If There Is Any

"Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose." Philippians 2:1-2 NASB

I have quoted the entire sentence here, but want to work only with the first verse in this post. These questions are all rhetorical. They have an obvious answer. Of course these all exist in Christ! Notice what things are mentioned: encouragement, love, fellowship, affection and compassion. These things are in Christ. They are matters of the heart and emotion - not matters of the intellect. They are the motives we begin to live out of in Christ.

I think all too often, we believe this is the way the church should treat us, and it is. But we do not realize that this is talking about things that are to be ours in Him - not just in His people. When we expect these matters to be ours from other people, we are missing a huge segment of what our life in Christ is really all about. It is about us in Him, and Him in us! These elements, encouragement (your version may have comfort here. That is because it is the same word in the Greek - so interchangeable in translation), love, fellowship (participation), affection and compassion are give to us in Christ. As we spend time in Him, privately and personally, these characteristics go deep into our being and begin to fill us in all our heart, motives and emotions.

Therefore, when we interface in our lives with others, we are not dependent upon them for any of these things. We have already received them from Christ Himself, and it is our joy to flow in them with others. One of the difficulties in our modern fellowships, is the tendency to lean on other human beings for these things. If they are being received in the prayer closet, then they can be expressed safely and in joy with others.

So I believe as we lean into our Lord for the elements listed, we are not so hard on the church and we are able to flow within the elements - regardless of what other folk do. There is just no substitute for shared time - Him and me. Sometimes in my schedule I "run" too much. First I need to receive, then I can "be." We have an amazing Lord who loves us so deeply, and has provided all for us. What joy to allow Him to be who and what He is in us. I can sense His smile. We are getting this!