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A Measure of True Godliness: Pour Ourselves Out for Others

(Overcomer Wu)

“But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.” --Philippians 2:17

As with the proper understanding and the proper interpretation of any verses in the Bible, it should not be taken out of the context. The context of the verse quoted above shows that the apostle Paul first pleaded with the saints: “if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy” (2:1). In other words, these are obviously lacking; hence, the apostle Paul pleaded with the saints for these virtues to shine forth. How? Well, among other things mentioned, we would “let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” (vv. 3-4). I think that it's easy to dismiss and even try to justify ourselves the neglect of the practical carrying out of these matters of self-denying love and care for the interests of others by saying, “I am busy enough with my own business, my family and relatives, the meetings, and prayers. I have no time for that.” These matters can then easily be ignored even with some ease of conscience as long as they are busy with some church's business, meetings, or serving. Yet, God would not have included these verses in His Word if they are merely suggestions and optional for us Christians. In fact, these of of such prime importance that God was in fact pleading through the apostle Paul – and yes, it is not too much to say that because these pleadings of Paul have become the very content of the book of Philippians, which is a part of what's commonly known as the heart (which comprised of the book of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians) of the Bible.

Then the context of Philippians chapter 2:5-11 continues by giving us the example of how the Lord Jesus Himself displayed such humility of lowering Himself in His self-denying love and care for the needs of others, namely, us and the whole world of humanity, by leaving His lofty and comfortable throne to come and die for us sinners. Following this starting verse 12, Paul then turn to Timothy and ask him to also be such example of self-denying love and care with strong words of exhortation that he need to obey these words or one may even say they are commands since verse 4 is stated in the emphatic tense. And Paul continues that this is essentially how he “work out your(his) own salvation with fear and trembling.” And as we have the desire to be obedient to the Lord's command in this matter, God will do His part in both “to will and to do for His good pleasure”(v.13). Then in verse 14 Paul says, “that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” In other words, this is how we practically show that we are in the world and not of the world and how we shine as “lights in the world” by going against the worldly trend of the selfish, narcissistic trend of caring only for your own selfish interests, selfish benefits, selfish advancements, etc. . And we “hold fast the word of life...”(v.15) by not only receiving it, but also being obedient to it and walking in it. Then finally we come the verse quoted at the top in verse 17, where Paul then declares, “But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.” The apostle Paul modeled the such a self-denying life in his care for the other saints to such extent that he said that even if he were to be sacrificed as a martyr on behalf of the saints like a drink offering poured out for them, he would be “glad and rejoice.”

In Isaiah chapter 58, God was angry with his people and told Isaiah to convey these words: “Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.” Which transgressions and sins is God referring to? God warned through Isaiah against mere profession, outward formalism, or hypocrisy – having the form of godliness, but being disobedient to God's Word. Verse 2 shows their outward form of godliness: “they seek Me daily, and delight to know My ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; They take delight in approaching God.” Doesn't this seem godly in human eyes? The following verses even tell us that they fasted and afflicted themselves for God's sake, yet God is not pleased at all but He sees these religious and seemingly godly acts and services are mere hypocrisy! Why?

Starting from verse 6, God told them plainly the reason why: “Is this not the (real) fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, ... Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh?” Then in verse 10 God gave them the solution to redeem themselves: "If you extend (or literally. draw out) your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday.” This is part of true exercise of godliness. Let us all ask ourselves, have we neglected this matter that is so dear and near to God's heart? Interestingly, this was also the cause of the total destruction of Sodom. Contrary to the popular belief that it was the extreme sinfulness of Sodom in gross immorality to the point of homosexuality that prompted God to destroy the city, this verses in Ezekiel 16:49-50 tell us the real reason plain: "Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit." Thus, we see the real reason for the complete annihilation of Sodom was due to their pride, and their not helping the poor and the needy. This is quite significant, because it shows that the Lord is even more disgusted with the people who are prideful and who did not help the poor and the needy than the grossly immoral people! We may not look at things that way, but what counts is God's valuation of things.

The New International Version translated these same words “extend your soul” as "…spend yourselves” on behalf of the hungry and the oppressed. Have we done that that? Or are simply gorging ourselves and like the children of Israel who pretended to be spiritual by seeking God's ways, God's purpose, and seek and do righteousness, and even fasted once in a while, attend all meetings, but neglected the poor and the afflicted into to appease our conscience?

One who is true seeker and an obedient follower of Christ will not be found sitting smugly in his or her chair of ease and go on vacations, surrounding himself/herself with the luxuries of life, without any thought and true action of helping the needy and the afflicted. Most Christians, even the so-called devout ones, may read God's Word, pray, and attend all the church meetings/services and give tithe (in reality of course the Lord deserves and owns everything we have) to the church but not to the real needy saints because that would not be tax deductible, with a contented feeling of having done his/her part and performed his duty to please God. But ask yourself before the Lord, is the Lord truly satisfied with that, when we ignore the group of needy people He care for dearly as a Good Shepherd of His sheep?

In the four gospels in the New Testament, again and again we read that Jesus is, "moved with compassion,” and reached out to the hungry, the hurting, the sick, the needy, the "lost sheep.” The disciples who were present with Him in His ministry and who later wrote about it, have seen the compassion in His eyes, and heard it in His voice, and sensed it in His tender touch on the blind, the leper, the dead, and other needy ones.

Spiritually, we are those who have at least experienced the compassionate touch of Christ on us while we were yet dead in sins and offenses against Him, and our gratitude in return should know no bounds. He came to us when we were lost in the darkness of sin and were without hope. He sought us and called us to Himself to show to us His great mercy and compassion in saving us, He turned our darkness into light, from the authority of satan unto God, and gave us an imperishable inheritance among the saints without our seeking Him. Who can measure the greatness of the love of God our Savior, and what self-denying love and sacrifices He has accomplished for us on the cross and through His death and resurrection! Yes, we all say that we are eternally grateful and we give thanks to Him even at the Lord's Supper or the Lord's Table meeting. Yet as we have read in the verses above from both the Old and the New Testament, He wanted part of our gratitude in return to best be expressed in our action by "spending ourselves" on behalf of the hungry and oppressed.

The Apostle Paul was grateful to find Timothy as a fellow worker willing to spend himself in like manner as he on behalf of the saints. Paul told the Philippians that he had "no man like-minded(like-souled) [to Timothy], who will naturally care for your state” (Phi 2:20). As Paul rejoiced in such a like-minded, yoke-fellow worker, so does God. God makes precious promises to those who are so given over to Him that His loving heart and hand can overflow to them and through them to meet those needs that His compassionate heart longs to fill. God promises that the darkness of such caring ones shall become as the noonday sun as we have read in the passage in Isaiah 58:10b. Furthermore, He said, He will “... satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail” (Isa 58:11). Many, even God's people today, are caught in the deception of this world to hoard for themselves rather than to spend themselves to such extend that the NKJV translated it as “extend” or stretch themselves, helping others in need in Jesus’ Name, not forgetting that Jesus forsook riches and “became poor for our sakes, that we through His poverty might be rich” (2 Cor 8:9). If we are true followers of Christ and are led by the Holy Spirit, we will surely be overspending ourselves in caring for the needs and interests of others, especially the truly needy saints, for it will be not I, but Christ living through us.

The Lord’s repayment for our obedience may not necessarily be in like kind. But to have the light of His Face shine in our dark hours, and to have the dews of heaven refreshing our souls, and to have our lives rooted in streams of living water that never run dry are worth more than anything this world can offer! Whatever brings the true riches of God, rather than the wrath of God, into our lives is worth the price! Most likely most of those reading this discourse are true followers of our Lord. Yet all of us must guard against the entering in of the selfishness, self-indulgence, and self-centeredness that keep us from spending ourselves in a practical way where the Lord requires of us. This is especially true of this perilous hour when there is a strong trend in our society toward selfishness and self-seeking. We are living in the last days when the love of many is waxing cold (Matt 24:12) even among the elect people of God. Watchfulness and obedience are most needful when the darkness around us is deepening. Jesus has told us that we are the light of the world. That means we are to go against the tide of this world. And the light must shine brightest in the darkest of nights. May we all maintain our agape love both towards God and towards His people not only in words but in deeds!

There are times when we see and are touched by deep needs that we ourselves can honestly do little about. There is still the prayer of faith, which moves the omnipotent hand of Him who does merciful and gracious and powerful things! Who knows how or what great blessings might come to the hungry souls, what comfort to the afflicted, what liberty and deliverance to the oppressed when we pray! God can indeed do far beyond what we could ever ask or think. Each of us has great potential of releasing this marvelous store through prayer, if our hearts are right with God. That is a vital prerequisite and accompaniment of effective prayer. "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (Jam 5:16). Yet the common practice however is that when we could as the Lord has enabled us to spend and extend ourselves to these needy saints, yet we simply give a seemingly pious “I will pray for you.” This would, sorry to say and calling it the way it truly is, be simply disobedient to the Lord and being hypocritical. For this reason, James 2:15-17 say, “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,' but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” And that will incur God's wrath while rob us of our real incorruptible blessings both in this age and in the age to come. May we all be willing to be so spend and extended for the saints that we would be willing if necessary “to be poured out as a drink offering” on behalf of the other saints.