Philippians 4:2, 3 says...
Today's verses are Philippians 4:2 & 3, which read,
I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. Indeed, true companion, I ask you also 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.
Paul is getting to the end of the letter so he is starting to name some names as he has in the past in other letters to churches. This time it starts with two women who seem to not be in harmony in the Lord. Something is between them that needs to be settled. These are two Christians and Paul is calling on the church of Philippia to help them to resolve the issue.
They, Euodia and Syntyche, are along with Clement and others who have struggled with Paul to share the gospel of God's grace through the cross of Christ. They have their names written in the book of life. This is the picture of two Christians in the church who have some type of disagreement and it needs to be attended to so that the combined struggle of the church to proclaim the gospel can go forth. Paul calls them out individually but then also calls out the church to help them work for resolution in the Lord.
We are saved sinners but we still sin. We sin against each other and before God. We need at times to ask for forgiveness and grant forgiveness. Our bodies are clean through the salvation of the Lord, washed clean by the blood of the Lamb but our feet need to be washed daily because they get dirty with our sin. Paul is telling these saved sinners to have Jesus wash their feet of this matter by going through the process of confession and forgiveness with each other.
What if it was your name and another of the church you attend that was read off at the public reading of this letter in your church? Most of these issues we sweep under the carpet or hope they just go away. We don't say anything about it or just adapt to living with the tension of discord and unforgiveness. It becomes normal to go on when true harmony could be attained if we would just address the issue in the Lord and for the Lord. Paul calls the church to help these women, to bring it out in the open, and handle the situation for the continued struggle of proclaiming the gospel. This lingering situation is slowing down and hindering the witness of the local church.
Needless to say, this is a big deal to Paul and it should be a big deal to us and the church. I think many local churches are not the power packed witness for Christ that we could be because we have not dealt with sin among ourselves in the church. We live with disharmony and many times haven't went the route of confession and forgiveness. We are walking around the church with dirty feet of sin when we should be stopping each other and washing their feet as our feet are being washed by Jesus of this confessed or forgiven sin. When I forgive my brother or sister in Christ, Jesus is washing my feet. When I don't forgive my brother or sister in Christ, my feet remain dirty before Christ and He will ask, "Why are your feet still dirty?" What do you do with dirty feet? You wash them. What do you do with sin? You confess it and you ask for forgiveness and you grant forgiveness. The answer is as simple as that but I know that the process of doing it might be hard but don't let the hardness of the process allow you to not obey the simple solution given to us by the Lord.
How are your feet today as you walk into the house of the Lord? Is there anyone that you can name that you need to wash their feet and have your feet washed of something that was not forgiven of and let to linger? Just a reminder that dirty feet after awhile tend to stink just like unforgiven and unconfessed sin. Let's pray.
"Lord, You give us these two ladies names as an example of what not to do in the church when there is discord. You call them to forgive one another and for the church to encourage them to forgive rather than live in this disharmony. Convict us Lord of our times of not handling sin in Your way. Point out our dirty feet that need to be washed by You but we have refused that washing because we are not forgiving one another. Help us to see how that hinders our church from reaching out with Your gospel of grace of providing for us forgiveness through the cross and the empty tomb. Amen."
Pastor Adam
I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. Indeed, true companion, I ask you also 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.
Paul is getting to the end of the letter so he is starting to name some names as he has in the past in other letters to churches. This time it starts with two women who seem to not be in harmony in the Lord. Something is between them that needs to be settled. These are two Christians and Paul is calling on the church of Philippia to help them to resolve the issue.
They, Euodia and Syntyche, are along with Clement and others who have struggled with Paul to share the gospel of God's grace through the cross of Christ. They have their names written in the book of life. This is the picture of two Christians in the church who have some type of disagreement and it needs to be attended to so that the combined struggle of the church to proclaim the gospel can go forth. Paul calls them out individually but then also calls out the church to help them work for resolution in the Lord.
We are saved sinners but we still sin. We sin against each other and before God. We need at times to ask for forgiveness and grant forgiveness. Our bodies are clean through the salvation of the Lord, washed clean by the blood of the Lamb but our feet need to be washed daily because they get dirty with our sin. Paul is telling these saved sinners to have Jesus wash their feet of this matter by going through the process of confession and forgiveness with each other.
What if it was your name and another of the church you attend that was read off at the public reading of this letter in your church? Most of these issues we sweep under the carpet or hope they just go away. We don't say anything about it or just adapt to living with the tension of discord and unforgiveness. It becomes normal to go on when true harmony could be attained if we would just address the issue in the Lord and for the Lord. Paul calls the church to help these women, to bring it out in the open, and handle the situation for the continued struggle of proclaiming the gospel. This lingering situation is slowing down and hindering the witness of the local church.
Needless to say, this is a big deal to Paul and it should be a big deal to us and the church. I think many local churches are not the power packed witness for Christ that we could be because we have not dealt with sin among ourselves in the church. We live with disharmony and many times haven't went the route of confession and forgiveness. We are walking around the church with dirty feet of sin when we should be stopping each other and washing their feet as our feet are being washed by Jesus of this confessed or forgiven sin. When I forgive my brother or sister in Christ, Jesus is washing my feet. When I don't forgive my brother or sister in Christ, my feet remain dirty before Christ and He will ask, "Why are your feet still dirty?" What do you do with dirty feet? You wash them. What do you do with sin? You confess it and you ask for forgiveness and you grant forgiveness. The answer is as simple as that but I know that the process of doing it might be hard but don't let the hardness of the process allow you to not obey the simple solution given to us by the Lord.
How are your feet today as you walk into the house of the Lord? Is there anyone that you can name that you need to wash their feet and have your feet washed of something that was not forgiven of and let to linger? Just a reminder that dirty feet after awhile tend to stink just like unforgiven and unconfessed sin. Let's pray.
"Lord, You give us these two ladies names as an example of what not to do in the church when there is discord. You call them to forgive one another and for the church to encourage them to forgive rather than live in this disharmony. Convict us Lord of our times of not handling sin in Your way. Point out our dirty feet that need to be washed by You but we have refused that washing because we are not forgiving one another. Help us to see how that hinders our church from reaching out with Your gospel of grace of providing for us forgiveness through the cross and the empty tomb. Amen."
Pastor Adam
Comments
Post a Comment