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Right Relationships (Philippians 4:2-3)
I had an extraordinary conversation this week with
a good friend who is a Jehovah's Witness. He brought up the subject of
the Evangelical Church. He had met with a good many Evangelical believers
over the years and wanted to discuss his observations. I braced myself.
I thought about the fact that the term Evangelical had lost a lot of its
original meaning (i.e. those who believe in and proclaim the evangel).
I thought about the people who had misappropriated the name, who were
far from evangelical. I thought about the disagreement that are, after
all, inevitable in any society however spiritual. My fears were unfounded.
He had been impressed with what he had found. He spoke warmly of a people
who actually lived their faith, people to whom the big issues matter enormously
and who are ready to share their faith. He liked us! This is the picture
we have of the church in Acts:
"Every day they continued to meet together in
the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with
glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of the
people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being
saved" (Acts 2:46-47)
Some Christians read the New Testament through rose-tinted glasses. They
imagine the early church as an almost perfect model of what a church should
be. Of course, Paul knew that the devil is in the detail and relationships
in church are not always as they should be. Reading his letters makes
that clear. They faced the same temptations we face and clashes and disagreements
will occur. In Philippi there was a dispute between two women, Euodia
and Syntyche, who might have been leaders in the congregation. Such disagreements
can split a church and Paul knew it was serious enough to address it directly.
But note how he dealt with it.
1. He deals with the relationship and not the issue (c.f.Mat.5:23-24)
2. He urges the two to agree with one another "in
the Lord" (v2)
3. He appeals to others to help (v3)
4. He has led up to this delicate issue with some sound, practical teaching
about servanthood and kingdom living
When Christians disagree the issue of relationship is often forgotten
as we try and justify ourselves before each other but Paul puts relationship
first. That is not to say that issues aren't important but issues come
and go, they can be resolved over time. Our relationships however are
eternal and need to grow and mature. The NASB translation of the words
in verse 2 catches perfectly what Paul is asking:
"I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live
in harmony in the Lord"
He is not asking them to resolve the issue, to decide on who is right
and who is wrong. There are always strong personalities but Christians
can agree to disagree and still find harmony "in
the Lord". It is a sign of Christian maturity that we can respect
our different views yet keep in good fellowship.
It is important in these situations to remind ourselves, as Paul reminded
the Philippians, of God's great purpose in building his kingdom and of
the sacrifice and humiliation suffered in order to win us to himself.
That we are called to servanthood just as Jesus humbled himself. It is
important that we remind one another and encourage one another in these
things.
Pray that my JW friend continues to be impressed by God's work in his
people and comes to know Jesus for who he is, Emmanuel, God with us. Pray
that when he comes to faith he will find himself part of a people who
though far from perfect are mature enough in their relationships to seek
harmony in the Lord for the greater good of the kingdom. Maybe there are
some sacrifices we need to leave on the altar this week while we seek
out our brother or sister in the Lord.