Do you have a home Church that you are part of? Our eternal home is not this world, so having a church community that we can call home here is so important. Being part of a Bible believing church that is filled with those that love and serve Christ is such an important aspect of our spiritual life. God really did create us for relationship and for community. He did not intend for us to walk the pathway of this journey alone. Being part of a body of believers is like being part of another family… a larger family.
Yes, there are the same family dynamics involved in our Church family as with our nuclear family. As followers of Christ and members of the Church body we should love each other. Sometimesr we approve of what other church brothers and sisters are doing and sometimes we don’t; but we should find ways to support each other. Sometimes we have disagreements with others within the Church family. That is human and we should find ways to work together and overcome these situations. We should always try our best to keep our family whole.
The main things we get from this church family is support, spiritual growth, encouragement, love, acceptance, accountability and a place to feel safe and feel at home….knd of like the things we should be getting from our earthly family.
At the end of Philippians 3, Paul told the believers there that their homeland was heaven, and their Lord Jesus Christ is there. He told them that Christ would return again and through His power, He would change their mortal bodies into glorious bodies.
Then in Philippians 4:1-3. Paul urges them to love and care for each other. He tells them how dear they are to him, how he misses them, how much joy he finds through them, and how they honor him through their behavior. He then encourages them to stand firm in the Lord. Apparently there were some that possibly were of different temperament and did not see eye to eye. Paul encouraged two specific Philippian female believers, Euodias (whose name means “fine traveling” or “”fragrant”) and Syntyche (whose name means “accident,” or “with fate”), to get along and agree in the Lord.
His desire was for the true believers to help the women that had worked side-by-side with him in the spread of the Gospel, and with Clement, (who was, as referenced in Strong’s (1), a companion of Paul and apparently a member of the church of Philippi. According to tradition, he is identical with that Clement who was bishop of Rome towards the close of the first century.) He then implored them to work with all believers whose names were written in the Book of Life…their Church family!
Basically, Paul wanted the believers in Philippi to love each other and encourage each other and get along with each other in the Lord!
I think the challenge for those that are Christ followers—believers—could be to search our lives, our hearts, and see if there are unresolved issues with other Christian brothers and sisters. These breaks in fellowship could create road blocks somewhere within our spiritual journey, either for ourselves or for others.
How can we apply this to our lives? We could be deliberate about cooperating with other believers in Christ. We could take the time to see what others are going through, be encouragers, be peacemakers and try to bring unity in our work for Christ.
My faith is strengthened when I know that God did not leave me here alone. He intends for us to live in community with other believers and model the way this should look for non-believers.
I praise You Lord and thank You that You give us friends and fellow workers in the faith. Help us to support each other and come along side when others need support or encouragement. Please be with those that have lost loved ones and are grieving. Be with our nation and our world and help us stay together as One to get through these troubling times.
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“4 Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. 2 I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.” Philippians 4:1-3 (KJV)
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I feel that since God has given me the gift of this platform, I must always tell you about my Jesus.
What is your relationship to the all-knowing God of the universe? Do you know Jesus? Do you know the peace that can come only from an intimate relationship with Him? You can know Him. Jesus Christ, God’s Son, born into human flesh, sinless, crucified and giving His life freely, buried, arisen on the third day, will come into your life and change the outcome of your eternity. You just have to be willing to believe and accept His truth.
In addition, here is an excellent page that can give you additional information on peace with God: PeaceWithGod.net.
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Blog Image by J F from Pixabay
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(1) Blue Letter Bible Online, Lexicon :: Strong’s G2815 – klēmēs (https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2815/kjv/tr/0-1/)
Restricted Vision, Unburdened Sight 