"For whom I have suffered the loss of all things," Paul continues. The "all things" is referring to Paul's religious accomplishments that were the chief joy of his life as a Pharisee. "And do count them but dung, that I may win Christ," he exclaims.

Let us repeat this idea because we hold that it is the concept of the feast of Tabernacles. Winning Christ is our goal, not things, not experiences, not secrets of a successful Christian experience, not ways of manipulating God to do what we wish, not religious accomplishments, not what we can get from God, not spiritual power, not power in prayer, not a big church, not going to Heaven, not coming down from Heaven, but Him! Him! Him! Him!

Every other affection and pursuit may lead to idolatry. It is God Himself who is our Goal. Christ is being formed in us so we can receive the fullness of the Lord God of Heaven. It is God in Christ who is the Goal of the Christian discipleship.

When we possess Christ we possess everything God ever has been or has done. We possess everything God ever will be or will do. It has pleased the Father to include in Christ all the Substance and Nature of His own holy Being. Christ is the perfect and complete revelation and fulfillment of all that God Is.

It is not, as some have supposed, that Jesus and the Father are the same Person. It is that the Father, because of His unfathomable love for His Son, has given all of Himself to His Son. He who possesses the Son possesses everything of value including the fullness of the Divine Godhead.

He who does not possess the Son is void of eternal life. He is an intelligent animal, made in God's image, with the potential for becoming a child of God. Without Christ he is not a child of God. The Spirit of God is not in him. If he resists the Son there is nothing left for him but "a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation" that will destroy those who oppose the Presence and will of the Son, Christ.

The reason why it is so difficult for us to follow Paul's thinking in Philippians, Chapter Three is that we believe we already possess Christ. We have been born again so we possess Christ. We have spoken in tongues so we possess Christ. We have attended church all our life so we have Christ. We have experienced marvelous answers to prayer so we have Christ.

If a person believes he already has attained something or is in possession of something he is not going to lay all else aside and, at the expense of considerable inconvenience and self-denial to himself, devote his time and strength to seeking it.

To be continued.