February 2022

Tradition

tradition Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh. –Philippians 3:1-3

Men, Paul has warned the Philippians before to watch out for false teachers. Again, Paul revisits the subject for their own well-being. These false teachers were committed to hindering the gospel or at least contaminating it with traditional ideology. Common among their false teaching was the traditional teaching of circumcision. Traditional circumcision was appointed by God as an outward sign of Hebrew/Jewish lineage back to Abraham and the Abrahamic covenant and promises. In other words, for a time, to be circumcised was to be identified as persons of God. Traditionalists focused on keeping the rules of God but neglected a desire for the presence of God from within their hearts.

Our hearts gravitate toward fleshly and worldly things. True circumcision is worshipping God in Spirit. Our flesh, our rules, and our traditions may point to problems, they may erect guardrails, and model approved behaviors, but True Circumcision disregards all flesh to pursue the Spirit. This is tricky to communicate in type. This is NOT an abandonment of good customs and practices. But instead, Paul is announcing that we are no longer identified as people of God by our traditions. We are now identified by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and our personal connection to worship from the Spirit.

In our time, we might say, heaven is not a reward for perfect church attendance. Traditions abound here in the southeastern U.S. Many attend Sunday services from habit. Family heritages can be traced back to the times of our founding and every generation attended church in the same town center. It makes great history, but is not a passport to Kingdom. Circumcision had been a practice for over 1500 years at Paul’s letter, but never produced a heart of worship to God in the Spirit.

Move forward men, questioning our hearts intent with traditions. Are we being obedient to the Lord God, or to rules handed down? Are we seeking Oneness or perfection?

Vance Durrance

Love

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I give over my body in order to boast, but do not have love, I receive no benefit. Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up. It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful. It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” –1 Corinthians 13:1-7

See the astounding love from which only flows from the Father (1Jo 4:8). A love that if we lack of it, our life is a meaningless noise. This is not the limited love of the world that asks us to extend a crumb of kindness in order to “be the bigger person” so we can puff up our pious pride. This love is not the cold “love” of the world that makes peace with broken relationships and equates forgiveness with a faulty memory. No, this love implores affection for those who wound us deeply (Luke 6:32-36), to empty ourselves for their benefit (Rom 5:6-8). This love drives us to our knees for reconciliation (both with God and one another; Mat 5:9), extending boundless forgiveness no matter the history (Mat 18:21-22), joyfully receiving insults, persecutions, and “all kinds of evil things” (Mat 5:11-12).

“I give you a new commandment—to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” –John 13:34

Billy Neal

Consider how God has shined and rained grace upon you (Mat 5:45). Truly consider your lowly state before Him, and that Jesus paid it all (1Jo 2:2). No retribution is owed anyone who has wronged you; the only repayment you have in Christ Jesus is love (Rom 13:8-10). And we are helpless to show this kind of love apart from His empowerment.

Fearlessness

and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God. — Phillipians 1:28.

Men, Paul instructs the Philippians to “stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together.” That one mind is focused on Christ and they are to strive together to know Him more and bear His likeness as a result.

Paul now says, “Don’t in any way be terrified by our enemies.” We know full well that the people of God have very real opposition and enemies. Especially during times and places of physical persecution, believers, understandably, become terrified for what may happen to themselves or loved ones. Some historical and current acts against Christians are nothing short of barbaric. Even so, our lack of fear will be a sign of defeat to the enemy. The person may in fact die, but the fearlessness demonstrated will haunt those who order and carry out the order to bring harm against God’s people.

Furthermore, our fearlessness will be a sign of salvation to believers. Is there a more final act of faith and allegiance to the Lord God than to stare our murderous fate in the face and welcome the occasion to meet Jesus in Glory in an instant? Would the Lord God not welcome such a person with honors? Our time is filled with venom and slur against the ways of God and the people who accept Jesus as Savior and adopt His ways and precepts.

Most of it is noise at the moment here, but elsewhere, real hate and risk is volleyed against believers. Let us be in prayer for believers to be strengthened in their hour of trouble, that Spirit empowered fearlessness strikes terror in the hearts of the enemy, and drives them to consider, who is this Jesus really?

Move forward men, in no way terrified, but in all ways faithful, with focus on the finish line of seeing Christ Jesus and hearing His welcome into eternal Kingdom presence. These days, as they were for the Philippians, and for Paul, are “momentary afflictions.”

Vance Durrance

The Fruits of Righteousness

Fruits of Righteousness

… being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. — Philippians 1:11 NKJV

Men, Paul prays that the Philippians love one another with an affection that grows out of knowledge and discernment. Not a blind affection, or one that flows from rules, but instead, that flows from a heart that understands and senses as Christ’s heart does. Paul now adds that he desires that the Philippians be filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ.

Earlier in Galatians 5, we find a list of fruits we can expect to have through the Spirit of God, including love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, and self control. In 2 Corinthians 3:17, Paul has said, “The Lord is Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Through an increase in knowledge and discernment, we should grow in love, which matures into fruits of the Spirit. Experiencing the Spirit filled life should lead us into freedom. Freedom not from oppressive political regimes, but from hate, greed, prejudice, etc. and freedom from fleshly lusts.

Today it’s hard to catch our breath from one crisis to another. It’s easy to get carried away in a torrent of calamity fueled by agenda and power grab. “Being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ” isn’t something that is going to happen by accident or by keeping proximity to a building with a steeple. Growing in knowledge and discernment will take commitment and effort. Choosing to engage a broken world through Christ’s love instead of our fleshly disgust may not come naturally or easy.

However, moving forward, the choice to do so is for the glory and praise of our God. Be aware of the strategies of the world and our enemy to hinder brotherly affection. Combat it by growing in knowledge and discernment. Approve of what is excellent in Christ. Spare offenses by engaging people with the fruits of Christ’s Spirit flowing from within, and may God be glorified.

Vance Durrance