In May of last year, an art exhibition called “The Portal” was simultaneously unveiled on the streets of both New York City and Dublin. [images: Portal 1-3]
It was a very cool concept: a live video feed connecting the two cities. Kind of like an always-on Zoom call.
They arranged the cameras in such a way that it looked like you were actually seeing through a portal. People could interact, wave at each other, and hold up signs with hopeful slogans… It was a beautiful testament to the shared humanity between us all.
And of course they had to shut it down within five days because people started doing unspeakable things on camera. Trust the collective immaturity of society to ruin stuff like this. This is why we can’t have nice things.
But the point is, there’s something compelling about the concept of a portal or lens where you are standing in one place, but seeing another. And that’s what we’re going to talk about today: the way that our lives in Christ point beyond ourselves.
SERIES RECAP
This is week 5 of “Reimagine.” It’s been such a blast exploring the book of Philippians with you and seeing how Paul wants his dear friends in Philippi to carry the torch forward as a new generation after he’s gone. The key verse for the series is what Paul says at the start of his letter:
Philippians 1:6
I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
Last week we talked about the nature of that work, which is the same work that we as a new generation at Grace are trying to do: to shine like bright lights in a dark world.
Today we’re going to keep following that thread. So turn with me to Philippians 1:20, _______. As you do that, I’ll pray for us. [PRAY]
TO LIVE IS CHRIST
Ok. A quick reminder. Paul is writing this letter from prison. Maybe in Ephesus, maybe in Rome. We don’t know. But we do know that he thinks it’s possible he could die there. He wants to pass the torch on to the next generation in Philippi by reminding them of what’s most important.
A quick bit of context before we read. A few verses before this, Paul has explained how even though he’s in prison God is still working. The palace guard knows he’s in prison for Christ, and the believers in the city have gained confidence and boldness because he’s in chains.
This is all a part of Paul’s core conviction that no matter what happens to him, God’s work can be accomplished. He elaborates that here:
Philippians 1:20-26
For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live. Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith. And when I come to you again, you will have even more reason to take pride in Christ Jesus because of what he is doing through me.
The key to this passage is the end of verse 20. “I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.” Let’s break that down.
A bit more literally, what Paul says here is, “Christ will be magnified/exalted by my body, whether by life or death.” Now, I think Paul uses the word “body” here, because his body is where God’s mission is expressed within this broken world.
Think about it. When Paul’s body is chained to a wall in a prison cell, the palace guard learns about Christ and the local believers gain confidence. When Paul’s body is free to travel, he’s planting churches and teaching others about the gospel. He’s doing “Fruitful work” as he says in verse 22. Either way, Paul’s body is honoring Christ.
Even in suffering, Paul sees himself sharing in Christ’s suffering. Even in death Paul knows his body will be resurrected to be with the Lord. In other words, he sees life in Christ as a win-win-win-win situation.
No matter what happens to Paul’s body, Christ will be magnified. The Greek word for “magnify” or “exalt” is:
megalynō - to enlarge, amplify, manifest to an extraordinary degree
Think about a magnifying glass or a telescope: something small becomes huge. megalynō.
It’s like Paul is saying, “My body is a lens. It’s a portal to something else. When you look at me in the good times, you see Christ at work. When you look at me in the bad times, you see Christ at work.” I can’t lose. Everything I do brings honor to him. It amplifies him. Or, as he says in verse 21,
Philippians 1:21
Living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.
To live is Christ. To die is gain.
“Look, my dear brothers and sisters in Philippi. I really want to come see you again. I love you guys. And there’s so much more I want to teach you - so I think it’s possible! But listen to me. If I die here in this dungeon, I want you to know that Christ is being magnified because of it.”
“Live or die, my life will point people to Jesus.”
This is how Paul sees his life. His ministry. He has a single-minded devotion to being an instrument of God’s purposes in this broken world.
CITIZENS OF HEAVEN
Ok, let’s keep reading with that mindset in place. Because next Paul invites the church in Philippi to see their lives the exact same way.
Philippians 1:27-30
Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.
Let’s talk about verse 27. “You must live as citizens of heaven.”
This phrase, which Paul comes back to again in the passage we’re going to look at next week, is kind of a way of taking that idea of magnifying Christ, and making it apply to a whole church community. Let me explain.
Philippi was kind of unique as far as Greek cities went.
During the Roman Civil Wars, Mark Antony and Octavian (who later became Caesar Augustus) fought against the assassins who killed Julius Caesar on the plains right outside of Philippi.
So after their victory in 42 BC, they decided to re-found the city as a Roman colony, and gave land there to a bunch of veteran Roman soldiers.
But they didn’t stop there. They wanted this city in Macedonia to be a monument to far off Roman power, so they also implemented something called
ius italicum - Italian law
Which meant that the city of Philippi was technically Roman soil under Roman law, and the people there were Roman citizens.
It’s kind of like an American embassy in another country today. You may be in Ghana or Turkey, but if you’re in the American embassy, you’re standing on American soil.
Well, the whole city of Philippi was like that with Rome. So the people there had a responsibility - in their actions, in their words - to live up to that Roman citizenship.
So, Paul picks up on this idea and he runs with it.
“You are citizens of a far away place, right? Except it isn’t Rome. It’s heaven. It’s God’s realm. You are under God’s law even here on earth, and everywhere you walk, like an embassy, the soil beneath your feet becomes the territory of God’s kingdom. Which means you have a responsibility:”
You are citizens of heaven. Live like it.
Magnify Christ with your lives, just like I do.
Now. This was easier said than done. Because Philippi was so Romanized, living there meant constantly being pressured to bow the knee to Rome’s power.
It meant worshipping the Roman gods. It meant attending festivals in honor of the emperor’s divinity. It meant making sacrifices to the genius of the colony (check out the fun fact in the app notes if you want to know what that’s all about).
The point is, for these believers, having a new Lord and Savior, Christ (not Caesar), meant very much moving against the grain and rejecting a lot of what made Philippi proud.
They avoided the festivals, they stopped making sacrifices at the temples… And as you can imagine, it didn’t take long for Christians to start getting hate and abuse because of it.
One year of bad crops and who do people blame? The ones who aren’t worshipping the goddess of the harvest!
But Paul says, in verse 28, “Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies.” Verse 29, “For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.” Remember, “We are in this struggle together.”
Paul wants them to share his single-minded devotion to magnifying Jesus with their lives, no matter their circumstances. It’s that win-win-win-win situation again.
There is nothing they can do to you that doesn’t amplify him. In your life you’re showing your neighbors there is another way to live. In your suffering you’re following in the footsteps of Jesus. Even your hope in the face of death points the way to resurrection. To live is Christ. To die is gain.
It’s like that portal between New York and Dublin. My brothers and sisters… you’re the portal between this realm and God’s. You’re citizens of heaven! You may be standing in Philippi, but when people look at you, they are seeing Christ and his kingdom. His healing. His life!
And remember: everywhere you go, you’re taking heaven along with you. The presence of our Savior. The soil beneath your feet becomes the soil of the kingdom of God.
So don’t draw back when the powers of this world threaten you; move in! Live like citizens of heaven, and the good news of Jesus will be magnified in your lives.
BECAUSE WE DON’T BELONG
It is not hard to imagine how those ideas can apply to us today. To Grace Church. To you and to me.
Obviously, our context is very different than ancient Philippi. But is our broken world really so different than theirs?
The Roman emperor is long gone, but we still live in a society that worships power and might.
The slavery that built the Roman Empire has long been abolished, but injustice and violence and abuse are still all around us.
We don’t make offerings to the Roman gods anymore, but the gods of consumerism, lust, greed, and hate sure accept our sacrifices readily enough. We even throw festivals for some of them.
My point is, we still live in a broken world. And when we try to push back on the powers that undergird our society, those powers start to push back.
It is uncomfortable to reject society’s norms. To love the unlovable. To be generous in a time of greed and fear. To willingly choose humility & self-giving love when everyone else has their tribalistic knives out.
It is uncomfortable when we refuse to bow the knee to the powers of our world.
Which is why it’s so important to remember that we don’t belong here. We are citizens of heaven. Members of God’s kingdom. We are under his law.
Now does this mean we’re supposed to withdraw from the world and keep the rest of humanity at arms’ length? No! Our job is to go into the brokenness of our world. Into the darkness… because we don’t belong.
Because we are portals to heaven. Our lives are lenses that magnify Christ. And Christ is in the business of healing the brokenness of our world. It’s our job to take him to where his love is needed the most.
Are you with me? Everywhere you walk the ground beneath your feet becomes New Creation. The soil of heaven. You are a conduit of God’s life and healing. If you follow Jesus, then when people look at you they see him. I think it’s time we take that calling seriously.
You are citizens of heaven. Live like it.
It is time, as Paul says in verse 27, for us to be “standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith…” Fighting how? With violence and vitriol? No. With self-giving love, the way our crucified Lord taught us.
REIMAGINE
I want you to think about your “one” right now. The person whose name you wrote on that leaf. Hold up your leaf right now, and then look around. Every one of these leaves represents the life of someone who is not yet walking with Jesus.
Now imagine with me for a moment if every one of us spent the next two years of this Reimagine Initiative single-minded in our dedication to being an instrument of God’s purposes in their lives.
Imagine if we prayed for them as a conduit - a portal - between them and God. Imagine if we walked beside them knowing the soil beneath our feet is New Creation.
Imagine if our love and compassion and healing touch - in this time of hate and isolation - if our self-giving love demonstrated that there is another way to live… Imagine the transformation that could be possible. [leaves down]
Now, we all have this opportunity - this responsibility - as individual followers of Jesus. We are citizens of heaven. But imagine what would happen if we also lived this way as a community. As a church.
Imagine if our building, our physical space, became holy ground. Imagine our neighbors coming into our cafe to get a latte, or to rent Room 111, or to show up for a musical production, only to find themselves looking through a portal into New Creation.
By the kindness and welcome they receive. By the atmosphere of joy. By the Spirit-led encounters they have bumping into you and me that leave them wondering, “Who are these people? Something’s different here.”
This is why we’re making financial commitments to invest in our facility through Reimagine. It isn’t about a building at all. It’s about creating space where the broken can find healing. Where the lost can be found. Where the outcast can find a home.
Where our neighbors and friends and community can meet you, a portal into the very heart of God.
Grace Church is a colony of Christ’s love in a broken world. The soil beneath our feet is New Creation.
And no matter how bad things get around us, we have nothing to fear. Because to live is Christ, to die is gain. And God won’t stop working in and through us until the job is done. [PRAY]
COMMITMENT
• Set up commitment cards.
• 100% of leaders have made commitments.
• Instructions (+online)
• Leaders will come up first to show the process. Invite rest after.