Being of the Same Mind

The People of God Set Priorities
Living as a Community of Believers
A Call to Unity

Philippians 4:1-7

The Message

4 My dear, dear friends! I love you so much. I do want the very best for you. You make me feel such joy, fill me with such pride. Don’t waver. Stay on track, steady in God.

Pray About Everything

² I urge Euodia and Syntyche to iron out their differences and make up. God doesn’t want his children holding grudges.

³ And, oh, yes, Syzygus, since you’re right there to help them work things out, do your best with them. These women worked for the Message hand in hand with Clement and me, and with the other veterans—worked as hard as any of us. Remember, their names are also in the Book of Life.
^4-5 Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
^6-7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

For Reflection

Paul references some of the undercurrents in the early church.  That Christians have developed different forms of Christianity has been both its weakness and its strength.  The Church is at times seen as fragmented which has enabled some to trivialize it.  Some who cannot tolerate differences, are not attracted to such imperfection and see the instituition as flawed.

On the other hand, differences in worship styles and theology have permitted the church to evolve and have provided multiple entry points to the Kingdom.  God is not frozen and rooted in anyone's time.  God is creation it-self, always in the process of becoming.  So why is it so surprising and disturbing that forms and styles of worship are different from each other?

Pray

that you may know a sense of God's wholeness.  Pray that you will be encouraged by the progression of the faithful toward the Kingdom of God.  Pray that all who worship the true God  in all forms and styles will be transformed into righteousness and grace.