1: Therefore my brethren dearly beloved and longed for my joy and crown
so stand fast in the Lord dearly beloved Philippians 3:20-21 2: I beseech Euodia and beseech Syntyche
[pronounced Suntuka] that they be of the same mind in the Lord 3: And I intreat you also true
yoke-fellow assist these women who labored with me in the gospel (with Klemes also and with other my fellow laborers
whose names are in the book of life) [1] 4: Rejoice in the Lord always and again I
say Rejoice 5: Let your moderation key word “moderation
(temperance) be known to all people The Lord is at hand [2] 6:
Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God 7:
And the peace of God which passes all understanding shall guard your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus 8: Finally brethren whatsoever things are
true Alt: Transparent—not hidden [3]
whatsoever things are honorable [4] whatsoever
things are [righteous] just [5] whatsoever things are pure [6] whatsoever
things are lovely [pleasing or pleasant] [7]
whatsoever things are of good report [8] if
there be any moral goodness or excellence and if there be any praise think on
these things [9]
9: Those things which you have
both learned and received and heard and seen in me do and the God of peace
shall be with you [10] 10:
But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at the last your care of me has
flourished again wherein you were also [before] minded but you lacked
opportunity 11: Not that I speak in respect of lack for I have learned
in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content 12: I know how to be
abased and I know how to abound Every where and in all things I am acquainted with
how to be both full and hungry both to abound and suffer need 13: I can
do all things through Christ which strengthens me 14: Notwithstanding you
have done well that you did communicate with [me in] my affliction (meet my
need) 15: Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the
gospel when I departed from Macedonia no church communicated with me as
concerning giving and receiving but you only 16: For even in
Thessalonica you sent once and again to [meet] my needs 17: Not because
I desire a gift but I desire fruit that may abound to your accounts 18: Now
I have all and abound I am full having received of Epaphroditus the things
which were sent from you an odor of a sweet smell a sacrifice acceptable well-pleasing
to God 19: And my God shall supply all your need according to his riches
in glory by Christ Jesus 20: Now unto God and our Father be glory for
ever and ever Amen 21: Salute
every saint in Christ Jesus The brethren which are with me greet you 22:
All the saints salute you chiefly they that are of Caesar's (Nero Claudius
Caesar) household 23: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with
you all Amen
[1] Paul made certain to
remind the Church at Philippi, about the importance of the work Euodia and Suntuka [phonetic spelling] had
done, and who these women had worked with. Laboring in the Gospel includes
preaching and teaching, and nothing in the Bible commands women to discriminate
against men when it comes to leading men to the Lord and helping them to grow
in the Word (that, in a nutshell, sums up the work of the Gospel). When Paul’s
words are added to those of Jesus, in John 13, where he said, “Do you
understand what I have done to you You call me Teacher and Lord and you say
well for so I am If I then your Lord and Teacher have washed your feet you also
ought to wash one another's feet For I have given you an example that you
should do as I have done to you,” then we understand that all Christians
are commanded to humbly serve and assist one another—regardless of sex. Add to
that, Acts 2:17 and 1 Peter 5:5 (AV TR), and we have more witnesses (not
limited to these) that the scriptures are egalitarian, and not complementarian.
We see in these examples that complementarian teaching contradicts scripture in
that: A.) God calls both women and men to preach the Gospel and as leaders
within the churches, and B.) Grudem’s teaching, that women were created only to
assist men and not the other way around, is patently false. Euodia Suntuka were women of some import
in the Church at Philippi. These two leaders must not have seen eye to eye on
something as Paul was begging for unity between them. But despite their
disunity on a certain issue, he still instructed the entire congregation (not
just the male members) to assist the two as they labored in the Gospel.
[2] Paul looked for the appearing [in his day]
of the the Lord Jesus Christ to raise the dead and catch up the living Philippians
3:20-21 (the word, rapture, is in the Bible. The term comes from the Latin
Vulgate Bible). Paul wrote of Jesus return to earth with his saints to
destroy the AntiChrist, but he looked for Jesus coming in the air for his saints. We see this in
virtually every letter he wrote. Paul defined what he meant by his many
references to the coming of Christ, when he wrote 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, and
1 Corinthians 15:51-52. He was joined in watching for the resurrection/rapture
by John, Peter, and James. Effectively, every
writer of the New Testament affirmed a belief in the rapture of the Church (Christ
coming for his saints).
[3] Whatsoever things are true would be
those things we can be grateful for and depend on to bring us peace and victory
in [and over] every situation, beginning with knowing Jesus—the way the TRUTH
and the life, belting on the TRUTH of God’s Word in every situation, knowing
that all things work together for
good to those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose. And
that is just for starters.
[4] List 3 people, or deeds that you consider
to be honorable, and explain why
[5] Just could also mean: things that are
acceptable to God; righteous people or deeds; justice in the legal and moral
sense. What would be the difference then, between things that are honorable and
things that are just?
[6] God places a high premium on purity. God’s
love is a pure love. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Learning the meaning of “pure,” leads to great personal and spiritual benefits,
and thinking on things that are pure leads to supernatural peace of mind.
[7] Focus on things that are pleasing,
pleasant, that bring joy and happiness. This is not simply a distraction
tactic. It is something with a Heavenly promise of peace of mind attached to
it.
[8] Who will believe the report of the
Lord?
[9] Verses 4-9 are powerful. Thinking on
the impure, remembering the offense, remembering the lie, remembering the
unfairness, remembering the ugliness, and focusing on that which is less than
excellent leads to crippling bitterness, unforgiveness, immoral behavior, abusive
behavior, and addictions to many things that lead to destruction. The good news
is, that with God’s help, and with the washing of the water of the Word,
Christians can rejoice in Him and commit to obedience by thinking on everything
that is good. Christians are commanded and empowered to take control of their thoughts.
Yes, our thoughts. If it were not
possible, God would not require it. But with God all things are possible, and
the weapons of our warfare are not natural weapons (yes, it is part of
spiritual warfare to take our very thoughts away from the control of the enemy and submit them
to Christ). The weapons of our warfare are mighty through God to the
pulling down of strongholds, for casting down imaginations, and for bringing every thought into the obedience of Jesus Christ. The promise for doing
that is peace. Isn’t peace mental health? Isn’t peace emotional freedom? Peace
can even lead to better physical health—science has long made the correlation
between mental health and physical health, confirming the the scriptures that
say bitterness eats the bones, and laughter is good medicine…Selah.
[10] Paul had difficulties, but he had peace
in his heart. He faced death by execution, but he had peace in his heart. In
the midst of adversity, danger, persecution, betrayal, physical need, and
hunger, Paul had peace, and did not
hesitate to say, “Let me be your example in this!” Christians should both be
examples and find examples.
