Like-minded When We Suffer – Phil 2:2

In verse 2 Paul says “fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.” In other words, if there is any of that “stuff,” any of those heavenly resources in Christ, and there is, here is what I want you to do when suffering comes your way. Be like Christ. Respond to suffering like He did. Think like He did, love like He does, and do it all together, all of you (be of one accord and one mind).

I can type that so fast and you can read it so fast, but that is a mouthful. That is a tall order. Yet that is the “order.” So how do we do that? How do we act in a Christlike manner when we are suffering? How can we possibly respond to suffering like He did? How can we think like He did? We can do that, we can only do that by accessing those heavenly resources that he talks about it verse 1.

We draw near and receive an impartation from Him. We receive encouragement from Him.

We draw near and receive the comfort that flows from His unending, unconditional love.

We fellowship with Him and with others through and by the Holy Spirit.

We draw near and draw on His tenderness and compassion.

Then and only then will we be able to be Christlike in the face of suffering, respond to suffering like He did, think like He did, love like He does, and do it all together.

Heavenly Resources – Philippians 2:1

Exhortation, instruction, encouragement, comfort, solace, refreshment, fellowship, communion, affection, mercy, tenderness, compassion. Those are the heavenly resources that we have at our disposal when we go through suffering and they all depend on or are available to us as we draw near to God and hopefully other believers. We can experience the encouragement and comfort and a closeness and genuine, heart-felt concern for our needs and situations that only God can give. If we find ourselves in a body of believers, we can draw near to other believers and draw from their experiences with God. And, we can also share our encouragement and the comfort that we have received and fellowship and tenderness and compassion with others who are going through suffering. That really is a main point, a theme in this passage.Those are the heavenly resources that we have at our disposal when we go through suffering and they all depend on or are available to us as we draw near to God and hopefully other believers. We can experience the encouragement and comfort and a closeness and genuine, heart-felt concern for our needs and situations that only God can give. If we find ourselves in a body of believers, we can draw near to other believers and draw from their experiences with God. And, we can also share our encouragement and the comfort that we have received and fellowship and tenderness and compassion with others who are going through suffering. That really is a main point, a theme in this passage.

If there is any consolation in Christ… and there is! (Phil 2:1-2)

Continuing from my Facebook post…

Let’s take these verses apart and see what is on the inside of them. Paul starts out by saying “Therefore…” Whenever you see a therefore you need to see what it is there for. It is connector that joins one section with another. You might say, “Since what I just said is true, do this,” or “this is true also.” Then he makes an interesting statement that really confused me until God shed some light on it two days ago. He says, “If there is any consolation in Christ…” Now that would seem to indicate that there might be some consolation or there might not be any. The NIV even makes it more confusing by focusing on “me” (you) instead of Christ. Anyone who has ever experienced Christ knows that there IS consolation in Him.
So we might translate what Paul said like this: “If there is any consolation in Christ, and there is, if there is any comfort in His love, and there is, if Christ provides for fellowship in and with the Holy Spirit, and He does, if there is any tenderness and compassion, and there is, then here is what I want you to do. When you experience suffering, act like He did, respond like He did. He has made His consolation and comfort and fellowship and affection and mercy available to you. You can avail yourselves of His strength and provisions in the midst of suffering and respond to suffering in the same way He did. If you do that, you will make me a happy, fulfilled man.”
Here is another facet of this diamond. When we experience suffering this is a good indicator of how God wants us to respond. Let’s see what each of these things mean and see if we can discern how each one of them relate to suffering.
The word translated “consolation” (3874) has these meanings in the lexicon…
1) a calling near, summons, (esp. for help)
2) importation, supplication, entreaty
3) exhortation, admonition, encouragement
4) consolation, comfort, solace; that which affords comfort or refreshment
So, when we experience suffering, Jesus wants us to draw near to Him. If we do, He will help us, He will impart something to us. He will exhort us and admonish us, give us instructions and directions. He will encourage us, that is, He will give us courage. He will give us comfort and solace. He will provide refreshment. There is consolation in Christ and when we experience suffering, we must needs avail ourselves of it. If we do, then we are walking in the will and the way of the Lord. If we don’t we are trying to endure the suffering in our own strength and we will fail! So the first thing that we should do when we experience suffering is draw near to Christ.
Jesus Himself did just that when faced with the most severe type of suffering that any person could ever endure. In fact He was facing a suffering that was far deeper and uglier and worse than any mere human could or would ever face. Not only was He facing crucifixion, the most punishing form of capital punishment ever devised, He was facing separation from the Father with whom He had always been one. At that greatest moment of crisis in His life, he drew near (in the Garden of Gethsemane) and God imparted to Him the strength and courage and comfort and solace that He needed to face the most horrible times of His entire existence.
If we will simply draw near, we too will find strength and comfort and courage and impartation and instructions and admonition and direction and refreshment from the presence of the Lord to face the deepest darkest days of our suffering. That is the will of God for us when we suffer.