Prayer: Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3).
Oh, God, give us strength as we seek unity in our community of believers. Help us with patience, purpose, decisions, and actions. But most of all, Lord, help us to love one another through the sweet and the difficult times. Amen.
Main Scripture:
Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind (Philippians 2:2).
Associated Scriptures:
How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! (Psalm 133:1).
And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony (Colossians 3:14, ESV).
Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves (Romans 12:10).
Correlative Quotes:
Unity, although it cannot be created by the Christian, must be preserved by him.[1] Bob Deffinbaugh
Unity does not imply uniformity. It does not mean that all Christians will think alike or perform identical ministries. It does imply a common purpose and interdependence within the body of Christ.[2] – Bob Deffinbaugh
Unity in the gospel is the prerequisite for the unity of the church. Christians who affirm the essentials of the gospel are even now united invisibly…[3] R. C. Sproul
Study:
INTRODUCTION
Paul’s desire for the Philippian Christians is that they would continue to live in unity and in doing so that they would make his joy complete. In Philippians 2:2 he lists the actions that will allow them to maintain congregational unification. The four responses found in Philippians 2:2 are: “being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit, and of one mind.” These four characteristics of a unified community apply to all believers today.
FOUR CHARACTERIZES SUPPORTING UNITY
Ephesians 2:19-22 explains it this way, “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
When we concentrate on these common goals with passion and purpose as Christ leads us, we will not be led into community disunity. Christians with the single purpose of glorifying God in their lives do not let the ordinary distractions of the community discourage them from their goal. Hebrews 10:24-25 attests to this fact when it says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” The spiritual condition of the Philippian church was good. However, Paul pushed them to continue to grow spiritually constantly raising the spiritual bar. The issues that Paul does not address in this letter to the Philippians speak highly of this church.
STRENGTHS SUPPORTING UNITY
Summary Statement:
We, like the Philippian church, must keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Since all unity is in Christ, it is Him we have to seek continually.
Lesson within the Lesson:
How important is unity to God (See Psalms 133:1)?
How do we prepare ourselves to live in unity with others?
Discuss the four actions that Paul is asking the Philippians to practice so that his joy may be made complete.
God desires to be glorified, what six actions can we do to make that happen and how many of them are you doing now?
[1] Bob Deffinbaugh, op. cit.
[2] Ibid
[3] R. C. Sproul, op. cit.
[4] Adapted from The Life Application Commentary Series Copyright © 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 by the Livingstone Corporation. Produced with permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.