God's reconciling power: God takes people broken from him and disagreeing with one another -- forgives us, makes us right, and makes us one.   That's what I'll talk about today.

When I was a 20-something year old youth pastor in Wisconsin, the Sr. Pastor, who had been in ministry 40 years, said something to me I have never forgotten:  "It takes no talent to split a church"  (Arlin Havorsen).  "But it takes humility, faith and gentle strength to bring one back together."  He said that especially those who have 1) a position of authority in the church or 2) those who have long relationships with people in the church can always find a group who will agree with them when they are not in agreement with someone else in the church.

And I've thought about those words all week as I've been getting ready to speak with you about Philippians 4:1-3.  This will be a message about God reconciling broken relationships.  I'm guessing most of us have some of those.  I'll speak specifically to those of us who love Jesus but who, at the same time, for some reason find it hard to love those who also love Jesus and are in our own church.  The message may have help for any challenging relationship but it's specifically about church relationships.

Sometimes people are shocked to come into a great church (like LAC) and to discover that there are some people not "of the same mind" about things.  The same was true in the Bible days – even with tremendous leaders like Paul and Peter around.  In fact, do you remember that even Paul and Peter had to work through a disagreement themselves!!  The reason for this is that we are still people in God's process of being remade – so we shouldn't be shocked when imperfections emerge among us.  But, we cannot just allow those problems to go unattended either.  And, I believe that a big division in the church in Philippi was the main reason Paul wrote this beautiful letter to a great church that, in spite of its greatness, was experiencing some serious division.  I think Paul had a prayer goal in his heart:  Goal:  To get people who love the Lord, have been called into the same church fellowship but who cannot get along with one another to become "of one mind".

Let's think about 1) what the problem was and 2) what we should do when we see church people divided from one another.

Part 1:  What the Problem Was -- I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord (4:2).

Much-loved leaders in the church were causing a serious church division by their personal animosity.  They were writing each other off, others in the church (probably family members, long-time friends and members of their small group) were hearing one side of the story and supporting their friend – and then they were blaming the whole problem in the church on the other person and her group of supporters. And the result was that a church that was supposed to show a divided world the unity of our Triune God was itself divided.

I want you to notice that these two women were true believers.  They both had had fought at Paul's side as he had carried the gospel to Philippi.  They were not passive spectators in the church who just came in for business meetings to try to get their own way.    No, no – they had struggled with Paul – probably suffered with Paul as the church had been founded.  Their names are in the "book of life" (v. 3).  They were going to live eternally together.  Paul had no doubt about that.

And have no doubt about this either – this was a big problem.  Some may think, "Why does the Bible make a big deal about two people not being of the same mind in a church?"  But, remember that this was a big deal to Jesus too.  His prayer for churches like this one (and like us) was this, "Father, I pray that they will be one – that the world may believe.  May they be one as you and I are one that the world may believe (John 17:20-23)."

Disunity is a pervasive problem for us mortals – even mortals who are saved by Jesus.  No church in history or in anywhere in the world has been immune to it.  You may remember that since Gen. 3 our central human problem is that "self" gets in the way.  We want things our way.  We tend to be convinced that "we have it right" and others have it wrong.  When God forgives our sin and begins this process of our remaking, self is the biggest issue he must deal with – so "self" is the thing that keeps popping up in our relationships until we become fully like Jesus.  So, when this kind of division arises – as it always will – what do we do?

Part 2:  What to do when people don't agree -- ... you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!... Agree with each other in the Lord (4:1-2).

I want you to see that with great passion and deep, deep affection for these women and for the church, Paul challenged the church with two things: 1) the general call is to stand firmly together in the Lord (just like 1:27-30) and the particular call is to help these two women to come to one mind (just like 2:3-11).  But how?  Let me show you how Paul went about it.  It might help us!

Step 1:  Start with the big picture, the "Big God Story"  Therefore...(4:1)

Do you see that he doesn't get to the issue until chapter 4?  For three chapters Paul has been giving a comprehensive worldview that should be understood and embraced by all who follow Jesus.

I know that many, many pragmatic Americans may not like this idea -- that we have to fit the particular problem into our larger understanding of what God is doing – but the Bible insists that the way we live must flow from what we believe. But, in our society, we want quicker fixes: "Just tell me what to do," some insist.  "Don't teach me all this world view stuff!"  But, we must know what is at stake or the individual steps will seem so trivial – and ultimately, not helpful.

So – therefore...  What has Paul been teaching?  Let me try to summarize it:  The good news of God's grace through faith in Jesus has come to you and you've been drawn together into a local family in your city.  The beginnings were hard but God called us together and – even though we really are a "piece of work" -- God promises us that he will complete the work he started in us.  So, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of this calling.  We sinners are only in this family of God by God's grace – so... do nothing out of vain conceit or just to get you own way.  God is still working in us all so we have a great future but nothing in our past lives without Christ to boast about.

And as fellow citizens in God's kingdom, we're going to live together forever.  But, as Jeff Liou taught last week, while we have life in this world, there is still much God would have us do, much to learn, and much to become.  And we are to do, learn and become together.  Therefore... my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord (4:1).

Notice that what the Bible calls for is one mind "in the Lord".  It doesn't mean we have to agree about everything – or become best friends with the one we're struggling with (though that could happen).  But, it means that the central things of the Lord that brought us together – the truths of the gospel centered in the person and work of Jesus – must unite us and will never allow us to live as divided people in God's family.  We are fellow citizens of an eternal family, Paul says.

How heavenly will heaven be if we don't get our relationships right with people we will be with for eternity?   Do you know the old story about us going to heaven and meeting Peter?  He shows us around the various suburbs of heaven.  "Who lives over there?" we ask.  "Oh, those are the Presbyterians.  They like it with order and peace and quiet."  "And those?"  "Those are the Pentecostals.  They like to have a little more exuberance and sing lyrics to songs more than once."  "And it looks like someone might be back there behind that hill hidden from view."  "Oh, be quiet if you're close to them.  They're the Congregationalists.  They think they're the only ones up here.  They wouldn't be happy if they thought they were going to have to live for eternity with Presbyterians and Pentecostals."

So, we must always start with God's big story.  We are fellow recipients of God's mercy though we don't deserve it.  We are co-workers in God's mission both standing together against a world often hostile to Jesus – as well as those who carry together the reconciling message of Jesus to our world.  We are fellow recipients of God's Spirit.  We have our names together eternally in God's book of life. Bottom line: We must do all we do in the light of the gospel of Jesus – and that will never allow us to be divided from one another. In other words, it is not an option to live with division.  Division is completely inconsistent with the Lord Jesus we know -- who is the head of this church.

Step 2:  Be the one who takes the first step toward reconciliation -- even if you think 99% of the problem is the other person. If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift (Matt. 5:23-24).

I move away from the Philippians text for just a moment to look at the words of Jesus.  I think the situation in Philippians had become so entrenched that neither party was willing to own any of the problem.  So, you may already be in a broken relationship from another believer in which you really think it's all – yes, all -- his/her fault.  If so, skip this part of the sermon.  But, if you still see you have some role to play in it all, then...

Jesus is saying that when we know we are not of one mind with a brother or sister, we should never write them off and have nothing to do with them.  Instead, he directs us to go to them and seek peace.  But, when you go, go with the mind of Christ and with the humility that the grace of God demands from us all.  Go with much prayer and see what God will do.  Of course, the other person may not respond.  In that situation, other steps will have to be taken.  But, the initial step that Jesus calls for is the humility and courage to take the first step toward peace.

Now – back to Philippians 4:  If the issue is so entrenched that each one thinks the other person is wholly responsible for the division...

Step 3:  "Those who are spiritual" must identify the problem and call it out.

Remember that this was a letter that was to be read to the entire church.  It would have been a setting not unlike our church services.  Imagine the singing being done -- the offering taken.  And, now this message from the founding pastor is being delivered.  Good theology is being taught. "Isn't this nice," you think.  Then boom, "I love you but I plead with Euodia and I plead with Synthyche to be of one mind. "

You see, throughout the reading of this letter, an elephant had been in the worship center of that church.  Everyone knew it was there but everyone tried to ignore it.  Two main leaders did not have one mind and it was harming the church.  Can you imagine this happening?  What if I preached a sermon talking about theology?  You're sitting in the pew taking notes and suddenly I say, "Now I've got to talk about some people who are problems in our church" – and then you heard me announce you as being one of them!  I'll bet you wouldn't be dozing off!  But this is what happened in Philippi.

In our sermon prep group, we asked, "Weren't there other people in the church who were not of one mind with one another?"  The answer to that surely is yes.  Why then did Paul pick these two out?  I'm pretty sure the answer is that this was a disagreement that was affecting the whole church.  Both were among the founders of the church.  They may have had relatives in the church.  They had people who looked to them for guidance.  And, the sides were probably growing apart.  Obviously, Paul felt the matter was so serious that it could not be swept under the rug.

This is the only time in all Paul's letter that faithful coworkers in the churches are identified and named in this way.  People teaching heresies or opposing the gospel are sometimes named. But, only here do we see beloved followers of Jesus named and called to be reconciled to one another. In this, I see a basic principle:  When we see people in the church divided, we dare not ignore the situation.  But the public calling out should be only as public as the affect of the dispute.  In other words, we shouldn't have a regularly scheduled time in our worship services when we call out the names of everyone who is struggling in a relationship with someone else in the church.  More often, this should happen within a circle of Christian friends – or in a small group.  But, division cannot simply be ignored.

As shocking as this public calling out may seem to have been, I want you to see how Paul goes about it.  He doesn't take sides.  Instead, he addresses each one by name and in the same way.  I plead with you – and I plead with you."  I'm quite sure each of the women didn't appreciate Paul refusing to take her side.  But he refuses to do so.  These are two sisters in Christ he loves and respects.  Did you notice the language of affection in v. 1? You whom I love and long for, my joy and crown.  And he wanted the whole church to know how much he valued them as his co-workers and his fellow members in God's book of life.  Paul didn't want to lose either of them.

But, the problem was serious.  Eternal damage was being done to the name and work of God. I'm convinced that one of the biggest problems in the contemporary church is our tendency to ignore divisions.  The Bible shows us a better way to do life together.

Step 4:  Do not leave divided people alone. Provide someone(s) to help. I ask you, loyal yokefellow-- help these women (3:3a).

It's clear that Paul was convinced that these women were no longer able or willing to resolve the conflict on their own.  They needed someone each of them respected – someone in the church community who would be a loving but firm guide to help them come to reconciliation.  This point helps us see how deeply this situation had gone into the church. And Paul wasn't the one to do it in this case – perhaps because he was too far away or perhaps because he was to close to both people.  Paul says, "Yes – right now – yokefellow (either the person's name or the nickname a man in the church was known by):  Grab hold of this."  The word translated "help" means that – "grab the situation".  Paul feared that his dearly loved friends would move so far apart that eternal damage would be done.

My experience is that a disagreement left unaddressed grows into a disagreement in which each side sees only the other person's flaws.  We become blind to our own complicity and need others to help us see.  This probably is what is happening in Washington right now in our debt ceiling debate, i.e., each side sees the others' failures and misperceptions so clearly that they cannot see their own.  The people they talk to only reinforce the one side.  The two sides move so far apart that it would be very humbling to pull back and say, "I need to re-think this thing."

But, that dare not happen in a church family made up of people gratefully following the humble Lord Jesus.  While we are being remade through Christ, we need one another to help us see our own blind sports.  This is God's call to be a community in action.  We have to find the humility, the love, and the courage to speak truth into the lives of those who are divided from another brother and sister.

Step 5:  Never give up on your church family – never give up obeying the Bible's directives. Help these women... whose names are in the book of life (4:3).

Paul refused to give up on either woman involved in the disagreement.  He said, "Their names are in God's book of life." Paul is calling us to see one another with God's eyes.  Reconciliation would be hard – but it must happen.  Indeed, it will happen.  Here in ch. 4, we begin to see a new aspect of what Paul meant in 1:6 when he said, "I am confident of this: that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."  We can rejoice even though, as we look at a situation with human eyes, it seems impossible.  But, God has already said that he will complete his work – and that means in this situation, God will not leave his children in division.  So, we launch into the reconciliation work with the certainty but God goes with us too.

I do believe that one reason why American churches rarely see true and beautiful reconciliation happen among us is that we can simply go up the street to another church and stay in conflict.  We saw in Galatians 6 that few churches experience the beauty of people being restored to service because we do not stick with one another until God does his work in us.  So too, we often fail to see reconciliation because one party or the other gets angry and leaves before God's reconciling work is completed.

God's renewing grace -- God takes sinners, forgives us, and renews us for service.  We saw it a few weeks ago.  Wasn't it beautiful?  It only happens as we simply and faithfully follow the teaching of Scripture:  "When a brother is caught in sin, you who are spiritual must restore him."

God's reconciling power  -- God takes people broken from him and disagreeing with one another -- forgives us, makes us right, and makes us one.  It happens only when we simply and humbly follow the teaching of Scripture:  When sisters (or brothers) are not of one mind, help them stand firm together in the Lord.  May we see it happen – over and over again – in this place.