”If therefore [there is] any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any sharing of spirit, if any inward parts and mercies...”
-these are all strong ‘heart’ words in the greek. encouragement is paraklésis. consolation is paramuthion. paul also mentions agapé, koinonia, splagchnon and oiktirmon. these are some very strong words, full of meaning. and despite the fact that paul leads with the conditional ‘if’ clause, he is not suggesting these concepts are improbabilities for those who are in Christ. they are very real, and they are powerful. their conditional nature rests in the fact that they have Christ as their source, and thus they must be drawn from Him.
-paraklésis is God’s comfort. He is the God of all comfort (2Corinthians 1.3, 2Corinthians 7.6, 2Thessalonians 2.16-17). the Holy Spirit is in fact the paraklétos (John 16.7), the One God sent to empower and encourage and comfort and help His people (John 16.7, Acts 9.31). and God also is quite pleased to send and use His people to minister and pass on His comfort to those who need it (2Corinthians 1.4, 2Corinthians 7.7, 1Thessalonians 4.18, 1Thessalonians 5.11, Philemon 7). in this case, paul is saying that paraklésis is available for those who are in Christ, and that in abundance, as it is meant to be shared. everyone has a story to tell, something they have gone through or are going through. our world is broken, and life is full of challenges (cf Genesis 3.17-19). indeed for many, even getting food is a daily struggle. and those who follow Christ are meant to be there to help one another keep going.
-encouragement is giving someone support, confidence, hope, giving someone helpful words or resources that stimulate them to do or to continue to do something. it says to someone, ‘i believe in you!’ talk about a way to keep someone going! paul says IF there is encouragement in Christ. you know what, there should be no if’s, and’s, or but’s about it. this should be a no-brainer. too often we are critical or complaining or just silent, withholding encouragement, often without even realizing it. God’s people should be at the ready and over the top in this area, ready with words that affirm and build up and do not tear down, words that reinforce that which is good, words that bless and give life, words that express appreciation or sympathy. in this sense, we are not just the hands and feet of Jesus but also the mouth. WE are the ones He most likely intends to use to encourage and comfort His people. in our roles as parents, spouses, children, bosses, employees, leaders, followers, teachers, students, customers - words are powerful things. use them carefully. use them generously. encourage the ones closest to you. encourage those who work hard for you. encourage people in what they like to do. encourage, help, comfort - this is a powerful way to minister to others, and there should be no if’s about it.
-paramuthion can also be comfort. we see it given particularly to people who are grieving or fainthearted (John 11.19, 1Thessalonians 5.14). in this case, the comfort is delivered on the wings of love, agapé love which has its source in God as well. this giving, selfless love which reaches out to those who are hurting comes only from God and is seen (or should be seen) in the lives of those who are walking with Christ. it is certainly able to provide whatever consolation is needed for those who are hurting or struggling in any way.
-koinonia, that sharing and common-unity which is produced by God’s Spirit as His people gather together, is both rich and intoxicating (Psalm 55.14, Psalm 133.1-3). but it requires that God’s people actually spend time together, pray and study God’s Word and worship together, do life and ministry together. the root idea is that something is dirty because it has been shared. it means that God’s people get dirty together, sharing the dirt of life and of their souls with one another, carrying each other’s unbearable burdens (cf Acts 2.42-47), etc. it is not just having a meal together every once and a while, altho those times can be very enjoyable. it takes more than just a semi-regular Bible discussion. it is an ongoing journey of joint perseverance and giving and caring and celebration.
-splagchnon and oiktirmon are both feeling words, the former specifically refering to the bowels or inward parts, and the latter describing the feeling one has (or should have) on seeing the misery of another. these words together signify feelings of affection and caring and compassion for others, for their needs and struggles, and in this case particularly for others in the body of Christ.
-taken together these words form a powerful description of caring and loving relationships within the body of Christ. they clearly have God as their source, so when ongoing fellowship with the Lord is lacking, of course these qualities will also be lacking. but paul knows that these things are readily available to the believers in philippi, and he has something in mind for how they are to be used, as we will see. the question for me is, do i see these qualities in my life and am i using them with fellow believers? am i aware of how others in the body of Christ are doing and feeling? do i even take the time to stop and ask them how they are really doing and listen to their answer? do i validate their feelings and really want to do something that will comfort them? do i even care or am i too busy or too caught up in what is going on with me? and then do i even get the dirt of their souls on mine? am i willing to get dirty with folks who are different from me or with whom i don't get along? do i actively pursue and engage with my fellow Christ-followers in ways that help them get up and keep going, or do i initiate with them only because i am supposed to or when i need something from them?
i have a long, long way to go... but God's is good and His grace is sufficient!
"...having the same agony, such as you saw in me and now are hearing in me."
-paul knew something of suffering, this second gift of grace. he was no stranger to it. in fact, it would appear from paul’s new testament letters that suffering and paul were constant companions.
-the word paul uses to describe his experience is actually agon, which gives us the english word, agony. it describes laboring and struggling and striving, especially in the face of some significant obstacle or opposition (luke 22.44, 1corinthians 9.25, colossians 1.29, colossians 2.1, colossians 4.12, 1thessalonians 2.2, 1timothy 4.10, 1timothy 6.12, hebrews 12.1). it is a race. it is a wrestling match. it is a fight, and in many ways the battle ground is internal. there is a wrestling match in our hearts and wills as we are faced with the prospect of following hard after the One Whose own path led to the Cross (luke 9.23), Who Himself was betrayed and abandoned by His friends and rejected and beaten and killed by those who opposed Him. there is an internal battle to be waged and won in order to hold onto joy not only in the face of opposition but also in the midst of a broken and dying world.
-paul mentions that the philippians had seen paul experiencing agony, or conflict. we read about this in acts 16.19-24, where paul and silas while in philippi were beaten and thrown in prison without a trial. but we see their Gospel-worthy conduct in acts 16.25-32. in the midst of extreme adversity and suffering, paul and silas stood firmly together and chose the path of gratitude and trust. they were filled with joy as a result. not only were they focused on the Lord, but they were also able to focus on others, on their felt needs as well as on their need for the Good News.
-and as paul was now again in chains for the sake and cause of Christ, these believers in philippi had heard about and had responded to help and encourage paul, as we will read in chapter 4.
-but the greater point in this verse is that these philippian believers were having the same agon that paul was having. no doubt it was one thing for them to see someone else having agon, but it was another thing altogether to actually have the barrel of opposition turned on them. now they were having the opportunity to live into hardship in ways that showed off the breathtaking goodness of God. they were being given the chance to choose the path of joy and faithfulness and obedience no matter what they were going through, and even if it meant giving up their lives. theirs was the chance to boldly live for Christ in unity and exalt Him in their bodies, to pour out all they had in laboring fruitfully in His cause, to struggle mightily together for the progress of the Good News in their own lives and among the nations.
-this same opportunity is handed down to us today. each and every day is a new gift, a chance to live for Christ, to live a life that is actually worthy of such a sacrifice, such a cause. ours is the same admonition which tom hanks delivered to private ryan: dont waste this. don’t squander the gracious opportunities that God gives you to hold onto and show off glimpses of His breathtaking goodness to a broken world. don’t get bogged down in grumbling and complaining and navel-gazing and pining for greener pastures. give the world the chance to see that you are convinced that God is really good, that the Gospel really is Good News, that there is hope and joy and caring community even in the midst of hardship and brokenness. Don’t. Waste. This.
"Because to you it was granted on behalf of Christ, not only to be trusting unto Him, but rather also to be suffering on behalf of Him."
paul mentions two grace gifts, two ways that God has shown His mercy and undeserved favor to those who follow Jesus. the first is that He gave them faith in the first place. faith is a gift. it is not something we earn. it is not something at which we arrive completely on our own. Scripture makes it quite clear that trusting in the Lord it is not something which someone can do without the kind enabling of God’s grace (cf acts 5.31, acts 11.18, romans 2.4, 2timothy 2.25, ephesians 2.5, ephesians 2.8). but this first grace gift is one that most are glad to receive. the second, however, is rather more dubious. paul says that suffering is a gift. it is a favor of sorts, a gracious gift from the Lord which He gives to those who receive that first gift of faith (matthew 5.10-11). the word is pascho. it is the word which Jesus and the NT writers used repeatedly to describe what He experienced on and leading up to the cross (matthew 16.21, luke 24.46, acts 3.18, hebrews 2.18, 1peter 2.23). He was the paschal (Passover) Lamb of God, the One God sent to be sacrificed to pay for the sins of the entire world (genesis 22.8, exodus 12.21-22, isaiah 53.7, john 1.29, 1peter 1.19). and for those who follow Jesus, suffering is normative (2timothy 3.12). Jesus Himself promised it (john 15.20). it is not only a litmus test of sorts (cf romans 8.17 - true faith which is God-given will outlast any oppostition), but it is the part of the heritage of the people God chooses. history is replete with an innumerable list of souls who have suffered for/as a result of their faith in the God of abraham, isaac, and jacob. some are household names. many are known only to the One Who rejoices to be called their God (hebrews 11.32-38). it is actually said that more people were killed in the 20th century because they were following Christ than in the previous 19 centuries combined, and the trend continues. read about it at www.persecution.com. suffering for the Name of Jesus, for the sake of Jesus, is guaranteed for those who follow Him, but so is ultimate victory (luke 21.12-19, romans 8.35-37). sadly, many of God’s people in the west know very little of this second gift of grace. while a post-modern, humanistic, pluralistic, relativistic, narcissistic ethos increasingly prevades the cultural landscape, the church is mostly prosperous, mildly accepted (and/or dismissed), and very comfortable. would it be fair to even suggest that at some level if the world is not pushing back, then God’s people are perhaps not pushing hard enough?
and there is yet another way in which suffering can be seen by believers as a gracious gift from God. remember that we were designed and are destined for paradise. we are bent and driven towards comfort and ease. we want trees full of low-hanging fruit, all our ducks in a row, and everything to go according to plan. we want to live in the promised land. we long for life that is free from pain and trial and hardship. what that really is, however, is a dangerous place to be in this life. it is in fact a life which is devoid of opportunities to really trust the Lord for His power and provision. the normal challenges and extra-ordinary challenges of life are in fact God-given gifts of grace that provide us with new opportunities to be on our knees and kept at a place where we are essentially forced to trust wholly in the Lord and lean on Him for wisdom and strength and provision. a life which is devoid of these challenges, a life devoid of suffering and need would be paradise, to be sure, but in this life it would allow us too much room to cease depending on the Lord for daily bread. “give us this day our daily bread” is more than just a mantra - it reflects a life and a heart which is remaining at an appropriately high level of trust and abiding and dependence. so watch out! (deuteronomy 6.4-13) is my life hard today? am i facing an extraordinary challenge of some kind? this is in fact a gracious gift from the Lord in the form of an opportunity to trust Him and lean more fully into Him for wisdom and power and provision. and it is why we are able to not only rejoice always and thank God IN every circumstance (1thessalonians 5.16-18) but also thank Him FOR every circumstance (cf philippians 4.6-7). this level of gratitude recognizes these grace-gifts and also demonstrates our trust in the Lord - in His sovereignty and power, in His goodness, that He knows what He’s doing and is faithfully working out the good plan He has for our lives (cf psalm 139.13-16). oh, for the grace to live more fully into this truth every day. i have a long, long way to go.
