Title: Lessons on Humility (Phil 02:1-4)
Contents 1. Paul gives the following important guidelines for believers who are brothers in Christ to practice in the life of the church.
(1). The first is... exhortation in Christ.
Saints should exhort one another, but not in any other form or obtained from other sources that the Bible does not say, but only in Christ.
(2).The second is ‘comfort in love’.
Believers should comfort their brothers who are in a weak state while living their faith, but act with love (Ephesians 5:2).
(3). The third is 'the fellowship of the Holy Spirit'.
Those who become Christians have the Holy Spirit who indwells them (Romans 8:9, 1 Corinthians 3:16). Therefore, Christians must obey the work of the Holy Spirit and have fellowship in him.
(4).The fourth is 'mercy or mercy'.
Gonghyul refers to the heart, intestines, and heart.
This shows that ‘compassion’ is a deep love that comes from the depths of the heart.
On the other hand, ‘mercy’ means a special compassion, that is, compassion for the weak.
The saints should be able to have a broad heart that knows how to show mercy and mercy when they see the weak or those in difficult circumstances.
(5).The four elements mentioned in this world are important principles that apply to each other. The saints should use these principles as a guide for church life to build up the church and build beautiful human relationships with neighbors.
2. What is the most important virtue in fellowship between saints (2-4)
(1). The church, as the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:23), must above all maintain unity.
If the members do not become one mind and one accord and are divided in disagreements, conflicts, and confrontations, the church loses its mission and position as a church.
(2). Paul was more aware of this fact than anyone else, so he said he was aiming for a mature faith at the time, but on the other hand, he told the Philippians who were in the midst of strife and discord (4:2) to each other, 'Be of the same mind. ' He exhorted (verse 2).
(3) However, in order for the saints to have the same heart, first, each person needs to have an attitude of 'humility' that allows them to consider others better than themselves and take care of others' circumstances (3,4). They cannot have one heart, but rather envy, quarrels, and conflicts.
4. Therefore, the most important virtue to be valued in fellowship among believers is humility.
(5). Saints who act humbly love each other and have one heart, and when the church achieves unity in this way, the church grows naturally.
(6). The reason that the early church was born is because the saints gathered in the upper room first prayed with one mind and one heart with a humble attitude (Acts 1:14).
And even after the Day of Pentecost, the number of those who were being saved increased every day because the saints who were saved shared their hearts with each other and prayed together (Acts 2:42-47).
(7). Therefore, all believers today must learn humility first of all in their life of faith (see Matthew 23:12).-Amen-