Philippians #6 - The Pursuit of Knowing Christ

Have you ever found yourself doing all the right things but feeling disconnected from God? Going through the motions of church, ticking off spiritual activities, yet wondering why it all feels empty?

Dave Connolly unpacks Philippians 3:1-11 and addresses something many of us struggle with: the distinction between religious performance and genuine knowledge of Christ. This isn't about adding more to your spiritual to-do list. It's about discovering that everything we've been chasing pales in comparison to knowing Jesus personally.

Performance Over Relationship

Before we jump to solutions, we need to understand what Paul is confronting in this passage. He's writing to people he loves, warning them three times to "watch out" for false teaching. These weren't just casual cautions. This was a father figure protecting his spiritual children from danger.

The problem? Religious leaders were insisting that external rituals and practices were the path to God. Get circumcised, follow these rules, perform these functions. Sound familiar? We might not discuss circumcision today, but we have our own versions: attending every service, volunteering for everything, praying for exactly 30 minutes each morning, and reading five Bible chapters daily.

Paul challenges this head-on. As Dave points out, these false teachers were emphasising ritual over relationship, performance over intimacy with God. They were saying, "You can't know God the way we know God unless you do what we do."

But here's what scripture actually tells us: "Don't you realise that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself. For God bought you with a high price." Our value isn't earned through religious activity. It's already been established.

Gain Through Loss

Paul presents a radical framework that overturns our cultural understanding. He had everything the religious world valued: the right credentials, the right education, the right pedigree. If anyone could claim status through religious achievement, it was Paul.

Yet he writes something startling in verse 8: he counts all of it as loss "compared with the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord."

This isn't self-deprecation. This is recalibration. Paul isn't saying his achievements were worthless in themselves. He's saying they're worthless as a means of knowing God. The Greek word Paul uses for "mutilators of the flesh" cynically relates to circumcision itself, showing how ritual had replaced relationship.

Dave challenges us to ask: where are we looking for spiritual fulfilment? In doing something? Being with somebody? Or through Christ himself?

The framework is clear:

• What scripture says: You were bought with an infinite price (past tense). Your value is already established.
• How Jesus modelled this: His arms were outstretched on the cross, and they remain outstretched today. He receives us exactly as we are.
• Why it's good news: We can't earn God's love, but we can live lives that are surrendered to Him. It's not about being good enough; it's about being loved enough.
• A real-life example: Paul himself. A man who had it all by religious standards, who encountered the Living God and realised everything else was rubbish in comparison.

This is faith with its sleeves rolled up. Not adding more religious activity to prove your worth, but recognising you're already precious to God and responding in worship.

Make It Real

So how does this actually work in everyday life? How do we move from religious performance to the genuine pursuit of Christ?

At Work: Dave mentions that worship isn't about dressing a certain way or being in a certain place. Before the live stream, the Crowd Church community gathered for prayer, engaging with the Living God. That same engagement can happen at your desk, in meetings, or during your commute. It's about inviting God into the reality of Monday morning, not just Sunday evening.

In Your Thought Life: Here's a practical example Dave shares about prayer. Instead of praying "God give me more grace to cope with Matt," try praying "God give me an opportunity to demonstrate grace with Matt." That's a real difference. One is about making life easier for yourself. The other is about reflecting God's character to others, even when it's difficult.

In Your Home: Dave uses the illustration of a garage filled to the brim with things. His American friend has had this massive double garage for over 20 years, constantly shoving stuff in, always talking about what he'll do with it. However, you can't add more until you remove what's already there. Sometimes we have to remove things from our lives before we can make room for more of God's presence and power.

During Difficult Times: The talk addresses those valley experiences we all face. Joy isn't an emotion or a permanent state of euphoria. As Dave explains, "Scripture says the joy of the Lord is my strength. It's not an emotion, it's the very thing that will strengthen you and I, whatever we're going through." This isn't about a sleepy smile when your heart's broken. It's knowing God's strength in you.

Conversation Street

During the Q&A, some brilliant questions emerged about what pursuing Christ actually looks like in practice.

In what ways has God changed your life?

Matt reflects on verse 8: "Whatever I have I count it as loss for the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ." That's a fascinating mindset. What would life look like if we actually lived that way? Whether it's status, achievements, money, family, location, or even seeing your football team win the league, counting it all as loss compared to knowing Christ changes everything.

It's understanding your priorities. Whatever you've done, whatever you've achieved, whatever you've got, it's nothing compared to knowing Christ.

What does the pursuit of God look like?

Jan describes it as intimacy with a person. It's about getting to know him, inviting him into all aspects of life. "Pursuing him is just a continued walk with him. It's like, no one's going to stop me from doing this." Life throws things at us, but it's about keeping going.

Matt adds that pursuit requires single-minded focus. You can't chase two things at once. If Jesus really is who he says he is, then that knowledge means you cannot chase everything else at the same time. "All of that stuff is fine," he explains, referencing Paul's words about forgetting what's behind and pressing towards the goal. "My single determined purpose is to know Christ and to know him more."

This doesn't mean spending 16 hours a day in a prayer room. It means pursuing God in the workplace, as a husband, father, friend, son, neighbour, seeking God in the activities and reality of everyday life. He's not an add-on. He's the centre.

Pursuit is proof of desire.

Dave closes with this simple phrase from an old friend: "Pursuit is proof of desire." What are you actually pursuing? Someone training for the Olympics gets up at 5 am when it's freezing and snowing, with no one cheering their name, because the vision of the goal is enough to get them out of bed.

Wanting to do something and actually doing it are two entirely different things. Saying you want to get healthier versus actually going to the gym. Saying you want to know Christ versus actually pursuing him with intention and effort.

What Changed

The conversation reveals something significant: pursuing Christ isn't about perfection or religious performance. It's about a continued walk with him, refusing to let anything stop you.

Matt and Jan discuss how pursuing God means removing things from your life that hinder that single-minded focus. As Jan puts it, the message was "like a wake-up call, like a shaking." It's God, in His mercy and grace, giving us the opportunity to change what we're doing, the way we're living our lives, and our relationships. "It's not too late."

Paul's transformation shows us this clearly. He was a religious man, well-known, feared if not loved. But he was doing all the wrong things until he encountered the Living God. His life was utterly transformed.

Next Steps

Here are practical ways to apply this teaching:

1. Examine what you're pursuing: Write down what actually occupies your time, thoughts and energy. Then ask yourself honestly: Am I pursuing these things or pursuing Christ through them? Where's the difference?
2. Clear out the garage: What needs to go to make room for more of God? This isn't about giving up everything, but about priorities. What's crowding out space for intimacy with God?
3. Change how you pray: Try praying for opportunities to demonstrate God's character rather than asking God to make things easier. "God, let me show your grace today" instead of "God, help me cope."
4. Read Philippians 3:1-11 multiple times: There's wealth in these verses that can't be captured in one talk or blog post. Read them several times. Let them strengthen you.
5. Practice rejoicing: Start your day by rejoicing in the Lord, not just expressing gratitude for what you have. This is about joy in knowing him, regardless of circumstances.

The Ultimate Goal

Dave shares something profound: "God has gone ahead of you. Wherever you're going tomorrow, God has gone ahead of you. Wherever your season of life you're in at the moment, God has gone ahead of you and he's prepared a way for you."

When you genuinely believe your body is a gift from God, already infinitely valuable, given to you to enjoy and use for his glory, everything changes. Exercise stops being the thing you fail at every January. Sleep stops being that nightly battle. Both become what they were always meant to be: gifts from a God who loves you exactly as you are, and opportunities to worship him with everything you've got.

Paul articulates a radical shift in values and priorities. As we read through Philippians, God challenges our priorities and values. As we start to see them change to align with his, we realise we've drawn closer to God. We read his word with greater understanding. We pray with greater awareness.

A Challenge Worth Accepting

Are you living your life sold out for God? Maybe you're not right now. Here's the truth: you can. God loves you where you are, exactly as you are, going through what you're going through. He cares so much that he died for you, and he's still longing to meet with you.

When Jesus died on that cross, his arms were outstretched. This evening, those arms are still outstretched. We just need to come as we are. We'll never be good enough, but he receives us and will change our lives.

For those who already know Jesus, we must continue to live our lives surrendered to Him. It's not about what we can achieve. It's about who we can live for. We can't earn God's love, but we can live lives surrendered to Him.

It's not easy being a Christian, especially these days. Even saying you're a Christian is challenging. Saying "this is what the Bible says" is another challenge altogether. However, we must be prepared to set aside everything else and focus solely on God.

Being a Christian isn't about a private relationship. It's a personal relationship that we're called to share. We're not called to live legalistic lives, but to treat others with the same grace and love that God has shown us. To live lives transformed by God's grace and goodness. In times of challenge and difficulty, we cry out to him and walk closely with him.

Three key points to take away:

• Transformation through faith, not effort: It's not what we do, but who we know
• Christ is the centre of our identity: Not our behaviour, good or bad
• The concept of gain and loss: As we surrender our lives to God, we lose nothing. We gain life itself.

What are you pursuing today? Pursuit is proof of desire. The greatest pursuit you could ever embark on is knowing the Living God who died for you, gave his son to die for you, and loves you endlessly.