Philippians 2:1–2

Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.

One of the biggest problems with unity is that it looks so easy. If you listen to a fine orchestra playing harmoniously or watch a top Premier League Football team playing

with skill and precision, it all looks so very straightforward. Surely anyone could do it! But I then recall the hours that I spent in our school orchestra and those regular Saturday afternoons when I played football, and I can assure you that unity doesn’t come easily. Paul was equally clear about this. He knew that the Philippian Christians had received the gift of unity in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. But they still needed to work incredibly hard to ensure that their lives reflected that unity.

In these verses the apostle Paul pleaded for unity, telling the Philippian church that it was their responsibility to do everything possible to build up the unity of the church. In the course of normal life, it is often extremely difficult. Agreeing wholeheartedly with one another might be easy if we were the same age and had similar backgrounds, but churches are never like that. And they never should be! Agreeing together is the product of lashings of love, grace and patience. Working together with one mind and purpose is vitally important for every fellowship and I have seen that happen time and again. However, it only occurs when there is an atmosphere of encouragement and forgiveness. Our task is not to dream of a distant vision of harmony, but to think through everything we say and do to ensure that we are only ever contributing to the unity of the church.

Question

What are you able to do to build unity among the Christians you know?

Prayer

Dear Father, thank you that you are the source of all unity. Help me to work hard to preserve and strengthen the unity that you give us by your Spirit. Amen

Released on 6 Sep 2024