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LIVING IN AUTHENTICITY
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PHILIPPIANS
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The book of Philippians gives us a vivid picture of the fruit of the
Spirit, as Paul writes to his Philippian friends about living aligned
with the Good News of Jesus: love, not legalism; unity, not discord;
authentic faith, not counterfeit religion.
When Paul’s eyesight returned, he saw the world with new eyes
because he truly was a new creation. Gentiles (non-Jews) that he
once despised and looked down on became his friends. The body of
Christ (the early church) that he once persecuted became his family.
Nothing was the same after his encounter with Jesus. Sharing the
gospel of Jesus Christ became his only goal, and he willingly left
the safety of his old life to share the Good News with the world.
Three missionary journeys took him through areas of the globe
where people had yet to hear the name of Jesus, and he faced almost
constant danger:
Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned.
Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was
adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers,
danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger
from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness,
danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and
hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and
thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.
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2 CORINTHIANS 11:25-27
If we flip back over to Acts 9:16, we see that God let Ananias in
on what lay in store for this murderer-turned-apostle. The Lord knew
that Paul would suffer “for the sake of [His] name.” Yet, because Paulmade-new was filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, he could see God’s
deeper purpose in every struggle. The struggle was not beyond the
reach of God, and every bit of pain was worth God’s Kingdom reaching the ends of the earth.
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