Generous Friendship

Intro:

Today, we finish our series on Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Over the last few weeks, we have been exploring the connection between Christian joy and suffering. Paul’s letter to the young church in Philippi is inspired teaching for us about how to go through tough times.

Do we have a theology for suffering? I’m not asking whether we can explain suffering philosophically. In fact, philosophy rarely helps people who are facing trials and tribulations. Instead, I am asking whether we, as followers of Jesus, can go through hard times in a Christian way. This is the subject of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. It is the Holy Spirit speaking to us about finding joy in Jesus through good times and bad times.

I hope you’ve been able to take time to read and reread the letter of Philippians. It is a very short letter, just four chapters. And these are not chapters you will find in a textbook. These chapters are short and loaded with inspiration from the Holy Spirit for our daily lives. Reading and rereading the letter of Philippians will yield greater and greater revelation from God for each one of us—and our church family—as we go through life. What a gift the Scriptures are to us! And what a gift Paul’s letter to the Philippians is to us, here and now.

Today we will look at the fourth and final chapter of this great letter. Our topic is: learning how to deal with tough times by living a life of generous friendship. As we look at this fourth chapter, I think we can discover four points on the benefits of living in generous relationship with one another, followed by three additional points about how to take action. We can discover the beauty of a life of generous friendship.

Let’s take a big chunk of this chapter and then break it down:

Philippians 4:1–9 NIV

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends! I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Are you ready to go to work together? Let’s start.

#1 – Agree with each other.

Paul takes time in this teaching letter to urge two women in the church at Philippi to “be of the same mind.” It’s important that we agree with each other. God’s people should learn how to get along with one another! Now, this is not an agreement in doctrine. Of course, doctrine is important. Paul has already cautioned us to beware of bad theology. Here he is talking about Christian harmony. “Harmony” is a musical term; while doctrine is important, it’s possible to get the words right but to get the music wrong in our relationships one with another.

And notice, too, that Paul does not only ask these two women to get along. He asks other leaders in the church to help them agree with each other. You see, Christian unity is everyone’s business. We all have a stake in our unity. When we see brothers and sisters in our churches that cannot agree with one another, our response should not be to merely shake our heads or to judge them for their weaknesses. No. We should help them to agree with one another.

#2 – Rejoice in the Lord.

Notice that Paul does not say “cheer up!” Rejoicing is something else altogether. Joy is the evidence of the Holy Spirit at work in people. Joy is a sign of God’s kingdom made manifest here on the earth, right now. Joy goes beyond mere happiness and imparts the substance of Heaven. Joy is serious business! And joy helps the whole community grow.

Also, Paul is urging the people of Philippi to rejoice in the Lord. The world will tell you that there are many things capable of giving us joy. But ultimately our joy must rest in the Lord, and nothing else. There is a progression here, a wisdom from the Spirit that Paul is sharing with us. Can you see it? We must live together in Christian unity. The wonder of Christian unity is that it gives us the ability to rejoice in the Lord together. Which brings us to the third point in this passage.

#3 – The peace of God is available in Christian community.

Verses 6 and 7 are famous verses. It’s impossible to live in anxiety if you are surrounded in joyful agreement with your brothers and sisters. In fact, Paul says, “don’t worry about anything but in everything with prayer and thanksgiving” we should let our requests be made known to God. Now, this is useful advice for us as individuals—but it is powerful advice for a community of believers.

Have you ever noticed how anxiety and worry can take hold of an entire community people? It’s like a social virus: consider a herd of cows grazing close to an electric fence. If just one cow brushes up against electric fence and receives a shock, the whole herd is startled! You can watch the surprise and fear work its way through every cow. My point is simply to suggest that together we should not worry about anything, but together we can, through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let our requests be made known to God, and together, we will experience peace.

The wonderful result is that the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Together! It is good news that the peace of God can guard my heart and mind individually. It is wonderful news that the peace of God can guard our hearts and our minds together, corporately. How powerful is the testimony of a peaceful and joyful community at rest in the goodness of God. In whatever difficulties or hardships our local community faces, a congregation can be an example of Christian joy and peace.

This is important because one person who is at peace can be dismissed as an exception. But you cannot dismiss an entire congregation peaceful and happy people who live without anxiety. This kind of community life is an example of the kingdom of God here, now, on earth, as it is in heaven. The Christian life is good for me as an individual. And the Christian life is impossible apart from me living in Christian community.

#4 – Think about the “Whatevers.”

It’s part of our common slang these days to use the word “whatever.” It’s a way of dismissing the importance of something. But here the Paul gives us a new way to think about “whatever.”

Philippians 4:8–9 NIV

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

These “whatevers” are not like the world’s whatevers. The world’s whatevers teach us to minimize or disregard life-giving behaviors. But this list in Philippians is a life-giving list! These whatevers teach us to be like Jesus, and we should think on these things. (What’s more, we should do it together.) One person may find purity and beauty and nobility and truth during a walk in the woods. Another person in our congregation might see the very same qualities in a popular movie. Still another person in our community may learn these admirable and praiseworthy traits through prayer and fasting.

What makes these “whatevers” so powerful is that we can share them with one another when we come together. (Remember that this chapter is about living lives of generous friendship together, in Christian community.) If God speaks anything noble or right or lovely or admirable or excellent or praiseworthy to one of us, it only makes sense that he or she should share with all of us.

Now, this list of four community traits is only the first half of the chapter. Paul’s reason for writing this letter was to acknowledge a generous gift that the church in Philippi had sent to Paul while he was in prison in Rome. It was a financial gift, delivered along with a brother who had been tasked with serving Paul in whatever way Paul needed while in prison. Paul was writing to acknowledge this gift, and through his letter we learn the significance of living a life genuine friendship. Let’s look at these closing verses:

Philippians 4:10–20 NIV

I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

In these verses we have the opportunity to see Paul’s personal response to the gift the Philippians had given him, and we get to see some things that are eternally true for any community of faith. Here are three important takeaways for any community that wants to learn how to live a life of genuine friendship:

1: Showing Concern

The church in Philippi had plenty to worry about. The Roman Empire was engaged in the systematic persecution of Christians. But this church in Philippi did not allow outside circumstances to get in the way of showing practical, loving concern for Paul. We think we are concerned when we are worrying about certain situations. But in reality, we are truly concerned only when we are doing something about these situations. The church in Philippi was, indeed, concerned about Paul’s imprisonment. But they did not stop at worry or anxiety. They received an offering and dispatched one of their choice servants to both deliver the money to Paul and to look after Paul’s needs. This is how any church should show concern: by taking action.

2: The Secret of Contentment

Surprisingly, Paul was already at peace in Rome even though he was in prison! In verses 12 and 13, Paul says that he had learned “the secret of contentment.” This secret was not like a password or a cheat code for a video game. This was a secret that Paul had gained by practical experience, by living day to day with Jesus Christ. God’s secrets come over time, through relationship with him. And in verse 13, Paul writes famous words that are famously misquoted! “I can do all things through him who gives me strength.” But look closely: the context for “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” is Paul’s contentment in his circumstances. Paul can talk about doing all things precisely because he has learned the secret of contentment. Have we?

3: The Joyful Gift

What a curious way Paul has of saying “thank you!” Paul is grateful for the generous gift from the Philippines not because of how the gift will help him but because the gift is evidence that the Philippian church is looking beyond themselves and living a life of generous friendship. The Philippians share this gift with Paul out of their own suffering. Paul sees their spiritual growth and their generosity. He is not so much happy to receive the gift as he is to see their Christian maturity.

And here we find a second verse that is so frequently used out of context: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Paul says that his God will supply all of their needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Paul is not claiming these riches for himself: he is letting the Philippians know that because they have shown generosity to him that his God will supply their needs. How often we quote this verse in relationship to our own needs. It’s true that God will supply our needs. But the context of this verse is Paul’s great confidence of God’s goodness toward the Philippian church. Paul, in prison, is confident of God’s goodness to his Christian brothers and sisters. Paul’s prayers are about God blessing and fulfilling the needs of the Philippians, not meeting his own personal needs.

This is a beautiful picture of Christians living together in the life of generous friendship. Paul is so happy that they have learned the secrets of contentment and generosity not because Paul has benefited from the gift, but because these qualities will serve the Philippians for generations to come.

Oh, that we could be at church like this! Oh, that our actions would be the fulfillment of Christ’s work in us, both individually and as a congregation! Oh, we could be the kind of church that could be a sign of the Kingdom of God both to the community around us and to our brothers and sisters all around the world!

Friends, in these four weeks we have only begun to look at how fortunate we are to have this letter to study again and again. How fortunate we are to have this letter to guide our thoughts and prayers in the future. May God give us the grace to become a living example of this letter.