Let's begin reading in verse twenty seven of Philippians chapter one. 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 together for the faith of the gospel. and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation and that of God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ, you should not only believe in him, but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I have. The book of Philippians that Paul is writing, probably from Rome. The first church that Paul founded in Europe, the first convert was Lydia. I'm sure you've heard about her. He was imprisoned there. It's a fairly stable church. There are some ladies there, Yodius and Syntyche. That's how you say their names, who had some issues. By and large, it was a normal church for those days. But I think one thing that Paul was trying to say is they couldn't afford to relax. Paul often exhorts the saints to be alert, to watch, to be sober. And boy, we need that admonition nowadays. We're so prone to get caught being spiritually lethargic, passive, caught off guard. I mean, you hear of it all the time. You hear of so many falling into sin. Well, we all know that falling is gradual. It's something that occurs primarily when we stop fighting the battle. And so, the Apostle is encouraging him, these Philippians here, that the world is too dangerous. And the Gospel is too glorious to be content With past achievement, he says, forgetting what lies behind, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. And so Paul comes into the midst of the Philippians and he explains to them, kind of like he does with the Ephesians, and we'll get into that in just a moment, but he explains to them about Christian maturity. He's saying, this is what it looks like. There's no special mystical insights. He exhorts us to be patient, to practice love. Ephesians 4.32, being kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven you. And so many practical instructions for saints in the midst of this war. Verse 27, he says, let your manner of life, that's what conversation means, or your behavior, be worthy of the Gospel of Christ. And we can elaborate on the Gospel of Christ and the glories of Christ, the infinite value of the Son of God that was exemplified as we shared in the Lord's Supper, testifying to us what the Scripture says, that we're justified. by faith. You know, did you ever think about that there are no degrees and justification? That every saint, every person that's repented and has been born again is equally justified before God. There's no spiritual hierarchy where some are more righteous than others. Hallelujah. I mean, that makes me glad. I'm glad it wasn't based on my performance this week. It's based on his performance and therefore being justified judicially, legally, objectively declared by divine... what's another word for fiat? Proclamation declared. God says that Those who have believed are fully, 100% completely justified and righteous before me." That's the only way you can have anything at all to do with God. He's so holy that one sin could separate you from all eternity. There's none righteous. We know that there's none that does good. And so when you think about these things, being justified by faith. It's all about Jesus Christ. It's all about what He's done. Well, I wasn't going to get into this, but let me just touch on it, and then our brother will straighten us out later. That's what's great about just preaching once in a while. We believe in monarchism. which is that salvation is by God alone. Salvation is the work of God. Jonah was spit out of the belly of the whale and he cried out, salvation is of the Lord. There was nothing I could do. A lot of evangelicalism, including Catholicism, believe in synergism. The salvation is cooperation between man and God. Oh, no. Salvation is of the Lord, wholly, completely of God. So, therefore, He's saying, let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ. See, if salvation's of the Lord, and if you and I stand before God now, today, irregardless of our performance, irregardless And we are forever forgiven, washed, justified, declared righteous, holy, complete before God. The religious world would say, well, if that's the case, then people will just try to... they'll want to sin. Well, they don't understand grace then, because that gospel which has given you a new heart, causes you to pant after God as a deer pants after the water brook. You've got to get more of this God. Your eyes have been opened, your understanding has been enlightened, and you are passionate in your pursuit of God. Even when you stumble, you quickly repent and get up and turn to Christ with all your might, not depending on your own performance. So Paul says to the Philippians, let your citizenship here, which your actual citizenship is in heaven. And so why is he saying this to the Philippians? Well, briefly, Philippi was a Roman colony. And they prided themselves on that. I used to pastor a little church in Elsinore, Missouri, First Baptist Church of Elsinore. 400 people in the town. And, you know, if you were from Elsinore, I mean, you really fit in. I mean, the I mean, everybody who was anything there was from there. People, you know, who moved in from the outside, they just weren't, you know, it was like a and I thought, you know, pride in Elsinore, come on, you know, Surely there's a better, you know, I'm from New York City. Now you got something there, you know. That's how it seemed to me anyway, but. But. What he is telling them is is to this church, he's saying, forget all that, forget all earthly status. Just trash it all. In the church, this all means nothing. Rich, poor, white, black, male, female. We're all equal. Joint heirs. That's what we tell young people when we marry them. That you are now one flesh and the husband is the head of the wife and the wife is to submit to their husband. But they are together heirs. They're heirs together of the grace of life. They're joint heirs. Which speaks of dignity. with Jesus Christ. So here you have all kind of problems going on and people are claiming their status and no doubt they had cliques. They were looking down on some and thought that they were better, more spiritual for one reason or another. And basically Paul tells them in this epistle, you're not acting like citizens of heaven. And he's talking about Like Brother Scott talked just a week or so ago when he was talking about prayer, he's talking about a wartime mentality. And if you, Church, if you forget that, I agree, if you forget that, then you are going to be a spiritual casualty and you very well might be sitting right there this morning a casualty. And how do I know that? There's one main thing that stands out nowadays. It's prayerlessness. Prayerlessness is the result of pride and self-sufficiency. And if you study the condition of the Philippian church, Paul was really concerned about them. He was concerned about their demise. And my friends, mark it down, Rockport Baptist Church's time is limited as a physical entity if we don't become a people of prayer. God will write Ichabod over this church like He's done many others if they think that they can get along fine without God, betraying it by their prayerlessness. He will do it. He will not let man or an organization or a church get the glory. But if his people will humble themselves. And pray. And seek his face. And turn from their wicked ways, he will hear from heaven and will heal their land. And I believe with all my heart, dear brothers and sisters, And I know so often it seems like I'm giving a word of rebuke, but my responsibility is as a watchman. We are spiritually, as elders, watchmen, watching for the flock. And if you're about to perish, and it's because of a lack of prayer, then the warning is due. And when we start out the new year with a week of prayer, and I guess this is I guess this is a rebuke, so you'll just have to prayerfully consider it. And nobody shows up. That church is in spiritual danger. And they don't even know it. They are lukewarm. And you say, what? I pray by myself all the time. You know what? If you're a prayer warrior, then please pray for this fellow soldier. We need brothers and sisters crying out to God on behalf of the battle that's at hand, the souls that are being lost. the work of the gospel. That's what Paul is talking about when he says here, Philippians, he says, quit this silly, childish pridefulness and lose yourself in a glorious gospel of Christ and stand fast in the midst of this battle. Stand fast, he said. Now listen to what he says. Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or I'm 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. He's talking about unity here. Let's go back to Ephesians chapter 4, verse number 1. I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you've been called." Here's the same tone. With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing one another in love. Oh, man! Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, People can be so petty. Don't be petty with one another. The cause is too great. There's so much that the enemy can use to cause us to be at odds with one another, to cause friction amongst the saints. And that's like going up to the front line and dividing them in the midst of a skirmish so that the enemy can conquer easier. And I know that the victory belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ, but this is what he's talking about when he's saying, stand fast with one mind. He's talking about the mind of Christ. Let this mind be in you. You know, the one who was in the form of God, thought not robbery to be equal to God, but made himself with no reputation, humbled himself. He was meek and lowly, although God incarnate. So He said, stand fast, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit, Ephesians 4.3. Is that you? Eager. Eager to maintain. This is something, guys, that we work at, that we battle our flesh and we deny ourself and we refuse to believe the lies. that it's alright to be at odds with the brother. You say, what circumstance are you talking about, Bob? I don't know. This is the Word of God. I'm preaching the Word of God, and I know people, and I know churches, and I know what goes on, and our heartbeat as elders is on the pulse of the sheep or the flock, and when we understand spiritual lukewarmness, our responsibility is to Admonish. And so he says here to be eager, I'm exhorting you be eager to maintain the unity of the bond of the spirit in the bond of peace, let there be peace between your brother. That's what Jesus taught. He said, if you come to worship before the Lord and you have anything against your brother, He said, just forget all about that, leave your gift at the altar, first go reconcile yourself to your brother. There's practicality in that. It's very often that we saints need to go to one another and confess our sins one to another and be reconciled because we're not playing games. This is warfare here. Souls are at stake. Jesus said, you'll know them by their love. And that's a passionate, overflowing, eager. Peter said, have fervent love in your hearts one for another. That means a boiling over love. And I want to say right now, if you don't have a boiling over love for every believer in this body, you are in desperate need to repent of your sins. I mean, we spend half our time repenting. We're like a bunch of atoms bouncing off each other, and we continue to affect and to misstep and to fail. That's why we need a continual atmosphere of grace. Then Paul says to the Ephesians, therefore, there is one body, one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God, one Father of us all who is over all, through all, in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ. Don't say you can't do it. You be obedient. And in so being obedient, you're living in a manner that's worthy of the Gospel. He says in verse 14, We do this so that we may no longer be children. This is Ephesians 4. No longer be children tossed to and fro by the waves, carried about with every wind of doctrine by human cunning, by craftiness and deceitful schemes, but rather speaking the truth in love. We're to grow up in every way. It's little children in the schoolyard who have these little spats and quabbling, quabbles and arguing. As mature men of God, and I'm exhorting the men primarily, it's your responsibility to stand up as fellow soldiers, grow up in the Lord, and you have to Sometimes exhort your wife that that is to be the case. From whom the whole body fitly joined together and held together by every joint by which it's supplied. All right. So. Men. What did God. prepare for. It was war. That's why prayer. Is for war. This is all prayer language it's it's it's it's preparation. Being of one you know unity is a beautiful thing. I'm a simple guy but Some of you guys that were in the service, I remember we joined out there and they had us all stand up next to one another in ranks and just by the hundreds, you see all these guys standing shoulder to shoulder, row by row, and every one of them, you would see just a couple of flags just silently waving in the breeze, but there was absolute and total silence. There was absolute and total obedience. We've got a pretty good army in the United States. Praising the government in church, but we have some of the best soldiers in the world and By and large it is because when you get in there The service demands absolute unity And if you get in a squabble with with with one of your fellow soldiers and something happens you're going to break You're not you're you're not going to be a part of the war You will disqualify yourself So, let me continue on talking about what mind well Chapter 2 verse of Philippians chapter 2 Paul said Philippians complete my joy By being of the same mind Here here's how Paul was going to be content and happy with the Philippians be of the same mind having the same love being in look at these words he uses being in full accord and again of one mind and in verse number five have this mind among yourself which is yours in Christ Jesus and who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born..." I knew I was going to get to this sometime. "...being born in the likeness of man, being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death." That's what he's saying. He's saying, have this mind. Be ready in a moment to die. for your brother. Some of us won't even be aggravated for our brother. And it's sad. We get a little upset at a brother and there's a church split. I mean, this is not how God intended for us to experience victory on planet Earth. What is this mind, this one mind? And it's this. It's an exhortation Brother Charles Leiter gave me about ministry. He said, Brother Bob, you need to get as low, as low as you can possibly get. He said, you need to crawl and grovel. And when you get as low as you can possibly get, then get lower. That's the mind. I'm saying that the worst enemy of the move of God in the church right now is pride and self-sufficiency. And that is the reason we don't pray. We really don't believe, therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God. Or we believe that we have access to God. We look more at our performance than at His performance on Calvary. Therefore, when others don't meet up to our expectations, we get aggravated, and we grumble, and we complain, and we gossip, and we slander, and we act like the devil himself right in the midst of those whom God has called to the saints. And we, like the Philippians, have no right to be conceited at all. We ought to humble ourselves. the mighty hand of God That he may exalt us due time One more thing He says with one mind. He said let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel Standing fast in one spirit with one mind Striving together. I love that word it it's Soon which is together and then the Greek word where we get our English word agonized Isn't that beautiful? It means agonizing together. Now it has something also to do with wrestling together. It has something to do with contending for the faith once delivered to the saints. But guys, listen, our faith is under attack. And I'm not saying that we're to be out just defending the gospel, but I'm saying that when we have the gospel without the power of God, And we're counting when we go out into the world on our persuasive ability to convince men to make a decision. It is not the power of God. And we ought to be wrestling, agonizing together that we, in our humility, might experience the power of God, have the power of God on our lives. And when we go out and preach the gospel in an anointing, lives are changed. Change lives. We shouldn't settle for anything else. We should be striving together by resistance, by prayer, by agonizing. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. And you know what the answer to it is, guys? Our Father just wants us to talk to Him. He wants us to not try to do life on our own. I guess the crux of the matter in this message is I fear the prayerlessness of the church. Satan fears the prayers of the church. But there is a cause, he says, striving together for the faith of the gospel. There is a cause. And if you don't understand it. Maybe Satan has blinded. Your eyes. The gospel is the power of God, the salvation to everyone that believes to the Jew first, also to the Greek. Paul said, if anybody preaches another gospel, it's it's not a matter of the gospel. It's the matter of a powerless church because of a prayerless church, because of a proud church, a self-sufficient church. I'm exhorting us to prayer. We have, for instance, the camp meeting starting in a couple of weeks. And honestly, you know, I'll be honest. I was discouraged when I considered, you know, what we wanted to do. And we said, well, we want to seek the Lord. And so we're going to we're going to pray and we're going to have times of prayer. And God answers prayer. I believe him. I've seen him work before. Listen, we've seen it. Listen. It was just a couple of years ago when we were meeting and many people started meeting with us and we had different prayer meetings. And God did some wonderful things. In the midst of all that, actually, is when God brought Chris, and the Moslanders, and Justin, and I can see all these guys. That was in the midst of some times of prayer. God began to move, and then we thought, this is great, and we laid off, and we have not been the people, the corporate people of prayer that we need to be in this time of battle. You just got to examine your own heart. I mean, I got to examine mine every day. I get up at 3.30 this morning praying, praying for the church. You might say, oh, he's bragging. No, I don't always do that. I got to bed maybe about midnight, got up at 3.30 because of the need to pray. There's a need. And I need to pray more. I'm a busy guy. ministering the church and and trying to reach out and and counseling and then premarital and then the job and Just there's no way that man. Listen, you can't live this life on your own and you better quit trying Because you're going to continue to make a mess and experience the cold dearth that you so often experience and the lukewarmness and the powerlessness But I promise you If you will seek the Lord and pray, and I am talking about where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst, and we will see God. And we will see God work mightily, and we will see God answer prayer. And I just believe that. And I believe that if we don't pray as a people, God will let us drown in our self-sufficiency. And ultimately, this will just be a faint memory. in the annals of Christianity in history. So this is what God is doing as I sought the Lord, he. Inspired me concerning this message, and he to me is simple, I'm just a simple guy. It's obvious to me he's calling us to prayer. And I'm in the midst of of repenting and seeking the Lord and praying, and so I'd say the next time the church calls for prayer, you ought to be eager. to maintain the unity of the Spirit. You ought to do all that you can. Just say, you know, I'm a very busy person. Listen, we're all busy, alright? We're all very busy. Too busy. If you're too busy to pray, then you will suffer the consequences. But you, as a church, will reap the consequences in your families, the working of God in your marriages, the saving of souls, God is a miraculous God working. He's he's the one that does it all and we can't do anything. So I'm urging you to seek the Lord and pray. Pray alone. Seek the Lord, have times of fasting. come together for prayer. When people have prayer in their homes, you go and join the homes that are together. Get in a community group where they pray every week together in these different homes in Arnold, down south in Festus, in Chrysalis City. We have them all over. Times of prayer. Be concerned, be eager, live worthy of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's pray together. Oh, God, how we need you. Lord, we're we're such a needy people. We. We have the best of preaching. We have. Elders that love us, we have the spirit of God. Lord, you've blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies and in Christ. You've shed your blood. You've given us eternal life, you've justified, you've made us wholly righteous. And yet we proclaim to be saints of the most high God. And yet it seems so often we rarely. Know how to talk to our father. bring shame upon us, but bring grace, give us grace, give us the grace of repentance, and we will find acceptance, access, and the answers to our prayers by our loving Heavenly Father. And it's in his name that we pray. Amen. Let's stand together.