Philippians 3:18 says: “For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again, even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.” These are people who do not live according to the purpose for which the cross was given. The cross of Christ came to redeem sins and transform people. Yet some refuse to change. They reject the purpose of the cross, and by doing so, they become enemies of Christ’s cross.
Verse 19 continues: “Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.” To whom someone submits, that one becomes their king, kurios, master, and their lord. Our Lord is none other than God the Father, and our Lord is Jesus Christ.
Then verse 20 affirms: “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.” Let none of us fail to value spiritual matters. If we truly value them, then when we stand before God, we will certainly honor and worship Him. To disregard spiritual matters means also to be indifferent toward the Kingdom of Heaven.
Ironically, many Christians do not live with the awareness that they are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. Yet this is of utmost importance, something we must honestly wrestle with and pursue earnestly. We must be lifted out of worldly ways of thinking. People who no longer care about the church often claim that churches and pastors are merely manipulative or exploitative. Indeed, some churches and pastors are like that—but not all. Still, due to such realities, people often feel justified in not valuing the church.
Think about eternity! Do not be arrogant. If God is not our Lord, then our lord is ourselves. We make ourselves the law, ourselves the king: whatever we want to do, we do; whatever we want to say, we say; whatever we like to think, we think at will. Some people deliberately seek conflict to show their strength. It can appear powerful. They dislike someone, then purposely clash with them, only to prove their might, until others acknowledge it. Do not become that kind of person. That is arrogance. If we are members of God’s Kingdom family, we must submit to God.
Every nation or kingdom has its laws. Our country has its laws. Likewise, the Kingdom of God has its law: God Himself, who has placed His Holy Spirit in our hearts. The Holy Spirit tells us what pleases God and what does not. Unless we have never dealt with the Holy Spirit—never prayed, never questioned whether something is pleasing before God—then it means we are not genuinely seeking the Kingdom of God.
Those who seek the Kingdom of God will be diligent in examining and discerning every thought, feeling, word, and action—whether or not it is in line with God’s will. We are not spiritual vagrants in a neutral territory without a master. We are members of God’s Kingdom family who live under His law. The Lord is that law, and the Holy Spirit is His seal within us. Whether we grieve the Holy Spirit or bring Him joy is what determines our legitimacy as members of God’s Kingdom family. Let us change while there is still time.