Sharing Troubles

Philippians 4: 14

In the letter to the church at Philippi, Paul states; “Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble.” (Philippians 4:14)  What kind of trouble is Paul referring to in this letter?  He is in Prison in Rome, and the time line is about A.D. 60-64. Who is sharing Paul’s troubles; it is not referred to family or close friends, but a church in Philippi.  Is this band of believers different from others that Paul has encountered in his missionary journeys?  He ministers to people in Cyprus, Perga, Antioch, Lystra, and Derbe on his first missionary journey, but we have no record of any of these sharing in Paul’s troubles.  On his second missionary journey, Paul ministers to Syria, Lystra, Galatia, Troas, and founded a church in Thessalonica, he also founded a church in Corinth, and had a brief visit in Ephesus; this is not a full list of the places Paul visited on either of these trips.  Only the church at Philippi shared in his trouble, and it was founded on his second trip.

Can we dial this up to 2011, and you hear about a pastor or teacher in your past, and I mean it has been a while since you have seen or heard from them, but at some point, they have made a spiritual difference in your relationship with Christ.  And what do you hear about them?  The government of this United States has placed them in jail.  What do you do?  It is reported that they have been arrested on civil rights charges, in fact, as you explore the New York Times, it is reported that they were asked to speak at a church in that city and were arrested for teaching hate.  It does not state in the article what is meant by hate, but you know this person, and you know they have a calling on their life, and you know them to be true to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  You have set under their teaching and have found them to correctly handle the teaching of Scripture.

Your first thought is I must do something, but then a second thought comes into your mind, they have so many people in their life, so many churches that they have poured their life into, surely I’m not needed.  Then you get an email from another person like yourself, this person also was blessed by their teaching, and they inform you that a strong Bible church in the south is passing around a petition.  They have investigated and found this pastor was arrested and convicted because he stood against sin and the evil culture in this present darkness.  Your friend, who you have not seen in sometime, warns you not to get involved, big brother is cracking down on anyone who would dare proclaim that Jesus Christ is the only way to God the Father.  That teaching is now considered to be a hate crime, because it leaves out so many people, people who have their own plans on getting to heaven.

This is my feeble attempt at what is in store for the church, and it is coming; it is what has happened to Paul.  The government of Rome, at this time, was weak and in its weakness was becoming more evil day by day.  You might say, “ The old is forever new,” or as my dad so often told us, we learn nothing from history, so we are doomed to repeat it.  Often, we look at Rome and the USA and wonder how could a nation so great fail?   It is my belief that in Paul’s experience, others that he had ministered to, also heard both voices, the first was the Holy Spirit and the second was the enemy of our soul.  I am praying that you and I will share in the troubles of those who have been used to encourage us in Christ, and that we will hear the Holy Spirit and obey.

Form the Back Porch,

Bob Rice