The Christian Perspective

THE CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE

True Christians share a common perspective when it comes to the overarching priorities and purposes of life (Philippians 1:27–2:2). What is this singular mind and mindset? Here is an excerpt from the sermon "The Gospel-Shaped Life: Together in Deep Spiritual Unity: An Exposition of Philippians 2:1-2": 

"What is this common perspective that we share? We regard Christ as supremely worthy and we want Him to be honored in our life. We submit to the authority of God’s Word and seek to be transformed by it. We cherish Christ’s gospel as the center of our fellowship. We share the same purpose: “striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.” We labor to advance the gospel to more people in more places, and we recognize that suffering is one of the choice things that God often uses to further our mission. And besides the missional value of suffering, suffering is, in fact, part of our calling to walk with Jesus and be conformed to the pattern of His life. We also labor to advance our fellow Christians in the gospel. In fact, we consider it one of the greatest possible privileges to minister to others “for [their] progress and joy in the faith.” All of us are committed to living out our citizenship in God’s kingdom in a way that is “worthy of the gospel of Christ.” We want to understand the gospel more fully and apply it more faithfully to every aspect of our life. We do all of this together, recognizing that the church is God’s family: we are brothers and sisters one to another, and our calling is to live accordingly and function harmoniously as one people. Finally, to anticipate Philippians 2:3-8, we know that humility is a key part of the “one mind” that we are supposed to have. We are not here to serve ourselves, but rather to serve Christ and His people."