Have you ever had trouble getting along with another Christian? Perhaps you found it difficult because the other person was unwilling to respond to you or because of what you suspect is a failure in yourself.
Many Christians have the same problem. In fact, even in the New Testament Church at Philippi, two good friends of the Apostle Paul were having similar problems.
Paul gave them some good advice, and I am sure that his advice will be helpful to you, too.
Apparently there had been trouble at Philippi. It was not terrible trouble, but it was serious enough to have made Paul worried. Two of the Christian women had been at odds with one another - Euodia and Syntyche - and the disagreement had grown to the point where it could hinder the unity and the work of the church.
Paul wished to warn his friends of this danger and avoid the problems that might come. So he wrote to them, asking them to forget their differences, work for the same goals, and be happy together as Christians.
He wrote, "I beseech Euodia and Syntyche that they be of the same mind in the Lord. And I intreat thee, also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with my other fellow labourers, whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. (Philippians 4:2-5).
Paul is calling for unity between the two. The unity that Paul refers to is a Christian unity, and this means a unity only among those in God's family. Paul says that Euodia and Syntyche are to be "of the same mind in the Lord." And who are those "in the Lord"? Only those who are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, Christian unity is possible only for them.
It is a matter of being a born-again member of God's family. Perhaps you ask, "Oh, but aren't all people members of God's family?" The answer is, "No, they are not."
I know that there are some who teach that all people are God's children. But although it is true that all people are part of God's creation and all are His offspring, it is not true that all are His children. In fact, Jesus told some of the men of His day that they were actually the children of their father, the devil (John 8:44).
Are you a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you belong to God’s family? You need to ask yourself that question if you have never done so. For everything in the Christian life flows from it. There must be a moment in your life when you stand before God and say, "Lord God, I confess to You that I am a sinner and am barred from Your presence because of my sin. I am not of Your family, and I have no claim to it. And yet I believe that Jesus died for my sin and that You have offered to take me into Your family and to give me new life through Him. I ask You to do that now. Amen." If you will do that (or have already done it), then God will make you a member of His spiritual family, the invisible Church, and you will experience new life in Him.
For all who have done this, for His children, God now commands a visible, earthly unity. As in Philippians, God commands that His children live in harmony with each other.
But how is this harmony, which exists initially among God's children, to be maintained? Notice how tactfully Paul answers the question in his brief remarks to Euodia and Syntyche.
First, Paul says Christians are to be like-minded. This means they're to have the mind of Christ, and, since Christ was not proud or defensive of His own interests, they were not to be proud or defensive either.
It is the same thing that Paul had in mind earlier when he wrote, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5). He is not speaking of the doctrines that Christ taught, although they are important. He is speaking of the attitude that Jesus had in relation to others. It is the mind of One Who did not consider equality with God something to be retained at all costs but Who came to earth in order to die for the salvation and well-being of others.
In other words, to be humble, you need to stop thinking about yourself all the time. You need to stop comparing yourself with your boss, the secretary who sits next to you, the other Sunday school teacher, or whomever it is who rubs you the wrong way. Instead, you need to think of what you can do to help him.
This humility will never occur apart from a personal and intimate walk with God, for in ourselves we do not like it. And we cannot achieve it without Him. If you are far from the Lord, then frictions will inevitably spring up between yourself and other Christians. The things they say will irk you. The things they do will get under your skin and fester. If this is not to happen, then you must maintain a close and personal fellowship with the Lord.
You see, Paul wanted his admonition to the women at Philippi to come down to the personal level. For he knew, as we all should know, that the effectiveness of the Christian warfare depends upon the conduct of the individual Christian soldier. As the Church impinges upon the world, it is a little like a triangle. It has a broad base composed of many believers and many doctrines. But the impact point is the apex, and the apex is the individual Christian. The individual is what the world sees. The individual is the one who either promotes or hinders harmony. And who is the individual? You! And I! If there is to be Christian unity, you and I must maintain our walk with the Lord.
Secondly, Paul says that Christian unity is something we must work at. He calls attention to this step toward unity by referring to his fellow workers at Philippi and to the one who was a "true yokefellow" in that ministry. It is not enough, he implies, for Christians merely to think about unity. They must work for it, and they must work together.
Another way of saying the same thing is to say that reading this article will not be enough. Positive thinking is not enough. If you are to get along with another Christian, with whom you have difficulty, you must roll up your sleeves and work together with him. The problem that he is facing is a good place to start, whatever it may be. Clean his garage with him. Help with her shopping. Then, when you run out of those things, go visit a person who is sick, teach a class, start a home Bible study. But do it together.
Paul was looking back to those glorious days that he had spent in Philippi among Christians. He was thinking of the great joy he had had as he worked with them for spiritual ends. Now that unity is threatened. So he says to them, "Keep on. Do not let your unity be ruined by friction between your members. Work together. Make sure your unity can be seen in your actions."