Video Talk
Philippians 2:1-4 ESV
“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
So if there is any encouragement in Christ – This word “encouragement”,
and actually the word “comfort,” too, although they mean what you think they
mean, they also mean “exhortation, persuasion, and a holy urging.” So, this is
not just about saying things to people to console them or to make them feel
good (in truth), but it is also about urging them with a holy urging to walk in
obedience to the Lord and to live holy and godly lives.
Any comfort from love – the word for love in the Greek is “agape”
and it centers in moral preference and it means to prefer what God prefers,
which is what is holy, righteous, godly, morally pure, honest, and faithful. So
if we have comfort from this type of love, it means we are being encouraged and
exhorted and comforted by love which is holy and righteous and godly and which
is sending us in the right direction and not in the wrong direction.
Any participation in the Spirit – the word “participation”
is the same Greek word as is used for fellowship, i.e. koinonia. And it means “partnership,
contributory help, and fellowship in the Spirit”. So, when we participate in
the Spirit this is not just about having the Spirit living within us, but it is
about us walking according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh. For it
engages our cooperation with the Spirit in doing what God called us to do.
Being of the same mind – whose mind? The mind of Christ, not
the mind of some human being or some marketing scheme or goal. So be very
careful who or what you are uniting with. Just because you hear the word “unity”
in the gatherings of the church (or in the institutional church), it doesn’t
mean unity with the mind of Christ or with his word. And the same love is this
agape love which prefers holiness, righteousness, honesty and moral purity.
Do nothing from selfish ambition – Don’t be selfish. Be
generous and be giving of yourself to the legitimate needs of others. Don’t just
think about yourself and your needs but consider the needs and interests of
others. But don’t get caught up in what is ungodly and sinful in your pursuits
to show care and concern for others. And care enough about others to share with
them the gospel of Jesus Christ, too, but the truth and not the lies.
[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn
14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31;
Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:17-27; Php 2:1-8; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; 1 Pet 2:9,21;
1 Jn 2:6]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrF-OZvigl8
Come
and See
An
Original Work / May 20, 2013
Based
off John 1:35-51
John, the Baptist, called of God to
Make straight the way for the Lord,
Told his disciples about Jesus,
So two of them followed Him.
One of them who followed Jesus
Told his brother, Simon Peter,
Who then he brought to the Savior,
Who had told them, “Come and see.”
Jesus Christ, our Lord, Messiah,
On his way to Galilee found a man, Philip,
So he told him, “I want you to follow Me.”
Philip then found his friend,
And he told him, “We have found the one
The prophets spoke of – He is Jesus!”
Philip then said, “Come and see.”
Jesus saw the man, Nathanael,
While he sat beneath a fig tree,
Even before Philip called him,
So Nathanael did believe.
Nonetheless the Lord said,
“You believe because of what I told you.
You will see much greater things than these
If you will Come and see.”
Jesus’ calling to each one of us.
He tells us to believe in Him
As our Lord and Messiah,
And to follow where He leads.
He says we must turn from our sins,
Die to sin and self each day,
And put on our new lives in Jesus;
Bow before Him; humbly pray.
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