“WE” vs “THEY”

Philippians 2: 1-11

 

Many months ago, our church was in turmoil over choices/decisions being made which were unpopular (not unbiblical) leading to some dissention, adversarial confrontations and lack of trust.  I found myself thinking and commenting (a more civilized term for “angrily spewing”) about others who did not agree with me and were being “so negative.”

 
One day, right in the middle of another one of my tirades about “them,” shaking my finger at an invisible, mostly unknown group of “They,” God quietly asked, “Who are ‘They’?”  And answered the question Himself in a way that made me stop mid-sentence: “Don’t you and “they” attend the same services?  Belong to the same body of believers – My body? Want the best for my Church?”  The light dawned in my brain – in the body of Christ, there is no “we” and “they” – it is all “we.”

Live together in harmony, live together in love, as though you had only one mind and one spirit between you. [vs 2, Phillips]

 

Lord, forgive me of my polarizing thoughts, my judgmental statements, my elevated view of my opinion.  Help me, when there are disagreements among us, to refuse to allow my thoughts and communication to disintegrate into “we vs they” camps. Give strength and courage to be able to say, “We together have a problem, let’s work it out together with God’s help.”

None of you should think only of his own affairs, but should learn to see things from other people’s point of view. [vs 4, Phillips]

 
There’s an older contemporary song that says:

            We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord,

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord,

And we pray that our unity will one day be restored

And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,

And they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

Can we be one? Can our unity be restored? Can we come together to solve our differences?  Can we do it?  Only as we allow our Mighty God to guide us and have His way in our midst.

 

Dear, Lord Jesus, help us listen to You and to one another as we seek to live well together as Your Church. “Above all things [help us] be loving, humble, united”*

 

*from the introduction note for Philippians 2: 1-11 in Phillips translation

Pride goes before the fall

Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV) Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 

"Oh, Lord, it's hard to be humble..." If you remember this song from 1980 by Mac Davis, you are dating yourself as am I.  I went to You-Tube just to listen to the rest of the words and maybe take a short trip down memory lane. The journey did take me back to a different time, a different place, thirty-three years ago. At that time or season of my life, humility was not a strong suit.

What I find interesting is during those years of living for myself, not really thinking about anyone outside my husband and children, how very unhappy I was. Pride does not make pleasure. Thinking highly of myself and living selfishly will not provide joy or meaning to one's life. Selfishness can ruin a family but genuine humility can build it up.

The moment we stop treating others with contempt or as worthless beings, things change. There really is joy in serving others; there is pleasure in caring for someone. When I learned how to listen to someone else's troubles I realized God could use me. Once I got past the ill-conceived notion that I was the end-all-be-all, I was able to relate to others, to share my experience, strength and hope with them.

But God had to humble me, had to teach me how to look not only to my own interests, but also to the interests of others. It is much easier to live in a world where I don't have to live up to my own prideful ambitions; where I can be real and recognize this wisdom of living life with an unassuming posture. It is then God will lift us up.

Philippians 2:1-11

Philippians 2:1-11

This verse is encouraging us to behave like Jesus did.  Before acting, or acting out, think about those bracelets that were so popular a few short years ago.  The jewelry with the letters, WWJD inscribed on them for all to see, held a message we should consider.  When I am perplexed and not sure what to do in a situation I will often bring these words to mind.  Then I ask myself, "What Would Jesus Do," and I am forced to pause for a moment or two and truly contemplate the puzzle before me.

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5)

The humility and selflessness Jesus exemplified is worth striving for.  In fact, that is what we do every time we open our Bible, read a few passages, and then do our best to apply them to our lives. While we cannot duplicate His ministry we can display the same attitude.

When I am practicing humility, I am looking at you as better than me.  It is never the other way around. I am ready, willing and even anxious to serve you.  This is a foreign concept in this world of selfish lifestyles and material possessiveness. As Christians we know how fulfilling this existence is, how good we feel about everything in life when we invest in someone else.  Jesus invested it all for us, now we are being called to 'have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.'  

Can you think of a way you could begin today?  It can be as simple as inviting your elderly next door neighbor over for lunch.

Read Philippians 2:1-11 here

Listen to Philippians 2:1-11 here

Philippians 2:1-11

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." (Philippians 2:3-4)

Can you imagine a world that practiced humility as Paul defines it here?  Would our world look anything like it does now? I think not.  Just on an every day level I am reminded of the behavior of many motorists on the highways.  I have experienced someone driving so close to me I can see them impatiently pounding on their steering wheel wishing I would speed up.  I will glance at them briefly as they pull out and pass me, only to be on the receiving end of a very rude gesture.  That is definitely not valuing others above ourselves.

There are hundreds of examples everyday of behaviors that do not exemplify love or even basic consideration. We have become so fast-paced and motivated by riches and materials we don't recognize when we are hurting someone else; when we are acting as though we were the only people on the earth who mattered.

But, by the same token, there are many who practice what Paul preaches.  There are many who have been the one whose actions were self-centered, but have discovered that they were wrong to act like that; they have changed and grown in the total opposite direction.  They follow Paul's example as well as his teaching.

The Book of Philippians is a short one, one we could read in a sitting.  Why not try it for a couple days and see just what you can glean from this letter of Paul's.  This is a book that could change the world were we all to read and take it to heart.

Read Philippians 2:1-11 here

Listen to Philippians 2:1-11 here

Philippians 2:1-11

Many of us experience the joy of having a younger brother or sister.  It is not unusual for the younger sibling to want to hang out with the older one.  It is also not unusual for that little brother or sister to imitate the actions of the one they are looking up to.  Often they will try to copy a hair style or a mannerism.

It is likely when you would complain about this 'stalker' to your parents they say, "He/She just want to be like you.  It is a compliment," or "imitation is the truest form of flattery."  As we get older and wiser, we might change our mind about those who copy us; we might look forward to mentoring someone and help them along in life.  As we mature, the way we look at things in life matures too.

I love how the Message Bible puts it:
If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care—
then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Philippians 2:1-2 (MSG)

When we were kids, we didn't look at the situation as a compliment so much, but as a bother or an invasion of privacy. But, our lesson today is encouraging us to be imitators, to follow Jesus' lead and live a life of humility as He did.  We are encouraged to be united with one another, working and serving on an equal plain; side-by-side.


Read Philippians 2:1-11 here.

Listen to Philippians 2:1-11 here