Prefer to listen? Watch the video version of this post here:

For a minute, I want to take you to the streets I walked every day for the first 25 years of my life. I’m from Hyderabad, India, a city that was once the heart of one of the most powerful and wealthiest kingdoms on the face of the earth.

In the early 20th century, the eyes of the world were on our city. The 7th Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, wasn’t just rich; he was a "King of Kings." In 1937, Time magazine put him on their cover as the richest man in the world. In comparison to today’s billionaires, he was roughly twice as wealthy as Elon Musk. He lived in a world of status that is almost unimaginable, complete with thousands of servants, his own army, and his own currency.

He also owned the Jacob Diamond. At nearly 185 carats (about the size of a large egg), it is one of the largest diamonds in the world. But here is the part I cannot wrap my head around: he didn't wear it on a crown to show it off. He had so much wealth that the diamond didn't even seem special to him.

He used it as a paperweight on his desk.

Think about that: a diamond worth millions today was just a paperweight for an earthly king. But in 1948, the world shifted. The British left India, and the nation became independent. The Kingdom of Hyderabad, a princely state that had stood for generations, ceased to exist after the newly formed Indian government used its military to take over.

In a matter of days, the Nizam was no longer a King; he became a regular citizen of this new nation. The diamond went into safe storage, his palaces eventually became museums, and his power vanished. The status he relied on was temporary.

A Message from a Prison Cell

Two thousand years ago, there was a group of people in a city called Philippi who were exactly like that. They thought their position was permanent. Spoiler alert: it wasn't.

The Apostle Paul shared the Gospel with them and planted a church. Later, Paul writes to them from his imprisonment to say: Stop living for a temporary king and a temporary kingdom, and start living for the King whose kingdom is not of this earth, a kingdom that never ends. This letter was written alongside Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon. The focus of this letter is simple on one level, but heavy on another: living a life worthy of the Gospel in light of the Day of Christ. In other words, we are called to be true disciples of Jesus, ones who do not just hear His teachings, but are "doers" of His commands. Living this way requires a Gospel Mindset, the Mind of Christ, not just as individuals, but as a community.

The "Little Rome" Illusion

Philippi was named after Philip II of Macedon (the father of Alexander the Great) around 358–357 BC. In the first century, it was part of Rome, having been conquered in 168 BC. After Marc Antony gained victory over Brutus (the assassin of Julius Caesar) in 42 BC at Philippi, Antony gave the city the highest honor: the Ius Italicum, or the "Italian Right."

This was the highest honor any colony could get. It meant that even though they were miles away from Italy, they were treated as if they were on Italian soil. It is like an American embassy or an American military and its compound in a foreign country; even though it is far from America, it is treated as if it is on American soil. They had the highest status, their King was Caesar, and they were incredibly proud of their Roman identity.

Because this was a Roman colony whose king was Caesar, Paul faced resistance when he shared the Gospel and told them that their Kingdom is Heaven and Jesus is their King. Even after Paul left, the believers continued to face pressure from their neighbors to "act like Romans."

In Philippi, having the "Italian Right" wasn't just a legal status; it was their identity. They were a people who fought and clung to their status with everything they had. In their world, the goal was to move up, to get more honor, more rights, and more recognition.

But Paul opens this letter to show them a King who did the opposite.

The mind of the King

One cannot be a follower of Christ without sharing the mind of Christ. Paul writes:

Paul opens this section by asking the people of Philippi a series of questions: Have you received encouragement in Christ? Have you felt comfort in His love? Have you participated in the Spirit?

Let me ask you the exact same thing today: Have you received encouragement in Christ? Have you felt the comfort of His love when you were at your lowest?

If the answer is yes, then Paul says your response should be this: Be of the same mind. A mind that encourages others. A mind that is affectionate and sympathetic. Do not just look to your own interests, but to the interests of others. If you have anything you can share, share it with someone in need. That might be emotional, like offering love, comfort, and a listening ear. Or it might be incredibly practical, like buying someone groceries or a winter jacket. If we want to be disciple-making disciples, we have to be practical and generous, just like Christ was to us.

John Bunyan wrote a famous book called The Pilgrim’s Progress. In it, the main character, Christian, is walking the hard, dangerous road to the Celestial City. He is overwhelmed by his trials and failures, and he is ready to give up and drown in the River of Death. But his companion, Hopeful, refuses to let him sink. Hopeful lifts Christian’s head above the water and says, "Be of good cheer, my brother, I feel the bottom, and it is good." That is the Mind of the King. We are walking a difficult road to an eternal Kingdom, and we need people who will lift our heads, share our burdens, and say, "I've got you."

The humility of the King

Jesus is the divine example of love and self-denial. Notice the difference between the kings of this world and the King of Heaven. The kings of this world are often emptied by force, by military, or by time. But our King, who held the highest status in the universe, voluntarily laid it down. He wasn't forced out; He chose to trade His "Heavenly Rights" for the form of a servant.

Christ didn't just stoop low by going from Creator to creation. He didn't hang out with the religious elite and the scholars. He hung out with regular people: fishermen, day laborers, tax collectors, and zealots. And then, He went to the absolute lowest place imaginable: He became obedient to the point of death on a Roman cross.

Think about the cross. If the Romans just wanted to kill Jesus, they could have done it immediately. But the whole point of the cross was to humiliate the victim. Making them carry the heavy wood through the streets, stripping them naked, nailing their hands and feet, it was designed to be the most humiliating, shameful way to die.

But for our Lord—the King of eternal Kingdom, He embraced the cross for us so that we might be with Him in His Kingdom. That is true humility. There is no lower or deeper place to go than that.

The sovereignty of the King

Jesus was perfectly obedient to the Father. He never grumbled. He was never angry at His executioners, even during His death. As He carried His cross, He spoke to the wailing women in a gentle tone. He didn't get offended or curse when the Roman soldiers offered Him a bitter, sour drink. He remained humble and obedient to the very end.

Because of this obedience, God the Father highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the Name that is above every name. Think about what people do when they see a mighty, powerful earthly king. They kneel in front of him. They shout, "Hail to the King!"

If we are under the kingship of the King of Kings, whose name is above every ruler and power, we must kneel in front of Him. Because we belong to His Kingdom, we must strive and pray to bring His Kingdom into our daily lives, into our houses, our workplaces, and our communities. Anywhere and everywhere you go, you bring the Kingdom of the King.

Laying Down the Crown

I opened this by telling you about the Nizam of Hyderabad, an earthly king who clung to his status until it was taken from him. But I want to close with a story about a different kind of monarch.

During her reign, Queen Victoria of England was the most powerful woman in the world. One Sunday, she listened to a chaplain preach a sermon about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Those sitting near the royal box noticed that the Queen’s eyes were filled with tears.

When the service ended, she asked to see the chaplain alone. Seeing her great emotion, he asked why she was so moved by the message. She replied, “Because of what you said about the coming again of the world’s rightful King... I wish still to be here when He returns, that I might lay my crown at His blessed feet!”

That is what it means to live like your King. It means being ready to lay your crowns, your status, your rights, and your pride at His blessed feet.

But how do we do that while we are still living in this world? How do we experience the Peace of God? We do it by guarding what we allow into our minds. Philippians 4:8 tells us that whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable—think about these things. If you want the mind of Christ, you have to feed your mind the things of Christ.