February 2011
Recently, I preached a sermon from Philippians 1:9 – 11 in which I urged you to “approve [i.e., choose] the excellent things.” What are some of the “excellent things” that we as Christians should be choosing? Here is a list:
We should choose to . . . :
- Preach the gospel of Christ, even in the face of roadblocks and opposition (Philippians 1:12 – 18).
- Magnify Christ in our bodies both in life and in death (1:19 – 21).
- Minister to others “for the furtherance and joy of [their] faith” (1:22 – 26).
- Stand united with other Christians in a manner worthy of the gospel, even if that
results in suffering for Christ’s sake (1:27 – 30).
- Esteem other Christians better than ourselves and to concern ourselves with meeting their needs because Christ’s humble mindset is operative in us (2:1 – 30; 4:10 – 20).
- Obey God our Father, even to the point of death, if death is His will for us (2:5 – 13).
- Pursue joyful, peace-making unity and harmony with other Christians (2:14 – 16; 4:1 – 5).
- Count all fleshly, self-oriented things as loss [as ‘dung’] compared to the “excellence of knowing Christ Jesus [our] Lord” (3:1 – 16).
- Yearn for the final realization of our heavenly citizenship and heavenly [i.e., glorified] body and for the arrival of our heavenly Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (3:17 – 21).
- Avoid those who have chosen their bellies [i.e., their selfish, sinful appetites and lusts] as their god and thus have made themselves enemies of the cross of Christ (3:17 – 21).
- Set our mind on “excellent things” through Christ-centered, Kingdom of God-oriented prayer and meditation (4:6 – 9).
What kind of church would Northwest Christian Church be if each one of us consistently chose these “excellent things” in our daily lives? Indeed NCC would come to be ‘A More Perfect Church’ – to the glory and praise of God! Let’s make that our aim in 2011!
In Christ’s love, David
