As Paul the apostle
continued to encourage the church located in Philippi, he began this
chapter with a series of “ifs” - “If there
be therefore any consolation in Christ, if
any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the
Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,”.
These “ifs” at first appear as conditional elements, however upon
closer inspection they might be thought of as “since”, and
“since” all these things are true, then in chapter two and verse
two Paul adds his request of the church where he wrote:
The verse begins, “Fulfill
my joy, that you be like-minded,...” Paul
requests that the church members “Fulfill”
which is “to make full, to fill up, i.e. to fill to the
full, to cause to abound, to furnish or supply liberally, to abound,
complete, or be liberally supplied” his “joy” or
“gladness”. Paul would be delighted and filled with joy just to
know that the church was flourishing. He also adds that they should
“be like-minded” which means “of the same mind or
thinking”. Division within the church would not only bring sadness
rather than joy to Paul, but would also be detrimental to the
church's growth.
The
verse goes on to say, “having the same love,...” Paul
encourages them to have the “same love” which is “agape”
and is the type of love that those who are within Christ Jesus have
for one another. This “agape” love that was first extended by
Jesus to the church should be manifested toward each other.
Finally
the verse says, “...being of one accord, of one
mind.” Once again Paul
emphasizes the idea of being in “one accord”
which is the Greek word “sympsychos” and
means “same thinking” ,
and he adds “of one mind”
which conveys the idea of “one understanding or wisdom”. Not only
was it important for the church members to love one another, but it
was also important that they be unified in their manner of thinking
and understanding.
When
we think about these words of Paul we may be inclined to survey our
present circumstances with others. Are we unified with them in our
thinking? Is our understanding of “one accord”?
Do we have the same “agape” love for one another that Jesus has
extended to us? Paul's joy seems to be contingent upon the church in
Philippi having these traits, and if he were to examine our churches
today would his “joy”
still be fulfilled? As we ponder these questions, may the Lord Jesus
teach us what it means to be “like-minded, having the
same love, being of one accord, and of one mind”
to the glory of His Holy Name.
Next
time Paul writes about how things should be done, so read ahead, and
we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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