SHARING BREAD
2 I
plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the
Lord. 3 Yes,
and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side
in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow
workers, whose names are in the book of life.
Phil 4:2-3
(NIV)
I don’t know about you, but I would hate to be memorialized
in Holy Writ as not being able to get along with my sister in Christ! Surely, Euodia and Syntyche - at the very
least – would have wished they had agreed to disagree! They had contended at Paul’s side for the
cause of the gospel which now seems to pale in comparison when singled out as arguers
and troublemakers. Since Paul pleaded
with these women to agree it seems they must have been causing some amount of dissention
within the body of believers and he now calls on a loyal yokefellow to help these
women work it out. Interestingly,
“Euodia” means “prosperous journey” and “Syntyche” means “pleasant
acquaintance”. They certainly appear to
be falling short of the meaning of their names!
“It’s
hard enough resisting the real enemy. If
we start fighting other Christians, we’re fighting two wars – and one of them
is suicidal.” John Wimber
There is no wonder Paul places such emphasis in many of his
writings on unity in the body of believers.
Apparently it has been a problem since the “get-go”. He writes in Colossians:
12 Therefore,
as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances
you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds
them all together in perfect unity. Col
3:12-14 (NIV)
“Love
one another that it may at last be said of Christians as it was at first: ‘Behold how they love one another.’” Ralph
Venning
“Too
many Christians mark their Bibles, but their Bibles never mark them!”
Warren Wiersbe
1 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of
the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to
build him up. 3 For
even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those
who insult you have fallen on me.” 4 For
everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that
through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:1-4 (NIV)
Believers are to clothe themselves – take a decisive action
– to live according to appropriate attitudes and attributes. We are children of the King and we are to
behave accordingly and bear the resemblance of our high positions in Christ. Our words and actions are to be compassionate
and kind, as well as gentle, humble and patient and we are called to forgive
whatever grievances we may have against one another – just as we have been
forgiven.
“Remember Whose you are and Whom you serve.” Oswald
Chambers
3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit
through the bond of peace. Eph 4:2-3
(NIV)
Ever been crucified by Christians?
To be sure, it wounds deeply and does much to damage the body of
Christ. Not one of us possesses all spiritual
knowledge and understanding. Not one of
us possesses all the gifts of the Spirit given for the body to function
properly. We need each other and while
our personalities may differ greatly we are not only called to get along but to
love each other. Sadly, many people
would come to know the Lord Jesus if it weren’t for the poor behavior of
believers. And really, who could blame
them?
“The Gospel is God’s explosive power that
changes everything. The Gospel makes us Christians…God forgives your sin, declares
you righteous in Christ, gives you eternal life, adopts you as His child, and
ushers you into an intimate relationship with Himself, through the Holy Spirit.
Secondly, the Gospel grows us. The
Gospel is not merely the way we enter, it is the way we make all progress…it is
the ‘way of righteousness from first to last.’…Since the Gospel not only
makes us Christians, but also grows us as Christians, the most desperate need
of both unbelievers and believers…is to hear and appropriate the Gospel to
their lives. Thirdly, the Gospel
empowers us to serve…with a whole new motivational structure…setting us free to
love and serve unconditionally in response to God’s grace in Christ.” Rev.
Dick Kaufmann
“It is a bad world, Donatus, an incredibly bad
world. But I have discovered in the
midst of it a quiet and good people who have learned the great secret of
life. They have found a joy and a wisdom
which is a thousand times better than any of the pleasures of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they
care not. They are masters of their
souls. They have overcome the
world. These people, Donatus, are
Christians…and I am one of them.” St. Cyprian, 200-258
What I glean from this:
·
I am to love my fellow believers in Christ.
·
I am called to bear and forgive grievances – forgive as I have been
forgiven.
·
The Holy Spirit empowers me to love like Jesus loved.
