Happy & You Know It 9 | Reuniting Happiness

Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved. I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life. (Philippians 4:1-3)

Division is the enemy's favored weapon against the church—but we were created for connection, and Christ has made us one.

All Scripture Is Useful for Such a Time as This

We remember that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and because it is inspired it is useful—useful to teach us what is true. When we begin to understand what is real, we quickly see the areas where we have fallen short. But the Bible doesn't leave us in despair; it corrects us and instructs us in righteousness. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Paul says these things are given that we would be mature, complete, ready for every good work.

The Word of God is also living and powerful (Hebrews 4), and there are times when certain passages become more applicable because of what we are going through. God has an awesome way of directing us to exactly the right passage at exactly the right time. As I studied this week, I am convinced we are at one of those passages—the right word for our church right now.

A Very Real Spiritual Battle

My original plan was to teach Philippians 4:1-9, focusing on a life without anxiety—and we'll get to that next week. But I got stuck on verses 1 through 3, because I believe it is the right word at the right time.

A few weeks ago I gathered with a friend, Victor Marks, for a time of prayer that was very clearly genuine spiritual warfare. The next day, our staff found a basket in our parking lot with a dead chicken—head cut off—a couple of dead fish, and other strange things. A few days later I had to call the Escondido Police Department about wild accusations leveled against me on social media. Over the last three weeks it has been clear that we are in a very real spiritual battle.

I am not a hyper-spiritual person, but as we saw in Ephesians 6:12, we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers, and spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places. That battle is always happening—like a cold war under the surface—but sometimes it surfaces and gets hot. Paul also tells us in 2 Corinthians that we are not ignorant of the enemy's devices. He uses the same basic weapons over and over.

Division Destroys Joy

One of the most effective weapons in the enemy's arsenal is the weapon of division. Our leadership has seen this in a greater way over the last three weeks. Many a church over 2,000 years of history has been rendered useless and ineffective—some even destroyed—by division. So we must be on guard and not ignorant of the enemy's schemes.

I'm convinced God sovereignly placed us in this text for such a time as this. Division destroys joy. Paul writes, "Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved."

No Joy Without Connection

In this single verse Paul uses five terms of endearment for the Christians at Philippi, revealing his heart for them. They are his beloved, his longed-for brothers and sisters, his joy, his crown, and again his beloved. Back in chapter 1 he said he hoped to be released and to visit them again. They were like a prize in his ministry—the church he would point to and say, "I can't tell you how wonderful they are."

This is not because he didn't love the other Christians, but his other ministries were marked by trouble. In Corinth he had nearly nothing but trouble; in Ephesus he was constantly in contention; in Galatia they dragged him out of Lystra and stoned him, leaving him for dead. But whenever he thought of Philippi, he said, "They are my joy, my crown." There was a deep relational connection between Paul and the Philippians. There is no joy without connection, because we were created to live life in connection with God and one another.

Created in God's Image for Connection

When God fashioned us in His image, as Genesis describes, He created us to live in unhindered relationship with Him—united to Him. Humanity is unique among all creation because He took the time to make us in His image. But He also intended that we live in connection with one another. "It is not good that man should be alone."

God revealed this to Adam by bringing the animals before him to be named. Adam observed a part and a counterpart—lion and lioness, bull and cow—but there was no helper comparable to him. So God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam and from his side fashioned woman, bringing her to him. From one God made two, with the intent to join them as one, that they would multiply—that there would be connection and the experience of oneness.

Connection Lost at the Fall

But in Genesis 3 things change. The deceiver who causes division comes in, and through his work sin enters, and through sin, death—which means separation and division. Connection with God was lost. God came down to commune with Adam and Eve, asking, "Adam, where are you?" There was now separation. And connection between humanity was lost too—there was shame and fear.

Ever since, all humanity is born into a broken world, and at the deepest core—whether a person believes in God or not—we recognize that we are broken, and that brokenness involves division. We see it everywhere: racial division, economic division, educational division. Yet we were created for connection, and there is joy in that connection. This is why our church is called Cross Connection, and our vision is life in connection with God, one another, and the world through Jesus.

Reconciled Through the Cross

Paul writes in Ephesians 2:13, "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." Verse 14: "For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation"—having abolished in His flesh the enmity, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, making peace. He reconciles us both to God in one body through the cross, putting to death the enmity. "Now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God."

We were once far off because of sin and death, but Jesus came to bring us back together. He took all the sin that brings division upon Himself, bore the judgment on the cross, was buried, and rose again—claiming victory over sin and death. Isaiah described Him 700 years before as the Prince of Peace, who makes warring parties one by destroying the very thing that caused the separation.

Look around this room—different races, nations, languages, socioeconomic and educational backgrounds. This reconciliation happens within the body of Christ. Apart from Jesus, many of us would never even interact. The world constantly tries to build community and erase what divides, but most of the time it only causes more trouble, because Jesus alone is the one who reconciles.

The Ministry of Reconciliation

In 2 Corinthians 5:18 Paul writes that God "has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation... He has committed to us the word of reconciliation." Verse 20: "Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God."

So our vision—life in connection with God, one another, and the world through Jesus—is simply the gospel summed up in a statement. We were created for connection. This is why, on the last night of His life, Jesus prayed in John 17, "Father, make them one as I am one with You." If that was His final prayer for the church, what do you think the enemy wants to do? He wants to come in and divide, to bring destruction.

Stand Fast in the Lord

This connection is found only in the Lord, which is why Paul tells the Philippians to "stand fast in the Lord." This joy of connection is found only in Christ, so stand firm on that foundation and don't be moved. It's a recurring theme in Paul's letters—he constantly calls Christians to stand firm, because that is the only place this kind of connection and joy are found.

But the enemy wants to disrupt and destroy this. He's been doing it for thousands of years, and he's very effective. Look at the fracturing within the church—two billion Christians worldwide, and so much division, because the enemy is good at causing it. And division causes ineffectiveness; it seizes up the work of God.

Division Must Be Corrected

So Paul writes, "I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord." I beg you to be reunited—and I say reunited because verse 3 implies these two women used to be co-laborers with Paul, but something has changed and now there is division between them.

After 82 verses of nothing but joy, rejoicing, contentment, and peace—no correction, no rebuke—Paul comes to this and names them. He writes their names down and immortalizes them in Scripture, saying, in effect, "You need to stop it." That surely made them uncomfortable. Division must be corrected because it destroys connection and joy.

We don't know what the disagreement was, but the Philippian church knew, and Paul heard about it 800 miles away without text messages or Twitter—so it was big enough to cause real disruption. The New Living Translation reads, "Settle your disagreement." Whatever it was, deal with it. At the core, you can be sure this was the enemy's work to destroy the work of God in the church.

Be of the Same Mind

It's striking that eight times in the previous 82 verses Paul has exhorted the Philippians to be like-minded: with one mind work together for the faith of the gospel (1:27); be like-minded (2:2); in lowliness of mind esteem others better (2:3); be like-minded with Jesus (2:5); Timothy is like-minded with me (2:20); the mature-minded leave the past behind (3:15); be of the same mind (3:16); carnally minded people set their minds on this world (3:19). And now: "I beg you, be of the same mind."

Many commentators note that this one verse may be the very purpose for which Paul wrote the letter—eight calls to be like-minded, then, "Now listen, you two, straighten up." One preacher, Ray Stedman, nicknamed these two ladies "Odious" and "Soon-Touchy." Elsewhere Paul says there should be no schism in the body, because division is like a cancer that will destroy the body of Christ.

Division Must Be Eradicated at All Costs

Division must be eradicated at all costs, because Jesus said in Matthew 12:25, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand." So Paul, working by the Spirit, uses the word parakaleo—he comes alongside and calls out to them to be restored to one another.

Then he turns and says, "And I urge you also, true companion"—you, singular—directing his words to an unnamed individual in the church, a fellow yoke-fellow. "Help these women who labored with me in the gospel." Sometimes warring parties need a mediator to come in and help fix the problem. That's exactly what happened between us and God: the warring on our end was so severe that God sent a mediator. As 1 Timothy 2:5 says, there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Whose Names Are in the Book of Life

The phrase that closes verse 3—"whose names are in the Book of Life"—is important. It is a gentle reminder that these disputes within the body are among people whose names are in the book of life. Deal with it, because you are going to be with them for eternity.

Nine times out of ten—maybe ten out of ten—when division happens in the church, at its core is gossip. Titus says gossip destroys, and the Greek word translated gossip is diabolos—it is the work of the devil. So Paul calls this church to settle the matter, because there ought not to be any schism within the body. Your names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life; you are citizens of heaven.

Reconciled Before the Altar

How do we deal with it? Jesus gives great instruction in Matthew 5:23-24: "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you"—or that you have something against your brother—"leave your gift before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."

If you come to serve in children's ministry, to sing worship songs, to give an offering, or to study the Bible, and you remember there is an issue between you and a brother in the body, leave your gift at the altar and deal with it. Be reconciled, because God created us to live in connection, and there is no joy where division is. Division must be corrected; it must be eradicated at all costs.

Closing Prayer

Father God, thank you for your Word and for this short three-verse exhortation. I pray we would receive it even though it is small, and that our lives would be affected for the better because of it. Transform us as we prepare to go from this place. Bring restoration of relationships if there is any division here, that no root of bitterness springs up to defile many, and that the work of this fellowship would not be brought to a halt because the sand of division gets in the gears. Pour out the oil of your Holy Spirit to free any of that up, that we would be a church that brings glory to your name, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace. Tomorrow each person in this room will carry your light into places of darkness, extending this life in connection with you and one another to the world. We thank you and praise you in Jesus' name. Amen.