Please watch the video introduction to my message here:https://youtu.be/JmUhFUSeS2w
From new believers to seasoned believers, it is always good to ask, what do others see when they see me? Do they see Christ in me, or do they see just a shadow of Christ and more a man given to religious rules and observances? One never knows unless people give us feedback or ask, which is awkward, especially if we are not living as we should. However, we can go to God’s Word, and in combination with prayer, we can receive the assurance or the conviction we need to bring us into a deeper walk. Here’s the goal.
Philippians 2:2
Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than themselves.
Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Philippians is an excellent book written through Paul by the Holy Spirit. He lays down basic principles or characteristics that should be evident in every true believer and ever-increasing in our lives. The first principle is like-mindedness. As believers, we should all have this, but it is something that is hard to find. From Churches to marriages, we all have conflict and even divide over a lack of like-mindedness. If our marriage is struggling, we say we are no longer compatible instead of acknowledging the actual problem, a lack of like-mindedness, or we’ve become too different. Yet, it is a lack of like-mindedness before it is anything else. It is essential to be of a like mind that it is the first attribute listed. What is like-mindedness, that we constantly agree with each other? How does Paul define it? He uses several adjectives. “
“Having the same love; being in one accord (joined together in soul); of one mind, in lowliness (humility) of mind let each esteem the other better (over, above) than themselves, and look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:”
He could have said something other than like-mindedness; however, without it, everything else fails. Like-mindedness is the first and foremost attribute, it is the most excellent example of Christ in us, and it is the other side of the coin to Agape love, and it is impossible. Here’s a word picture. Imagine a team of oxen being yoked together. By being yoked, they can pull more than either one can singly, pulling in unison because of the yoke. Being yoked together is the secret to their strength and their achievements. We are to be that in Christ. Our yoke is His love over us, and for us, and in loving us, we can love each other, which enables us to pull together, helping one another and working towards the common goal of exalting Christ. Without this spiritual dynamic, there will be strife, division, self-seeking, and many problems that occur because the flesh, not the Spirit, is the one that is really in charge. We see this in our churches, in our families/marriages, and at our places of work—any place where human interaction exists. Therefore “having the same love” comes when our individual lives are in submission to Christ, growing in Christ; it cannot be accomplished any other way.
Romans 8:6-9
To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Because the carnal mind is enmity (at war) against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you (the key). Now, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his( absolutely not His). Being religious is not the same as God dwelling in you.
Being religious, going to church every Sunday (but no real connection to God throughout the week) is the work of a man trying to prove his worth before a Holy God. Which, unfortunately, is a futile attempt. We could never, through works, ever equal the worth that He has already placed upon us through the giving of His Son. Now let that truth settle in you for just a moment. What could you or I ever do to equal or come close to what has already been given to us? And then ask yourself why are repentance and the asking of forgiveness (which is the only action man can take to bridge the gap between his sin and a Holy, Holy God) so hard to do when the reward for this is to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit which grants us our salvation and relationship to Him. How is this not the best thing that has ever happened to us?
Like other movements in the past, e.g., the era of the hippies where they shared everything, they were protesting against the materialistic culture of the day. However, it was human effort, and like all movements done in the flesh, it eventually finds its end. If Christianity were not real, empowered by the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer, it too would have died. When Paul says “having the same love,” he states the answer to man’s problem, but it is impossible for us. Agape is the word he uses for love, and there are two other words for love, Storage and Phileo, he could have used, but these are “lesser loves.” These define the love of family, husband/wife, father, mother to their children, etc., but as we have seen, these have limits. Hence the noblest, the loftiest, the most sacrificial love that one can have, is the love that sent Christ to the Cross for us. This love is undying and impossible to have as human beings. It is way beyond any human effort to attain, too, for it is God’s love for us. Can I love like God, no way, can you love like God, no way. It does not lie in the realm of human experience to possess such love. It must be imparted/gifted to us via the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
The closest we have is a “one action love.” We sacrifice ourselves for our spouse, our child, a dear friend, and in place of them getting hit by an oncoming car; because we push them out of the way, we get hit. That is possible and has been done in many scenarios; mothers for their daughters, fathers for their sons and soldiers for their buddies, and friends for friends. However, Agape love is not a one-act type of love. This word speaks of a day in and day out dying to self for the better of the other. This is our M.O.(mode of operation) on good days and bad days. Who can do that? Indeed not I, UNLESS there dwells in me the Holy Spirit of God who enables me to live as such, and unless He indwells in you, it is impossible for you. So Paul, from his first statement, puts out a condition that when fully understood, we have already failed, and not by a little, but utterly have failed.
So what should be our response? Well, I see three, we give up, don’t even try, or two, do the best we can, and after we put in all that effort, hope that God sees that we really tried hard and maybe make an exception, or in the book of Joel, there is another response.
Joel 2:12-13
Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning ( over our sinful state):
And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. “
Now let’s think on that a bit. As one reads in the Old Testament, God’s judgment was an acknowledged outcome for rebelling against the Lord’s ways. So it should not come as a surprise to anyone that judgment is coming to our nations. Only God knows the time; however, it could come now or years from now. All we know is the changes in our society and technology, and the “rumor” of things to come mirrors Revelations more and more. I spoke on that in the last Vida. The Lord does not seek judgment but our repentance. However, our society and how it praises unrighteousness and mocks righteousness cannot continue; it must be judged. Therefore as believers, we are to be wise and know the season we are in and repent now while there is still time. The book of Joel is a short 3 chapter book, but it speaks of God’s judgment against the nation of Israel through the use of locust, which is strange to us. However, locust was as bad as a land devastated by war. The economies of those days were agricultural; their existence relied upon the success of their crops. Locust, so many “that they would darken the sky ( as mentioned in Joel 2) would devastate the crops and food for their livestock. It was a death sentence for man and beast, but it didn’t have to be. Through repentance, the outcome could change.
In Psalms 51, David writes
Psalms 51:15-17
O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.
For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
HIn the place of the word “sacrifice,” use the words deeds or good works. Sacrifices became their “works” as a means to balance the scales. The Lord says that He desires a broken and contrite heart and not sacrifice. Therefore the first step right out of the gate is acknowledging we cannot accomplish “like-mindedness.” We do not possess the ability to have a contrite or broken heart, nor do we possess even remotely the ability to Agape God. Therefore if we are incapable of these, we are also incapable of “being in one accord, of one mind.” Without Agape, “the yoke” that holds us, we will not succeed. We will be more like a corporation with its CEO, managers, and workers than a “body knit together in love.”
Acts 4:32-33
And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.
And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
It is for the sake of Agape, to love and honor each other, to bring honor to Christ that gives testimony to changed lives. And through changed lives, souls are won to Christ. That was the testimony of the earlier church. Therefore we need to lay a proper foundation for the importance of a contrite heart over works. This is the beginning point of a righteous life, which is righteous because it is gifted through Christ, who makes us righteous. It can’t be earned, something I wish I would have understood in my early years. It would have significantly helped. I would have been a better husband, father, employer, and most importantly, an adopted son to my Father in Heaven.
Isaiah 64:6-8
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.
But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
Some of what we are talking about can be taught, but most of it has to be lived out. However, at least by hearing it, we have an easier understanding of the goal and why we struggle so. Grace, which is what all this is about, is so countercultural to our society and way of life. In this life, nothing is for free. You have to work for it, you have to earn it, and without understanding Grace, that is our mindset when we come to Christ. Thinking I can do this, we start to live out the Christian life the same way we do everything else; the same rules, just a new “Boss.” It’s not till trial, defeat, and pain that we learn that our new “Boss” also has new “rules.” It’s called Grace, and we learn that it’s a gift, and because of that gift, He’s the best boss ever and that nothing is the same as our previous life. We learn His Grace, and through Grace, we learn forgiveness, kindness, patience, long-suffering and Agape love.
Do we now know why Grace has to be a gift? We can’t live in Agape apart from it. Have you ever seen an animal struggle to get out of quicksand, the more they struggle, the more they sink until they are no more? Our sinful nature cannot be defeated; we cannot conquer it. It’s innate within us. The more we struggle against it, the more cynical we become, and we are sinking. It’s not readily noticed because we are all sinking together. It takes a “Born from Above” experience to open our eyes and then years of learning from Him to understand our plight and His love for us. It’s an unending journey, very hard, but it is also very satisfying; beautiful because it ends in HIS PRESENCE, FOREVER TO BE.
Philippians 2:3-5
Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than themselves.
Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
— Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Darby’s translation
Philippians 2:2-5
Fulfill my joy, that ye may think the same thing, having the same love, joined in the soul, thinking one thing; [let] nothing [be] in the spirit of strife or vainglory, but, in lowliness of mind, each esteeming the other as more excellent than themselves; regarding not each his own [qualities], but each those of others also. For let this mind be in you which [was] also in Christ Jesus; And in the Father God,
Help us put our full weight into Your offered Grace and run our course with it. The bar is high, unattainable in our strength, but just like the pole for the pole vaulter lifts him to heights he could never achieve without it, so Your Grace is to us. Let us lean into You as we face the obstacles and heights that we have to overcome and, by so doing, find ourselves experiencing a life that would be impossible to have otherwise.
Thank you, Father,
Your sons and daughters, Amen
Arthur
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https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B092FRD6NQ&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_PVH9TVEX3KEAF4FWAS0QArthur Navarrette