Philippians 1:19 (NIV)

I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit ofJesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way beashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or death.

Paul knows that he has the prayer and support of his friends. One of the great things in Pauls letter in how time and time again he asks his friends to pray for him:

• To the Thessalonians he says "Brothers, pray for us" and then again he says to them "Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honoured." (1 Thess 5:25; 2 Thess 3:1)

• He says to the Corinthians "You must help us by prayer." (2 Cor 1:11)

• In his letter to Philemon he says he will return in answer to his friends" prayers. (Phil 22)
• To the Roman church he asks for their prayers just before he sets out on his journey to Jerusalem. (Romans 15:30-32)

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that i will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.

Here, Paul was in prison awaiting trial and he had to the fact that hisfuture was uncertain, live or die! To Paul it made no difference.

To live!

This is a great phrase of Paul's: Living is Christ to me. On that Damascus road Paul began to live all over again. Christ has become the continuing of life, for from that day on Paul never went a day without living in his presence. Christ was the source and secret of Paul's continual joy (even in prison), for Paul's life found all its meaning in Christ.

To die!

For me to die is gain! Death for Paul was entrance into Christ's presence. There are passages where Paul suggests that death is like falling asleep and at some time in the future is the wake to a general resurrection (1 Cor 15:51-52; 1 Thess 4:14-16) but now that Paul is talking about himself, he sees death as an immediate entry into the presence of the Lord.

As we believe in Jesus" death for us is both a union and a reunion, a union with Christ and a reunion with all those whom we have loved and lost for a while.

Citizens of the Kingdom

Philippians 1:27-30 (NIV)

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel ofChrist. Then whether I come and see you 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 without being frightened in anyway 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. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

Paul says to the Philippians, and also to us, no matter what happens, either to them, Paul, or us, we must live our lives worthily of our faith and our confession. Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel is a good translation but it misses some of the depth of what Paul was saying. The actual word Paul uses means to be a citizen. Paul was a Roman citizen right in the heart of the empire. Philippi was a Roman colony, a small bit of Rome planted in Philippi and citizens never forgot they were Roman.

Paul was saying that even though you are miles and miles away from Rome, you know oyu must still live and act as a Roman does.

Well, remember that you and I have an even higher duty than that. Wherever you are you must live as becomes a citizen of the Kingdom of God.

What did Paul expect of them?

• To Stand fast - The world is full of Christians on retreat, who, when things get difficult, play down their Christianity. We are called to stand fast, unashamed in any company
• Unity - We are to be bound together un one spirit like a band of brothers - let the world quarrel and fight; but we are to be one.
• Unconquerable - Often, it seems things that come against us are invincible, but as we stand fast, never abandoning hope, then we will overcome.
• Cool,calm courage - In times of crisis, others may be nervous and afraid. We will be still and atpeace in God, enabling us to master what we are facing.

When people see us like this they will want to know what it is that makes the difference in our lives, giving us an open door to share the gospel with them. Paul knows this will not be easy. He has experienced the cost of the gospel and now the Philippians are paying the price as well. Are we ready to pay the price?