Philippians 4:2-3
"I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life."
It is simple in theory to advise two people who
can’t agree to just agree with one another. And yet all of us who have had any
disagreement or conflict with another person (which really is all of us!) know that
it is rarely that simple. And yet in Paul’s appeal to these two Philippian
women to be like-minded in the Lord we find some valuable wisdom for how we
handle the disagreements and conflicts that we face in our lives, especially
when that conflict is with another Christian.
But first it is important to understand what Paul
is not arguing for here. He is not arguing for uniform agreement on every
issue. Even Paul had disagreements with his co-workers, seen most clearly when
he and Barnabas part ways because they disagreed on whether to take John Mark
with them on their second missionary journey (Acts 15:36-41).
Paul is also not arguing for unity at the expense
of truth. Of course it is easy to attain unity if you force people to throw
away their convictions that lead to disagreements in the first place! But in
Galatians 1:8-9 Paul is abundantly clear on how he views those who twist and
distort God’s truth. And while most people in our culture would probably deny
that they push for unity at the expense of truth, this is often seen in the
elevation of one truth that trumps every other truth and so brings about
conformity to one viewpoint.
So what is this like-mindedness that Paul is calling
for here if it is not uniform agreement on everything? It is an appeal for
believers to have a common heart for Christ and for the gospel. Paul reminds
these women that they have labored side by side with Paul for the work of the
gospel. It is the gospel that brings us together; it is the gospel that gives us
a common mission and purpose. Being like-minded means that we are focused
together on the gospel, and when we are like-minded with other believers with
regards to the gospel, we will be heading in the same direction and have the
same priorities. And we may still not agree on every issue, but the centrality
of the gospel puts our disagreements into perspective and their relative
importance (or lack of importance as the case may be!).
Can you imagine if we as followers of Christ were
truly like-minded around the gospel with fellow believers? I believe most
issues that divide a church would fade away, and the disagreements that remain
would be relegated to respectful discussions instead of fights that threaten to
tear apart the congregation. Like-mindedness around the gospel would allow us
to have disagreements, even arguments, and not have to win every argument (and when
winning becomes the objective, disagreements get ugly and destructive very
quickly!). I also believe that this kind of like-mindedness would drastically
improve our witness as a corporate church body. Unfortunately too many seekers
and skeptics come through the doors of our churches and see politics, petty
disagreements, and gossip…everything they see in the world around them each and
every day! Our (not so) internal fighting with each other keeps those on the
outside from seeing and hearing the gospel. But if we are united around the
gospel, and allow the gospel to mold us and shape us and give us a common
direction and purpose, then those seekers and skeptics who come through our
doors will see and hear…the gospel! So like-mindedness around the gospel is
critical to our kingdom work.
How is God calling you to grow in like-mindedness
with other believers? What are the disagreements you have with other believers
where you need to focus more on your common heart for the gospel? Do you care
more about the gospel or about winning arguments? And what needs to change in
your heart so that you can be more like-minded with other believers? Don’t give
up…be like-minded with other believers.
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