“Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” – Mark 8:34-38 KJV
Since Philippi was founded by Philip, the father of Alexander the Great, a glimpse at Alexander’s pursuits can certainly tell us something of its ideals. You see, Alexander endeavored to Hellenize the world; that is, he sought to unify it in Greek culture and thought. Thus, he would engender relativistic views on matters concerning the truth, thereby reducing moral absolutes to mere matters of taste. This, of course, put a standard into motion that later proved to be a deadly threat to God’s people. For the Greeks were not monotheistic, but polytheistic; meaning, they espoused a belief in many gods.
Eventually, Philippi became a Roman colony, designated as a place for war veterans to reside. The Romans were proud of their heritage; they shared the same worldview, spoke the same language, and even dressed alike. Thus, they were set in their ways and perceived those who opposed their lifestyle as being a threat to their existence. Of course, this explains why God’s people weren’t favored by them; for they were essentially opposites. And they weren’t afraid to take drastic measures in dealing with those who spoke against their customs. Such was the case with Paul and Silas whom they rose up against, demanding that they be beaten for teaching customs that were not considered to be lawful to the Romans (Acts 16:21-22).
It is no wonder that God gave Paul a vision of a man pleading for help. Those who didn’t agree with the philosophy of Rome were being severely persecuted (Acts 16:9). In fact, they didn’t even have a synagogue to worship in, but had to gather together to pray and worship God outside of the city, next to the riverside (Acts 16:13). Imagine having to leave your own city in order to worship God, and not even having the freedom to share your beliefs without being persecuted for it. Many of us take our freedom for granted. Yet these people faced the threat of being beaten and imprisoned for their faith on a daily basis. Of course, they didn’t let that stop them from showing their allegiance to the Living God. They were willing to die for their faith. Yes; they loved God that much!
Would you be willing to do the same? How great is your faith in Jesus Christ?
It’s interesting how so many Christians are silent when it comes to sharing their faith. They have no trouble talking about worldly affairs, but when it comes to Jesus it seems like they don’t have much to say at all. Indeed, things have changed! Instead of taking a strong stand against evil and calling sin by its rightful name, many are compromising the truth for the sake of making peace with the ungodly. I suppose they think that it’s too risky to be conservative. Or maybe they just think its too boring or inconvenient to be holy.
Satan would like you to believe that it’s too risky to be true to your faith. He wants to put fear in your heart, that you might refrain from being useful to God. But you shouldn’t let anything come between you and your relationship with God. For God knows what’s best for all, and there is therefore no such thing as taking a risk in serving Him. Think about it. Taking a risk is all about potentially losing something that is of value. But if what God desires to give us is invaluable, then what is there to lose in believing in Him?
Listen, we don’t lose anything from serving Christ; rather, we gladly cast all of our cares on Him, believing that He cares for us (1Peter 5:7). We ought to know how the story ends by now. God wins! So, what is there to be fearful of? If you are fearful then that is only because you are not really exercising faith in God’s love for you.
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” – 1 John 4:18 KJV
Don’t be ashamed of standing up for what is just and right, but be strong and courageous instead. Tell the world what Jesus has done for you. Thus, you will accomplish more than Alexander the Great ever could have done in a hundred lifetimes. For you would be on a quest to do that which is truly good, while he merely sought to do what he thought was good. Thus, you won’t be on a shameful path that leads to sin and death, but on a shameless road that leads to Eternal Life in Jesus Christ!
