I don't know whether Paul had any inkling of Nero's growing hatred for Christians or of the intense persecution that was going to come against Christians in the Roman Empire, but he has already experienced persecution from his own people. He knows that wherever the gospel goes, opposition to the gospel will arise. He tells the believers of Philippi to stand firm no matter what comes, and to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel.
"Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you." (Philippians 1:27-28a) The word we find translated as "conduct" is the Greek "politeuomai", which means "to behave as a citizen". Paul is saying, "No matter what circumstances you find yourselves in, behave like citizens of Christ's kingdom."
In telling his readers not to be frightened, he's not speaking of the natural concern anyone would feel when faced with persecution. He uses the Greek word "pturo", a word that can mean "to be terrified, to cower, to stampede in fright". Remember how the disciples fled the Garden of Gethsemane in terror when Jesus was arrested? This is type of fear Paul is telling his readers they won't give in to if they stand firm in the power of the Holy Spirit and if they maintain unity with one another. Remember how Peter was so frightened on the night of Jesus' trial that he denied he knew Him? This is type of fear Paul is saying they need not experience. The terror of the disciples was a terror they experienced before the death and resurrection of Christ, and before Christ ascended to heaven, and before the Holy Spirit came to indwell believers. We don't have to face our fears alone. We have the Holy Spirit living within us and we are to rely on Him for the power to stand firm.
Next Paul says that standing firm in the faith, no matter how fierce the opposition, is a sign to the enemies of the gospel. "This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved---and that by God." (Philippians 1:28b) Enemies of the gospel are like terrorists. Terrorists may manage to kill or maim people, but they can't kill or maim all of the people that they hate, and so their primary motive is to provoke fear in as many people as possible. After all, they aren't called "terrorists" for nothing. The Lord Jesus tells us that there is only One for whom we should feel fear---a holy and reverential fear---and that is God, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28) The inability of the enemies of the gospel to strike abject terror in the hearts of the Christians is a sign to them that they have no real power over the people of God. It's a sign to them (though they may not acknowledge or accept it) that they are headed for eternal damnation, for they do not possess the power that God's people possess. The enemies of the gospel do not know or fear the one true God, and therefore they are in danger of facing judgment from the One who can destroy both body and soul in hell.
Suffering is unavoidable in this fallen world. If we belong to Christ, suffering for the gospel is also unavoidable, for, "Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." (2 Timothy 3:12) Not everyone will face the type of persecution Paul faced, but I guarantee you that there will be people who don't like us simply because we are Christians. Some of the persecution we face will be passive, such as being left out of things. Some will be more obvious, such as being made fun of or passed over for promotions. In our nation we are already seeing the tide turning against the Christian faith and I fear it's only going to get worse. We don't know how fierce the opposition against the gospel is going to become, but anyone who follows Christ is going to be confronted with some type of persecution. "For it has been granted you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have." (Philippians 1:29-30)
Paul was willing to suffer for Christ because Christ had suffered for him. That same attitude should be in us because the same Spirit is in us that was in Paul. Though I'm sure Paul would rather have avoided the beatings and imprisonments he suffered, he understood that suffering for Christ brought him closer to Christ. This doesn't mean we are to seek out suffering, but that if our faith brings suffering upon us we are to endure it staunchly through the power of the Holy Spirit, ever growing closer to the One who suffered for us. Suffering for our faith shows us who we really are; if persecution doesn't draw us closer to Christ then our hearts aren't where they need to be. But if, as Paul says, in our persecution we conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel, we know we are living in close fellowship with our Lord.
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