Hello, Hope Fellowship! These are some crazy times, aren’t they? When I left for sabbatical at the end of December, none of us would have dreamed that we would be in the place we are by the middle of March. Since these are such uncertain times, I’m stepping back into serving as an elder at Hope Fellowship and helping our team seek to care for the needs of the congregation in the weeks and months ahead. I’ll look forward to sharing at a later date more about my sabbatical and how encouraging and helpful it was, but for today, I wanted to encourage us with truth from God’s Word. My desire is that we regularly post short podcasts that help us rest in Christ in uncertain times.

Over the next few podcasts I want us to think about Philippians 2 and how it relates to our attitude during these days we find ourselves living in. 

I’ve been following along in the series on Philippians as I have been on sabbatical, and like Matt Tully who preached on Philippians 2, I paused when I came to this amazing chapter. We really could have done an 8-week series on just these few verses! In particular, this chapter seems especially relevant in how we treat others as we are in close quarters with the coronavirus affecting all of our lives. 

Listen to Philippians 2:1–8: 

“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” 

Here at the beginning of chapter 2, Paul is helping us see the conclusion from what he had been writing about in the first chapter. In 1:27 Paul said, “Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.” In the midst of facing persecution and suffering and people opposing the message of the gospel—let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel. Live as worthy citizens of the gospel. 

When Paul continues in chapter 2, he’s reminding them if there is any encouragement in Christ (which there is, because he just has pointed out how God will bring to completion the work that he has begun in them), if there is any comfort from love (Paul’s yearning for them with the affection of Christ Jesus reminds us of the tender love our Savior has for his people), if there is any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy. . .

He’s not asking a question: “Is there encouragement in Christ? If there is . . .” He’s using a rhetorical device to help Christians remember these truths. 

There is encouragement in Christ. There is comfort from love. There is participation in the Spirit and there is affection and sympathy. 

Since these things are true, Paul now turns to his main point, and he says it with two commands: “Complete my joy” and “have this mind.” 

Complete my joy, that whether I see you or am absent your manner of life is worthy of the gospel. 

We’re not going to be able to see one another for a few weeks, but it should be a joy to all of us to hear how others are living worthy of the gospel in a variety of circumstances. 

Some will live worthy of the gospel by living in the same household with someone who is sick. Some will live worthy of the gospel by speaking words of hope when others are complaining or grumbling or fearful about what is happening in our world, economy, health care, and workplaces.  

Some will live worthy of the gospel by sacrificially serving others. I loved seeing the note that Libby and Jen put on their neighbor’s doors letting them know that they were there to serve them during this uncertain time. From helping with groceries to listening to them and praying for them, they let them know that they were there to help. 

I saw how the women’s Bible study was meeting via google hangouts this morning, encouraging one another and praying for one another. 

The apostle Paul said his joy would be completed if he heard that their manner of life was worthy of the gospel, even in the midst of suffering. We can have a collective joy by encouraging one another to live a life worthy of the gospel and celebrating it as we see and hear about it happening. 

Let’s seek to encourage one another in these ways in the days and weeks ahead. 

On our next podcast, we’ll look at where Paul turns to what I think is the most difficult verse in the Bible to actually live out (hint: Philippians 2:3). 

See you next time. Remember, we have hope in Christ. Let’s make that hope known in a struggling world.

Music by Joseph McDade. https://josephmcdade.com. Used with permission.