The Joy of Following Christ in Purity


	The Joy of Following Christ in Purity Paul’s Fourteen Epistles Show Us the Progression of God’s Economy Romans - An Introduction to God’s Economy The apostle Paul wrote fourteen epistles. Paul’s first epistle, Romans, is an introduction to God’s economy, and his last epistle, Hebrews, is the conclusion of God’s economy. Romans is a precious book. Someone once said, "The New Testament is the ring, and Romans is the diamond on the ring." Romans is written from God’s point of view, concerning the gospel of God. In Romans, the gospel of God eventually becomes the gospel of a man, the apostle Paul. At the end of Romans Paul says, "according to my Gospel." This book includes everything in God’s heart, with everything He desires to do, His means of operation, who He is, and what He is accomplishing. It also shows us the process of salvation. First we are condemned, then we are justified and sanctified, until eventually we are glorified. All of these riches are in Romans. 1 and 2 Corinthians, and Galatians - The Practical Problems of the Christian Life The next three books - 1 and 2 Corinthians, and Galatians - tell us that after we get saved, after we enjoy the gospel of God, we will experience all sorts of problems. We will experience problems in the local church life (1 Corinthians), problems between the saints and the servant of the Lord (2 Corinthians), and problems of abiding in religion (Galatians). These three books portray the problems we will encounter as we grow in the Christian life. We are growing now from Romans all the way to Hebrews. The first thing we find out, as described in 1 Corinthians, is what a mess it is to be in the church life. We might not even believe how messy the church life can become. For example, in Corinth there were people declaring independence from Christ. They were declaring, "I am of Paul," or "I am of Cephas," or "I am of Apollos." We should never declare that we belong to anyone except Christ himself. We are only for Christ. Paul was strong in his reaction - "Is Christ divided? Who is Paul? Who is Cephas, or Apollos? We are ministers of Christ! You don’t belong to us, we belong to you!" People who are religious want to be of a certain person. But we don’t follow a man, we follow Christ. Some saints may not say that they are of a certain brother, but instead of a certain locality. They will boast that they are from a particular local church. Why? What difference does it make? But people like to think, "If I can follow a certain man, or come from a certain church, I will be a ‘big shot.’" Paul warns us to be careful. "You are of Christ! Besides Him you are of no one, and for no one. You belong to Jesus alone!" The book of 2 Corinthians tells us another problem. It is possible to say, "I am of Christ," and at the same time ignore the servant of the Lord. We need to be balanced. The saints in Corinth ignored how the servant of the Lord labored among them, poured himself out for them, and did everything for their growth and for their healthiness before the Lord. This was a problem related to the Lord’s work through His servant. The book of Galatians shows us the problem of religion. This problem is especially typical of 2nd generation Christians. If you are 2nd generation you have been told so many things and have grown up in so many things that you unconsciously become a person under law. This causes you to lose all your potential for developing and becoming useful to the Lord. Instead you may think, "As long as I know the terminology and speak the right things, and as long as I don’t cause trouble, I am a good brother." But actually this makes you hopeless and useless. Indoctrination makes you a hopeless person. When you become indoctrinated you lose your freedom in the spirit. You are always thinking, "This should be done, and that should not be done. We should use this terminology, and not that terminology." This problem of religion is described in Galatians. Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians - Christ and the Church After dealing with these problems we come to the next section of Paul’s epistles - Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. This section is very sweet. According to these epistles, now that we are saved, we are in the church life (Ephesians). Because we are in the church life, we should pursue only Christ (Philippians). When we pursue only Christ, He reveals His headship (Colossians). So we have these three great items: the church life, the pursuit of Christ, and Christ’s headship. The book of Philippians is very practical. It tells us that Christ is our goal, Christ is our living, Christ is the source of our existence, and Christ is the reason we are alive. It shows us that Christ is our Savior, and Christ is our Sustainer. He is everything to us for the sake of our going on. We should pursue nothing but Christ. Then this brings us to His headship in Colossians. 1 and 2 Thessalonians - Waiting for the Lord’s Return After we have Christ’s headship, we are waiting for Him to come back. This is described in the next section of Paul’s epistles, 1 and 2 Thessalonians. 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon - The Administrating of the Church Then there is a parenthetical section of 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, on matters of administration. As we grow in life we eventually need to handle church affairs. Yet with this section there is a very sweet book - Philemon. After such a substantial portion in 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus regarding elders, deacons, and administrative matters, we need something sweet. The first three books are like a steak, and Philemon is like a sweet dessert. Philemon has only one chapter but so many riches. It is rich in life, rich in love, and rich in the operation of the servant of the Lord. Hebrews - The Conclusion of God’s Economy The last section of Paul’s epistles is one book, Hebrews. The book of Hebrews tells us that Christ is everything. Our Christian life as depicted in Paul’s epistles begins with Romans and concludes with Hebrews. Romans shows us God’s salvation for man and His purpose for man. Hebrews shows us how God’s salvation brings us to glory. Paul’s fourteen epistles are a matter of growth in life, which consummates in the maturity in Hebrews. The Book of Philippians has Three Positive Characteristics Philippians is a unique book. It tells us that when we enjoy Christ in the church life our life becomes so full of meaning. We pursue Christ to grow in life (Phil. 3:12), so that we can gain Christ (3:8), and then eventually be found in Christ (3:9). We like to be found in many things, but how many of us like to be found in Christ? We prefer to be found in our occupation, or our success, or our money. Or we want to be found in things we enjoy, such as athletic things, or artistic things, or hobbies. But Philippians tells us to be found in Christ. When people see us, they should see us in Christ. 1. Pure The book of Philippians has three characteristics. It is pure, focused, and joyful. First, Philippians as a book is extremely pure. There are no "isms" in this book (such as Judaism, gnosticism, etc. which Paul had to deal with in other books). Paul is not fighting anything. The only debate he has is whether he should choose to live or die. Paul had no motive when he wrote to the saints. There is no impure or problematic background. Only Christ is here in this book. Paul would tell us, "Saints, come see this marvelous Christ! Just love Him, pursue Him, be found in Him, and gain Him!" Purity is the highest virtue. "But the wisdom from above is first pure" (James 3:17a). The hardest thing is to have this purity at the beginning of our Christian walk. For some reason very few who love the Lord can love Him with purity. Very few can say, "I love only the Lord." For example, when we give a testimony in a meeting we often get complicated. "If I speak, what will happen?" That means the purity is gone. Some people are ambitious. They might think, "I wish the serving one would leave so I could do more to lead the church life!" Many come to church meetings with all kinds of motives. And many love the Lord with all kinds of motives. It is possible for us to deviate when we lose our purity. What characterizes the book of Philippians is its purity. The church was raised up in a pure way, and the saints there were very pure. The saints in Philippi were simple. They just loved the Lord. Why are we so complicated? The Lord said, "If you follow Me you must be like a little child" (Matt. 18:3; 19:14). We should not have so many considerations. "If I do this, who will I offend? If I do that, who will I please?" Instead we should say, "Lord, I love You and desire only to live unto You. Lord, I am for You, forever." This is to be pure. 2. Focused The second characteristic of the book of Philippians is that it is very focused. Every person needs to be focused. Suppose a person wants to be a musician. He finds out that the guitar is the easiest instrument to learn, so he starts taking lessons. After a few days his fingers hurt, so he gives up. A man who isn’t focused will go nowhere. Today he will dream, "I want to do this," and tomorrow he will dream, "I want to do that." This shows he is not focused. In the whole Bible no other book leads us to be as focused as Philippians. It tells us that we should only have one focus, the Lord Himself. If we are pure but not focused, then we will go nowhere. We will just keep moving around, but nothing will come of it. And if we are focused but not pure, then we will become ambitious. To just be pure is not enough, and to just be focused is not enough. We need both of these virtues together. Paul says in the first verse that he is a slave. This is to be focused. Paul would say, "Who am I? I’m a slave. I’m very focused. I lost all that I had for the sake of the Lord." A pure person needs to be focused, and we see this with Paul. Are we this way? Is Christ our aim? Is Christ our goal? Is Christ the center of our lives? Is Christ everything to us? If we can say yes, then we should be very happy in our experience. If in our Christian life we can be both pure and focused, then we will have the third characteristic of Philippians: joy. 3. Joyful Philippians is a book of joyfulness. It is full of rejoicing. The Greek words for "joy" and "grace" both come from the same root. This means that from the receiving side we have grace, and from the side of our living we have joy. Our experience of grace should make us so joyful. The book of Philippians is pure, focused, and joyful. Joy is simply the normal result of a life that is pure and focused. If we tell the Lord, "I only want You, and I live only for You," then we will rejoice. Our lives will become very happy. Joy is the source, the initial stage, and rejoicing is the development of joy. When our joy becomes so rich and bountiful that it overflows, that is to rejoice. The Christian life according to Philippians should be so joyful. This book is marvelous. It is such a pure book. Philippians should remind us that as Christians our life should have these three characteristics. Our life should be so pure. "I love the Lord, and Him alone." Then we should be focused. "I give myself to the Lord. I am not aiming at so many things. I am aiming only at Him." We should be single in our goal, in our aim, and in our purpose. Then we will be so happy. We will be joyful, and we will help the church life to become joyful. Our lives should be pure, focused, and joyful. This is how Philippians was written, and this is how we as Christians should live. Paul Greeted the Philippians in an Intimate Way Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the overseers and deacons. (Phil. 1:1) In his greeting to the Philippians Paul gave a very simple introduction. We need to see how Paul identified himself as the writer, and how he identified the ones to whom he was writing. The opening of Philippians is very different from Paul’s other epistles. Usually Paul wrote that he was an apostle of Christ Jesus. But here Paul was writing a "family book," not an official book. Paul did not need or want to remind them that he was an apostle. That would be too formal, and not intimate enough. Paul was writing a local church that he had given birth to through his own labor. Therefore Paul wrote in an intimate way. The Church in Philippi was Raised Up in Purity The church in Philippi was raised up in a very pure manner. As described in Acts 16:11-40, Paul preached the gospel to a woman named Lydia from Thyatira, who sold purple-dyed goods. Lydia believed in the Lord and was baptized, with her household. Then Lydia invited Paul to her home so he could stay there. Then later while he was preaching the gospel, a demon-possessed woman started following him, declaring that Paul was announcing "a way of salvation." We might enjoy such a thing, because the woman was speaking the truth and attracting a lot of attention. But Paul was bothered and rebuked the demon. Because of this other people in Philippi became offended, and Paul was beaten and arrested, and put in prison. But a surprising thing happened. If we had just been beaten and were now locked in a prison, we would probably be in despair. But Paul and his co-worker Silas were staying up late praying and singing hymns of praise to God. Not only that, but their singing must have been beautiful, because the other prisoners were listening to them. Paul was in such a difficult place, but he was singing hymns. Then an earthquake released them from prison, and the jailer was so depressed that he prepared to kill himself. But Paul stopped him, and spoke to him about the Lord. This jailer believed, along with his whole house. This is how the church life in Philippi began. It was such a pure beginning. First Paul took the opportunity to preach the gospel to Lydia. But then Satan also took the opportunity by sending a demon-possessed woman to follow him. Although she spoke the truth, Paul rebuked her, because he belonged to God and not to Satan. This caused Paul to be put in prison, where he preached the gospel to the jailer. Paul’s preaching to the jailer was so pure and simple: "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household" (Acts 16:31). The entire beginning of the church life in Philippi was pure and without complication. This produced a close relationship between Paul and the saints there. The saints in Philippi cared for Paul and his need. When Paul had left them and was busy preaching the gospel elsewhere, they sent a brother to work for the sake of supporting Paul financially. Would we ever get a job so that we could support a servant of the Lord? This shows how pure the church was, and how pure their relationship was with the apostle. Paul was a Slave of Christ Jesus When Paul wrote to them, he didn’t write to them as "Paul the apostle." He didn’t say, "The Lord has committed me with your care, and I am coming to help you." It was not at all formal. Rather he began his epistle, "Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:1). He said, "We are just slaves." The saints in Philippi fully understood this. They remembered how Paul came to them. They remembered how he was in prison, and how pure his gospel had been. They remembered how the church was raised up. The saints in Philippi knew that Paul was a slave, because they had seen how he had no freedom for himself. A Slave is One who Gives Up His Freedom A real servant of the Lord must be a slave of the Lord. He must give up his freedom. The hardest thing for us is to be a slave. It is easy to think, "I want to serve the Lord. I want to give conferences and speak in front of thousands of people. I want to be known and admired." This is obviously impure. But religious people often admire those who can do this. They receive a lot of enjoyment from going to conferences and hearing a gifted speaker. But Paul didn’t serve the Lord for his own spiritual enjoyment, or for his own ambition. Nor did he serve the Lord so that other Christians could enjoy his messages. He served as a slave who did not have any freedom. He served the Lord because he had no choice. The Greek word for slave, doulos, comes from deo (to bind). It describes the most common type of slave, and emphasizes the subjection of slaves to their master, even to the point of death. In Old Testament times all slaves among the Israelites had certain rights, like the right to enjoy their own family, have their own possessions, and receive fair treatment, but they did not have freedom in their operation. Additionally, while slaves were serving their masters, they always had their own freedom in view, either the freedom given at the year of Jubilee or sooner. Thus until the year of Jubilee, the time of their maturity, they had full rights in the matter of possessions. Yet in their operation they were fully one with their master. In their serving as slaves they learned to operate one with their master, to the point that when they become free they would conduct affairs just as their master would conduct them. Our concept of a slave is very interesting. We actually think the opposite of what the Bible describes. We think that if a person is a slave he must live in poverty, and he is probably mistreated and beaten by his master. But in the Bible, a slave had the right to his own possessions. If he worked hard he could keep what he earned. A slave could actually have a lot of wealth, and enjoy a lot of material things. A slave could be married, and his wife would not be taken from him. His marriage would be honored. This is very different from our concept of a slave who is always stripped, beaten, and humiliated. So what is the difference between a slave and a non-slave in the Bible? It is simply that a non-slave can do whatever he wants, but a slave can only do what his master tells him to do. A non-slave can feel free to go his own way, including the way of corruption. A slave must operate one-hundred percent according to his master’s desire. Suppose we compare a college professor to a servant of the Lord. The most important difference between them is this: the professor does whatever the world tells him to do, but the servant of the Lord does whatever the Lord tells him to do. A slave of the Lord does not have to say, "I have nothing! Now I’m finished!" That is the wrong concept. A slave of the Lord can actually have a lot, but he is no longer free in deciding his own life. He is not free to decide his way of existence, or his manner of operation. His living, his existence, and his operation are all according to his wonderful Master, the Lord Jesus Christ. People in the world can do whatever they want, but a slave of the Lord can only do what the Lord tells him to do. It is not a matter of possessions. A slave of Christ is not exempt from a normal human living. A person in the world has a family, and so does the servant of the Lord. A person in the world has a house, and so does the servant of the Lord. A person in the world has a car, and so does the servant of the Lord. A servant of the Lord is not necessarily poor. He may have many possessions, but his whole life is according to Christ. Rather than being oppressed, he is joyful. A servant of the Lord can say to people in the world, "In many ways I am just like you. You have your life, and I have mine. You have a house, and so do I. You have a car, and so do I. You have your enjoyment, and I have mine. But you operate according to you, and I operate according to God. You are struggling to gain something, while the Lord provides me with what I need. You are a slave to the world, and I am a slave to the Lord. What makes me different from you is that I have no freedom. You can do what you want, but I cannot. I have no freedom in my living, in my existence, or my operation. The Lord Himself designs how I live and what I do. I am a slave of Christ, and that is why I am so happy!" As human beings we are always considering about our future. If we want to serve the Lord, and someone asks us about our plans for the future, we will have to say, "I don’t really know. I will just serve the Lord." In that case there is no need to plan so much about our future, because the Lord will provide our future. To be a slave does not mean that we will live in poverty. We will not starve to death. It means that our life, existence, and operation are according to Christ. We each must ask ourselves, "What kind of slave am I? What am I enslaved to?" No one can say, "I’m not a slave of anything." We can be enslaved to something big, like our career, and we can be enslaved to something small, like our computer. But only one kind of slave has the highest value. That is to be a slave of Christ Jesus. Paul Followed the Exalted Christ and Experienced the Suffering Jesus It is important that Paul wrote that he was a slave of "Christ Jesus." "Christ" is the exalted One. A servant of the Lord follows the exalted Christ. "Jesus" is the suffering One. A servant of the Lord experiences the suffering Jesus. Paul could say, "I am a slave to a wonderful Master, the exalted Christ. He is the ascended and enthroned One. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. But in my life, I experience the suffering Jesus. He was despised, and I am despised. He gained no respect, and I gain no respect." A person who serves the Lord full-time often experiences the suffering Jesus. People ask him, "What do you do for a living? What are you doing with your life?" The full-timer replies, "I’m a servant of the Lord." "Oh, are you a pastor? Are you a minister?" "No, I’m just a servant of the Lord." This means that he is walking the same path as the suffering Jesus. There is nothing to show for it. There is nothing that will gain people’s respect. But at the same time a servant of the Lord knows that he has a wonderful Master. He can say, "The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords is my Master. He is the One on the throne. But I also realize that I will have the experience of Jesus in my living. I will be despised and considered to be nothing." This is to be a slave of Christ Jesus. The Saints are the Holy Ones of God Why does Paul write "to all the saints"? Why doesn’t he write to "all the brothers and sisters"? The Greek word for "saint" is the same as the word for "holy" - hagios. Paul is writing to all the "holy ones." This is very interesting, because God Himself is holy. He is the holy One. And who are we? We are saints, so we are also holy ones. God is holy, and we bear His holy nature. In fact, holiness is not just a matter of nature, but comes with an operation. We know that God is alive, and He is eternal, but what does this mean? When we look at God, when we consider God, when we study God, and when we fellowship with God, do we realize who He is? He is the eternal God. When we say that God is eternal, it means that He has something of an operation with eternity in view. What is the difference between God’s existence and Satan’s existence? God is eternal. Satan was created, but he will also live forever. However, God’s existence is filled with purpose, because He has an economy in view. And this eternal economy is related to His holiness. Holiness is God’s innermost nature and is an essential attribute of God, which involves omnipotence, eternity and glory, and which produces a sense of awe. The word hagios may be from a Hebrew origin meaning a festival, a feast, or a celebration. Hagios is used in a particular way for God’s chosen people. On the negative side, this word implies that the redeemed ones are being separated from all sorts of sins, especially lusts, which characterize the Gentiles. On the positive side, it implies that the redeemed ones are in the position of being a feast unto God for His enjoyment. Furthermore, as “saints” in this aspect, our separation unto God results not only in our being a feast for God, but also in our own enjoyment through our subjective experience of the feast. We are the very celebration to God, and we are also the celebrating ones, the keepers of the feast, who are enjoying this holy celebration. We, the saved and redeemed ones, have a perfect position before God as a feast to Him. This position also becomes our experience in which we keep the feast, celebrate the feast, and enjoy the feast. In the book of Exodus the children of Israel were separated to have a feast unto Jehovah. Ultimately the Israelites experienced a reconstituting work by enjoying all the riches and provisions from Jehovah, making them a living testimony unto Jehovah and an expression of all His riches. As New Testament saints, we become the manifestation and the living out of this feast by our participation in the feast, the all-inclusive Christ with His unsearchable riches, through our subjective experiences. We who are "saints" are not only a feast to God positionally, but through our subjective enjoyment of this feast we become the living reality and manifestation of the feast. What does it mean for God to be holy? And what does it mean for us to be the holy ones? The word for "holy," and for "saint," contains something very profound. God’s holiness denotes a desire, a purpose, which eventually brings in a kind of celebration. And we as the holy ones enter into that celebration. The apostle Paul would say, "I’m a slave. I have a lot to enjoy in my life, but I am a slave of Christ Jesus. Now I write to all the saints in Christ Jesus. Who are they? They are the holy ones, and they are just like the very God who is the real holy One. God’s eternal existence has generated an eternal economy which includes all the saints, the holy ones of God. With this economy there is feasting, there is joyfulness, and there is celebration." We Should Experience God’s Holiness as a Mutual Celebration Have you ever had the experience of touching the reality of holiness? In the process of your growth in life you should often have the experience of deeply touching the Lord. When you touch Him you touch eternity and you touch holiness. Then something happens - a wonderful joyfulness comes in. You experience a spiritual feasting and celebration. When you take just twenty minutes to pray, or read the Bible, or abide in Christ, you become entranced. You lose yourself in Christ. You realize that this is an eternal joyfulness. You even realize, "Lord, this is a celebration. You are so precious to me, and I am so precious to You. You have become my celebration, and I have become Your celebration." And the Lord responds, "I am so happy you are here with Me. When you touch Me, when you come into My presence and have fellowship with Me, I am so joyful!" This is why it is so significant that Paul wrote to the "saints." If you are a saint, then you are a holy one. You are enjoying a feast and a celebration. You are even celebrating with Christ’s celebration. The Lord would say to us all, "You are saints! I am so happy you love Me!" And we would respond, "You are the holy One! We are so happy that You love us, and we belong to You!" We shouldn’t read the word "saints" in a dead or doctrinal way. If someone says you are a saint, you should respond with joy, "Amen!" Because if you are a saint, it means you are a holy one. You have a part in the eternal economy of God, the holy One. And the result is celebration, feasting, and joyfulness. We become encouraging to God, and He becomes encouraging to us. We are so happy we have Him, and He is so happy He has us. It is important that Paul wrote this book to the church in Philippi, a church he loves so much and knows so well. He has them in his heart, and they have him in their hearts. Paul would say, "I am a slave, and you are saints. I am a slave of Christ Jesus, and you are the saints in Christ Jesus. We are the same." The experience of the slave should also eventually be the saints’ experience. If you are a slave of Christ Jesus then you have no right to decide your existence, or manage your own living, or decide your operation. But you may think, "I’m not a slave, I’m just a saint." Yes, you are a saint, but you are a saint in Christ Jesus. And the more you are in Christ Jesus, the more you will be of Christ Jesus, and for Christ Jesus. Eventually your experience will become like that of the apostle Paul. First you are a saint in Christ Jesus, but by enjoying His holiness you eventually become a slave of Christ Jesus. Praise the Lord for such a marvelous beginning to the book of Philippians!