Rise, Together, and Praise, Part 2

And turn to the book of Philippians
once again. Philippians and we find ourselves
advancing at just a blistering pace into chapter 4. Chapter
4. Paul had walked through in chapter 3 a
difficult chapter for him personally, I believe. To consider those
who were enemies of the cross was no easy thing for Paul. It
wasn’t a delight for him to consider those who were perishing for
eternity. He took no pleasure in pointing
out those that were enemies of the cross, who were dogs and
evil workers. Paul took no delight in those
things. But he does take a delight in turning his attention happily
to the Church. to those who were in Christ,
to those who were Christians, whose blood Christ had spilled for, for whom he had
died and for whom he had sought and brought to himself, who was
building the very body of Christ, those brought Paul great joy. Their names were written in the
very book of life. The verses before us, chapter
4, verses 1 through 5, are connected loosely with the previous words,
chapter 3, verse 20 and 21, but really all of chapter 3, as Paul
turns his attention now fully back on the church, the body
of Christ. Paul, in essence, begins his
passage here with that familiar word, therefore, pointing back
to all that he had said in chapter 3. More specifically, since there
are so many enemies of Christ and his cross, since there are
so many who are eagerly anticipating the Lord’s return and the glorification
that comes with it, therefore, stand firm. It’s a very clear
transition that Paul makes. But it’s an interesting thing
about this passage as you begin to read through it. Every one
of these things, every one of these elements that we’ll consider
this morning, Paul has already addressed. What we have here
in these verses, verse 1 through 5 of chapter 4, is essentially
a repetition. of things that Paul has urged
not elsewhere in the Scriptures, but in this very epistle to the
Philippians. Paul had already urged the Philippians
to stand firm in Philippians 1.27. Paul had already urged
the Philippians to unity in Philippians 2.134. Paul had already urged the Philippians
to rejoice in 3.1. You will note as we course through
this little passage that all three of the blessed conditions
that I just mentioned are conditions that Christians are to enjoy
and to foster. Standing firm, being unified,
rejoicing in the Lord. The sphere of blessing is in
Christ. If you would, look with me at
chapter 4 beginning in verse 1. where Paul writes, Therefore,
my beloved brethren, whom I long to see, my joy and my crown,
so stand firm in the Lord, my beloved. I urge Euodia and I
urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. Indeed, true comrade,
I ask you to help these women who have shared my struggle in
the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also and the rest
of my fellow workers whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice
in the Lord always, again I will say rejoice. Let your forebearing
spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. If you will
notice again, all three of them, are echoes from what Paul has
taught in the past, and all three of them, the common bond here
is that all three of those elements are said to be in Christ. We
are to stand firm in the Lord, in verse 1. We are to live in
harmony in the Lord, in verse 2. And we are to rejoice in the
Lord, in verse 4. What I gathered from this, as
I began to formulate both the outline and the title, is I really
saw an image of the church gathered on Sunday morning for worship
and particularly standing together to sing. Because that is an illustration
of what this passage basically says. That we are to stand and
to stand firm We are to stand together, and the gathered body
of Christ is a design of God. That we are to come together
on the Lord’s day, and we are to praise Him. It is a privilege,
but it is also a very good illustration of this passage. That we are
called to stand together and praise. I want to look at these
three enduring blessings lived out because of Christ, lived
out because of what Christ has done in our life already. Not
that we have to earn anything by these, but these are the natural
outflow, this is the natural outcome of those who are in Christ. There are places in your bulletin
for notes if you so choose, along with the passage diagrammed for
you. Go with me, if you would, back
to verse 1, where I wanted to look at the first enduring blessing,
that believers are to live out because of what Christ has done.
And that is the blessing of steadfastness. And as I said, Paul has already
addressed this. But he appeals, and you can see
immediately the contrast, having talked about the enemies of the
cross, you can see how Paul’s heart exulted at the mere thought
of the Christian brethren to whom he was writing. Look at
verse 1. Therefore, my beloved brethren, whom I long to see,
my joy and my crown. And you begin to sense immediately
the pastor’s heart here. He deeply loves his church. It is beloved to God and to him. His heart suffers a void in their
absence. He longs to see them. His ministry
is nothing without them as fruit. They are, to him, his joy and
crown. The Philippians, one day, would
be the very crown of affirmation at the return of Christ. I remember
saying something similar upon graduation and talking to our
college young people. I explained to them that they
were my GPA. Not that I sacrificed it all
for the sake of ministry, but in large part, they were the
affirmation of God in my life and ministry. Paul says to the
Philippians, you are my joy, and one day you will be my crown. This was the shepherd’s heart
toward all of his churches, not just the Philippians. When he
wrote to the other Macedonian church, the Thessalonians, he
said, who is our hope or joy or crown of exaltation, was he
being duplicitous in talking about both churches in the same
term? No, the church, the body of Christ
for Paul was one, and as broad and as wide as that could extend,
the better for Paul, but they would all be his joy, they would
all be his crown, they were all beloved by him, and he longed
to be with them all for eternity. Who is our hope or joy or crown
of exultation? Is it not even you in the presence
of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory
and joy. Paul says, look, you beloved
Christians, and as I said, his heart begins to exult, but having
seen those who had so easily veered off the path of righteousness,
and veered away from the things of God, who now were enemies
of the cross, Paul is not taking anything for granted, and he
reiterates his plea. He reiterates his command to
stand firm. Look again at the passage. Therefore,
my beloved brethren, whom I long to see, my joy and my crown,
so stand firm in the Lord, my beloved. Paul believed that they
were in Christ. He says that they’re in the Lord.
Paul believed that they would one day be his joy and crown.
Paul longed to see them and be with them. He calls them beloved,
but he takes nothing for granted, and because of that, he says,
stand firm. This little metaphor is used
eight times in the New Testament. Pardon me, the word is used eight
times in the New Testament, sometimes of literal standing. of just
standing there, and the word is used in a very plain and simple
sense. Mark 11.25, when you stand praying. But it’s also used metaphorically.
Paul uses it as one of his favorite illustrations of the continuing
spiritual steadfastness of a Christian. It is a favorite image of Paul’s.
1 Corinthians 16.13. Be on the alert. Stand firm in
the faith. Act like men. Be strong. Galatians
5.1. It was for freedom that Christ
set us free. Therefore, keep standing firm. Do not be subject again to a
yoke of slavery. 1 Thessalonians 3.8. For now we really live if you
stand firm in the Lord. He wasn’t talking about seeing
them stand in the congregation. It’s a metaphor. And he used
it likewise to the Thessalonians in his second epistle to them
in 2.15. So then, brethren, stand firm
and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word
of mouth or by letter from us. They were to be always standing
firm. It was to be a perpetual life
for them, not just a brief stand, as it were, in battle. But since
the battle is ongoing and unending, they were to be constantly vigilant
and constantly standing firm. For some reason, there were those
that engaged in some word wrestling when it says that they were to
stand firm in the Lord. Not sure exactly whether they were placed recently in there
or whether they were long time Christians that were now struggling.
There really is no point. It is an exhortation that any
Christian can and should receive at any time in their walk. We
are to stand firm in the Lord whether we’re 80 or 8 if we are
in Christ. Paul presses upon them this duty. Paul says, my beloved brethren
whom I long to see, my joy and my crown, so stand firm in the
Lord my beloved. Don’t be rattled by your outward
circumstances. Don’t be belittled by your adversaries. Don’t be molded by your culture. Don’t give in to its pressures. Don’t yield to false teaching. Don’t give in to external, unbiblical
pressures and doctrines. Stand firm. This one Puritan
pastor had it, to stand, or to stand fast in the Lord is to
neither wander out of Him, nor even to waver in connection with
him, but to remain immovable in fellowship with him, to live
in him without pause, to walk in him without digression, to
love him without rival, and to serve him without compromise.
Isn’t that our desire, Christians? Especially as we read through
chapter 3 and study through chapter 3 to see the disastrous results. Paul said, we have not arrived,
but there is a bare minimum, and the bare minimum is where
you are now, and we cannot fall back. We cannot step off the
path even for a moment. We are to stand firm, and we
are to press on in growing ever more in Christ-likeness. Stand
firm, Paul says. But there’s a second blessing.
here, born out of a life in Christ, in rising together to praise,
Paul says, not only is there the blessing of steadfastness,
there is the blessing of unity. And I remind you that this blessing
is only possible in Christ. I remember seeing during the
Rodney King riots a sign on the church that said, no justice,
no peace. And there was a play on words
as the sign went on, but I thought to myself, you know, that’s really
a fascinating concept. Because if there is no Christ,
there will never be either. There will be no peace without
Christ. There will be no justice in the
land without Christ permeating the culture. Paul turns his attention to the Philippian church. And Paul was concerned for unity.
You know this. Paul was concerned for unity
in all of his churches. It was a problem in nearly every
church. The Philippians were not exempt.
In fact, in a very real sense, it was a powder keg of sorts
that over a number of issues threatened to erupt. But Paul finally pulls out all
the stops and he just decides to name names. I remember the
first time I preached through this I was talking about unity
and I said next week come together we’re going to name names in
our need for unity in the church. I remember the attendance was
quite high that following Sunday. How would you like to be put
down for all posterity as having some quibble in the church that
was even threatening to fracture the very church itself in Philippi?
I think that’s the situation before us. Look again at verse
2 where Paul says, I urge Jodea and I urge Syntyche to live in
harmony in the Lord. Indeed, true comrade, I ask you
to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause
of the gospel, together with Clement also and the rest of
my fellow workers whose names are in the book of life. Naming
names. Was this dirty pool on Paul’s
part just to lay this thing out on the table? Certainly there
were bigger issues, weren’t there? Who are these women and what
is the nature of their argument? Let’s pause for a minute. In
spite of the fact that both are identified later in the verse
as women and both of these are feminine nouns, you had all kinds
of conjectures to who these individuals were, even men in the church. They are women. The passage says
so. The names affirm that. We know
next to nothing though about who they are or what their mutual
problem was. And I think that is by God’s
design. I think this is an echo really of churches across our
land, ours included, of those just regular individuals in the
church that have a tiff with another brother or another sister
in the church. I’m glad that Paul didn’t put
down details because then people in their mind would say, well
my issue isn’t that with so-and-so. My issue is far more noble and
I have much greater cause to be bent out of shape at so-and-so. Macedonia was a unique culture. in first century Christianity.
In the sense that the Macedonian culture was a strongly matriarchal
society. Women in that culture had unique
freedoms and privileges beyond those that were enjoyed by the
rest of the world. Very likely those things were
the very reason Paul addresses this so publicly. There were
prominent women in the church. They were members of the church,
quite likely, not just heathen, not just troublesome meddlers
that were coming in from the outside. And it was because of
that, it was absolutely imperative that they be at peace with one
another for witness sake. A lot of times we forget. what
the world is watching for. They’re watching for slip-ups.
They want us to fight. They want church splits. They
love it when churches come apart at the seams. I’ve seen situations, I’ve watched
conversations where a professing Christian will begin to criticize
their church or to say something disparaging about a brother or
sister in Christ. in the hearing of those who do
not believe Christ. And it is like the person that
is hearing these is dining on delectable little morsels. They
love it. They love it. Paul says they
give hearty approval to that kind of behavior. They don’t want the church to
succeed. They love it when the church fights because it verifies
every hatred within them against Christ and against all of our
claims of the gospel. These women must have had some
relative importance in the church. Some conjectured that they were
deaconesses. I don’t even think that’s necessary.
to say that any two women in the church had this kind of fracture
in their relationship. That it was this public that
it had traveled all the way across countries to Paul’s ears. And
that it was an important enough issue for Paul, regardless of
what they were fighting for, to address it. This was a bad deal. Was it jealousy
that produced this separation? That’s quite possible. Were there
doctrinal subtleties? Perhaps. But Paul doesn’t weigh
in. It’s not like one of them was
advancing false teaching because Paul would have seized upon that
moment to correct one or the other or both. One commentator
went so far as to suggest that the names really stood for two
factions in the Church of Philippi. The Euodians and the Syntacans. Perhaps not yet. But if you’ll
go with me on this, and better yet, go with the commentator,
isn’t that what usually happens? People begin to hear Euodia’s
story and to say, you know what? I think she’s right. I am of
Euodia. And the others listen to Syntyche.
And perhaps there’s some political connection there. Maybe they’re
in the same Bible study or they carpool together. And the next
thing you know, you have those that are saying, I am of Syntyche.
And you have the Eurodians and the Syntycheans and they begin
to fight. And sooner or later, people take sides and the church
is torn right down the middle. I think it’s a fanciful interpretation.
I think what’s being talked about here is two ladies in the church. But eventually those factions
come, and that’s why Paul addresses it. What does Paul say to them? And both of them, by the way?
so that Paul doesn’t appear to be putting more responsibility
for humbling themselves to one or the other. Paul doesn’t even
enter into the dialogue as to what they’re bickering about.
He just says, I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony. Both were right, both were wrong. Paul doesn’t even address the
issue. He just says be unified, be one, be at peace, be in harmony
with one another. I urge you both to live in harmony
in the Lord. The first thing that Paul does
is to remind these two Christian women that they are in Christ. that life in Christ is life united. I’ve shared this before, that
when we come to the Lord’s table, we not only commune with the
Lord, we commune with one another. And one of the despicable things
about coming to the Lord’s table is that coming to the Lord’s
table while there are these issues that are undealt with, while
there is disunity, and while there are fractures of relationships, First thing that Paul does is
remind them that they are in Christ. They’re both Christians. There’s only one Lord and they’re
both in Him. They were sought originally by
Him, both of them. They were infused, both of them,
by His Spirit. They were both placed into His
kingdom, into His family. They were members of His body.
Can there be disunity? Can we tear one from the other?
It is almost absurd. It is almost
absurd to think of a church fight. It is almost absurd to see this
thing spinning out of control. Countless churches face it and
have faced it. Countless. I urge you, Odea,
and I urge Syntyche, to live in harmony in the Lord. In the
Lord there is peace. In the Lord there is peaceableness
and harmony and oneness. Not just of purpose, but of heart. Make my joy complete, Paul said
earlier, by being of the same mind. He says literally, I want
you to think the same thing. It’s an interesting illustration
that I’ve derived over the years from 1 Corinthians 1.10. That
you all be of the same mind, think the same things. That there
be no divisions among you. We have this kind of a democratic
philosophy that there can be all kinds of myriads of doctrines. I remember, and I’ve used this
illustration before, I think on Wednesday nights, that I remember
there was a radio show, The Bible Answer Man, years ago, and he
used to say, if two people agree on everything, one of them isn’t
thinking. Almost to celebrate this idea that, boy, we can all
have diverse opinions, and isn’t it great? After reading 1 Corinthians
1.10, I thought, you know what? I’m going to turn that around
a little bit. If two people don’t agree on everything, maybe neither
of them is thinking. And I think that is so often
the truth with this diversity of opinion. If somebody hasn’t
really done their homework, they haven’t really considered what
their brother is saying, and so they go on celebrating ignorantly
in their diversity of opinion. Maybe neither of them are thinking.
Paul says it’s important But here he isn’t talking about doctrine.
It’s important to be of the same mind. It’s important to be on
the same page with one mind, one spirit. But here he’s not
talking about doctrine. He’s talking about living in
harmony in the Lord, being of the same mind toward one another.
As I said, this unity issue is a theme in every one of Paul’s
epistles. Romans 12.3 It must have been
a big issue in the Church of Rome, a big church with lots
of big problems. Romans 12.3 said it this way,
Through the grace given to me, I say to every man among you
not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think. That’s
usually the problem, isn’t it? People begin to get puffed up.
They begin to think more highly of their ministry. You know,
I’ve got a real prominence here. That’s really where it starts,
isn’t it? Not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think,
but to think so as to have sound judgment. As God has allotted
to each a measure of faith. You know what, we’re to think?
We’re to think, what do I have that God didn’t give me? And
how can I be proud? How can I but use what God has
given, how God has equipped me to bless and glorify Him, to
serve the body of Christ? How can I do any different? That’s accurate thinking, but
Paul goes on. Be of the same mind toward one
another. He uses the same word in Romans
12, 16. Do not be haughty in mind, but
associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Paul echoes it later in Romans
15, verse 5. May the God who gives perseverance
and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind toward one
another. It is a work of God, Paul says. Oneness said one. oneness of
view with respect to all matters of vital importance, that we
would have this oneness of view, Christians will also, in the
degree which they yield their hearts up in the power of the
common faith, have a substantial oneness of disposition and resolution. There is to be a oneness. There
is to be a unity in the Church. It is not an unthinking unity. It is a deep and thoughtful and
intelligent unity. It is a wrestling with the truth
until we’re all on the same page. Another said it this way, this
precept refers to unanimity, cordiality and harmony in conducting
all of the business of the church. It is the word of God with which
believers are to be in accordance and not with the opinions of
each other. oneness of belief in everything, even the least
part of the revelation of God. It is important that we’re on
the same page. There should be no casualness
there. Paul addressed the unity issue to the Ephesian church
in chapter 4. I therefore, the prisoner of
the Lord, implore you, I beg you if I must, To walk in a manner
worthy of the calling with which you’ve been called, with all
humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for
one another in love. There’s something that would
solve a lot of church difficulties, wouldn’t it? Tolerance, patience,
gentleness. And then Paul says this, being
diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit and the bond of
peace. It is nothing we create. That’s what Paul said to the
Romans in 1516. He asked God to help create this
in their midst. This like-mindedness, this oneness
of spirit, this unity. It is a work of the Spirit in
our midst and all we can do is mess it up or preserve it by
God’s grace. Paul also addressed it We’ll come back to Romans in
a moment. Paul also addressed it in a number of his other churches. 2 Corinthians 13.11. Finally,
brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded,
live in peace, and the God of peace will live with you. The problem is, this pride and
arrogance this elevation of opinion about ourselves is, as one person
put it, a potent source of danger to peace. And what Paul saw in
this little bickering argument would probably start it off as
some little petty thing where somebody got their feelings hurt
over something. You know, she didn’t change the
vacuum bag on the, you know, decided day. She took credit
for a ministry that wasn’t hers. She forgot to polish the china.
They’re sitting in my pew. Whatever the case may be, it
is a potent source of danger to peace. When we begin to compare
our importance with others, I love the way William Ames said it,
several hundred years ago when he said, pride is an inordinate
affection for one’s own excellence. We love ourselves too much. We’re
too inclined to side with ourselves. And you know those arguments
you have? You’re not really having it. It’s not verbal. It’s in
your head and you’re playing. And you always win them, don’t
you? Right? Okay, just me. So you’re having
this argument and you’re thinking of all these cool lines. It’s
like you’ve got all kinds of Hollywood writers behind you,
right? And you’re thinking of all these cool lines of what
to say to the other person. And it’s all because we’re proud.
We want to win. We want our own excellence. He
goes on to say, this affection for one’s own excellence is called
boasting when it is directed toward good things that we have.
We flaunt those things. We flaunt those privileges. We
flaunt even our ministries that were given to us by God in His
grace. When it is directed toward the
things that we pretend to have, it is called arrogance. We don’t
really have these things. We don’t really possess any prominence.
We’re just putting on airs we’re boasting. If it seeks fame and
esteem from others, it is called vain glory. It is the attitude
of the Pharisees, going everywhere and doing everything that we
do only to be recognized by men. If it is concerned for dignity,
it is called ambition. If it undertakes matters beyond
its strength, it is called presumptuousness. And Paul saw it for what it was.
He didn’t know maybe even all the details of the argument.
He had heard the report that there was this deal between these
gals and he knew what the potential was. The potential was a firestorm. The potential was a church split.
And so Paul turns his attention in the most gracious way to these
women. He didn’t rip them. He didn’t rail on them. They
are named for all time. but they are addressed in the
most gracious way. I urge you, Odea, and I urge
Syntyche, to live in harmony in the Lord. I don’t doubt that
they’re in Christ. I know that they’re Christian
sisters of mine. But I plead with them, they must
be one. Go on to verse 3. Indeed, he says, true comrade,
I ask you to help these women. It’s kind of a strange sentence.
There’s a lot of strange stuff in here. The word is literally
yoke-fellow. When he says true comrade, that
word there for comrade is yoke-fellow. And there were those that said,
why didn’t Paul name names? Why didn’t Paul say Timothy if
it’s Timothy? Timothy, would you please help
these ladies? Epaphroditus, would you please
go and fix this deal before the church splits? Why didn’t he
name names? Was it a leader in the church?
Was it Epaphroditus who was carrying the letter? Was it Timothy who
was supposed to make a visit? Some strongly believe that it
was Epaphroditus that Paul is talking to here. He’s handing
him the letter at the end, and what he does is embed, if you
will, some instructions in the letter as if he suddenly turns
to Epaphroditus and says, to address him personally in the
letter, Perhaps that seems unlikely to
you, except if Paul wanted to underscore his authority. Look, I’m telling Epaphroditus
this right now, even as I speak. So that Paul was, in a very real
sense, sending Epaphroditus with these instructions. To me, that’s
a very plausible explanation. There is another sense where
people believe that what Paul is using here is a literal name,
Sun Tzuge. a name which meant Yokefellow,
but it was the guy’s name. And for that reason, Paul says,
it’s a play on words, but you are a true Yokefellow. You really
are. You’ve lived up to your name.
And you know what? It doesn’t matter to me which
one you like. Let’s not fight about it, though,
as we leave. Whoever this is, Paul asks them to help. That
seems like a really, after this big a deal, to name names for
all time, because of this fight, to threaten to spill over and
split the church. Would you just help him? It’s a mild word, it seems, in
our English language. The word where Paul asks is to
ask something of a person. It wasn’t used of asking a thing
or asking for money from someone, but asking for someone to do,
it was a very active word. Get in the fight, help these
women, fix this deal now. It seems like a mild or even
funny thing to ask for a disagreement that was ready to split the local
body of Christ. Help them? But it goes beyond that, doesn’t
it? Paul seems to believe that these women would submit to him. They would be doing their part,
but they needed help. They needed somebody to come
alongside of them. Literally, the word meant to
take hold with. Listen to how the word is used
in Scripture. Luke 5, 7. It’s a fishing word. They’re
out there fishing, and they’ve got partners in another boat,
and they asked their partners in the other boat to come and
help them. To pull these nets onto the boat. It’s a fishing word. In Matthew chapter 26, there’s
a graphic representation of the word, too. In Matthew 26, they
came to arrest Christ, and He replied, Have you come out with
swords and clubs? to arrest me, to grasp me, to
take hold of me. Same word. Another form the word
echoes this meaning, Luke 10.40. Tell her, Martha said, to come
and help me. Tell her to roll up her sleeves,
get into this kitchen and cut this lettuce. Right? So what
kind of help was this person supposed to render? Counsel. Mediation, exhortation. He was
supposed to get in there, pray with them, talk it through, work
it out, fix it. But the way it was going was
not an option. I remember years ago, the church
in which we candidated. We visited months later. Between
the time that we had visited and the time that we arrived,
A man had left his wife and five children, and not a single person
in the church had confronted him. That was my first order
of business. It’s work. Somebody’s got to
do it. Somebody’s got to address these
people. They cannot just be allowed to split like this. Helping people
with those situations is often tiring, frustrating, exacting
labor. But Paul says, get in there and
do it. Paul says it’s worth it. There’s
too much at stake. They need your help. This is
a noble goal. And as if they all needed some
motivation, Paul goes on. As if they needed motivation
to work through these differences, Paul reminds them that these
were women, go on in the verse, who have shared in my struggle
in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also, and the rest
of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. You
know, this is a beautiful passage. You know what he does? He says,
remember that retreat we went on? Remember the ministry we did
together? And I have no doubt that this
went right to Euodia and Syntyche, who were on the mission trip,
or whatever it was, VBS. Remember that summer? Remember
that time Clement was there, remember? And all the rest of
my fellow, remember what the Lord did through us? There is
nothing like those seasons. Those of you who have enjoyed
them, There is nothing like those seasons.
And what a motivating factor Paul says and Paul uses to urge
these women back together. You know what? You’re right.
When we were together, God mightily worked through us far beyond
what we ask or think. And now here we are standing
apart from one another and we’re worthless. I think so that his appeal here
and the airing of their differences wouldn’t come as a sharp rebuke.
Paul acknowledges their labors in the Lord. It was activity
that, that labor, that word there talks of activity that was often
met with danger and suffering. The church, the ministry of the
church cannot be sustained without partnership of those such as
these. It isn’t all pastoral ministry, and theirs was a crucial
ministry, Paul says. They shared in my struggle in
the cause of the gospel. I believe that Paul put the reminder
of this verse here as a graphic piece of information that this
helper could use with these women. It is a picture of a fond, blessed
ministry. A memory of a very special ministry
opportunity. Like I said, a mission trip,
an outreach, a period of ministry in the church. We enjoyed such in our college
ministry and anyone who was ever part of that, we all know that
we know now that there was something special during that season. I
believe that in years to come, we’ll look back in these years
at Providence Bible Church and they will say, you know, there
was something special. I hope it’s still there. But that’s what Paul does, is
bring up this special memory in the cause of Christ. Clement
was there, many others were there, and these women. Euodia and Syntyche
were there. It’s as if Paul says, remember? Remember that summer? And Paul
reminds him of one more thing. He says their names. as well as all those people that
he alluded to, everybody on that mission trip, their names were
written in the book of life. And we’ll take it up there next
Lord’s Day. Let’s pray. Our Father and our
God, in view of these words that we’ve
just begun to digest, we see how silly How destructive and
how repulsive to you are all of our little petty bickerings.
Here each of these women, apart from these words, probably thought
that they had a good case. And then as they are reminded
that they are in the Lord, that they had labored together for
the cause of the gospel and that much of that hung in the balance,
Lord, examine our own hearts. See if there is any root of bitterness
in our hearts. See if there is anything that
we need to confess to you first, and also to our brothers and
sisters in Christ. Lord, examine our hearts. Purify
our fellowship. Preserve the unity of the body. It’s in Jesus’ name that we pray.
Amen.