Spiritual Diagnosis: Philippians 2:1-2
“1) Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2) make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.” Philippians 2:1-2
If one were to guess what prompted Paul to write these words, the church in Philippi was likely suffering from numerous internal conflicts. Such is often the case between believers.
He opens chapter two by asking four rhetorical questions. Let me summarize in my own words. 1) Is there any encouragement and affirmation in Christ? 2) Does Agape love really make a difference in interpersonal relationships? 3) Does the Holy Spirit foster positive fellowship between believers? 4) Is there natural affection and compassion among God’s people?
The answer to each question should be “yes”. But honestly and practically, the church in Philippi had to answer “no”. These qualities had vanished from among them.
The irony is that even non-Christians expect these qualities from believers. They expect those who know and love Jesus Christ to be loving, gentle, kind and caring. When these qualities are missing, it is a denial of the inner presence and work of Jesus Christ. At the very least it is a sign of immaturity and carnality.
In verse two, Paul gives a practical application to each question. He would be filled with joy to learn that they were of the same mind as Christ, displaying Agape love, united in spirit and focused on the common purpose of spreading the gospel.
This is almost a repeat of Philippians 1:27. It is a clue that this church was divided and struggling with internal conflict. They had become critical and filled with grumbling and complaining. The light of their witness was flickering and about to go out. Such is the case in many churches.
Notice that Paul did not examine their theology or Bible knowledge. He simply evaluated their interpersonal relationships and looked for evidence of Agape love between them.
They came up short. They needed intervention. Their spiritual pulse was very weak. This church was dying and ready for critical care. So how can you help a dying church?
Well, Paul did not give up on them and start a second church in Philippi. But, that’s what we do today.
We shuffle believers who agree with each other into segmented groups and divide the church like a piece of pie. But that does nothing to fix the root problem. In fact, it amplifies the problem and turns Christianity into joke and public mockery.
So what’s the fix? Like a first responder, in the next two verses Paul makes a spiritual diagnosis and immediately starts critical care on each individual believer in the church at Philippi. We will look at his immediate first aid in the next section. (Philippians 2:3-4)
Then in the balance of the book, he admits them into a spiritual hospital and begins total life transformation therapy. The rest of the book of Philippians becomes spiritual chemotherapy to kill every cancer cell of sin, carnality, self-promotion, criticism and arrogance within every believer in the church at Philippi.
There were no exceptions. Every Christian was in need of the treatment in order to restore life and vibrance to every marriage and family within the church.
The modern church is in need of the same resuscitation and attempt to revive genuine spiritual life that Paul administered to the church in Philippi. Some call this process “revival.”
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
“1) Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2) make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.” Philippians 2:1-2
If one were to guess what prompted Paul to write these words, the church in Philippi was likely suffering from numerous internal conflicts. Such is often the case between believers.
He opens chapter two by asking four rhetorical questions. Let me summarize in my own words. 1) Is there any encouragement and affirmation in Christ? 2) Does Agape love really make a difference in interpersonal relationships? 3) Does the Holy Spirit foster positive fellowship between believers? 4) Is there natural affection and compassion among God’s people?
The answer to each question should be “yes”. But honestly and practically, the church in Philippi had to answer “no”. These qualities had vanished from among them.
The irony is that even non-Christians expect these qualities from believers. They expect those who know and love Jesus Christ to be loving, gentle, kind and caring. When these qualities are missing, it is a denial of the inner presence and work of Jesus Christ. At the very least it is a sign of immaturity and carnality.
In verse two, Paul gives a practical application to each question. He would be filled with joy to learn that they were of the same mind as Christ, displaying Agape love, united in spirit and focused on the common purpose of spreading the gospel.
This is almost a repeat of Philippians 1:27. It is a clue that this church was divided and struggling with internal conflict. They had become critical and filled with grumbling and complaining. The light of their witness was flickering and about to go out. Such is the case in many churches.
Notice that Paul did not examine their theology or Bible knowledge. He simply evaluated their interpersonal relationships and looked for evidence of Agape love between them.
They came up short. They needed intervention. Their spiritual pulse was very weak. This church was dying and ready for critical care. So how can you help a dying church?
Well, Paul did not give up on them and start a second church in Philippi. But, that’s what we do today.
We shuffle believers who agree with each other into segmented groups and divide the church like a piece of pie. But that does nothing to fix the root problem. In fact, it amplifies the problem and turns Christianity into joke and public mockery.
So what’s the fix? Like a first responder, in the next two verses Paul makes a spiritual diagnosis and immediately starts critical care on each individual believer in the church at Philippi. We will look at his immediate first aid in the next section. (Philippians 2:3-4)
Then in the balance of the book, he admits them into a spiritual hospital and begins total life transformation therapy. The rest of the book of Philippians becomes spiritual chemotherapy to kill every cancer cell of sin, carnality, self-promotion, criticism and arrogance within every believer in the church at Philippi.
There were no exceptions. Every Christian was in need of the treatment in order to restore life and vibrance to every marriage and family within the church.
The modern church is in need of the same resuscitation and attempt to revive genuine spiritual life that Paul administered to the church in Philippi. Some call this process “revival.”
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
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