Working Together

I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
Philippians 4:2-3

Have you tried to lift something heavy with other people without communicating? You lift and they don’t. It is very frustrating to expend so much energy for no good purpose. Little can be accomplished when we don’t work together or work at cross purposes.
Communication, coordination, and collaboration are needed to do hard things. We often count to 3 in order to coordinate and maximize the strength of the group and it is amazing what people are able to accomplish when working together.
Paul encourages the church in Philippi to remember the power of collaborative work in the gospel, despite disagreements. This unity of purpose and action is brought about by our faith which is grounded in the gospel, in the work of the Lord in our lives, and the eternal hope given to us represented by our names being written in the book of life.
Paul passionately urges the Philippians and Christians everywhere, to remain focused on working for the sake of the gospel together without letting disagreements hinder us. This is unity for the sake of telling and showing the glory of the good news Jesus offers us. Gordon Fee sums it up by saying we, “must learn to subordinate personal agendas to the larger agenda of the gospel, ‘to have the same mindset in the Lord.”

God of Peace,
We ask you to continually drive us to depend on you for peace and unity. We know many things cause disagreements and discord, but we have the presence of your Spirit to give us wisdom, forbearance, a willingness to forgive, and a common purpose. Let our love for you, for one another, and for the truths that have transformed our lives be the ground of our unity. We give thanks that you hear and honor our prayers. Amen.