St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church

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Philippians:  Keep On Pumping

Philippians 3:4b-14

October 2, 2005

1. Last Sunday we pumped up the world – which, I hasten to add, is very different from "blowing it up"! If we were to blow it up, we would destroy every good thing God created. We could do that, destroy the world, if we were so inclined. After all, God gave us a free will. We can do anything we think we’re big enough to do! And there are days when I think that might happen! Some folks seem to have the attitude Paul claims he could have – a boasting, elitist approach to life that implies "I know the truth, and you don’t. You don’t matter, and we’ll do it my way." That ‘chauvinistic’ attitude has brought trouble to the world in every age – long before the word ‘chauvinistic’ came into popular usage.

2. Paul admitted that he had every right to think he had it RIGHT – he had the marks on his body to show he was part of the "in crowd," he could trace his ancestry back to the best tribe, he kept the Law of Moses to the letter, and he had gone after those awful people who followed that heretic Jesus. By golly, nobody could bring one charge against him – he was squeaky clean! But Paul had seen the light – literally! Now he knew none of that stuff mattered! Jesus pumped him up! Jesus put spirit (the Holy Spirit) into him, and in short order that Spirit would pump up a world that had gone flat. It wasn’t easy for Paul, (or Jesus either, for that matter!) The cost was high. But it was worth it!

3. Unfortunately, we earthlings have this terrible tendency to revert back to being like Paul was before he saw the light. Christians who believe they have received THE TRUTH go off and kill people, or start a new denomination and train their members to believe they, too, have the truth. The Body of Christ is dismembered! Will it be like that forever? That’s a good question! It’s up to us.

4. The decision to pump up our world, or let it go flat, is up to us. And we have two choices. We can do nothing, in which "flat" will be the default shape for the world. Or we can get busy and work for unity. I don’t mean "uniformity." "Uniformity" means always being the same, having no variables, totally consistent from one day to the next. That’s boring! No life, no creative spirit, in uniformity! "Unity," on the other hand, refers to having one common creative purpose. "Unity" combines all the diversity in the world, and channels it toward a single goal.

5. So, how can we, being as different from each other as we are, how can we possibly focus on one common purpose? How can we channel our energy toward a single goal? Paul has a suggestion, almost hidden in the last half of verse 13: "Forget what lies behind and strain forward to what lies ahead." Or, in other words, keep on pumping!

6. Now, each of us will respond differently to that suggestion. "Keep on pumping" could have one meaning for some of us, and another meaning for others. For you who have blockage in your arteries, it means having to change your lifestyles – keep on pumping; for you whose parent or partner or pal has died, it means overcoming deep grief – keep on pumping; for you who have ended a career or a relationship or the 10-year-running of a show, it means having to find something else to fill that space – keep on pumping; for you who have an illness or disease turning your life upside down, it means not giving up – keep on pumping! When we might be tempted to live life in the flat lane, Paul tells us to resist that temptation! Pump it up! And keep on pumping!

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