It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always, Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.
– Philippians 1:20–21
Wow. What language inspired by the Holy Spirit through Paul as he’s in prison. And the reason I want to pray according to these two verses. There’s so much in Philippians 1. But I think about two conversations I’ve had with good friends over the last couple of weeks. One from a friend who is on the front lines sharing the gospel with unreached people. He’s working to get the gospel to some of the most hard, difficult, and dangerous places in the world. And he reached out to me via text and he said, Hey, if you haven’t done a Pray the Word podcast on Philippians 1:20, I’d love to hear it.
Philippians 1:20–21 Teaches Us to Honor Christ
To have courage and honor Christ through courage. This is what verse 20 is saying. It’s my eager expectation and hope that I will not at all be ashamed, but that with full courage now as always, Christ will be honored in my body. What a picture, full courage, in order that Christ would be honored in your body. Honoring Christ in your body with your life requires full courage.
It requires going totally against the way… Not just of this world… But of the way we are so prone to think and feel specifically in the context here… To feel ashamed or afraid, but to say no with full courage. I want to honor Christ. I want to do all that he calls me to do in my body. Knowing that… So this is verse 21… The other conversation I had was with another good friend who had received a diagnosis from a doctor that was very discouraging. It brought them face-to-face with the temporary nature of life in this world and the reality that tomorrow is not guaranteed.
And this friend was just honestly sharing. It caused them to realize how much they’re clinging to this world in ways that keep them from hearing potential death as gain. This leads right into how these verses go together, right? Because the only way to truly see death as gain is if you are living with full courage in Christ. There is a kind of courage when we are abiding in him, when we’re living in him. Philippians 1:21, to live is Christ.
Philippians 1:20–21 Teaches Us Death is Gain
When we’re living in Christ, there is a courage that we have in him that is unstoppable in this world. Prison can’t stop it. Persecution can’t stop it, trials can’t stop it. And the ultimate trial, death itself cannot stop it. Because the courage we have comes from the one who conquered death. The courage we have comes from the one who rose from the dead and whose Spirit is living inside of us.
So let’s pray for each other according to these verses. God, we pray for full courage in Christ today and every day in each of our lives. God, we pray for full courage amidst whatever trials we’re facing. We pray for full courage to do all that you are calling us to do. We pray that Christ would be honored in our bodies so that Christ would be honored in our lives. And when we think about death, we would think gain.
We pray for your Holy Spirit to transform our perspective on life and death so that if any of us were to get a diagnosis today… That our first thought, oh God, when we get a dim diagnosis, would be gain. Oh God, we pray for full courage in every facet of our lives. That you would deliver us from shame, from fear, from worry, from anxiety, from timidity, and all that you are calling us to do amidst trials and tribulation, we face God. We pray for full courage so that now as always, Christ would be honored in our bodies, whether by life or by death.
For we know that you are our life, Lord Jesus. You are our life and we’re so thankful you are our life. And because you are our life, death is gain and we will always have life in you that you have taken the worst thing that could happen to us, death itself, and you’ve turned it into the best thing that will happen to us. Oh, glory be to your name. Jesus. We are so thankful that you are our life.
Prayer for the Bambara People
God, we pray for the spread of the life of Christ to the Bambara people of Mali in West Africa, 7 million of them, almost all Sunni Muslims. For centuries they have been in the dark when it comes to the gospel. God, we pray that the light of Christ would shine. We pray that you would raise up laborers to go to the Bambara people who will have full courage to proclaim the gospel to them.
God, we pray that for people groups all around the world. Raise up laborers with full courage to go to them, to do all that you are calling your church to do, to reach the nations with the gospel. We pray for our brothers and sisters on the front lines of, difficult, dangerous, hard-to-reach places. God give them full courage in Christ. Help all of us together to live with full courage in Christ, wherever you have us in the world. that Christ would be honored in our bodies, through our bodies and others’ lives. And they might know the life that’s found in Christ. That they might know that death is gain when you’re in Christ.
God, we pray for billions of people in the world right now who are on a road that leads to an eternity where death is not gained, where death is eternal laws. God help us to be courageous in sharing the gospel and making disciples of the nations with this little bit of time you’ve given us in this life knowing that yes, this life is temporary, your life is everlasting. We pray all of this according to your word in Philippians 1:20–21. In Jesus name, amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder of Radical, an organization that makes Jesus known among the nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Don’t Hold Back, and How to Read the Bible.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
