This recording is from Christ Kingdom Church in Avalon Park Orlando. Visit us online at ChristKingdom.org for our calendar driving directions and more audio recordings. I'm going to read the Scripture this morning. It's from Philippians. And I can't read without my glasses. From Philippians chapter 1, verse 24, continue on to chapter 2, verse 2. I think it'll be on the screen, yep. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith. So that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus because of my coming to you again. Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear that you are standing firm in one spirit with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation and thank from God and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in Him but also suffer for His sake. Engage in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Thanks Andy. Well if you haven't already turned there, do turn to that part in your Bibles or pull out that insert that's in your bulletin that gives you a tool and outline that might be helpful as we follow along here today. Let me just give a little bit of context for those that might be visiting or might be here, this might be your first time or one of your first times. We are having a normal worship service but one that's been specially added the opportunity to ordain and install an officer Jeremy Martin this morning as a deacon in our church. So that's an exciting thing that we're getting to experience this morning and part of the challenge with that part of the responsibilities that I have as pastor of the church is to make sure that the congregation is charged with that whole experience as well as Jeremy will be specifically charged by Jerry one of our ruling elders a little bit later in the service as well. So that will be part of what our message is here this morning is a charge that's to us as a congregation as we receive a new officer here this morning. But it's more than just that it's a charge from the book of Philippians that is reminding us of the call that God has on his church in general. So with that in mind I want to back up to beginning part of Philippians as part of reason I wanted you to open your Bible to see who is Philippians written to. This book written by the Apostle Paul has a context itself and it is written to a group of people let me just read verses one and two of chapter one further up that we didn't read previously with Andy. This is this Paul and Timothy servants of Christ Jesus to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi with the overseers and deacons grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. You see right here in the introduction here the Apostle Paul is addressing the church in Philippi but he specifically points out the overseers or elders and the deacons as being part of the context part of the audience here that he is addressing. It's what really brought me to this texture this week is in looking at that what would be appropriate for the church and to a new deacon coming on board. Well here right from the Apostle Paul's writings from the church in Philippi is a letter written to that same kind of group of people in the same kind of context and new church, young church growing up in the faith here just like we are new church and young church as well. And the commission here applies directly to those who are in leadership in the church and directly to his church. So we heard the text already read just a second ago but I started here in verse 27 because I like how it sets up this section in the book of Philippi and says this only let your manner of life verse 27 be worthy of the gospel of Christ. So whether I come and see you or am absent I may hear that you are standing firm in one spirit with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel. That's going to be my main thrust this morning is verse 27 but I want you to get a little bit of the context. I mean Apostle Paul if you know right before this or if you've looked at it in your text even just last minute or so know that he is talking about well he is not sure what he's going to opportunity to come and visit them in person. So what does he say what does he want to be true this new young church in the faith with new leaders I've been brought in these new overseers and deacons he wants them to be living in a manner worthy of the gospel. So I want to look at three components here this morning that verse 27 talks about and I think it's all in the context as you see in verse 27 of working and striving side by side. Whose side by side church leaders church members working together in this and three things are I want to look at here this morning. Number one side by side standing firm in one spirit is what the text says right there in the beginning of verse 27 or halfway through. I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit. I notice there that the emphasis there is on one just like it will be in a minute to say one mind and striving in the faith which we'll look at here in a second. There is one spirit that God has poured out to lead his church to be leading his leaders in his church and there to be standing firm in that one spirit. As beings now made alive in Christ spiritually the guarantee the promise and what the scriptures even say is the down payment of that promise is that God pours out his spirit on his church and we have that hope. You know it's interesting in Acts chapter 6 where we actually hear of deacons the first time that deacons are actually brought and given an office. What is one of the key characteristics that's given of verse 3 of chapter 6 as brothers choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the spirit. In fact it's the very first characteristic given of all those they were looking for as the elders are looking for people that rise up and to take on an important role in the office of deacon. What was the first characteristic men full of the Holy Spirit? It's the spirit the standing firm this one spirit that's absolutely essential. Well one of the other key texts that we look at in the scriptures that talks about this idea of being filled with the Holy Spirit is one that's found in Ephesians chapter 5. I bet you've heard of it before if you've grown up or spent any time in the church. Ephesians 5, 18 says this, do not get drunk on wine which leads to debauchery but instead be filled with the spirit. Nine times out of ten the times I've heard that verse refer to in the past and probably true with you. You've heard it talked about in the context of somebody wanting to discuss alcohol and the use of alcohol. Well the Apostle Paul is using alcohol and the idea of being drunk with wine is simply an analogy. It's not the focus of that verse at all. What's the focus of that verse being filled with the Holy Spirit is what the Apostle Paul is getting at. He picks an analogy that was great 2,000 years ago. You know what? It's pretty good today that just like wine, just like alcohol can control one. Just like it can make somebody be less inhibited. It can free somebody up to let their restraints go. In fact, you might have heard somebody say, yeah, that's the alcohol talking. We're coming up on the holiday time where most of us are going to spend extra time with relatives. Some of you somewhere have a relative that you know you're not just going to be spending time with them. It's going to be spending time with alcohol with them and what that means and what that involves as we spend time with that. But here's an analogy given here that we are to be filled with the Holy Spirit just like alcohol fills somebody. Just like alcohol begins to take control in a situation. Apostle Paul is saying, look, that's supposed to be what it's like but with the Spirit among my church, among my leaders in my church. They're supposed to be controlled. They're supposed to be concerned about the things of God. This verse in Ephesians 5 talks about says debauchery which leads to debauchery. Do not get drunk with wine which leads to debauchery but instead be filled with the Spirit. Well, the word debauchery which I don't use very often, I don't know if you had to look up. It says this, excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures, excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures. So if the Apostle Paul's analogy continues to function the way he wants it to, what is he really saying? Stay in firm in one spirit means to be together, excessively indulging in the things of God. So let me clarify where you've heard, maybe you said before, moderation and all things and there's certainly some wisdom to that. And certainly when it comes to the case of alcohol, the Bible is saying just the opposite when it comes to the things of God. In fact, moderation when it comes to the things of God is actually called sin. It's actually enough to sin you to eternal separation from God. What does even Revelation talk about when it's talking about the judgment given to the churches? To the ones that are neither hot nor cold, they're like lukewarm, what's the description? The subtle description that God gives, I'll spit you out of my mouth if you're lukewarm. Moderation is not the case for the church in regards to the Spirit. It's not the case for a follower of Christ, it's not the case for a leader in the church to practice moderation and the things of God. It's to be excessively indulgent in that. That's what worship is. In the very first commandment says we ought to have no other gods, worship nothing other than God. Are you getting the picture of what it means to stand firm in the Spirit from what the Scriptures tell us? Well, a great example of this is a guy named D.L. Moody, who was a great 19th century American evangelist. One of the ones we're best known for from this country. He lived back during the times in the days of the Civil War and things like that. But it realized that he was just a shoe salesman. You know, a picture of this guy that was used greatly of God, this great preacher, this great evangelist that rose up. But at one time he had a sketcher's name tag or he had a payless shoes name tag. Just an ordinary average guy who the Holy Spirit got a hold of. In fact, one time he was making a trip to England. There's a story that an elderly pastor there in England had this quote. He says, why do we need this Mr. Moody? He's uneducated. He's inexperienced. In fact, who does he think he is anyway? Does he think he has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit? To which the person he was speaking to, a younger wiser pastor got up and responded. He said, no, but the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on Mr. Moody. And that's exactly what transformed a shoe salesman into a mighty man of God who'd be used in great ways. And you can't go to Chicago if you're looking around town on the great historical elements of it. And don't pass by the Moody Bible Church or the Moody Bible Institute. It's still there today and God is still working blessing and using that ministry. In fact, let me read a quote from Dale Moody. He says this. He said, I believe firmly that the moment our hearts are empty to pride in selflessness and ambition. And everything that is contrary to God's law, the Holy Spirit will fill every corner of our hearts. But if we are full of pride and conceit and ambition in the world, there's no room for the Spirit of God. We must be emptied before we can be filled. In fact, what he used to like to do is he would take a glass. He would give an actual physical illustration. He would take a glass and empty glass. And he would say, hey, what's the best way to the students to get the air out of this glass? And so I would pipe up and say, well, you could put a vacuum in on it and suck all the air out of it, to which he would say, well, yeah, that would probably crush the glass or cause it to crack. Then he would get a picture of water and he would fill it up in front of him. You fill the glass to get rid of the air that's in it. And his point was, as he practiced in his life, if you want to be rid of the sinful nature, you want to be rid of the sinful indulgences and desires and the things that weigh you down, the things that grab hold of you, and the things that remind you of your guilt. And the fact that you're not like a holy God, you're to be filled with the Spirit of God, this one Spirit. That was a great picture that can still speak a lot here today. Well, what does it look like when a church and its leadership are excessively indulgent on the things of God? Well, it looks like the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on it. And that's my charge in this first point that's pointing to us as a church. Are we guilty of having the Holy Spirit having a monopoly on us? Jeremy, could you be accused this morning that the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on your heart and life? Well, for the church and to its leaders, Apostle Paul says, live a life worthy of the gospel. And what does that look like? A church at standing firm in the one Spirit. Well, it's not only to stand side by side, we as a church, firm in one Spirit, but secondly, standing side by side with one mind. This text says, let me read it again. So that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one Spirit with one mind, striving side by side. Apostle Paul goes on and writes that having a shared mind, a shared orientation is absolutely key and essential. I don't know if you were following on a CNN news story that I saw at least yesterday about a pastor of a mega church in the suburban Atlanta area who just after the Rutgers College incident where the student took his life after his alternate lifestyle was exposed has just recently come out. This pastor of his mega church, the suburbs of Atlanta has come out because of that he says to share how he has chosen a homosexual lifestyle. Let me read and quote from him what he says. He says, there comes a point in your life where you say, how much time do we have left in our lives? Are we going to be authentic or not? At a certain point, you are who you are. What I told my church is that I was given two things in my life that I didn't ask for. One is the call of God in my life and the other is my orientation. I didn't ever think that those two things could be compatible. He said. Well, the scriptures tell us, in 1 Corinthians 2, 16, that he who has the mind of the Lord is instructed by him and that we have the mind of Christ. I want you to realize something here. His quote here in this actual example here is that he saw two things, the call of God and his orientation is being incompatible. And what's his solution in that? His solution in that is that since the two are there, they must live in connection with one another. Authenticity to him was simply to acknowledge both, even though both stand in opposition and contradiction to one another. And what I want to reason why I share that story with you because what the scriptures teach is that when you become a follower of Christ, you are given the mind of Christ. Your orientation changes. Now, don't give me, hear me beyond what I'm saying between, are you born homosexual or are you born heterosexual to see it in regards to all of life? Because the scriptures teach you are born a sinner, lost in your sins, totally disoriented in a right relationship with God. The scriptures even go on to say there's a way that seems right to a man, but it leads to death. If the scriptures are true, what it says, it says, if left alone to yourself, you will follow a track that will take you down the wrong path. You will follow a track that will take you unknowingly, and you could even be excited because you don't know that it's going to lead to death. Unless the good news of Jesus Christ, the hope of the gospel comes and re-orients who you are. And what does it do? It gives you the mind of Christ. As you think about that, let me share another story. Mark, you can, in an article that he wrote, tells a story about a woman named Muriel, kind of comparing contrast to these stories. Muriel's abusive childhood had crippled her emotionally. You see, she had spent time in a psychiatric ward as a teen a lot of time. By the late 40s, she had seen dozens of counselors, therapists, psychiatrists. She was on countless different medications. She had logged no fewer than 61 rounds of electrical shock therapy. A new therapist, though, asked her this question that changed everything. A new therapist asked her, how would your life, Muriel, have been different if someone had come alongside you when you were 14 and showed you your strengths instead of telling you that you were sick? Muriel, let me just quote her, says this. Muriel said, in all those years, I'd never considered that. And then I saw it. I wasn't stuck in my life as I knew it. My life could be otherwise. I decided there and then to live it otherwise. I changed my mind about who I was, which allowed me to change everything almost instantly. Muriel found Christ because she found hope through every newing of her mind. In fact, the scriptures go on and tell us that you should be not conformed to this world. Romans 12-2, right? But be what? Transformed how? By the renewing of your mind. The call is to come into authentically, which is what I wish I could have talked to this pastor and said, hey, authenticity is great. Authenticity, with all authenticity, come and admit your need for Christ and admit your need for every newing of your mind, of a reorientation to who you are made in the image of God. Holy God that you serve. That's what's missing in that pastor's story. That's what's missing in so many of our story. That's what's supposed to be here in the church and among its leaders are renewed minds. Those of us who are taking on the mind of Christ, see as Lewis writes this, he says this, if you read history, you will find that Christians who did most for this present world were those who thought most of the next world. What's he saying? He's saying it's not in trying to be authentic and oriented to be connected well to this world. What transforms who you are is realizing you weren't made for this world. You weren't made to live in a sinful world. You weren't made to deal with the consequences of sin in your own mental, emotional, and spiritual life. No wonder life in the world is hard. No wonder it doesn't make sense. No wonder there's fear and anxiety and depression and struggle. This is not the world you were designed for. It's the world that we created because we were built against God, but know that it's not the world of the new heavens and the new earth that God promises is coming and what the second coming of Christ will bring. But you know what? Our minds are being renewed according to that world now, according to new orientation. God's looking for authentic people, but he's looking for authentic people whose hope is in Christ in the gospel, not into simply accepting the reality around them and trying to make the best of it. Now reject the things of this world. Reject the life and the hope that this world offers and instead trust in the one that Christ promises and that he can bring. That's a church that's renewing its mind and that's what we've been called to do. So here's the key. God's calling doesn't set you free to be authentic. According to your own sinful nature, he sets you free to be transformed by the renewing of your mind into a new creation. And the church congregation and its leaders who stand side by side, one in the faith, and one in the spirit, and one in mind with the mind of Christ is ready to do what's third and next to stand side by side for the faith of the gospel, to stand side by side for the faith of the gospel. Let me read that verse again that I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit with one mind striving side by side, why for the faith of the gospel, for the faith of the gospel. You see these first two characteristics here, being of one spirit, being of one mind or sort of the characteristics of how it's supposed to look but what's the end result, what is it going towards, towards promoting the faith, the faith, the one faith of the gospel, which is the result of those who are walking in one in spirit, one in mind. When the church and its leaders stand in one spirit and in one mind, its result is living together for the faith. Let me share some shocking trends. This from a 2009 American religious identification survey that was given. They asked the percentage of Americans claiming no religion as far as their orientation. Their findings were that it has almost doubled in two decades, claiming from 8.1% in 1990 to 15% in 2008. In fact, they created a whole new category for this title in this group of people called the nuns, not in UNS, N-O-N-E-S, none. They have no religious orientation in faith and hope, none. What goes on is even more disturbing that 22% of 18 to 29-year-olds claim no religion. That's up 11% from 1990. And here, the most disturbing of it all is that 73% of the nuns came from religious homes. I don't know what kind of religious homes there are all kinds of different ones. I don't know if you're like me, but I know of specific friends who have had children who have grown in a fall into this category. They had grown up living in a faith that they at age 18 go into college or somewhere in college or after college age 22, whatever it was, now have walked away from the faith altogether. And it's a growing trend. Now, contrast that to the Apostle Paul's writing, 2 Timothy 4. His last letter, best we know, written to the church, his last epistle, in his last days after he knows Lord's about to take him home. And what does he say in 1 Timothy 4.7? He says, I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Why did the Apostle Paul endure? Why did his faith endure? Why did he keep the faith? It wasn't because he didn't face opposition because he faced great opposition. Stoning, shipwreck, rejection, jailed, imprisoned, beaten to name a few. But he endured through the end. He kept the faith. They got me asking and wondering, what does it mean? What does it mean to keep the faith? And I thought about somebody else in his last moments on Earth, Jesus speaking in John 12, talking to his disciples, perhaps hours, or just days maybe, before he was going to be betrayed. Jesus said this, the hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified. He says, I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me. And where I am, my servant also will be. My father will honor the one who serves me. What's Jesus saying here? He's telling me he's about to die. He's forecasting what's going to happen very shortly. That a kernel, the seed, the seed of the eternal life and salvation in the gospel, is about to be buried. And he would be. But through his death and through his resurrection, it would be spread through his church, through his apostles, through the witnesses, and all the way 2,000 years later today. It continues to spread around this planet. The good news of Jesus Christ. And what does he say is a key characteristic of those that are being saved, those that are becoming a light Christ? He says in verse 25, the man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it. He's saying the key characteristic here is that he's no longer living for this world. But he goes on to verse 26 and says, whoever serves me must follow me. And where I am, I serve and also will be. It's the followers of Jesus Christ that will endure, that will have a faith that lasts. And my question is, who are you following this morning? The Apostle Paul is speaking to the church and speaking to officers in the church, saying you need to be following Christ. That is aligning yourself with the faith of the gospel, because Jesus is the gospel. He is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, but through him. But let me ask you, who are you following and which Jesus are you following? Because you see, there's a lot of us that can follow the trap of following Jesus, who's not really the Jesus of the Scriptures. Following a Jesus who makes you feel good about yourself, following a Jesus who's there to grant you your three wishes, and it's content to be put back in the bottle until the next time you need some more granted. That's not the Jesus of the Bible, who's the King of kings and the Lord of Lords, who the Scriptures say at one point every needle bound, every tongue will confess that he is Lord. He's the Jesus that says, you must take up your cross and follow me for saking this life, for saking the promises of this world to become a follower and fully devoted following Christ and him alone. Author drew through Dyke in his book, X Christian writes about one man's reason for leaving the Christian faith to join the Wicca religion. Here's what this man says. He said, ultimately why I left is that the Christian God demands that you submit to his will. In Wicca, it's just the other way around. Your will is paramount. We believe in God's in goddesses, but the deities we choose to serve are based on our wills. Now I applaud this guy for his honesty in it, and I wish everybody was just as honest. But we have to understand if we were followers of Christ, then we follow Jesus even as he did in the Garden of Guest Settamy to say, father not my will, but yours be done. That's the very heartbeat. The sacrifice of Christ was denying his own personal convenience, his own personal preservation of his life to give his life willingly as a sacrifice for you and for me. The very core of who Christ is is to do solely the will of his father and to put that above all else. If your follower of Christ and church were called to be, it is putting the will of the father above all else. As a church, through church leadership and officers, that is what God is calling us to do. So here's my challenge. Jeremy, directly to you, to us as a congregation. I want to challenge you to stand side by side in one spirit, and let's do that as a church. I want to challenge us to stand side by side with one mind, which is a renewed mind, which is the mind to Christ. And then lastly, I want to challenge us to live for the faith and the gospel, the hope that we have, and abandon looking for the fulfillment of the hope in this world. And let me make a prediction, parents, and us as adults during this church, if we pretend that you can ride the fence and put hope in both worlds, our children coming after us as the statistics are showing, we'll see that we really have no ultimate faith in the world to come. And they're not going to follow us. They're going to buy in to what we're selling, that you can have hope in both worlds, and mix them together, rather than abandoning and hating this world in comparison to loving Christ and the kingdom to come. Kids are smart. And when we might play the outside game, kids aren't as they grow up. So my hope in desire is that Christ's kingdom church will be a church that our children are coming from here, not looking more and more religious and more and more neat and sweet on the outside. But our children will leave from here who have a hunger for God and who want to worship this Christ, who brings new life and new hope and who transforms hearts from the inside out. You have a passion and desire that say, I'm tired of my mind. I want a renewed mind. And I want it to be oriented to the mind of Christ. And I want to be filled by his spirit. And I think that's the will of him, of God as well too. So as I close in prayer, I'm going to ask God very directly for him to do something that I know is according to his will. And I want to ask you as a congregation to join me in praying for that for our church. I want to ask you as a congregation to join me in praying for that specifically for officers and for Jeremy this morning if he makes his transition. There are churches more and more carrying on the lightness of being worthy of the gospel following Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the spray. God asked that you would do what only you can do now and God that you would produce spiritual life here. God asked that the kernel of faith and of substance that Christ was in his death and resurrection on the cross. God would grow here and spread in this church at the hope of the gospel with spread and power this morning. God that our orientation and our dependence on you and your Holy Spirit God would be what is dominant. God that our orientation and our need for ever minds renewed into the mind of Christ God would more and more be a reality in this church and among its leaders here today. And God would you begin with me as a pastor of the church as well. So God would you come and would you orient us to be a church that truly is shining bright that's being salt that's being light that's living for the faith of the gospel. And Father prayed that would be true of our leaders as well. And I pray that it would be true of Jeremy. God sees officially transitioning into the role and office of Deacon here this morning. God do all that for your glory and for your honor. And God do all that so that your church might truly display the glories of the power of Christ working and that we would truly be guilty of being the body of Christ followers of Christ. So God do that work is only you can do it. We pray this in Christ name. Amen.