If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:1-4 NIV)
One of the things that I have learned from being around professional athletes is the importance of coming together around a common goal. If you want to win, team unity is essential. You can have the best and most talented athletes and the best coaching staff that money can buy, but if the team doesn’t work together you will not win. One person cannot do it all. It’s a team effort and requires everyone to pull together.
Often, during the season, players will get sidetracked. It may be a loss that sidetracks them. It may be a personal problem with another player, or a family problem. It may be a contract negotiation or a disagreement with a coach. It really doesn’t matter what it is. If they let it keep them from giving their all and pulling together with their teammates, the whole team will suffer. There have been some talented players who never achieved greatness because they could never overcome a bad attitude.
The same is true for us as Christians. Our effectiveness is determined by inner qualities, not outward abilities. God is not impressed by how smart you are, or by how talented you are, or by how much knowledge of the Bible you have, or by how well you can sing or play an instrument or teach or preach. What God is after is a heart that loves him completely. God is looking at whether the character of Christ is being formed in us. Are we becoming more like Christ? Are we right on the inside?
One of the ways you can tell whether you’re right on the inside is this–– Do you pull together with other Christians? Are you looking for ways to work together or things over which you can disagree? Do you find yourself giving strokes or pokes? Are you hard to get along with? Do people have to bend over backwards to please you? Do you generally think the best or worst of people? These are important questions to ask ourselves. The answers to them will reveal what’s going on on the inside.
And what is going on on the inside will determine our effectiveness as Christians and as a church. I have always been amazed at how effective so many of the cults have been. In many cases, the message they are preaching is far more difficult to believe than biblical Christianity. But the one thing that they have that makes all the difference in the world is their unity. They are uncompromisingly united. They pull together. They have a shared vision, a common goal, and a singular purpose. And they go after their goal with unadulterated zeal. I believe that this is why they are so successful. This kind of unity is very attractive.
Unfortunately, what many people experience in so many churches is not a singleness of purpose and a unity of the Spirit. What many people experience is an uncertainty of purpose, an ambiguity of basic faith, and a disunity that comes from conflicting desires. Many of us have either been in churches or have known of churches where there was a split or some serious quarrel. This problem is nothing new— it has existed from New Testament times. It is a serious problem however. The work of Christ is always hindered where there is disunity.
One of the greatest challenges the church has is the challenge of coming together in unity. This is the focus of Paul’s message in our text today. He gives us five essentials for coming together in unity. Here is the first. You need to...
If you are a Christian, then you are the recipient of many blessings from God. Listen to what Paul wrote to the Christians in Ephesus. Through Christ, God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing that heaven has to offer (Ephesians 1:3b GW). We are blessed, even though we often take those blessings for granted. And Paul reminds these Christians just what they have in Christ.
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete…
(vv. 1-2a)
The "if" of this passage could be translated "since" in order to convey the true meaning. Paul was reminding them what they had received because of their relationship to Christ. They had received encouragement. They had received comfort. They had received fellowship. They had received tenderness and compassion. And so have we. Indeed, every Christian has received these things. They are benefits that come from knowing Christ.
Has being accepted by Christ into his family been an encouragement to you? Absolutely! It is always encouraging to be accepted rather than rejected. Has his love given you comfort? Certainly! Knowing that you are loved always gives comfort and a sense of security. Has the Holy Spirit enabled you to enjoy sweet and intimate communion with God? No doubt about it! The Spirit brings us into the very presence of God. Has God shown you tenderness? Has he shown you compassion? Is the atomic weight of Uranium 238.07? The answer is yes! You have been shown tenderness and compassion. God has given you his mercy when you deserve his judgment.
Remembering what we have received in Christ gives us perspective. You see, we have been blessed way beyond what we deserve. Therefore, we should be thankful people. We should be grateful for all God has done for us. God’s blessings should replace a negative spirit with a positive one. So the first thing we need to do is remember the many blessings we have received in Christ. Then, we need to...
After Paul had reminded them what they had received in Christ, he went on to say:
…then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
(v. 2)
This is a strong call to unity. Look at the words he uses. We’re called to be like-minded. We are to have the same love. We are to be one in spirit, one in purpose. It reminds me of another of Paul’s calls to unity–– this time to the church in Corinth:
I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.
(1 Corinthians 1:10 NIV)
It becomes even more of a challenging command when we read it from the Amplified Bible which makes an attempt to give us the sense of the original language.
But I urge and entreat you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in perfect harmony, and full agreement in what you say, and that there be no dissensions or factions or divisions among you; but that you be perfectly united in your common understanding and in your opinions and judgments.
Is it possible that we "all speak the same thing," and that we can be "perfectly united" in our "opinions" and "judgments?" Surely it would be un-American for us all to have the same opinions. But this is precisely what Paul is pleading for. As Christians, our opinions ought to be subservient to Christ’s opinion, and so we ought to be seeking to find out what is God’s opinion and conform our opinions to His.
This is so important. One of the greatest needs of the church today is for unity. Jesus himself pointed out its importance in what is known as his high priestly prayer.
I want all of them to be one with each other, just as I am one with you and you are one with me. I also want them to be one with us. Then the people of this world will believe that you sent me.
(John 17:21 CEV)
What Jesus is saying here is that our unity is a testimony to the fact that God sent him into the world. In other words, if we want people to believe that the Father sent the Son, we need to demonstrate our unity to them. What a challenge! We must resolve to pull together. This kind of unity must be worked for, chosen, purposefully undertaken. I do not believe that this kind of unity simply happens. This kind of unity must be a decision of the will. This is precisely why it is a command. And then, we must...
(v. 3a)Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit…
There is an enemy of unity in the church. It is the enemy within each of us. In other words, we can be the worst enemy of what God is trying to do to bring us together. Our own selfishness can derail the activity of God in our midst. Listen to what James says:
Do you know where your fights and arguments come from? They come from the selfish desires that war within you.
(James 4:1 NCV)
Selfishness is at the root of every sin. Selfishness deals with "what I want" and "my opinion." At its core, selfishness is the antithesis of what God is. God’s love is selfless and other centered. So, if we would like to be like Christ, we must resist every selfish attitude and action.
I have found that when any group of pastors get-together, it doesn’t take long before several begin to share about church conflict. I have heard more stories about church conflict than you can imagine. It seems to be the standard operating procedure of many, if not most, churches. I listen to stories of the devastation that comes when people want their own way and are willing to stir up trouble unless they get it. And one of the common themes that runs through these stories of conflict is the role of selfishness and pride. These are two of the deadliest forces at work in the church. And tragically, many people will never admit that these forces are at work in them. They may be at work in the other guy, but surely they can’t be selfish or prideful, after all, they are right!
Be careful. If you find yourself striving and quarreling, take notice. It may be a sign. It says in Proverbs 13:10a: "Pride only breeds quarrels…." Where you find quarreling, you will generally find pride. We must resist all selfish attitudes and actions. Selfishness never brings people together; it only drives them apart.
Remember what you have received in Christ. Resolve to pull together in unity. Resist selfish attitudes and actions that hinder our unity. And then, you must...
(v. 3b)…but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
Here is a command that has the power to deliver us from attitudes of selfishness and pride. It is a command that goes against every sinful nature we have. In fact, many people would say that this is a command that is impossible to keep. It may be an impossible command to keep in our own strength, but Christ can give us the strength to keep the command. Remember, God never gives us a command that he is not thoroughly committed to give us the power to keep. God’s commands are not a demand upon you but rather a demand upon the God who gave the command. And here is what God says about how we should treat one another. Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself (Romans 12:10 CEV).
If we are going to be able to do this–– to honor each other more that we do ourselves–– we are going to need one indispensable quality. That quality is humility. Humility is the ability to see ourselves as we really are before God. Humility informs us that we are no better than anyone else. Humility enables us to look outward toward others. Humility is essential to any healthy relationship. Listen to what the apostle Peter tells us about humility:
All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
(1 Peter 5:5-6 NIV)
The way up is down. The path of pride leads to a downfall, but the path of humility puts you in a position where God can lift you up. Our hearts will only become humble as we bow before the living God to acknowledge him as Lord over our lives and as we surrender to his will. When our hearts are right before God, only then will we be able to see others from his perspective. Only then will we be able to discern his love for them and see how valuable they are in his sight. So we must put on humility so that we can regard others as more important than we are. And finally, we must…
Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. (v. 4)
A natural result of regarding others as more important that we are is the ability and desire to focus on their needs, not just our own. The mark of a true Christian is that we are to genuinely love one another. If we do, we will care about the welfare of one another. And we will want to do what we can to stimulate one another to trust the Lord and follow him.
We should all be concerned about our neighbor and the good things that will build his faith. Christ did not think only of himself.
(Romans 15:2-3a GW)Don’t think only of your own good. Think of other Christians and what is best for them. (1 Corinthians 10:24 NLT)
The example of our Lord should be the driving impetus behind our desire to serve others. We want to be like him. He did not come to serve himself. He came to serve others.
You may be thinking, "Well, if I look out for the needs of others, who is going to look out for me?" Good question. The answer is that God will look out for you, and he may even use some of those other people of his to do it!
Do you trust him to take care of you? Do you really desire to be like him in the way you live your life. Do you want to experience the joy that comes from laying your life down in order to receive supernatural power?
Perhaps like the early believers we need to tarry in his presence until we are moved upon by the Holy Spirit. Perhaps we need to linger in humble repentance until we have been cleansed of the sins of selfishness and pride and filled afresh with his Spirit of love and compassion, grace and unity.
We must yield together to the Spirit of God. Acts 4:31-32a reads, "And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak the word of God with boldness. And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul." Let’s pray until this place and we are shaken. Let’s seek Him until we are filled with His Spirit. Let’s center on Jesus until we speak the word of God with boldness. Then we will be of one heart and soul. May God give us a fresh filling of His Spirit that we may exhibit the true unity of the Spirit.
Copyright © 2001 J. David Hoke. This data file is the sole property of the copyright holder and may be copied only in its entirety for circulation freely without charge. All copies of this data file must contain the above copyright notice.
This data file may not be copied in part (except for small quotations used with citation of source), edited, revised, copied for resale or incorporated in any commercial publications, recordings, broadcasts, performances, displays or other products offered for sale, without the written permission of the copyright holder. Requests for permission should be made in writing and e-mailed to J. David Hoke, at David@JDavidHoke.com.