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“In no way intimidated”
Message preached on
September 24, 2017
Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Glen Arm, Maryland USA
based upon
Philippians 1:21-30
I recall a church meeting many
years ago, in which sat two very powerful men. One was the head of what
had become a large, well-known company, a firm he had built from scratch.
As a multimillionaire now, he served as trustee of many institutions,
including a college. The other man was a retired bank executive, who had
worked his way up the corporate ladder with but a high school diploma.
These two men lived on the same block in fairly simple homes.
The retired banker, a sincere
Christian, had unfortunately learned well the art of intimidation over the
years. As I sat in that meeting, it became obvious to me that the
multimillionaire was afraid of the banker. How did I know? Well, it was
his hand that gave it away. Whenever the multimillionaire spoke to the
banker, the hand in his pocket frantically jingled his change. This
revelation was eye opening for me, since I was intimidated by them both.
Whether it be subtle and
manipulative, or open and violent, the way of the world is one of
intimidation. Need I point out the current name-calling and threats,
backed up by missile and bomb tests, as well as troop and ship deployments
on and surrounding the Korean peninsula? We might call it the “art of
intimidation,” though I’m not sure “art” is the right word to describe it.
This is but one example. Intimidation is how the world turns, at least in
part. It may work quite effectively. On the other hand, this tactic may
can fall flat on its face.
Regardless, it’s all too easy to
be intimidated, either by people who mean well but follow worldly tactics,
or by those who plainly have evil intent. Consider that first generation
of believers in and followers of Jesus Christ.
These early Christians in the land of Israel were quite intimidated
by a Pharisee named Saul, who was a sincere believer in the One true God.
He meant well. He really did.
He saw this Jesus movement as dangerous to the descendants of Abraham, and
figured that the best defense was a good offense. He led the effort to
intimidate these people out of existence, figuring that a few well-placed
stonings of certain Christian leaders would silence the rest.
Of course, Saul was not about to
intimidate God. On his infamous journey to the city of Damascus, traveling
with a permission slip to do to the Christians there what he had done
elsewhere, Saul was himself silenced for a time, blinded by the light of
Christ. “Why do you persecute me?”
the voice of the Lord rang out in Saul’s head, a question to which Saul
had no real answer. I imagine his period of blindness made it possible for
him to see his actions in a new light, and paved the way for a conversion
of heart.
That Saul was feared by the early church is evident in the response
of a fellow named Ananias when God called him to reach out to this
persecutor of Christians. “Lord,”
Ananias prayed, “I have heard from
many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in
Jerusalem.”
(Acts 9:13)
Still, Ananias moved past his fear and left the comfort of his home in
Damascus to literally touch Saul and share a good word from the Lord with
him. As scripture then records, “immediately
something like scales fell from (Saul’s)
eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized...”
(9:18)
Saul, also known as Paul, later
journeyed out to new places and people, but this time he was equipped not
with a permission slip to intimidate, but with a living letter to spread
the good news of Jesus Christ. Along the way, he himself encountered all
sorts of intimidating forces, some subtle and manipulative, others open
and violent; some well-meaning but misguided, others with evil intent. As
God told Ananias on that first day of Paul’s life in Christ, “he
is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and
kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he
must suffer for the sake of my name”
(9:15b 16).
Now, it’s interesting that some
of the writings of Paul have been used by certain Christians down through
the centuries, even to this day, to try to intimidate others into silence.
I am no expert on this apostle, but it seems to me that such efforts would
be contrary to what he learned on the road to Damascus. In words that
immediately follow this morning’s scripture reading from his letter to the
Philippians, Paul wrote this about Jesus:
“though
he was in the form of God he did not count equality with God as something
to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being
born into human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled
himself and became obedient to the point of death - even death on a cross.
Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above
every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend ... and
every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord...”
(2:6-11)
In other words, Jesus did not
come to intimidate people into following God. Instead, it was in the form
of a servant - through humility - that Christ showed the way to greatness.
That’s a fine piece of theology. Paul took it one step further, though,
from theology to ethics, from God talk to disciple walk, when he prefaced
those words with these: “Let the
same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus....”
It might do us well to recall
that those words didn’t flow out of a peaceful, easy period in Paul’s
life. He wasn’t sitting in some comfortable
Pastor’s Study as he composed
this letter. No, he was writing from prison. I doubt if jails in his day
were model communities. Isn’t it the purpose of a prison to cast fear into
the heart of the prisoner – to intimidate? That’s how order is maintained.
When Paul wrote that he was hard pressed to choose between living and
dying, this was no couch potato decision, folks. On the one hand, his
death would not only release him from his present suffering, it would also
be his entrance into the kingdom of heaven. On the other hand, he knew
there was so much yet to do, persons to encourage, people to reach with
the love of Christ.
Even in that very intimidating setting, however, Paul was not
intimidated. “Through your faithful prayers and the generous Spirit of Jesus Christ,”
he wrote, “everything God wants to
do in and through me will be done. I can hardly wait to continue on my
course. I don’t expect to be embarrassed in the least. On the contrary,
everything happening to me in this jail only serves to make Christ more
accurately known, regardless of whether I live or die. They didn’t shut me
up; they gave me a pulpit! Alive, I’m Christ’s messenger; dead, I’m his
bounty. Life versus even more life! I can’t lose”
(1:19-21, from
The Message).
Those hardly sound like the words
of a prisoner, but they are. And they’re written to people who are
themselves starting to face opposition. According to Paul, “God has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in
Christ, but of suffering for him as well
since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now
hear that I still have.”
(1:29 30 NRSV)
There were persons in Philippi, some probably well-meaning, others acting
out of evil motives, who were trying to bully them out of their faith.
Don’t be intimidated, Paul encouraged in response. Don’t be intimidated...
It’s all too easy to be
intimidated, though, isn’t it? Even when we don’t face the kind of
struggles that Paul or his friends in Philippi did. Some folks respond to
intimidation by returning it right back. In fact, some of the biggest
bullies I’ve ever known are quite frightened persons on the inside.
Actually, the art of intimidation (if one wants to call it an “art”) is
not only a tactic to elicit fear, it also flows out of fear itself. Others
respond to intimidation by shutting up, which isn’t right, either.
Paul had a few good things to say
about how to handle intimidation in his letter to the Philippians. Already
mentioned is the need to see the bigger picture. Paul was not intimidated
by his prison cell because he could see beyond it. He could even see
beyond death – death being the ultimate intimidation tactic of those who
imprisoned him. That’s an interesting perspective on the part of someone
who earlier in life managed the death of several believers in Christ. Just
as back in Paul’s bad old days, he couldn’t really shut up the disciple
Steven by having him stoned, so death would not, could not silence Paul’s
message. Keeping the bigger picture in focus is an important clue to handling
intimidation.
Another is the fact that
we do not face such fear alone.
Paul called on the Philippians to “stand
firm in one spirit,” to “strive
side by side with one mind”
(1:27).
God gives us his Spirit. The Lord also connects us to each another. Both
Spirit and Community are vital to being able to stand tall in the
middle of adversity. Among God’s people there is always someone to stand
with you. I don’t fully buy the old gospel song that in following Jesus
“you must walk that lonesome valley, you have to walk it by yourself,
oh, nobody else can walk it for you, you must walk it by yourself.”
While there is truth to each person needing to face into their own fears,
to walk their own walk, discipleship is not a lone ranger affair. God
provides others to walk with us. Sometimes, it’s only a matter of looking
in the right direction to see our real brother or sister in the faith.
Furthermore, we never face into adversity for this faith without the very
presence of God with us. The Holy Spirit is but a breath away.
Paul wrote, “live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel”
(1:27).
Recall what he then said about Jesus coming in the form of a
servant in order to show the way to greatness - to the very kingdom of the
Master of the Universe. Jesus
didn’t come to intimidate people into following God. He merely called us
to follow in his own steps, to become servants of God. Live your life in
such a manner. That’s what Paul wrote. Along the way, though, recognize
that people may feel threatened by how you live, and they may respond by
trying to intimidate you out of it.
“This
is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation”
(1:28),
Paul concluded. Now, we’re not sure whether - in those words - he meant
that the efforts of adversaries to intimidate are the evidence of their
ultimate loss, or if he meant that when you are able to stand firm in your
faith and not be intimidated - this is the evidence that they have no
power over you. I have a feeling it may be a combination of both. Even
when we’re standing up against the greatest adversary, we live with the
faith that Satan has already been defeated by our servant Savior, that
death has no power over us because of the empty tomb, and that the doors
to God’s kingdom are open wide because Jesus stood firm upon the cross.
Don’t be intimidated. Those are words you and I need to hear. Amen!
©1999, revised 2017
Peter
L. Haynes
(you are welcome to borrow and, where / as appropriate, note
the source - myself or those from whom I have knowingly borrowed.)