To Live Is Christ

by Pastor Mark
March 17, 2023

Thank God for Family Camp 2023

We give thanks to God for blessing our Family Camp this year. It is wonderful to see how we were able to come together for this year’s Family Camp after 3 years of not experiencing this vital ministry. Taking time to fellowship over many meals was such a great joy. More importantly, we thank God that we could listen to the Lord’s Word for four and a half days.

To live is Christ

“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)

The theme for this year was a most challenging one, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21) Each night, we learnt many deep lessons. What does it mean for us to live for Christ?

Checking ourselves

  1. We often tend to assume that we are living for Christ.
  2. One way to check whether we are doing so is to ask ourselves what we are living for.
  3. What would we fill in the blank of this statement… “For to me, to live is…”
  4. We may be living for…our family, our job, ourselves, etc.
  5. This requires us to be candid and honest with ourselves.

Understanding what it means to live for Christ

  1. For Paul, it was to see Christ in all aspects of his life.
  2. This is something that we see in the first chapter of Philippians.
  3. Paul was Christ-centred in all that he did.
  4. “Lord Jesus Christ” appears many times in this chapter, for instance…
    1. In how Paul saw himself…as a bondservant of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:1).
    2. In his greeting to the brethren…grace and peace from God and the Lord Jesus (Philippians 1:2).
    3. In how Paul longed for the brethren with the affection of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:8).
    4. In how Paul prayed for the brethren to be filled with the fruits of righteousness by Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:11).
    5. In how his chains are in Christ (Philippians 1:13).
    6. In how his focus that Christ is preached (Philippians 1:18).

A dynamic principle of life

  1. Living for Christ should be seen as a dynamic principle of life.
  2. It ought to drive us in how we live our life.
  3. Paul wrote of having an earnest expectation and hope of himself (Philippians 1:20). What were some of the things that he expected of himself?
    1. He would be unashamed in life (Philippians 1:20).
    2. He would always have boldness (Philippians 1:20).
    3. He would magnify the Lord Jesus…in life and death (Philippians 1:20).
  4. This was Paul’s way of applying this principle in his life.

The challenge to live for Christ

Through this Family Camp, we have been given greater enlightenment and understanding to learn how we should live our life for Christ. Let us be challenged not to go back to our old ways of living…what we used to live for. Let us be challenged with greater fervor, strength and hope to live for Christ.

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