Philippians 4:2-9 Study Guide: Agree in the Lord
Community Group Study Guide — Agree in the Lord
Philippians 4:2-4:9
Study Information:
We’ve probably all had that moment where we wanted to yell “can’t you two just get along?!” Likely that happened in the context of parenting or with co-workers or even friends who just get one each other’s nerves. We’re all human with different personalities, communication styles and preference so getting on each other’s nerves is likely to happen to all of us at some point. What happens when it is more than just getting on each other’s nerves and it is an open disagreement? Maybe even an open disagreement that caused tension and disunity in those around you?
An application of Paul’s arguments for us to pursue humility in Christ (Phil 2:1-11) and to find our identity in Christ (Phil 3:1-12) is to get along with one another. To make his point, he referred to an open conflict between Euodia and Syntyche. We learn that this matter was not about theological drift or heresy, but was some sort of open conflict so well known to the church that Paul did not even need to mention the specific details. How should the church respond in such situations and how can we pursue agreement in the Lord as Christians?
Agree in the Lord
Philippians 4:2-3
It was not uncommon for Paul to name people in his letters, but often they are people who have been leading the church astray or people who were enemies of the gospel. In this passage, Paul named Euodia and Syntyche with the admonition to “agree in the Lord” or in the Greek, “have the same mind in the Lord.” The word mind in this text is important because it has been a theological argument of Paul’s throughout the letter. We were told to have the “same mind” and to have the mind of Christ among us in Philippians 2:2 and 2:5. Later on Paul warned about having our mind set on earthly things and how that leads to destruction in Philippians 3:19. Here he tells Euodia and Synthyche to have the same mind and he finished up his argument with a promise that the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:2, 7).
Many of us want to know what the specific disagreement was, and that is not surprising, but Paul did not think those details were relevant. Likely if we got the specifics we’d use that as evidence that the admonition here did not apply to our specific disagreements and disunity since it was not the same! Notice that these women were once friends and coworkers in the gospel (Phil 4:3). Likewise, it was not a question of the genuineness of their faith, for their names were written in the book of life (Phil 4:3). Some scholars hypothesize that Euodia and Syntyche could have been in church leadership, potentially deacons since Philippians 1:1 is one of only a few places in the New Testament that mentions the office of deacon. We do not know for sure and honestly it isn’t that important, these women were well known enough and core to the community that their disagreement was unsettling the church and needed help from various leaders in the church for mediation.
How can Christians correct course when they are caught up in this sort of division and what can the church do? Paul offers us two actions steps forward focused on our hearts and our minds (Phil 4:7).
Rejoice in the Lord: Remember Christ is Center To Your Heart
Philippians 4:4-7
First, we are to rejoice in the Lord. When Christ is the center of your heart it is easier to take our eyes off of earthly disagreements. We’re able to see division and pettiness for what it is and repent when we have our joy in Christ. This kind of joy leads us to follow Paul’s emphasis on humility and love for one another and thinking of the needs of others in chapter 2. We can move towards unity and love when we humbly serve one another out of our love and joy in Christ.
This joy expresses itself in reasonableness. I know many of us don’t put joy and reasonableness side by side, but Paul did and he did because when Christ is our treasure we’re able to step back and see when we’re getting off track. The reasonable person is able to maintain Christian community and see what is best for all rather than pursuing their own agenda.
This joy also resists anxiety and fear. This is not to say that a Christian will never experience anxiety or fear, but when our heart is full of Christ it makes us more anxiety resilient. There are many things to be anxious about and our world desires for us to be stuck in fear. It is not a simple fix, but pursuing joy and prayer centers us back on God and Christian community in a way that helps relieve the stress of anxiety.
This joy also leads to prayer. We are able to bring our concerns, worries and disagreements to God. Philippians 4:6-7 is probably one of the clearest and most encouraging passages on what prayer is. Because of our reconciled relationship with God in Christ Jesus we can bring to him our requests and thanksgiving and trust in the promise that his peace will guard our hearts and minds. Again, this is not a math formula, but when we pray and bring those things to God we’re wearing a groove of dependence on Christ for our joy with every prayer we lift up to him.
Think on the Lord: Keep Christ at the Center of Your Mind
Philippians 4:8-9
What you think about and dwell on matters more than we’d like to admit. Paul implores the church to keep Christ in mind by listing out 8 things we should think about: whatever is honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent and worthy of praise. Paul did not give us 8 separate categories to parse out, instead he used words that hold similar meaning to heap up his argument that the Christian ought to think differently than the non Christian and thus have a different way of approaching these types of conflicts. This command from Paul is a command to dwell and meditate on whatever is godly. Often in these types of disagreements we assume the worst of the other and stop believing the truth that God is active and present in this world. Likewise, these verses should influence how we fill our minds in general. Do we consider the type of media we consume, our self talk, whether we are hyper critical and pessimistic and what we assume about others? We can end up believing a lot of false stories, dwell on dark things and hinder our growth in Christ.
As we fill our minds with things that increase of love for God it will also increase our love for one another and the promise in verse 9 is that the God of peace will be with us.
At your community group:
Take 15-20 minutes to share about how God has been at work in your life, prayer concerns and pray for one another.
How did God speak to you through the scripture and the sermon this week?
Discussion Questions:
Read Philippians 4:2-4:9
Paul wrote that Euodia and Syntyche should “agree in the Lord.” It seems like these women were both Christians and involved in gospel ministry together. Based on what we’ve learned so far in the letter, what are some things that create these types of conflict and what can we do to prevent that?
Philippians 4:7 says that God will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. The command to rejoice seems to center on the heart. What are some ways we can pursue joy in Christ based on this passage?
Paul also told the church to think differently. Read Philippians 4:8-9 and describe what followers of Jesus are to fill their minds with.
How can the Christians and the church create an environment where these types of disagreements and conflicts are less likely to happen? How should we respond when they do?
