In Philippians 1:20 Paul says, “According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be put to shame, but with all boldness, as always, even now Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether through life or through death.” Paul expected that in nothing he would be put to shame, that is, that in nothing he would be defeated by his circumstances or environment. Paul also expected that Christ would be magnified in him, whether through life or through death. This indicates that no matter what the circumstances were, Paul expected Christ to be magnified in him.
In Paul’s bodily sufferings Christ was magnified, that is, shown or declared great (shown to be without limitation), exalted, and extolled. Therefore, to magnify Christ is to express Christ without limitation. It is to make known to others that the Christ who lives in us is unlimited. Even when mistreated in prison, Paul could display the unlimited greatness of Christ. He expressed, exhibited, exalted, and extolled Christ. He was a living witness of Christ, testifying of His ability, power, patience, love, and wisdom, all without measure. As believers, we should be a magnifying glass in relation to Christ so that others may see Christ magnified through us.
In 1:20 Paul says that Christ would be magnified in him whether through life or through death. No matter what faced him-the opportunity to go on living or martyrdom- Paul expected to magnify Christ. In his living Paul magnified Christ. This is to magnify Him through life. As he was expecting to be martyred, he also magnified Him. This is to magnify Christ through death. Thus, whether through life or death, Christ was magnified in Paul’s body. Likewise, as we experience the dispensing of the processed Triune God, nothing can put us to shame, but Christ is magnified in us.
Matthew 5:10 says, “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.” The whole world lies in the evil one (1 John 5:19) and is filled with unrighteousness. Every aspect of the world is unrighteous. If we hunger and thirst for righteousness, we shall be persecuted for the sake of righteousness. We need to pay a price for the righteousness we seek for the kingdom of the heavens. If we are righteous, we shall be condemned, opposed, and persecuted. Hence, we shall suffer persecution.
Matthew 5:10 says that those who are persecuted for righteousness are blessed, “for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.” If we seek righteousness at a cost, the kingdom of the heavens becomes ours. We are in its reality now, and we shall be rewarded with its manifestation in the coming age. According to Matthew 5:20, in order to be in the kingdom of the heavens, we need the surpassing righteousness, the righteousness on the highest plane. To enter into the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens we need this kind of righteousness. Therefore, we need to hunger and thirst after it and to suffer persecution for it.
If we suffer persecution for the sake of righteousness, ours is the kingdom of the heavens. Suffering for the sake of righteousness is a condition for participation in the kingdom of the heavens. If we do not remain in righteousness, we are outside the kingdom. But if we stay in righteousness, we are in the kingdom because the kingdom is absolutely a matter of righteousness. As we seek righteousness, we should be prepared to confront persecution. We shall be persecuted for the sake of righteousness.
In Matthew 5:11 the Lord Jesus says, “Blessed are you when they reproach and persecute you, and say every evil thing against you, lying, for My sake.” The persecution in verse 10 is for the sake of righteousness, because of our seeking for righteousness; the persecution in verse 11 is directly for the sake of Christ, because of our following Him.
When we live a life for the kingdom of the heavens in its spiritual nature and according to its heavenly principles, we shall be reproached, persecuted, and evil spoken of, mostly by religious people who hold on to their traditional religious concepts. The Jewish religionists did all these things to the Apostles in the early days of the kingdom of the heavens (Acts 5:41; 13:45, 50; 2 Cor. 6:8; Rom. 3:8). This is also true today. If we are seeking Christ and following Him, many in religion will rise up against us.
In Matthew 5:12 the Lord Jesus speaks an encouraging word to those who are persecuted for His sake: “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in the heavens; for thus they persecuted the prophets before you.” This reward is great and is in the heavens. It is a heavenly reward, not an earthly one.
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