By Mark Wilmoth

If the Apostle Paul ever decides to write our church a letter (Yes, I know Paul’s been gone a while!), I hope it’s like Philippians. I don’t want a letter like 1 Corinthians, that lists all the problems in the church and dictates corrections. I certainly don’t want a letter like Galatians. In that one, Paul is so disturbed by the direction the Galatian church is taking that he skips the customary courtesies and begins to scold, saying, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel–which is really no gospel at all…” (Galatians 1:6-7, NIV). Paul’s letters to Thessalonica also deal with doctrinal problems, a church with a serious misunderstanding about Jesus’ Second Coming, so I hope our church doesn’t receive that kind of letter.

But Philippians is a letter to treasure, a thank-you note from Paul to people that he loves. They have once again proven their love for him through a generous gift. In Philippians 4:18 Paul writes, “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.” Considering that Paul was a Roman prisoner when he wrote those words, it’s obvious that the Philippians’ gift had both a financial and emotional impact for Paul, renewing his spirit and filling his belly. It would be great if we could receive a letter like Philippians for something that we got right.

But Paul is a preacher. Good preachers appreciate the strength they find in their churches and they’re thankful. But good preachers also can spot the weaknesses and danger points, so even when things are going well, they push for better. Paul could probably push my church, and maybe yours, in some of the ways he pushed the Philippians.

Paul counseled the Philippians against stagnation. When there’s a problem, most churches move to correct it, but when things are going well, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” right? Unfortunately, however, when churches and Christians aren’t focused and moving forward, they’re often, unnoticed, slipping backward, so Paul prays that the Christians in Philippi will keep growing and maturing. Philippians 1:9-11 reads, “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ–to the glory and praise of God.” No church or Christian can afford to be apathetic or satisfied; we must do what Paul himself did (Philippians 3:13-15): “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things…”

Since Satan often causes more trouble for a congregation by working from the inside instead of persecuting the church from without, Paul warned the Philippian church to carefully guard their doctrinal purity. In Philippi, the greatest threat comes from a group of Jews who are insisting that to be a real Christian, one must convert to Judaism (and be circumcised, if male) as well as converting to Christ. Paul negates this teaching, writing, “Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh…” (Philippians 3:2-3). Modern churches may not struggle with circumcision, but we must constantly battle worldliness, the tolerance of sin and the error of universalism. Stay pure!

It’s been said that “one’s greatest weakness is often an unguarded strength.” The love the Philippians have for Paul and one another testifies to their strong faith, but their unity must be protected. In Philippians 4:2-3, Paul calls out Euodia and Syntyche because they’re quarreling, and in Philippians 2:1-2, he instructs the whole church to “make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.” Churches can’t focus on battling Satan if they’re fighting each other! Christian unity must be cherished and preserved.

Mark Wilmoth is with Pinehurst Christian Church in Marietta and can be reached at Minister@PinehurstChristianChurch.org