As we continue in Series 2 in our study of Philippians, we see the advice that Paul is giving to the church - practical advice about how to be strong and how to continue in the faith over a long period of time. It was eight years since Paul had been to Philippi and seen the church. It was 10 years since he had founded the church. There had been a long gap in his personal connection with them, but his affection for them was incredibly strong. Paul had a remarkable affection for all his churches, and he urged them to maintain their faith, their momentum and their evangelism when he was far away from them and to continue in all the good things they were doing. 

Background and Recap 

The Philippian Church is a strong church. In fact, we haven't seen any problems identified by Paul in his letter until this episode. In the last episode, Paul used the analogy of running a race and pressing forward right until your dying day, serving God with all your energy. He spoke about looking forward rather than looking back. As we leave that theme, we now come to some practical advice that Paul gave to the church. 

A Disagreement 

This is one of those interesting statements made by Paul, when we want to know so much more information about the people that he was talking about than we do. What we do find, is that Paul identified a problem in the Philippian church and it concerned two women, Euodia and Syntyche. They had fallen out, had had an argument, a disagreement in the church, and everybody knew about it because Paul heard about it in Rome. Epaphroditus had passed on to him that there was a difficulty between these two women, and they had come into some disagreement.Paul was very concerned about this and was willing to speak very specifically about it when he wrote to the church. Paul was always very honest and straightforward about practical issues and about things to do with people and relationships. He was very concerned in case seeds of division entered into the local church because he knew that that would lead to serious difficulties. 

 When we studied our Collection in 1 Corinthians, we noticed that division had got into the heart of the church. It was such a serious problem that Paul anticipated the possibility that the church would collapse and close within a very short time. He described this in 1 Corinthians 7 as 'this present crisis' for the Corinthian church.Now, when he heard in Philippi - a very positive and strong church with a strong leadership - that there was a conflict that hadn’t been resolved, he was very concerned. 

 The two women might have been rather surprised when Epaphroditus came to the church with the letter from Paul, and as the letter was read out publicly in the church - which is probably what happened – and they were named in the letter.They might have even been in the congregation when Epaphroditus, or someone else, read these words out, ‘Euodia and Syntche, I plead with you to make peace together.’ Most of Paul's letters were read in public and most of the Christian converts were illiterate; they weren't able to read. Paul was quite willing to name the women and to plead with them to be at peace and to resolve their disagreement. 

We have no idea what the disagreement was about, but we do know that personal conflicts between people in churches can get very serious and can cause factions because people inevitably take sides between one and the other. It might be a family rift; it might be a conflict over an event that happened in the past - an issue where a family was dishonoured by an action that had taken place. We don't know what the issue was, but we do know that these women were very active in the church. 

They were co-workers; they were working with Paul. What sort of roles could they have had in the church? They might have been deacons. We know that in Philippians 1: 2, Paul very clearly identified that this church had elders or pastors -a group of leaders - and deacons, which is the structure of the local church that Paul tried to build in every place. Another very real possibility is that they were house group leaders, or house church leaders, because many women fulfilled that role in the Early Church, and were very effective in that role as they opened their homes for regular church meetings. The church, generally speaking, met in home groups, or in house groups, a lot of the time. Their bigger meetings would have been more difficult to arrange because they didn't have any church buildings. Many scholars think that there might have been perhaps 200 people in the church in Philippi at this time. These women would have been significant; they would have been known by everyone. Paul asked them to please end this disagreement because it was damaging and dividing the church and taking energy away from the advance of the gospel. He asked his companion, one of his friends, to please help them to sort out the problem. I wonder who that companion was. It might well be Epaphroditus who had been a companion to Paul and was going back to the church. Epaphroditus was being asked to help them sort out their problem. 

Conflict Resolution 

How do we help Christians sort out their conflicts? Jesus set out a methodology for doing that - a process which appears in Matthew 18: 15 - 20. It has a number of stages. Paul would have had this in mind, and he may have spoken to Epaphroditus before he went back to Philippi about it. I describe the process in detail in the Collection on 'The Life of Jesus' and you can study it in more detail there. Basically, it said that if you have an argument, or a disagreement, with a fellow believer, talk to them privately; try and resolve it without involving anybody else. Clearly these two ladies had not been able to do this. The second step is to bring in two or three other people into the conversation – responsible people - to try and help resolve the issue. This is the point that Paul is thinking of here when he told Epaphroditus to try to be an intermediary between them and to try to help them see each other's positions. 

In Jesus' teaching in Matthew 18, it says that if there was still a conflict that couldn't be resolved or a person was still in sin, then you had to involve the church leaders. You tell it to the church, which means in effect telling it to the church leaders and the leaders then need to guide these people as to things that must change in their attitudes and in their words towards each other. If they refuse to listen to the church leaders, then Jesus said those people can't be members of the church anymore. They would have to be excluded until they resolved the issue. There had been a fallout in Phillipi; somebody needed to help them sort it out, but he was very positive about these women because 'they contended at my side in the cause of the gospel.' They must have been early converts when Paul was in Philippi and he was only there twice; once was eight years previously, and the other time was 10 years previously. He had seen their active Christian service and now they had fallen into conflict. If you are in that situation and you are listening to this, it is a dangerous situation to be in. Don't let the situation continue. Seek some help and open yourself up to change because things have to be resolved, otherwise they can cause damage to the church. That was why Paul mentioned it here. 

He also mentioned 'Clement and the rest of my co-workers.' We don't know anything about Clement. He was probably another house group leader along with the two ladies, but we can't exactly be sure who he was. It is a very interesting incident here where Paul deals with - an issue that seems small but could become very serious if it was not resolved. 

Worship 

Sometimes at the end of Paul's letters, he makes lots of big statements that don't necessarily relate closely to each other. They were just things that he wanted to communicate as general encouragement to the church. 

The first of these will be no surprise to you if you have been following this Collection on Philippians. You will have noticed that in every chapter of Philippians, the theme of joy is present. Paul rejoices and encourages the Philippians to rejoice. 'Rejoice in the Lord always,' he says here. Joy is a major theme. Rejoicing in God is primarily worship, praise and thanksgiving. This is why the corporate act of worship in a church is so incredibly important - far more important than we realise. When we gather in our church - whether it is in a small house church, or a big church with hundreds or thousands of people in a big auditorium - we often take it for granted that we are going to spend some time worshipping God. We may not think about its significance, but Paul is very clear that focusing on God's salvation, his goodness and his greatness, and thanking him for all the things that he has done, has a profound effect on us. We, by the work of the Holy Spirit, are subtly changed in our orientation as we lift our hearts up regularly in praise and worship to God.We need to do this together in church community and we also to do this on our own. We need to have the discipline of worshipping and thanking God for his goodness whilst we are on our own.  

This morning, I took a few minutes' walk near my home to worship, pray and think, just before coming to record the sessions. I was able to think of many, many things to thank God for. As I express my worship and thanksgiving, something changes within me. My own problems take on a different feel. I get more perspective. My faith grows. Worship brings humility, because we become less important as God becomes more important. We say, 'Magnify the Lord', which basically means to understand God for how great he is, which also means we understand ourselves for how insignificant we are apart from him. This worship creates a sense of dependence and openness. It is a vehicle for the Holy Spirit to work in us, to speak to us, to challenge us and call us to do things and to remind us of things. 

Rejoicing in the Lord always is very important and 'again, I say rejoice.' I think you have got the point! Paul was making the emphasis here. He was talking about personal and corporate worship. 

 Christ-like Qualities 

Then he says, very interestingly, 'let your gentleness be evident to all.' It is significant that Jesus was described, or described himself, as humble and gentle. 
 
Jesus had a gentleness about him. He wasn't manipulative, controlling, forceful, or aggressive in calling people to be his disciples. He could be very clear, and Jesus was capable of being confrontational, of being angry in certain very limited circumstances, but his general character was one of gentleness, not argumentative, defensive, or easily angered, not one to pick a quarrel. That is what we should aspire to be like, said Paul. 

 verse 6 is a famous verse about prayer. 
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God." In verse 7, "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 

Some years ago, when travelling in Africa, I met a Christian lady who asked to speak to me while I was travelling from church to church in a particular country. She told me she wanted to talk about her daughter. She poured out this tremendously difficult problem in relating to her daughter. The relationship had broken down between mother and daughter, who was now a late teenager emerging into adult life. It was a catastrophe for the mother. It was distressing emotionally; they had fallen out. The daughter had said some very harsh things against the mother, and she seemed to be quite troubled by this. Then to my great surprise, she said she had learnt how to pray for her and she told me her prayer strategy for her daughter. Then we stopped talking. I thought she was going to ask me for advice about the situation, but she never did.She said, 'Can you pray for my daughter?' So, I did briefly and then she continued to pray most eloquently and most deeply from the depths of her heart, for her daughter who had turned away from Christ and turned away from the family and caused all sorts of difficulties for them. At the end she was very peaceful and said, 'This is what I do. I pray with all kinds of prayers and requests and as I hand this situation over to God, then I find peace. I am not going to try and manipulate the situation. I am not going to try and force her to change her behaviour or her attitude towards me. I am just going to trust God.' The power of her prayers was immense. It reminded me of this verse, because she was learning the principles of this verse. 'Don't be anxious but pray.' 

So often as Christians, our anxiety prevents us from praying; our emotions are focused around our own distressed feelings about a particular situation to such an extent that prayer becomes very difficult. Whereas Paul says, we have got to get past that; we have to reach up to God and trust him. We have must let go control of the situation - just like this woman, this African friend of mine, let go of her strong maternal desire to put things right in the family. She knew she couldn't do it and so, she found the peace which 'transcends all understanding.' It is beyond our understanding. 

Paul knew this kind of prayer because he was frequently in a situation where he was desperately concerned and humanly speaking, he could do nothing about it. By the time he wrote this, for four or five years he had been in that position. He had experienced long-term imprisonment, first of all in Judea for two years; then a long journey across the Mediterranean, which took several months because of stopping over and a shipwreck and all sorts of issues; and now he was under house arrest in Rome up to a two-year period. He had been unable to intervene in many human situations in all the different churches that he was caring for. He had been confined, restricted; and he had been disempowered, from a human point of view. And yet, at the same time, he had learnt the power of prayer, of trusting God. He had come to peace that God had him there for a reason and he had to let go of control and just call on God to intervene in those situations that he was concerned about. It was an amazing reality and it is one that we should really pursue ourselves. 

I want you to gain great encouragement from re-reading these amazing verses and try to apply them to yourself in the areas you find yourself filled with anxiety. Anxiety is the enemy of faith. Like my friend, the African lady, you need to express your feelings from time to time. She expressed her feelings to me very deeply, and that is perfectly valid but then she prayed. She didn't stop with seeking sympathy. She sought the mind of God and the intervention of God. 

Positive Thinking 

Think about positive things - that can be quite a challenge, especially if our life circumstances are difficult. Many of us listening to this episode will have difficult circumstances in our life. Paul did as well - very difficult circumstances, and yet he could still say that thinking about positive things really helped. When he thought about the Philippian church, he could think of so many positive things about them and he wrote many of those positive things in this letter, so that we can see them even today. One of the most positive things we can think about is the example of other Christians whom we admire. I think of a lady I know, very elderly now, who spent her whole life serving other people. She started out life as an orphan in intense poverty but found Christ and redemption and spent decades serving other families in their households - helping with their children; helping with household work, a life of service. I think of a well-known Christian leader I know who is famous, who I know has lived a life of personal integrity. His marriage and his family are filled with integrity. I think of a friend of mine who is now in his seventies whose mission in life is to encourage others; with every opportunity he will say positive words of encouragement to people as they follow Christ. What a wonderful thing to do.  

'Think about positive things,' said Paul, but also copy positive teaching. Paul reminded the Philippians here to, 'Remember the things I taught you; you obey them, teach them to other people. They are reliable, they are trustworthy, follow them through.' That is exactly what we are doing in Word Online because here we have all this trustworthy teaching in the New Testament and my goal through Word Online is to make the teaching of the New Testament as accessible and straightforward as I can, for as many people as I can reach through the online audience, the videos and the podcasts that we provide because this teaching has the power to transform our lives. As we look at it carefully, step by step we learn continually about the ways of God. That is what we have been seeking to do as we have been studying Philippians. 

Reflections 

My first reflection is: church unity really does matter in the local church. So, if in your local church there is an issue of disagreement or argument, or broken relationships between people, I advise you to pray about it, to seek to resolve it, to speak to the pastor or elders about it, and to do everything you can to resolve that relational difficulty. 

 My second reflection is to notice how many co-workers Paul had in Philippi. Paul had the capacity of relating to lots of different people and building quite deep relationships with a variety of people. 

Here are all the people Paul tells us about just in the context of this one church: 
Silas was his fellow traveller with whom he founded the church 10 years earlier. Silas was imprisoned with him in Philippi and went through the experience of the founding of the church. 
Lydia was the first convert - she was a wealthy tradeswoman, trading in in clothing and cloth, and she and her whole household were baptised, and she offered her home as a base for Paul while he was in Philippi. She probably became an influential member within the Philippian church.  
Epaphroditus, the mysterious man who came from Philippi and spent so much time with Paul in Rome, and helped him, and was now carrying the letter back to the Philippians. 
Timothy was there with Paul in Rome, but Paul had said, in an earlier episode, Timothy was going over to Philippi shortly.  
Euodia and Syntyche, the women who Paul was very fond of, who had been co-workers with him, but who were in some kind of a disagreement. 
Clement, named here, was possibly a house church leader within the community. 
The elders and deacons were not named, but it is stated that there are elders and deacons at the beginning of the book. 
And the unnamed group in Philippians 4: 3, called 'the rest of my co-workers.' 

There were a lot of people there and they were all linked to that one church and were part of Paul's extended team to advance the Kingdom. So, I encourage you to work in team, to build relationships with different believers to advance the Kingdom. 

My final reflection is concerning prayer and anxiety. If what I have said about anxiety has touched you in any way, can I encourage you study the verses: Philippians 4: 6 and 7 again. Meditate on them and maybe get help from another Christian friend, or family member, and start praying more deeply about the things that make you anxious. Hand them over to God and see what the Holy Spirit does in your life as you do that.