I Dare You to Move!

Philippians 1
9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God.

Colossians 1
9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[4] to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

The Church in Philippi must have been freaking out, "Paul's in jail! What do we do now? What if they kill him? How can we do this without him?" I imagine their feelings may have been similar to that of the disciples when they crucified Jesus. "This wasn't part of the plan." How many of the followers were riding on the coattail of Paul's enthusiasm and courage? A storm like they had never seen had erupted in their lives. Questions of doubt, fear and failure were buffeting what little resolve they had left. Paul, sitting in a damp and cold jail cell, chained to a Roman guard, demonstrates the maturity of his faith by writing a letter to a young church answering their fears and encouraging them in their faith-walk. He meant it when he said he had learned to be content in all circumstances. He answers their personal insecurities by saying, "God's going to finish what He's started in you." He answers their feelings of helplessness towards Paul's captivity by saying, "You're sharing in God's grace with me...you're my partner in this struggle...be encouraged...I am in chains for Christ." And he answers their questions about their next steps by saying, "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God." What were they to do? Keep loving, growing, serving, trusting! Keep moving in step with the Spirit of God with their eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of their faith! The band Switchfoot sings a song called "I Dare You to Move." Redemption is here. Salvation is here. See it! Receive it! Live in it! I believe Paul's message to this church struggling with captivity (both Paul's and their own) was "I dare you to move!"