Epi.10 Growing Within to Grow and Go Out and About

[HKHaugan]

Epi. 10 Growing Within to Grow and Go Out and About

If you have ever been swimming in the ocean at night you know that the swirling of your arms causes you to light up. Movement in the water causes certain microorganisms to be jostled and emit a phosphorescent light. The more modern term is bio-luminescence (with or without the hyphen). It’s one of God’s amazing physical phenomena. What a parallel this is spiritually. If you think about it, disciples are like microorganisms in the larger world. The world jostles us and our reaction to its pressures swirling about us, again hopefully, causes us to be phosphorescent, the light of the world reflecting the Light of the world (Matt.5:14). We need to glow in the darkness around us. You know how they say in the secular world, if you want to find out the truth, ‘follow the money?’ Well, in the spiritual world, if you want to find the truth, it’s ‘follow the Light.’ So what follows here, hopefully, is another lighted insight that helps us see more clearly into the Scripture and the insights waiting to be revealed. That is, if we are spiritually attuned. That’s how we approach the next passage, Php.4:1-9.

But first, we need to look at Paul’s language style because it comes to us in English and our language captures it so we can better understand the Spirit’s style. Paul gives us things in three’s. Our language does that in sentence structure. There is a subject, a verb and an object. The subject is the theme that the verb directs to activate an idea, a place or a thing. Even in two word sentences there is a ‘three’ involved. Take the shortest verse in the New Testament, “Jesus wept (Jn.11:35).” Jesus is the subject, the verb is wept and the object is its meaning. Say something simple like “Peter ran” or “Mary hesitated” or “Bill played.” The point is the context which gives the two words their meaning. In the case of Jesus it was the preceding event of the death of Lazarus that gave the two words their context. In Peter’s case it was his fear of the people finding something out about him. In Mary’s case she had observed an event that caused her to wonder if she should say anything about it. You can even make one word a sentence as in an exclamation like ‘Wow!’ It too is a response to an event. Regardless of those grammarial exceptions we have a theme, a verb to activate it and the resulting objective, the point we are expressing. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (Jn.14:6). The point is, everything has a three-part blend: (1)its origin, (2)its presence and (3)its purpose. Thus each of us is (1)designed by the Designer, to be (2)a living breathing image of Him, (3)doing His will of loving and sharing Him.

Why this ponderous opening?

It’s to identify the spiritual image of God in us; mind, heart and spirit. This is the lead-in to a number of passages that carry this Trinitarian theme. As disciples we have blocks of passages that give us a context, a theme, a way to feel the wholeness of the presence of God. In the last presentation using 2Cor.10, that whole chapter followed the ‘Three’ idea. That idea was like a light that enabled me to see the importance of the word ‘context.’ How we approached the subject of strongholds gave us a light into the passage we want to look at next, Philippians 4:1-9. It is divided into three paragraphs; vss.1-3, 4-7 and 8-9.

Vs.1-3 The Spirit

Paul knows immediately this is a spiritual problem. So Paul’s appeal is for the two women, Synteche and Euodia to agree. That agreement has three objectives. Spiritual healing, personal healing and relational healing. First, the agreement is not just that their minds come to some logical relational conclusion, a secular approach. Their spirits need to be involved before they can deal with their hearts. This is where secular agreement breaks down. The failure of a secular solution (like, ‘just say you’re sorry’) is the absence of its spiritual sourcing. What happens is that secular agreement involves giving in so that one or the other is a winner and loser. It actually means that both lose. It involves ‘swallowing your pride’ so both truth and honesty lose. Ego is not really dealt with. It’s agreement without resolution of the real problem which involves the heart and spirit as well. The basis of the disagreement which lies hidden within is still there. The ego justification goes on inside on both sides. What usually happens is the smartest, the powerful personality, the fear of what others think, the insecurity of one’s own emotional state, like ‘agreeing for the sake of the children’ or ‘keeping the peace,’ take the prize. That’s why neither one, nor their family or friends, wins. Not only that but the dynamics of a truce relationship are spread around to others and, if children are involved, it becomes their way to operate. The elephant in the room is still there for everyone. Nothing is resolved.

Paul knows the drill. They need an outside source. Speaking from his own experience (Rom.7) he counsels them “to agree with each other in the Lord.” This is the mind being aware of the Lord and His presence, the spiritual perspective.

Now when you take a spiritual course there is an authority who has complete knowledge of the situation as well as the inner mind and heart of each person. The Lord knows them better than they know themselves. So agreement starts with whether or not they truly believe and trust in the Lord. What a time for each to go back into their conversion experience and share it with one another. That will lead to where they are emotionally in whatever has divided them. Whatever the root of their problem, it might surface. The Holy Spirit can bring things out of the heart that need healing. The consciousness of Jesus walks through that process with us. It could also start if we share our experience of Him. However, the agreement sought starts with the knowledge of, and centering in, the Lord.

Vs.4-7 The Heart

What Paul discerns in the Synteche/Euodia situation is a heart problem. This is where spiritual healing gives us the basis for personal healing. Personal healing is when the heart is involved. The strongholds that bind the heart often cause surface disagreements to obscure the real causes behind relational hurts. They interrupt our relational unity, our heart unity. Many of our pre-Jesus attitudes still lie dormant within the heart and the tempter finds a way to irritate and dredge them up into our consciousness. Our weaknesses are the battleground he chooses to draw us into. Weaknesses are where our guilt lies.

So what is Paul’s remedy? Guess what. It’s threefold.

First, it’s consciousness of the presence of the Lord, the One who saved them. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” Their joy is not found in the problem but in Him. “The joy of the Lord is your strength (Neh.8:10).’

Second, “Don’t be anxious about anything, but in everything, give thanks with prayer and petition, presenting your petition to the Lord.” He also directs the Thessalonians to do the same (1Thess.5:18). Third, expect God’s peace when you go through this process. “The God of peace will be with you.” However that peace takes shape, it will happen. That’s what faith is all about.

Vs.8-9 The Mind

So, by the time the two adversaries have found spiritual and personal reality in their relationship with Jesus, their minds will be open to seeing what is really lurking behind their differences. Here is where Paul emphasizes the means to a well trained maturing mind. He brings us seven correctives for building a mind oriented in the spirit. He introduces them with a ‘whatever.’ Whatever we are faced with. Whatever the issue. Whatever the concern. Paul’s seven injunctions are the training ground to form that spontaneity we have been talking about. The spontaneity to think spiritually before anything else.

First, whatever is true (Gk.aleitha). The first principle. Jesus is the definition of truth as He said in John 14:6. So the character of Jesus is present in the Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of truth (Jn.15:26). The other idea of truth comes in Jesus’ Gethsemane prayer when He asks the Father to sanctify believers with the truth because the Word of the Father is truth (Jn.17:17). That’s the Scripture. Jesus is the picture of truth, the Holy Spirit the conveyor of truth through the Word. In other words, study the word, think Scripturally. Actually that’s exactly what this series has been about, spiritual awareness through the Word.

Second, whatever is noble, worthy of putting your life on the line for (Gk.semna). What are the foundational spiritual virtues? Jesus’ basic commandments are a good start, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself (Mt.22:37).” Just pursuing those thoughts in Scripture will take your mind across the spectrum of you own experience and the challenges the Lord presents as you do. Surprise your self by journeying through those passages as you discover how it is uniquely meant for you.

Third, whatever is right (Gk.dikaia-also just). Being right is our basic need. To ponder what it means to be right, just, in your evaluation of situations and people. Wisdom is a spiritual gift in the treasury of the Holy Spirit available at all times in the pondering process. The best way to think of being right is to put the accent on faith exercised in every next moment.

Fourth, whatever is pure (Gk.agna). Jesus tells us, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God (Mt.5:8).” This is the tricky one because everyone wants their motivations to be seen as heartfelt. It’s all in the attitude we carry into any relationship. Are we cynical, skeptical, biased, fearful, trusting, open, welcoming, to name a few? Jesus’ purity can be seen in His way of meeting people in every walk of life. Purity is a virtue developed by practice. We start by seeing everyone as an image of God and letting the Holy Spirit discern them through us. No one ever gets it perfect which is why the Lord has given us His Spirit.

Fifth, whatever is lovely (Gk.prosphilei). The Greek root philos connotes brotherly love. So whatever brings about this kind of horizontal affection for both the brothers and sisters in the Body is our goal. So many things Jesus teaches about that kind of love for our neighbor (all images of God). This is not sentimentality. This is actually ‘boots-on-the-ground’ action on behalf of anyone in need, believer or non-believer. It can be material, emotional or spiritual in nature. It’s being on the ready in every next moment.

Sixth, whatever is admirable (Gk.eupheima). What common virtues are held up as earning respect and noting as something to embrace for one’s own self improvement? The discernment necessary is that which feels the reality of those virtues in others as opposed to those who try to put on a show for their ego’s sake. Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Lk.18:9-14) shows the heart difference and gets us to check where we might be in our heart.

Seventh, ‘whatever’ is understood as the inclusion of anything that is excellent (Gk.arete) and praiseworthy (Gk.epainos). Paul’s wrap-up here leads us to look at the rest of the Scriptures for those values that enable us to be the light Jesus anointed us for when He sent His Holy Spirit to be our companion, our Counselor (Gk.parakletos Jn.14:26). Of all seven he tells us to think and consider these things (Gk.logizesthe). Again the logi part is to logically order how we think and be ready to apply them in the 3W mission, the wherever, whatever, whoever we find ourselves dealing with. Paul closes with the challenge to use him as an example. Time to be phosphorescent in the world of darkness with our lighted tuxedo of spiritual clothing.