Philippians 1.27-30

Now we come to the climax of this entire introduction to the book of Philippians. We have seen Paul remind the Philippians how they used to partner with him as kingdom citizens in the past, and we have also seen how we displayed three different scenarios that actually advance the gospel if you look at them from the perspective of kingdom citizens.

And now, Paul ends with a bang. This is what he says:

²⁷ Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel ²⁸ without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. ²⁹ For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, ³⁰ since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hearthat I still have.

Did you catch it at the very beginning of the passage?

He said, "Conduct yourselves". 

Does this mean anything to you?

It is going to.

For it is the word, politeuomai, which literally means, "to have one's citizenship". 

It is a word that defined the entire conduct of how one lived their lives. If you belonged to this certain city, this polis, you would conduct your life in a manner consistent with the values and foundations of that city, or people group. 

For instance, I am an Okie from Muskogee. You may have heard the song, "I'm proud to be an Okie from Muskogee, by Merle Haggard. 

The first verse goes like this:

We don't smoke marijuana in Muskogee;
We don't take our trips on LSD
We don't burn our draft cards down on Main Street;
We like livin' right, and bein' free.

Being from Muskogee expects a certain kind of conduct, a certain way to live one's life with an agreed upon set of values that the people from Muskogee adhere to. And the chorus emphasizes this point even more:

I'm proud to be an Okie from Muskogee,
A place where even squares can have a ball
We still wave Old Glory down at the courthouse,
And white lightnin's still the biggest thrill of all

Being a citizen of a certain place expects certain kinds of conduct. 

This is what the word, politeuomai, or "conduct yourself" means. 

Paul is encouraging the church in Philippi to have their citizenship in heaven, to conduct themselves as citizens of that kingdom. 

And look what this will produce:

Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel ²⁸ without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God.

All the problems that are going on in the church in Philippi will be solved if they will begin acting like kingdom citizens. 

Their disunity will be done away with, for they will not be selfish like the citizens of this world but selfless like citizens of God's kingdom.

They will not be scared by death, like the citizens of the world, for they are promised a future resurrection. 

And this kind of life shows the citizens of this world that they will be judged for their conduct. 

All of the surface problems in this church are done away with if you just fix the underlying issue, act like citizens of God's kingdom. 

So the question that remains is simply this; What do citizens of God's kingdom act like?

And this is what Paul addresses in the rest of his book to the church in Philippi. 

But today, think about this...am I different or the similar to those around me who aren't Christians. If you are different, that probably means you are living according to the conduct of God's kingdom. If you are similar, it might mean you aren't.