Pursuit of Christian Excellence
By Bryan Wheeler
CHRISTIAN excellence is the Biblical norm of faithfully and earnestly pursuing the will of God, by the grace of God, for the glory of God. We can see three essential elements of it exemplified in the life of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3:Philippians 3:7-17 First, Paul makes a sober assessment of himself"I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ" (v. 8).
Second, he has identifiable, specific, and realistic spiritual goals"That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death" (v. 10).
And third, he strives to be increasingly single-minded and passionate in his Christian walk "Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (vv. 13,14).
Guidelines. How can we pursue Christian excellence in our life as Paul does, instead of living in a way that is contrary to the reality of the grace of God? Let's look at some of the guidelines God has set forth in verses 15-17:
Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.I. Beware of spiritual complacency.
Being spiritually complacent is the dangerous attitude of the heart that says, "It really doesn't matter what I do and how I live, just as long as I believe, just as long as I make it to church." True faith is never cold, passive, or fatalistic. Rather it is lively, active, and enthusiastic. It is a faith that yields good works, because "faith without works is dead" (James 2:26).Someone has said that the Christian life is like riding a bicycle. Unless you keep moving, you will eventually fall off. Why? Because there is no stability in standing still. There is no "coasting" in the Christian walk. A truly born-again person is led by the indwelling Holy Spirit; he grows from faith to faith, and from strength to strength.
Love and fear. The source and sustenance of passion in the Christian life is to know in an experiential way the love of Christ "because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us" (Rom. 5:5). The Lord Jesus "loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood" (Rev. 1:5). "The love of Christ constraineth us...he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again" (II Cor. 5:14,15).
Also keeping us from falling into a spiritual rut is the fear of God. Proverbs 14:27 says, "The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death." And Philippians 2:12: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." This fear is the overwhelming sense of God's awesome presence, so much so as to be a controlling and motivating factor in the believer's life. Knowing that "the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous" (Psalm 34:15) makes the true Christian to fear. He fears losing an opportunity to please and glorify God.
Richard Baxter puts it this way: One serious thought of the end and consequence of all thy work, one would think, should put life into the dullest soul! Say to thy sleepy soul, "Is it not heaven that I am seeking? Is it not hell that I am avoiding? And can I be cold and slothful about heaven and hell? Must it not go with me forever according as I now behave myself? And is this the best that I can do for my salvation? Is it not God that I have to please and honor, and shall I do it slothfully?"
II. Cultivate Christian graces.
The Christian life is not just talking about spiritual truth, it is living spiritual truth. Our Christianity is measured not so much by what we know, but by whether or not we practice what we know. There are four necessary graces which should be evident in the life of every true child of God.Humility. In Philippians 2:3 God commands: "Let each esteem other better than themselves."
To do so, we first must recognize how proud we are by nature. A proud heart is one who usually thinks that he is right and needs to be noticed, who is easily offended, who does not like to be corrected, who often complains, who is often impatient with others, who likes to talk more than listen; who is bold to contradict others, and who has a hard time forgiving others. I can go on and on, but I think you get the idea.
Next, we need to seriously consider God. There is nothing more humbling than to see God in His Word and by His Spirit high and lifted up. Men are proud because they don't know God. Notice how Isaiah reacted when he saw a vision of God. "Woe is me!" he said, "for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips" (Isa. 6:5).
With such a mindset, we can then better see our own very real imperfections and develop true humility. Consider the example Christ has set for us. He "made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant ...And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death" (Phil 2:7,8).
Selfless love. God commands in I Peter 1:22: "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently." And in I Peter 4:8: "And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins." (Charity is an old English word for love.)
For believers to love one another is not optional. It is a debt we owe. Romans 13:8 says, "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another." And Jesus says in John 13:34, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye ove one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." We need to meditate and consider what kind of love does Christ have for us.
Christian love involves holy fellowship with God's people. We read in Malachi 3:16, "Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another." This fellowship should include praying for one another with sincerity, regularity, familiarity, and fervency.
Inner Joy. One grace that especially differentiate Christians from others is their having the joy of the Lord. Though he was in prison, Paul was moved by the Holy Spirit to tell the Philippians, "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice" (4:4). And James writes, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations" (1:2).
We can better experience the joy of the Lord by seeking Him, because Psalm 105:3 promises, "Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord."
In Philippians 4:8, God also shows us how to mind our thoughts so that we do not succumb to anxiety: "Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
Holy zeal. What is holy zeal for God? It is an intelligent, passionate, and active jealousy for God and His glory and is comprised of two things: an ambition to please God and a passion to glorify God.
Successful people are always ambitious people. That's why the successful people of the world are typically focused and goal-oriented people. They concentrate on attaining the things that bring them satisfaction and pleasures.
Not so was the Apostle Paul, however. In Philippians 3 he writes: "One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (vv. 13,14). His ambition was to please God.
Holy zeal also includes an intense passion to glorify God. Zealous people are intensely passionate people. Our Lord suffered and died to make us holy and passionate for God.
This passion is implicit in Psalm 42:1,2: "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God." And in Psalm 63:1: "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee."
III. Commit to spiritual discipline.
Attaining Christian excellence requires discipline. This is where many of us have problems, as we have failed so many times in the past to do so. But we must stop excusing our past failures and start disciplining ourselves unto godliness! Success in anything requires discipline.Most of us, I believe, need the discipline of prayer. We need to cultivate the habit of communicating with God. The Bible says in Philippians 4:6, "Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God," and in Ephesians 6:18, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints."
We also need the discipline of hearing God's Word. We need to develop an appetite for the Scripture. God says in I Peter 2:2, "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby," and in Psalm 1:1,2: "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night."
Behold God. Finally, we need to have the spiritual discipline of observing God in Providence. We read in
Psalm 111:2-6:The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever. He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the Lord is gracious and full of compassion. He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant. He hath shewed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen.As there is not a moment but we are under His mercy, so there is not a moment that we are out of His presence. Yet, all too often, we are altogether unmindful of God. What shall we Christians do to be more serious? Mind God's presence. How shall we avoid distractions in service? Think of God's presence. How shall we resist temptation? Oppose to them the presence of God.In sum, when we are committed to always praying to God, to getting to know Him better through the Bible, and to being constantly aware of His presence, we will be increasingly equipped to cultivate the four key Christian graces, thereby keeping ourselves from falling into a spiritual rut. o
Rev. Bryan Wheeler is pastor of Cornerstone Bible Church, 12268 Southwest 128th Street, Miami, FL 33186