Striving together

Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, - Philippians 1v27



One of the themes of Philippians is joy. Another is unity. Apparently Paul had heard of some petty divisions arising in the church at Philippi. It seems that folks just could not get along with each other.

One thing that breaks my heart is watching the breakdown of Christian relationships and friendships. Some times churches are destroyed over these divisions. We fight over the silliest things, and things that are meaningless all because our stupid pride gets in the way.

Paul uses simple words – “stand fast…one spirit…one mind…striving together…” and all of these words are linked together. If we can’t learn to get along how are we ever going to work together for the faith of the gospel? How are we going to reach the world if we are so busy fighting each other that we can’t move out.

We are never going to move forward when there is infighting in the ranks. The Body of Christ, His church, must be working together for the gospel. None of us are perfect. We all have our flaws, our warts, and our issues. We are never going to agree on all the finer points of doctrine and theology.

Yet, Pauls words should still ring out today – “That you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel!”