The main issue in Phillipians chapter 2 in particular is the
issue of community. Though it might not appear to be severe, there are some
strong indications throughout Paul’s letter that indeed the Philippians were
facing some challenges in the outworking of their local community.
If I may put a big title for Philippians chapter 2, I
would put ‘Community of Believers in Crisis’. In this chapter, Paul sees
some danger signs that were apparent in the Philippians community that could
put their community in crisis – there were 3 of them:
(1) The absence of true humility within the community of
believers. According to Paul, what
really put a community of believers in jeopardy and crisis is not the lack of
materials or food– but the absence of true humility within the community of
believers – this is the first danger sign. In other words, what really drives a
wedge, what really creates a huge chasm between individual believers in a
community is the refusal of each individual believer to put others before each
own self. Paul did not ask them to deny themselves to the point of total
disregard of themselves, in fact, Paul says in vs. 4, ‘Let each of you look not
only to his own interest, but also to the interest of others’. What put a
community in crisis then is when we absorb all the attention to ourselves and
left nothing for others.
(2) The absence of a sense of calling as a witnessing
community to the world. The second
danger sign that Paul sees in the Philippians was that they were totally
forgotten the very purpose of their salvation as a community – that they were
saved [not only as an individual, but also as a community of believer] so that
they [as a community] can be a living witness in the midst of a crooked and
twisted generation as Paul says in vs. 15. As Christians, we are not just a
community, but a community of followers of Christ, a community that bears the
witness of Christ, and a community that reflects what God has done in Jesus
Christ. And if we lost that sense of calling as a witnessing community, there
will be nothing left of our community as believers – since we are not doing or
living as we are called to be, and therefore putting our community in crisis.
(3) The absence of the true spiritual leadership role
model within the community of believers. From vs. 19-30, Paul purposely commended Timothy and Epaphroditus as a
examples of whom Paul describe in vs. 20-21 as “For I have no one like him,
who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. They all seek their own
interests, not those of Jesus Christ.” When a community of believers lacks
the presence of spiritual leadership that are able to demonstrate the life of
Christ, the intent of Christ, the desire of Christ, the interest of Jesus
Christ Himself – the community will fall apart as each member will go about his
or her own ways, seeking their own interest not those of Jesus Christ, which
desperately needs to be modeled by the spiritual leadership in the community of
believers.
So
what’s the remedy for a community in crisis? Paul says Phil. 2 vs. 5 to vs. 8,
‘Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though
he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be
grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in
the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by
becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” We all need to
have the mind of Christ who set aside himself for the sake of others, for
without it, our community will be in a serious crisis and great jeopardy.
