Thursday, February 13, 2020

"..Love each other.." - Philippians 2:1-4 (MSG)


Paul is using a comparison to get the Philippian church gathering to consider where Christ Jesus has taken them since Paul planted this church. 

Since he knows that there has been actual spiritual growth happening here previously, he doesn’t let them off the hook but confronts them directly.

Paul may have been concerned about the Christian Judaizers from Jerusalem, such as those he had written against long ago. It is possible that he also ran into conflict with them during his trip to Jerusalem that resulted in his imprisonment. 

There were the false teachers who came from the Lycus Valley, who influenced the believers at Philippi and taught circumcision and diet rules, forcing the Gentile believers to adhere to different forms of the Old Testament law.

Besides the troubles with persecution and false teaching, the Philippians struggled with personal conflicts rising among fellow believers within the gathering. Paul addressed these conflicts generally in the passages above.

The internal conflicts in Philippi did not warrant harsh discipline. Still, they were disruptive and unproductive. Self-centered, unloving conflict is never acceptable among fellow believers. Paul spent a substantial amount of space writing and emphasizing the importance of unity and love in the gatherings and in the personal lives of believers.

It is vital to be communicative with others without being hurtful or self-promoting. The same passage above from the NIV reads a bit differently, which addresses this:

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others”. 
Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV)

Humility is what Paul is looking for in these verses; to allow the Holy Spirit to direct one’s life to elevate and promote one other instead of tearing each other down. It is essential to see Christ revealed in other brothers and sisters so that they can take their place amongst the gathering and share in the collective ministry of the spirit so that everyone may benefit.

“Because God has given me a special gift, I have something to say to everyone among you. Do not think you are better than you are. You must decide what you really are by the amount of faith God has given you. Each one of us has a body with many parts, and these parts all have different uses. In the same way, we are many, but in Christ we are all one body. Each one is a part of that body, and each part belongs to all the other parts.” 
Romans 12:3-5 (NCV)

Trusting the Lord to speak through other believers can be disconcerting for some because we are all learners and need to guided and nurtured by each other. We don’t always get it right, and sometimes we say the wrong things, but that is where love and patience come into play. 

 “Tolerate the weaknesses of those in the family of faith, forgiving one another in the same way Jesus Christ has graciously forgiven you. If you find fault with someone, release this same gift of forgiveness to them. For love is supreme and must flow through each of these virtues. Love becomes the mark of true maturity. Let your heart be always guided by the peace of the Anointed One, who called you to peace as part of his one body. And always be thankful.” 
Colossians 3:13-15 (TPT)

No one ever said that being a Christian was about being perfect; none of us are. But we serve a God who is, and He has modeled that perfection through His son Jesus. As we stay connected to Jesus and with each other, we can learn to grow in faith and love together and become a holy habitation of the Lord as He seeks us out, and flows through us like a river.  

“We have known and believed that God loves us. God is love. Those who live in God’s love live in God, and God lives in them.” 
1 John 4:16 (GW)

Our purpose as followers of Jesus is, and always will be to live in God’s love.
Be Blessed;
Stephen Barnett

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