“Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:1-4 NASB1995)
This word “encouragement” is not just about being comforted or praised, but it includes biblical exhortation, appeal, entreaty, counsel, and a holy urging to obey God and his commandments and to live holy lives, pleasing to God. It is an exhortation to one another to leave our lives of sin behind us and to follow Christ in the way that he has planned for our lives. And as the body of Christ, we are to be doing this with one another, so that we are not led astray by false teachings, and so we are not deceived by sinful desires.
[Acts 2:14-18,42-47; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:15-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20]
And this word consolation, or comfort, also means the same as the word encouragement, which includes exhortation (appeal, urging, counsel). And this word “fellowship” has to do our participation, our partnership, our contribution to our walks of faith in the Lord Jesus via obedience to our Lord’s commands, and via us putting sin to death daily in our lives. And, in the body of Christ, it involves us in community, in partnership, in joint participation with one another in walking the walk God has for us to walk.
Affections have to do with our hearts, with tender mercies, and with sympathy and empathy with others in their sufferings or in their needs, i.e. feeling with them in their difficulties and in their misfortunes in a compassionate and caring manner. But this is not for us to coddle people in their sins who are knowingly and deliberately and habitually doing what they know is evil against other people. There we need to speak the truth in love to them, and tell them that Jesus died to free them from addiction to sin.
And with regard to us within the body of Christ being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, and intent on one purpose, this is not about marketing schemes and goals and business plans. But this is about us all having the mind of Christ, maintaining the love of Christ, united by his Spirit, and intent on God’s will and purpose that he has for our lives as those who profess the name of Jesus. And there we turn to the Scriptures where we learn what those things are so that we can do them together.
Gospel:[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
And we are not to be selfish people who think only of ourselves and what we want out of life without regard for others. And we are not to perform for an audience, either, hoping to get attention and acclamations, like the Pharisees. With humility we are to regard one another as more important than ourselves and our own desires, and we are to care about others and their concerns, and their hurts, and for their welfare, i.e. for what is for their good, in the eyes of God, and for their spiritual benefit and Christian growth.
And, again, this does not mean that we make compromises in areas that are against the Scriptures and what they teach us with regard to how we are all to live as followers of Christ. We hold fast to holiness, righteousness, moral purity, honesty, and faithfulness, and to the gospel truth as taught by Jesus and by his New Testament apostles, in their biblically correct context. So we don’t make room for willful sin and for disobedience, but we lovingly correct what is evil among us so that we all live holy lives, pleasing to our Lord.
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
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Holy Lives, Pleasing to God
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