“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened (literally: stampeded) by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.” (Philippians 1:27,28)
STAMPEDE! An outcry guaranteed to frighten the hardiest buckaroo.
A stampede begins when one animal is spooked by a real or imagined threat and bolts. Panic spreads through the herd and all the animals take flight. The only way to stop the mad rush is to turn it in on itself so the animals run in circles.
Paul was thinking of that analogy when he wrote to the Christians at Philippi. “Don’t let anyone stampede you into mindless anxiety. Rather react to all threats by standing firm, striving side by side for the gospel with tranquility and poise. That’s a clear sign that you’re on the winning team.”
It’s easy to stampede us. A tweet, a Facebook post, an article in a magazine, a newspaper report stating that someone is challenging the Church and we react in fear. Then, we pass on the post, tweet, article or report to our friends and the stampede begins.
It’s much better to greet every piece of “bad” news with the question, “Where is God in this?” and then, if we pass on the information to others, to accompany it with a quiet word of assurance that all is well. That can bring peace where a mad rush might prevail.
Furthermore, our quiet response to each challenge is a “clear sign” to those who oppose the gospel that hell and its grand strategies will fail. We’re fighting a battle that that’s already won (Matthew 16:18).
David Roper
2.18.21
