Sermon 4th May 2008
Today our Associate Vicar, John Itumu, continues our study of Paul's letter to the Philippians
A New Attitude 1 – Philippians 2:1-4
It seems that the incident at the Tower of Babel (Gen 11) when human languages were confused – as in not understanding one another- triggered off a passion for division. It is an understatement to say that the Christian religion in our world is deeply divided. We have a plethora of opinion on almost any subject we can think about; even on whether the bible is really the revealed word of God or not. And for those who agree that it is God’s word, there is an ever increasing diversity of opinion about how we read and interpret it today.
Just think for a moment about the proliferation of churches and denominations – and the staggering variety of choice within each strand:
Evangelical, broad evangelical, evangelical charismatic, open evangelical, conservative evangelical…
And it doesn’t end there:
when and who should be baptised, do we call it a holy/communion table or an altar, should we preach from the pulpit or the lectern, should a man or woman preside, how should you pray, what should be sung, when… – I leave the rest to you.
Now, I am aware that diversity of style has often been described as the greatest gift of Anglicanism to the world, indeed even Christianity. It allows for a multiplicity of opinion and method in being followers of Jesus.
That in itself is positive, especially because the gospel of Jesus Christ needs to be proclaimed afresh to each generation in a language that they understand.
Unfortunately, this diversity arises quite often out of our own self-seeking, preferences. It is borne of leadership and personality differences, doctrinal issues. It frequently comes out of a lack of consensus about our least common denominator – scripture. That is not a desirable thing.
I often reflect on new converts, people wanting to simply follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. They must gaze in panic and utter amazement as they are presented with this overabundance, terrifying range of denominational choice. Some must be crying in their hearts – oh please, please deliver me from the responsibility of having to choose one of these!
Friends, unity among followers of Jesus Christ is a quality, a value they should seek, strive for and uphold. It is a must have attitude for all Christians. Why? Because it imitates Christ-likeness.
It is not a unity that compels all people to having the same opinions about everything. No. God must delight in our variety and individuality, otherwise he would not have created us so. But unity among followers of Jesus imitates Christ-likeness.
And Paul in his letter to the Philippians urges them to work towards this unity. It is a unity of purpose and disposition. It is a unity with regard to the gospel and their heavenly citizenship. It is a unity with regard to what it means to be God’s people, followers of Jesus Christ for the Philippians and for us today.
It is a unity that compels them ‘to be of the same mind in the Lord’ 4:2. In this verse Paul pleads with two women, Euodia and Syntyche, his former co-workers and long-time friends, leaders in the Philippi church who seem to have differed while serving the gospel. Please be of the same mind in the Lord, he implores them
Having different views and arguments is inevitable even for followers of Jesus. The question here is, what do you do when you have opposing views? Paul reminds the Philippians believers that they have an extra responsibility of ensuring a Godly unity whenever this happens. It is an attitude, a trait that defines them as believers.
His first ground for this passionate appeal is Christ himself.
If you have found any encouragement from being with Christ…then make my joy complete by being like-minded…
This appeal needs to be seen in the light of the Philippians’ suffering and which takes us back to last week when we heard that the special privilege of believing in Christ and knowing him also includes suffering for him. Paul appeals to this common experience of Christ’s comfort in the face of suffering. He writes this letter to the church in Philippi while in a Roman prison, chained to a soldier, unjustly accused, wasting away and possibly waiting to die.
His dismal circumstances, however, instead of breaking him, have emboldened him, to preach and proclaim the gospel of Christ. His imprisonment even gives him access to audiences that he would otherwise never have reached 1:13-14 palace guards, other prisoners etc
Why? Because he finds his comfort in Christ – in his words – for me to live is Christ. 1:21 His appeal presupposes that the recipients of this letter – the Philippians - share this comfort just as they do the suffering and the struggle in their Christian lives. We heard last week that if we are ready to truly live the abundant life that God offers in Christ, then we have to be ready to die. We all have a share of suffering – in varying degrees. Paul reminds the Philippians that the comfort and encouragement found in Christ should be shared with others.
In other words, have you found encouragement in knowing Christ? If so, then do encourage others! Encouragement only occurs in an environment of unity. The two feed each other. whoosh – two miles…
How much more in our life’s journey! Are we an encouragement to one another? When did you last encourage someone? It is a unique gift that we should pray for and work towards. Encouragement builds the church community and suffocates disunity. If we have found encouragement in knowing Christ, let us make it our business to pass it on to others.
If you have found any comfort from the love of Christ…then make my joy complete by being like minded
God’s love through Christ is lavished upon all human beings – but only those who respond to it really experience and enjoy it. Paul is keen to remind this church in Philippi of this immense love that God has poured out to them. If we really know the blessing of his love, let us extend it to others without bias or restrain. God has poured out his love to us. Let us not withhold love from anyone. Let this give us enough reason to seek unity with one another, even when it doesn’t look feasible. The intention to love must be allowed to prevail even when circumstances militate against it.
A woman accompanied her frail husband to the doctor's office for a check-up. Afterwards, the doctor took his wife aside and said, "Unless you do the following things, your husband will surely die." "Here's what you need to do. Make sure you serve him a good healthy breakfast, feed him a good hot meal each evening and don't overburden him with any stressful conversation. Also, keep the house spotless and clean so that he doesn't get exposed to any threatening germs."On the way home, the husband asked his wife, “what did the doctor say?”She replied, "He said that you're going to die."
It feels like that sometimes, doesn’t it? Someone said that love is the only virtue that can be divided endlessly and still not be diminished.
John the apostle quotes Jesus in his letter.
1 John 4:7-8
Dear friends let us love one another for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
If you have any sharing in the Spirit…then make my joy complete by being like-minded…
It is the Spirit of God by whom the Philippians have stood united in contending for the gospel this far. 1:27. By the same Spirit, they have experienced God’s love in their lives. This same Spirit unites them to Christ and to one another, and to Paul. The Spirit of God is strong ground for unity, just as the comfort of being in Christ and sharing his love. On the same note, if they know in Christ any tenderness and compassion, they should willingly pass it on to others.
Do these things and make my joy complete – Paul tells them. Isn’t it amazing that Paul declares himself a very happy man in his present circumstances in prison – hardly the place to experience immense joy! The only thing that will make his joy 100% is unity among the followers of Jesus in Philippi. That is how important unity is to him. Is unity important to you? Does it matter to you if you are not in unity? For a follower of Christ, it ought to.
As the Philippians hear this letter read aloud to them, from a man they respect so much, it must make a rather uncomfortable listening. While there is no evidence of full scale fighting in the Philippian church, Paul was certainly aware of a growing spirit of dissension and potential disunity.
And since he has such a deep affection for this church, he moves quickly to warn them of the dangers ahead. A divided church cannot witness to people about the good news of Jesus. Selfish ambition and vain conceit – these are breeding grounds for disunity. Shun them!
I wonder where all that leaves us. Being of one mind in Christ is not the natural thing for us to be. It is far much easier to walk our different paths. It is what the world around us advocates and glorifies. Do whatever you please, whatever brings pleasure – after all it is your life!
Christ followers must however live by different standards and attitudes. Unity, being like minded, having the same love, being in one spirit and one mind – these characteristics are a must. They must live as citizens of heaven and in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. That is a reminder for us too.
And since therefore we are so different, we must all be willing to travel some mileage in search of this common united front as we look at Jesus. Someone said love begins when someone else’s needs are more important than my own
It might be that there is some mileage you need to travel to break a barrier with someone – build unity. That is Christ-likeness. Don’t delay – just do it! Amen.
A New Attitude 1 – Philippians 2:1-4
It seems that the incident at the Tower of Babel (Gen 11) when human languages were confused – as in not understanding one another- triggered off a passion for division. It is an understatement to say that the Christian religion in our world is deeply divided. We have a plethora of opinion on almost any subject we can think about; even on whether the bible is really the revealed word of God or not. And for those who agree that it is God’s word, there is an ever increasing diversity of opinion about how we read and interpret it today.
Just think for a moment about the proliferation of churches and denominations – and the staggering variety of choice within each strand:
Evangelical, broad evangelical, evangelical charismatic, open evangelical, conservative evangelical…
And it doesn’t end there:
when and who should be baptised, do we call it a holy/communion table or an altar, should we preach from the pulpit or the lectern, should a man or woman preside, how should you pray, what should be sung, when… – I leave the rest to you.
Now, I am aware that diversity of style has often been described as the greatest gift of Anglicanism to the world, indeed even Christianity. It allows for a multiplicity of opinion and method in being followers of Jesus.
That in itself is positive, especially because the gospel of Jesus Christ needs to be proclaimed afresh to each generation in a language that they understand.
Unfortunately, this diversity arises quite often out of our own self-seeking, preferences. It is borne of leadership and personality differences, doctrinal issues. It frequently comes out of a lack of consensus about our least common denominator – scripture. That is not a desirable thing.
I often reflect on new converts, people wanting to simply follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. They must gaze in panic and utter amazement as they are presented with this overabundance, terrifying range of denominational choice. Some must be crying in their hearts – oh please, please deliver me from the responsibility of having to choose one of these!
Friends, unity among followers of Jesus Christ is a quality, a value they should seek, strive for and uphold. It is a must have attitude for all Christians. Why? Because it imitates Christ-likeness.
It is not a unity that compels all people to having the same opinions about everything. No. God must delight in our variety and individuality, otherwise he would not have created us so. But unity among followers of Jesus imitates Christ-likeness.
And Paul in his letter to the Philippians urges them to work towards this unity. It is a unity of purpose and disposition. It is a unity with regard to the gospel and their heavenly citizenship. It is a unity with regard to what it means to be God’s people, followers of Jesus Christ for the Philippians and for us today.
It is a unity that compels them ‘to be of the same mind in the Lord’ 4:2. In this verse Paul pleads with two women, Euodia and Syntyche, his former co-workers and long-time friends, leaders in the Philippi church who seem to have differed while serving the gospel. Please be of the same mind in the Lord, he implores them
Having different views and arguments is inevitable even for followers of Jesus. The question here is, what do you do when you have opposing views? Paul reminds the Philippians believers that they have an extra responsibility of ensuring a Godly unity whenever this happens. It is an attitude, a trait that defines them as believers.
His first ground for this passionate appeal is Christ himself.
If you have found any encouragement from being with Christ…then make my joy complete by being like-minded…
This appeal needs to be seen in the light of the Philippians’ suffering and which takes us back to last week when we heard that the special privilege of believing in Christ and knowing him also includes suffering for him. Paul appeals to this common experience of Christ’s comfort in the face of suffering. He writes this letter to the church in Philippi while in a Roman prison, chained to a soldier, unjustly accused, wasting away and possibly waiting to die.
His dismal circumstances, however, instead of breaking him, have emboldened him, to preach and proclaim the gospel of Christ. His imprisonment even gives him access to audiences that he would otherwise never have reached 1:13-14 palace guards, other prisoners etc
Why? Because he finds his comfort in Christ – in his words – for me to live is Christ. 1:21 His appeal presupposes that the recipients of this letter – the Philippians - share this comfort just as they do the suffering and the struggle in their Christian lives. We heard last week that if we are ready to truly live the abundant life that God offers in Christ, then we have to be ready to die. We all have a share of suffering – in varying degrees. Paul reminds the Philippians that the comfort and encouragement found in Christ should be shared with others.
In other words, have you found encouragement in knowing Christ? If so, then do encourage others! Encouragement only occurs in an environment of unity. The two feed each other. whoosh – two miles…
How much more in our life’s journey! Are we an encouragement to one another? When did you last encourage someone? It is a unique gift that we should pray for and work towards. Encouragement builds the church community and suffocates disunity. If we have found encouragement in knowing Christ, let us make it our business to pass it on to others.
If you have found any comfort from the love of Christ…then make my joy complete by being like minded
God’s love through Christ is lavished upon all human beings – but only those who respond to it really experience and enjoy it. Paul is keen to remind this church in Philippi of this immense love that God has poured out to them. If we really know the blessing of his love, let us extend it to others without bias or restrain. God has poured out his love to us. Let us not withhold love from anyone. Let this give us enough reason to seek unity with one another, even when it doesn’t look feasible. The intention to love must be allowed to prevail even when circumstances militate against it.
A woman accompanied her frail husband to the doctor's office for a check-up. Afterwards, the doctor took his wife aside and said, "Unless you do the following things, your husband will surely die." "Here's what you need to do. Make sure you serve him a good healthy breakfast, feed him a good hot meal each evening and don't overburden him with any stressful conversation. Also, keep the house spotless and clean so that he doesn't get exposed to any threatening germs."On the way home, the husband asked his wife, “what did the doctor say?”She replied, "He said that you're going to die."
It feels like that sometimes, doesn’t it? Someone said that love is the only virtue that can be divided endlessly and still not be diminished.
John the apostle quotes Jesus in his letter.
1 John 4:7-8
Dear friends let us love one another for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
If you have any sharing in the Spirit…then make my joy complete by being like-minded…
It is the Spirit of God by whom the Philippians have stood united in contending for the gospel this far. 1:27. By the same Spirit, they have experienced God’s love in their lives. This same Spirit unites them to Christ and to one another, and to Paul. The Spirit of God is strong ground for unity, just as the comfort of being in Christ and sharing his love. On the same note, if they know in Christ any tenderness and compassion, they should willingly pass it on to others.
Do these things and make my joy complete – Paul tells them. Isn’t it amazing that Paul declares himself a very happy man in his present circumstances in prison – hardly the place to experience immense joy! The only thing that will make his joy 100% is unity among the followers of Jesus in Philippi. That is how important unity is to him. Is unity important to you? Does it matter to you if you are not in unity? For a follower of Christ, it ought to.
As the Philippians hear this letter read aloud to them, from a man they respect so much, it must make a rather uncomfortable listening. While there is no evidence of full scale fighting in the Philippian church, Paul was certainly aware of a growing spirit of dissension and potential disunity.
And since he has such a deep affection for this church, he moves quickly to warn them of the dangers ahead. A divided church cannot witness to people about the good news of Jesus. Selfish ambition and vain conceit – these are breeding grounds for disunity. Shun them!
I wonder where all that leaves us. Being of one mind in Christ is not the natural thing for us to be. It is far much easier to walk our different paths. It is what the world around us advocates and glorifies. Do whatever you please, whatever brings pleasure – after all it is your life!
Christ followers must however live by different standards and attitudes. Unity, being like minded, having the same love, being in one spirit and one mind – these characteristics are a must. They must live as citizens of heaven and in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. That is a reminder for us too.
And since therefore we are so different, we must all be willing to travel some mileage in search of this common united front as we look at Jesus. Someone said love begins when someone else’s needs are more important than my own
It might be that there is some mileage you need to travel to break a barrier with someone – build unity. That is Christ-likeness. Don’t delay – just do it! Amen.
posted by Parish Administrator at 2:31 pm
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