SLIDES

The Letter to the Church at Philippi

2:1-4 The Unity of Believers in the New Testament

Introduction

Unity is something that is highly sought after and desired. The United Methodist Church is striving to bring unity in the churches in their denomination.  Even though unity is highly sought after and desired, it is difficult to obtain so that’s why we see disunity in marriages, in homes, in schools and universities, in businesses, and yes, even in churches. We see it every day in life in one place or another.

I have a friend who just returned from Israel after having ministry with the Druiz in Northern Israel for two weeks.  She said that the team worked with adults and children among the Druiz were made up of Israeli believers, Arab believers, Ukrainian believers, and American believers. She praised the Lord that there was unity among these different believers.

Most of us recognize that our class is exceptional in showing love to one another and meeting the physical and spiritual needs of those within the class.  But not everyone is on the same page when it comes loving those within the class and being practically united with one another. There is always room for improvement in each of us. Last week we discussed unity and disunity in the Old Testament. Today we are going to focus on the New Testament. In Philippians 2:1-4 we are going to discuss what Paul says about unity in the Body of Christ and also what causes disunity within the Body of Chris. We will also discuss how to remedy disunity.  

2:1-4 The Unity of Believers in the Body of Christ

In Philippians 1:27 Paul wrote that when he returned to Philippi, he wanted to see them “standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,”

Paul carried this important theme of unity into Chapter 2. He begins this chapter by giving four statements of truth.

2:1 Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,

Each of these four statements are assumed to be true, therefore, can be translated with the word “since” rather than “if.”  So, the first statement is that believers receive comfort from being united with Christ. When we become believers, we begin a mystical & spiritual union with Jesus. The word encouragement refers to comfort that comes from the results of being alleviated from something.  Have you ever found it comforting when you had a severe toothache or earache and the pain was alleviated? Because we are “United with Christ,” we find comfort in Christ by having a personal relationship with Him. How many times as a believer have you been comforted by Jesus? So, the first statement is true, we find comfort in being united with Christ.

The second statement is also true. There is consolation in love. The word for love is agape. It is a love in which one is committed to another. There is consolation in the commitment that Christ has for believers for whom He died. His commitment to us brings us consolation when believers need consoling. The word consolation is a synonym for the word comfort in the first verse. We should find comfort and consolation in the fact that Jesus is committed to us through the New Covenant. Think about how many times you have been comforted and consoled by Jesus and by other believers in Christ. Most here can attest that Jesus and other believers helped console you after the death of a loved one.

The third statement is that there is fellowship with the Spirit. The fellowship Paul is referring to is a partnership that believers have with the Holy Spirit. We are not expected to live the Christian life in our own strength and wisdom. We have a partnership with the Holy Spirit to help us in time of spiritual or physical need. Remember what Jesus told the disciples in the upper room in John 14:16? “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter), that He may be with you forever;

One day a farmer was traveling down a country road. He came upon a man who was struggling with a 500-pound bale of cotton, trying to lift it on his wagon. The farmer said to the man, “Friend, you have a problem, don’t you.” He replied, “Yes, I do. Early this morning this bale of cotton fell off my wagon. And I have struggled all day trying to reload it. But I can’t! It’s too large for me to get a hold of it. Even if I could, it is too heavy for me to lift it! Oh, I do have a problem!”

The farmer told the man, “Well, I can help you. You get on the other side of the bale of cotton, and I will get on this side. We will stand face to face. Then we will stoop down and take hold of the bale. Together we will lift it onto the wagon.” So, they did. With the farmers’ help, they lifted the bale of cotton into the wagon. Likewise, the Holy Spirit is always available to help us in time of need.

The fourth statement is that believers receive tender compassion from the Lord. The terms tender literally means bowels i.e., deep inner feelings. The Lord had deep inner feelings for those for whom he died. These tender feelings are coupled with compassion. As we will find out beginning in verse 5, Jesus can have compassion for us because He lived as one of us in the flesh.

In verses 2-4 we find what the results should be since believers receive comfort, commitment, a partnership, and tender compassion from the Lord.

        2 make my joy complete (How) by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.

        Paul had great joy in the church at Philippi. Since the believers in Philippi did receive comfort, commitment, a partnership and compassion from the Lord, Paul expected them to make the joy that he already had in these believers complete. By doing the things found in verses 2-4, they would be united. Today each of us has received comfort, commitment, a partnership, and tender compassion from the Lord. God expects us today to be united. This class has done a great job in this area, but again, there is still room for improvement for each of us.

       There should be four results from the fact that believers have comfort, commitment, a partnership, and compassion from the Lord. These, if exhibited, bring unity.

1.   Believers should be like minded.

There is a lot of diversity in this class. That’s not going to change. You are not going to make an Auburn fan out of Jim Roberts or an Alabama fan out of Charles Estes. However, each of us should be like minded about the goals of the class to glorify God together.  For the most part, this class is like minded in our goal to glorify Christ through missions, helping and caring for one another, building and repair projects, etc. But it’s also evident that some are not totally likeminded. This is of course evidenced by a few who often complain or grumble to others. Complaining and grumbling to others accomplishes nothing. Since complaining and grumbling is serious, both Paul and James had something to say about it.

Philippians 2:14–15

14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing;

15 so that (Result) you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,

James 5:9 - Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that (Result) you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.

If someone thinks that there is something wrong with this class’ goals, leaders, or procedures, please come and talk to Billy, Randy, Jean, a committee chairperson, or myself about it. Some have certainly done just that, but others have murmured in the background.

2.   Believers should maintain the same commitment to one another.

Again, the word love is agape” and refers to a self-sacrificing commitment to others. Jesus has this commitment and an obligation to those who have trusted in Him as Savior and we should have this commitment and an obligation to those in our class.  God told Israel to love their neighbor as themselves. Jesus gave the Church a higher standard to live by in John 13:34–35

34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

If we are part of the Body of Christ, we should be equally committed to every other member of this class, so we can be united as one as the Lord expects us to be. But in reality, we all know that each member is not equally committed to every other member in this class. This is human nature and from the flesh. However, it is a goal that the Lord has given us. I know there are people who are hard to love or even like. I’m probably one of them. However, it does not matter because the Lord wants us to be committed to one other.

We know from 1 Corinthians 13 that love (being committed to others) is the greatest of all attributes that a Christian can have. It is the supreme mark of Christian maturity. Start by praying for those you do not particularly like you. Write a card or email to someone who you are not enamored with to tell them you are praying for them. If they are sick, send them a get-well card. Send them a card or email of encouragement. Make an effort to speak to them on Sunday morning. Be brave and call them and then go visit them. Pray that you attitude will change against these brothers and sisters in Christ whom you do not particularly like.

There are several in this class I know who are not enamored by me. I was standing by door several weeks ago and someone who is not enamored by me that I have been praying that I could have a better relationship with walked through the door. They look me straight in my eyes. I was about to say good morning to them, when they turned their head without saying anything and walked on. My question was not why she did that but why do we all do that on occasion?  Being committed to all the members of this class can only be accomplished through the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit that lives in us.  

Leon Morris in his’ commentary on the Gospel of John said this about unity:

The unity of believers will be explicable to the world only on the basis of the divine love. It will transcend all human unity. The unity in question, while it is a spiritual unity rather than one of organization, as we have seen, yet has an outward expression, for it is a unity that the world can observe, and that will influence the world.

3.   Believers should be united in spirit with one purpose.

This is the overarching goal of verses 1-4 – unity among believers.  Jesus prayed in John 17:22 23,

22 that they may be one, just as We (Jesus & the Father) are one; 23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.

The Holy Spirit had placed us into one body and we should be united in that body. Anything that causes disunity among believes does not glorify Christ.  The root of the problem of disunity and the reason believers are not like minded nor have the self-sacrificing commitment to each member of churches, para-church organizations is found in verses 3-4. If these exist in any believer, which of course, is causing disunity, we need to change our mindset and attitude concerning these areas of our Christian life.

1 Cor 12:12-14 For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized (identified) into one body…

4.   Believers, in humility, should consider others better than themselves.

Philippians 2:3-4 - Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

Here Paul states negatively and then positively how this manifestation of love for the brethren will work itself out in life. Negatively, he says, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit and do not merely look out for your own personal interests” The word “selfishness” has to do with a party spirit; it has to do with a faction in a church, para church organization or Bible class that wants to promote its aims and ambitions as opposed to another group which usually includes the leadership. The term selfishness has to do with selfish motives or desires. It’s someone’s desire to do things for selfish purposes which result in creating a partisan spirit. It’s a desire to have it their way. The term empty conceit refers to someone who is vain and has an inflated self-evaluation of themselves. Their conceit, that is, their excessively favorable opinion of themselves or their abilities, caused them to place themselves above others. This helps to ruin the unity of the class. The cure for this is for that person to pray that the Holy Spirit will help then change and be on the same page as most of the class.  St. Francis of Assisi said, “Where there is charity (agape’ self-sacrificing love) and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance. Where there is patience and humility, there is no greed.”

Then Paul says, “but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves and look out for the interests of others.”

“Say what? Bob, you’re kidding. Bob, you have now gone from teaching to medaling in my personal life.” Yes, this gets really close to home.

In Scripture there are passages that are difficult to understand, but once interpreted correctly, they are easy to obey. On the other hand, there are passage that are easy to interpret and understand but difficult to obey. Philippians 2:3 is one of them.  

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;

That command can only be accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor and theologian was executed by the Nazis, recommended these seven principles for eradication selfish ambition to bring unity to the Body of Christ in his book, Life Together. He said Christians should:

1.   Hold their tongues, refusing to speak uncharitably about a Christian brother;

2.   Cultivate the humility that comes from understanding that they, like Paul, are the greatest of sinners and can only live in God’s sight by his grace;

3.   Listen “long and patiently” so they will understand their fellow Christian’s need;

4.   Refuse to consider their time and calling so valuable that they cannot be interrupted to help with unexpected needs, no matter how small or menial;

5.   Bear the burden of their brothers and sisters in the Lord, both by preserving their freedom and by forgiving their sinful abuse of that freedom;

6.   Declare God’s word to their fellow believers when they need to hear it;

7.   Understand that Christian authority is characterized by service and does not call attention to the person who performs the service.

The one another commands will be on the Website again this week.

God says: Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! (Psalm 133:1)

SELAH!