Dave’s Monday Blast – March 28, 2022

Men of INTENTION know the value of a Single Mind, i.e. a mind focused upon Christ, a mind focused upon His will being accomplished. The Apostle Paul had such a mind. He stated it as simply as this: “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).

His Singular Purpose Mind was not concerned about the things of this world (1 John 2:15), his were for eternal things like….

1. The Fellowship of the Gospel (1:1 – 11). Paul had true Christian Fellowship with the Philippians.

• Paul held the Philippians in his mind (1:3 – 6)
• He held them in his heart (1:7 & 8)
• He held them in his prayers (1:9 – 11)

2. Furtherance of the Gospel (1:12 – 26) Paul advanced the cause of Christ.

• Paul’s chains gave him contact with the lost, i.e. the prison guards and the Praetorian guard, therefore, Christ was known.
• Paul’s critics; regardless of their insincere motives, Paul had joy as long as Christ was preached.
• Paul’s crisis resulted in Christ being magnified. His peace in spite of the crisis he was facing gave observers a picture of who Jesus was, and is.

3. Faith of the Gospel (1:27 – 30) The body of divine truth was given to the church, therefore, the church must continue to engage in a teaching ministry to pass this heritage to the next generation. Satan wants to rob us of our joy, and we must realize we’re in a battle for the minds of this generation; therefore, we must:

• Be consistent in our daily walk with Christ (1:27a) by walking worthy of the calling of Christ. Living like we say we believe, or as Pastor Phil recently reminded us, our Conviction must match our Confession!
• Cooperate with each other (1:27b). As we’re in this battle together, we must stand firm together.
• Be confident (1:28 – 30), for the battles we face prove that we are saved. The presence of conflict is a privilege, as we consider it to be suffering for the sake of the Gospel. And we know that we’re not alone in experiencing spiritual conflicts. However, enduring these spiritual battles or conflicts leads to spiritual growth in our lives.

The true consequence of having a Single Mind results in joy. When I have my mind focused only on Christ, and the furtherance of His Gospel, then I can have joy in spite of my circumstances as His will is being accomplished.