Philippians 2:1-30

The Philippian church, in many respects, was a model church.  Paul does not confront them on any doctrinal problems, there is no mention of immorality within the church and they were cooperating with Paul in the advancement of the Gospel.  Churches like this one are rare, but they are also under attack and it seems that some of the most common areas that these types of churches are tested in are the areas of divisions, discontentment and distraction.  Paul was seeing signs that these problems were creeping into this special church and wants to warn them to avoid these pitfalls.
GOD WANTS US TO REFLECT HIS UNITY AND HUMILITY: Paul urges the members of the church to be of one mind, love, spirit and purpose.  This is the definition of unity, but it is very hard to achieve when dealing with fallen people.  The key to true unity is humility and seeking to know and follow Christ.  Too often we are full of pride and we try to convince other people to agree with us.  The point of the passage is that we work together to discover the mind of Christ on every issue and then follow Him together.  My will is not always right and the will of others is not always right, but the will of Christ is always right and God calls us to unity within His will.  Christ was the perfect example of this humility in that He made Himself submissive to the Father as well as a servant to others.  If we always practice this attitude of submission to God and service to our fellow believers we will experience the unity that God longs to see in the body of Christ.
GOS WANTS US TO REFLECT HIS CHARACTER AND WILL: God desires that we walk in obedience to the will of God and that we hold forth the Word of God in our example as well as our speech.  God has called us to rejoice in all circumstances, but we find it much easier to murmur and complain than to rejoice and give thanks.  God has called us to be examples of His Word and to faithfully explain His Word to others, but we find it much easier to go with the flow of this world and talk about that which is trivial.  We live in a society that has been darkened by the blight of sin, but God has called us to shine as bright lights for His honor and glory.  We must strive to be faithful in our walk with Christ so that we can reflect His goodness and earn the right to proclaim His glorious Words that impart life to those who are dead in their sins.
GOD WANTS US TO RECEIVE HIS MESSENGERS AND MINISTERS: God uses people to challenge us and mold us into the men and women that He wants us to be.  We have a tendency to have our “favorites” when it comes to ministers and so we tend to tune out everyone else.  This is a dangerous practice because God does not just equip a few men in order to edify His body; He equips every member of the body.  Paul was unable to visit the church, but he was sending other men that were to be respected and heard as messengers from God.  We must learn to receive the men that God sends our way to impact our lives and impart the Word of God to us so that we might become more and more like Christ.  It is an honor to be a part of this glorious body and we must be faithful to honor all members of this body to which we belong, especially those whom God has appointed to serve and minister in our midst.

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