you of your past, remind him that your sins have been for-given by God. You are FREE! You are FORGIVEN! STEP 3: Declare the Truth When you feel the sting of accusation and guilt, what do you do? You pull out the enemy’s fiery dart and throw it back at him! You refuse to believe his lies and you declare God’s truth out loud, “There is no condemnation for me because I’m in Christ Jesus” (paraphrase of Romans 8:1). In the powerful passage about spiritual warfare, Ephesians 6, we are told to put on the armor of God and then to stand. In fact, we are encouraged “to stand” three times in those few verses (Ephesians 6:11, 13, 14). Holding the shield of faith in our left hand and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, in our right hand, we stand. And just as Jesus did when Satan tempted Him (Matthew 4), we declare Scripture in response to Satan’s taunts: “Satan, you don’t want me to forgive other people or myself because you don’t want me to be free. You want me to be in bondage. You are not going to outsmart me. I am familiar with your evil schemes.”3 When guilt whispers condemnation, what do you do? You worship your King, who forgave you and brought you out of darkness into His glorious light. And you sing His praises loudly! When you are refusing and resisting the fiery darts of the enemy, worship is a wall of protection around your soul. So worship, declaring the truth of God’s great love for you! Forgiving yourself may bring about the breakthrough you have been looking for. Your fear of intimacy or determination to stay in control—are they rooted in bondage to the guilt of past sin? How would your life be different if you were truly free? Love keeps no record of wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:5). Do you believe this? In Surprised by the Healer, readers heard what Lorraine said, “A time comes to let yourself off the hook.” The name of Lorraine’s hook was abortion. What is the name of yours? Will you name your hook and agree with God that it is time to tear up the record of your wrongs? Will you pray?