What Goes Down Must Come Up
“One of the girls in our small group came to me after maybe a year or so of listening to people and she was like, ‘I feel like I’ve heard every single one of my worst fears in these stories ... but all I hear is hope.'" It was a riveting moment as I interviewed 'Reese' for the Major Project in my D.Min. program. As she invited her friends to share their testimonies of seeing Jesus care for them in their greatest suffering, others caught a vision for what it looks like to be a disciple.
Read Philippians 3:17-21
In this capstone moment of his letter, Paul describes discipleship as imitating Christ together. For instance, he considers the Philippians his brothers and sisters. They're family. Families don't function well when they're divided. But when they lovingly care for each other, we notice a family resemblance in how they live. Paul makes it explicit: pay attention to those who follow the pattern of life he's shown them. It's the same thing he tells the Corinthians: "Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1). It's why he honored Timothy and Epaphroditus. He was modeling the importance of thinking about the people who live like Jesus. By contrast, he specifically describes the community that is opposed to Jesus. Their earthly citizenship is revealed by their shameful desires. They live for immediate pleasure. They don't care about eternity or realize they will face God's judgment. The famous saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" is relevant here. Because their identity and community are worldly, their lives are, too. They look like the Caesar they serve. Christians have a different Lord and Savior: Jesus. Paul describes him in terms usually set aside for God the Father: he reigns in heaven with complete authority over the cosmos. He determines our eternal future. Death is no obstacle; he has the power to raise our bodies to eternal life. But when everyone around us is trying to get ahead and please themselves, how can we deny ourselves and faithfully serve others? Paul rehearses the pattern set by Jesus: his death led to resurrection, then ascension into glory. So also, as we die to ourselves and eventually die, Jesus will raise us from the dead, and give us eternal, glorious bodies. Because Jesus has defeated death, we earnestly look forward to the day when he raises us into his glory. Reese's small group had figured out what Paul taught: when friends imitate Jesus together, the descent into suffering and service becomes, by God's grace, the staircase to hope.
What is true of Jesus but no one else?
Whose walk with Jesus has shaped you the most? What did you imitate from their example?
Discipleship is imitating Christ together. Who could you invite to walk with you?
At church this Sunday, ask the most godly Christians you know what secrets they've discovered from walking with Jesus.