Philippians #7 - Pressing Toward the Goal

It’s easy to feel like you're not there yet on this whole being a Christian thing. Like you're still making mistakes, still wondering if you're doing it right?

Dan Orange brings a refreshing perspective on one of Paul's most famous passages. Rather than being about religious performance or trying harder to be a "better Christian", this is about something far more hopeful. It's about a race where the prize has already been won for you, and the one handing out the medals is running towards you whilst you run towards him.

The Athlete's Mindset

When Paul writes to the church in Philippi about "pressing on" and "forgetting what's behind", he uses the language of athletics. Think about Usain Bolt or Paula Radcliffe. These weren't just naturally gifted people who woke up one day and won gold medals.

Bolt trained six days a week, 11 months a year. Three hours daily of drills and gym work. That's what made him the fastest man alive. Paula Radcliffe won the London Marathon three times despite discovering at 14 that she had exercise-induced asthma. She could have quit. Instead, she trained.

However, what's fascinating about Paul's use of athletic imagery is... The Greek word he uses for "press on" is dioko, which means to pursue, to chase, or even to persecute. It's actually the same word that described Paul's old job, when he was hunting down early Christians before God literally knocked him off his horse.

God redirected Paul's talent for pursuit. Instead of chasing Christians to imprison them, Paul now chased after those who didn't know God. He took his natural drive and let God transform its purpose.

The Best Bit

We pursue God. That much is clear from Paul's letter. However, Psalm 23 uses the exact same word—dioko—when it says, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me." The word is pursue.

We run towards God, but God runs towards us.

Remember the prodigal son? The young lad who basically said to his dad, "You're not dead yet, but can I have my inheritance now?" He blew it all, ended up feeding pigs, so desperate he wanted to eat their food. When he finally came to his senses and headed home, his father saw him coming from a distance and ran to him.

That's God's heart. The Creator wants to meet with his creation. Whether you've been exploring faith for years or you're just asking questions, God is pursuing you.

What's the Prize?

So what exactly is Paul pressing towards? What's this goal that's worth all the effort?

In verse 20, Paul writes: "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to his glorious body."

The goal is citizenship with God in heaven. To be made perfect, made whole with him. It's massive.

Some people say becoming a Christian isn't just about going to heaven, which is true in one sense - faith affects how we live now. But if we downplay heaven, we miss the incredible sacrifice God made. The only way we get to heaven is through Jesus. He won it for us on the cross.

Our striving, our training, our focus - that's not to earn heaven. God has already won it for us. The prize is ours. The race we're running is different from any other race, because we can all get first prize.

Not There Yet

Paul says something incredibly helpful in verse 13: "I do not count myself to have apprehended."

He's not there yet. This is Paul - the one who said, "imitate me as I imitate Christ." The man who performed miracles, taught churches, and suffered horrifically for his faith. And he admits he's not there yet.

That's a relief. It means this is a journey. It's not about arriving at some perfect state where you never struggle or doubt again.

Dan shares his own journey as an introvert who had to learn how to communicate effectively. In his previous job, where he helped people with software, he couldn't just sit quietly - he had to ask questions, understand problems, and communicate effectively with people. When he was dating Lisa (now his wife), he spent all day trying to pluck up the courage to ask her out. In the end, he did it by text. Not the most romantic start, but 18 years of marriage later, it clearly worked.

Natural talents are great, but they can be developed. And sometimes God gives us entirely new ones. Dan's currently reading "The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication" because he wants to convey the message of Jesus Christ as clearly as possible. He wants people to know how much God loves them.

As Sir Alex Ferguson said, "Hard work will always overcome natural talent when natural talent does not work hard enough."

Forgetting What's Behind

Paul says to forget those things which are behind and reach forward to those things which are ahead. There are two parts to this.

First, don't rely on your standing or your natural talents. Paul had an impressive heritage - the right tribe, the right family, the right religious credentials. We all have things we could rest on. But God wants to do something new in us.

Second, leave the past in the past. If we come to God, he forgives us. Those things we did, where we messed up - don't let them have a hold on your new life.

This doesn't mean the past has no consequences. Some things we've done have physical effects that last. We're still subject to the laws of the land, and those need to be obeyed. But if we're not careful, our old life can take over. "God, I did this. I'm not worthy. My old life was messy."

Paul says, "Forget those things that are behind, and reach forward to what's ahead."

The past isn't to be totally forgotten - we learn from history so we don't repeat mistakes. When we go to school, we start with the basics and build on them. We don't discard what we've learned; we build upon it. That's what Paul means when he says, "to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule."

Walk, Run, or Stand?

Not all of an athlete's training is running. You need to eat right, build strong muscles, know when to rest, and understand when your moment comes.

There are times to walk. Remember Peter stepping out of the boat to walk on water towards Jesus? He didn't run. He stepped from the safety he knew to the safety he'd never known before. He kept his eyes on Jesus. When he looked away, he started to sink. Peter's speed wasn't the factor - it was keeping his eyes focused on Jesus.

There are times to run. David faced Goliath, knew his God was bigger than any giant, and ran towards the Foe. He threw his stone and slew him. That was a time to run.

There are times to stand. The first verse of chapter 4 says, "Stand fast in the Lord." First Corinthians 16:13 says, "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong."

The key is to stand and focus on him. Focus on the goal. We do not need to worry because we have a hope that's steadfast and certain.

Conversation Street

After Dan's talk, Will and Anna unpacked some of the themes with questions from the online community.

How do you manage the tension between running (effort), standing, and resting?

The answer is Jesus himself. At different times, we'll feel very close to him, confident in our faith - perhaps that's a period of rest. Sometimes, circumstances mean we just need to stand for what we believe and remind ourselves of God's promises. The written word of God is helpful here because we can stand on those verses and say, "This is what I believe God to be."

Sometimes there is running, putting in effort. However, management comes from hearing Jesus and putting yourself in a position where you want Him involved in every area of your life. It's not just a religious box on Sunday, but a daily prayer, "Jesus, help me manage this tension."

The Holy Spirit gives us discernment about when we need to stand, when we need to rest, and when we need to run. It's a lifetime of learning.

How do we forget the past, especially when things have been painful?

Sometimes logic helps. If there's something you have no control over, you have to make a mental decision to put it behind you. Don't let emotion rule every decision. Jesus promises that his mercies are new every morning. The very story of the cross - being forgiven and made new - means our past does not rule us.

But it's also a process. You don't lose a baby and forget it the next day. You don't experience trauma and instantly move on. The scripture about forgetting what's behind isn't about never thinking about complex things again. It's a process of learning to let go, learning to trust God, and learning to believe He is who He says He is, even when things aren't easy.

Sometimes it helps to change your focus, like the Psalms do. The psalmist will say, "I feel like this, and yet I choose to lift my eyes to the heavens and look to God." It's about shifting your gaze away from the problem and onto who God is and how big He is.

It can also be helpful to process the past rather than just pushing it aside. The word of God can bring clarity and revelation, but people can also play a role. When we internalise things and hold onto them, they seem bigger than they really are. Sometimes, sharing with a trusted friend can decrease the power of what's haunting us.

The Bible says the word of God is like a light unto our feet. When you bring things to light, they become visible. That could be as simple as a conversation where you say, "There's stuff that happened that I'm finding hard to let go of." Often, when you share it, you discover you're not alone.

The Race We're In

Dan finishes with this thought: we're all at different stages of our walk with God. Some haven't started yet and are just inquiring. Some are at the beginning. Others are further along.

That's why church community matters. That's why Crowd Church meets - physically and online. We can learn from one another, build each other up, train together, and pray for one another. We're a crowd, all on this journey together.

The Book of Hebrews puts it like this: "Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another."

Finding rhythms that nourish your soul is crucial. God isn't looking for performance. He's not waiting for you to get a personal best at being good. He wants to be with you. In the rhythms that bring wholeness to your life, that's where you meet with God.

One rhythm that has helped some in the Crowd community is using the daily posts on social media - short passages from Philippians with a thought for the day and reading them, letting them settle, and asking God if there's anything He wants to say through them. Then, continuing to think about it throughout the day, even while driving or doing the washing up. It allows space for God to speak through his word.

Protect your heart. It's the wellspring of your life. Hearts get battered by circumstances, by things outside our control, by world events, by work situations. Your heart is precious. God pursues you because he thinks you're worth it.

One Last Thing

The goal isn't what Jesus can do for you. It's easy to pray and seek God for what He can give you - to change situations and fix problems. None of that is wrong, but the first and ultimate goal must be Jesus Himself. Not the gifts he can give you, but the giver.

When you strip it all back, the prize we're chasing is simply knowing Jesus—just His presence and just being in a deeper relationship with Him. That's the goal.

And here's the beautiful mystery of this race: as you run towards him, he's running towards you too.