As we continue working through Philippians, we see Paul break down in sorrow. His tears come from the recognition that many lives as enemies of the cross of Christ (3:18). Paul speaks on this because he wants to urge the Philippians to find good examples of Christianity to look up to. Unfortunately, there are bad examples. So how do we know the difference? How can we tell who is setting a good example for Jesus and who isn’t?

The first way to do this is by knowing your Bible. No one person will follow Jesus perfectly, so we can’t look to any one person as our perfect example. That privilege belongs to Jesus and Jesus alone. It is to him that we should look. But we can also find mature Christians who are walking according to the Word of God and follow their examples. To know if they’re good examples, check out where their mind is set.

About those who are enemies to the cross of Christ, Paul says, “Their god is their stomach.” That is a pretty strange statement, isn’t it? He doesn’t mean they worship their stomach, but rather uses the stomach as a metaphor for sinful appetites.¹ We all have desires that don’t line up with the Word of God. Perhaps we long to gossip to make ourselves look better. Perhaps we refuse to spend time reading our Bibles but will spend time on other hobbies like video games, sports, or tv. Whatever the desire or temptation, as Christ followers, we are called to put those desires to death. We are called to live with an eternal mindset.

When we live with an eternal mindset, we’re thinking of God’s Kingdom. Of his will and purpose. We’re thinking of how we can be more like him, not how we can satisfy our every want and whim. These are the people Paul wants us to look up to. These are the people we should model our lives after. Can you think of someone who fits that example? Watch and learn from them. Can you be that example for somebody else?

Experiment

What you’ll need:

• 3 cups
• 3 Sweetarts
• Oil
• Water
• Clear soda (I used club soda)

From left to right: water, oil, club soda

What you’ll do:

• Place equal amounts of your three liquids into the three cups
• Place a Sweetart in each cup
• Observe over time

Picture 1: after the candies are first dropped. Picture 2: the reaction of the candy with the club soda.

What’s the Science?

• Oil is non-polar; therefore it doesn’t attract the sugar molecules.
• Water is polar, and will dissolve the color-coating sugar of the candy
• Soda is made mostly of water but includes carbon dioxide. This carbon dioxide attaches to the tiny pits found on the surface area of the Sweetart candy, forming bubbles. The bubbles create more pits, divots, and ridges, allowing for the water to dissolve a greater surface area, breaking it down more effectively.

After allowing the glasses to rest overnight, check out the differences!

The Sweetart in water has dyed the water, but the candy is intact. The Sweetart in oil is unchanged. The Sweetart in soda is dissolved.

How can it apply to my life?

The stomach isn’t full of carbon dioxide, but it is full of acid. Acid breaks down and destroys our food as we digest, similar visually (not chemically) to our dissolving candy. When we live for our own worldly desires and live like our god is our stomach, we open ourselves up to the destructive nature of these sinful habits in our lives. Over time, these habits erode and destroy us. Instead, we are called to live lives that don’t focus on pleasing our worldly passions but on our heavenly home. We eagerly await our Savior Jesus from there, so let’s live lives that please him and act in obedience to his Word.

Dig Deeper

If you’re enjoying these experiments with the book of Philippians and would like a deeper understanding, check out my free book. It is a Kid’s Companion that you can read aloud to your kids that goes section by section and chapter by chapter through Philippians.

Other Kid’s Companions are found here.

For the free lesson plan library that offers STEAM activities like these on the books of Matthew, Ezekiel, and some of John, click here. Keep checking back, because it’s always building!

To help you teach the foundations of faith to your kids, check out these videos.

References

Radmacher, Earl D., et al. Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary. T. Nelson Publishers, 1999. Page 1555.