Ola,
I do not believe you gave a proper representation of what Paul was trying to impart in Phillippians 3.  I believe that you have mis-represented the context of the chapter, and made the same mistake that Paul is trying to persuade the church to avoid. He is warning that there are false Christians who are not led by the Spirit, but by their own greed and desires.
He also warns against looking to the past to all the good works and accomplishments of ones Christian life as self- justification and upon good works as a foundation of self-legitimacy. This is PRIDE and self establishing of self as announcing itself good enough to enter into heaven and partake of the resurrection of the dead.
Paul is emphatically warning that we must not look to the past for justification, but to consider it and all material concerns as irrelevant to salvation. Paul says that if anyone has cause to brag, it should be him, and lists his justification. But he elaborates that none of it matters, and warns of the mistake well intentioned Christians make by going backward to abominable heresy by trusting in the strivings of man's spirit and flesh and works and their fulfillment of the letter of the law, which is not free grace, but self effort.
He says that yes we must strive as though we had not yet attained, but to press toward the prize. Anything less is striving against the perfecting and purging work of the Holy Ghost, of course.
Paul also was not in a position to fail, but he must have been overwhelmed at what he had to suffer. But being the Apostle of the grace of God, it was not an option for him to fail and give up..it would have been a disaster for the church and the credibility of the word he preached...all this was upon his shoulders. He had to throw off the trauma and the persecutions and the sufferings and press on to his high calling. He said he was " apprehended by Christ" to do this, and to follow and obey...presumption that he had already attained ALL that he needed to do and suffer would have been arrogant . Humility and humbleness is what he was trying to convey, and to ward off complacency and warn of it.

We can pray for more from The Lord, to the end of being a better servant is great..we should. But getting ready for the rapture out of a sense of urgency and requirement that we will miss it if we fail to re-double our efforts and really step up in a major way is putting the cart before the horse.
This attitude is a mis-representation of Paul's gospel, and does not practice the commandment to rightly divide the word.

Phil. Ch.3


1 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed [is] not grievous, but for you [it is] safe.

2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.

3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

4 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, [of] the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things [but] loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them [but] dung, that I may win Christ,

9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but [this] one thing [I do], forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, [that they are] the enemies of the cross of Christ:

19 Whose end [is] destruction, whose God [is their] belly, and [whose] glory [is] in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.


Alan T