As we begin our Pastors School with Jimmy Evans, my heart is full as I consider the two men I am here with. They are the delight of my heart as a spiritual dad, and I am blessed to experience this conference with them.
The Apostle Paul so wanted the church and it’s leaders to build healthy relationships as part of the foundation for a healthy church. As he wrote to the Philippians about the importance of working towards building unity amongst leaders and the church in Philippi, I wanted to share the scripture I was reading this morning to encourage you all to work at building your own unity amongst other believers. Remember Jesus said it was through our “Love For One Another” that the world would be able to see the nature and character of God. May that happen in us today!
Phil 2:1- Unity through Humility
Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ?
Any comfort from his love?
Any fellowship together in the Spirit?
Are your hearts tender and sympathetic?
[3] Don’t be selfish; don’t live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself.
[4] Don’t think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing.
Paul’s heart was to get believers to love each other so passionately from the heart they could overlook the things that seem out-of-place or flaws in others. When our relationships grow deeper because of our relationship in Christ, it changes the very fabric of our nature. If we are honest we will admit our nature still needs remodeling.
From my perspective, there is one major area we so need to contend with and Paul nailed it to the wall – “Don’t be Selfish”. After living for over 64 years, I still see this flaw in my character, that I constantly do battle with. My selfishness didn’t die when I came to Christ, it really became exposed.
Through that exposure, I have a choice to either seek God’s help in overcoming it or try by my own self-will to dominate it. Let me tell you from my own mouth that to challenge selfishness in your own soul, without the help of the Holy Spirit, is foolishness. The only one capable of challenging such a monster is God. Although He needs our cooperation, it is the work of the Holy Spirit in our souls that make us the victors.
So let me close with this thought. These two pastors that are with me have the same heart as I do. We all want the Holy Spirit’s help to make us the men God dreams of. When we cooperate with the Holy Spirit, something wonderful happens – We end up loving each other is such a way that it takes us beyond surface relationships, to a depth that is both life-giving and life-receiving.
May we all take Paul’s challenge to be more like Jesus today!
Pastor Dale
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