Philippians 4:1-7a: “In the Lord”
One of Paul’s favourite descriptions of the Christian life is that we are “in the Lord”. The description reminds us that once we are in God’s family of faith, we can never be removed from it again: we are in Christ, and he is in us, an unbreakable bond.
Paul says that we are to stand firm in the Lord (chapter 4:1). This is a repeated command in Philippians (see chapter 1:27), and it is a firm command. Yet Paul says this with great affection: he calls the Philippians his “brothers”; he says he loves them and longs for them; he describes them as his “joy and crown”. We should always remember that the commands Christ has given us, however challenging they may be, are given by the One who loves us with more affection and perfection than anyone else on earth.
Paul also tells the Philippians to agree in the Lord (verse 2): he instructs two women, Euodia and Syntyche to agree. For some reason, was a problem between them. Sadly, this can happen in the church, even among committed, godly men and women. Notice, however, that these women were not troublemakers; they were faithful servants of Christ (see verse 3) – but they had fallen out. It can happen in the church. When it does, every effort must be made for believers to reconcile, and agree again. Few things are worse for the witness of the local church than disagreement among her members.
Lastly, Paul tells the Philippians that they should rejoice in the Lord (verse 4). This doesn’t mean keeping a fake smile on our faces at all times; but it means that we keep Christ in mind, and we take comfort from knowing that he will return (verse 5). When we are anxious or hurting, verse 6 tells us what to do: take it to the Lord in prayer. Doing regularly will produce a peace in our hearts (verse 7) that cannot be found anywhere else. The place of prayer is a place of reassurance, joy and peace.
Questions
- What could cause division between you and your fellow church members? What should you do to guard against it?
- What is most likely to make you anxious?
Prayer Points
- Pray that God would help you to turn worries into prayers – and that it will give you greater peace.
- Pray that God would protect the unity of your local church.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.