Christ with individual members placed in the body as pleaseth the Lord so that it may function to the end of manifest ing the likeness of Christ to the world. The passages selected for this week’s lesson portray life in the early church, and afford the teacher a splendid oppor tunity to show what true fellowship among believers ought to be like today. Fellowship has been suggestively defined as two fellows in a ship. If two fellows in a ship are to get along well there must be co-operation. If the two fellows get to fighting the ship may capsize and total loss result. So it is in the church. If success is to be achieved in witnessing for the Lord there must be harmony among the members. Such ideas are pre sented in this lesson. An Exhortation to Unity in Testimony Phil. 1:27-30 Evidently the Apostle Paul expected soon to visit the Philippians again to aid them in spiritual growth. But he indi cates that they were not to depend upon his coming for incentive to Christian service. They were all the while to let their conversation, or manner of life as the Revision has it, he such as to be a good advertisement for the gospel of Christ. God expects every believer’s life to harmonize with the profession he has made. We are expected to “ adorn the
doctrine of God our Saviour in all things” (Tit. 2:10). James tells us that “ faith without works is dead” (Jas. 2:20,26). Believers ought not to let anything stand between them and their giving forth a united witness for the gospel. It may cost some persecution. It did in the case of Paul (v. 30). It is only the coward who gives his back to the enemy when circumstances are difficult. An Exhortation to a Consideration In their relation to one another, be lievers are to exemplify an unselfish spirit. They are to act in harmony with the mind of Christ which is in them. There is no room for jealousy here. So often believers allow themselves to stoop to comparing themselves with other be lievers in the matter of possessions, po sition, and ability. Ofttimes envy results and the Spirit of God is grieved. The last word of this section may well be considered as the keynote of the section —“ others” . This was the keynote of our Lord’s life. In a lesser degree it was also the keynote of the Apostle Paul’s living. So it should be ours. How prone to selfishness most of us are! An Exhortation to Heed the Perfect Example This great doctrinal section of Scrip ture was the result of a practical need which Paul sensed in the lives of the Philippians and of all believers. We all need to be humble like Christ was. We need His mind, His attitude toward oth ers. Thus we have presented in these passages the self-emptying of Christ (vv. 5-8). He did not, of course, empty Himself of deity but of the outward manifestations of deity, of His divine prerogatives. He took the place of sub jection and became a servant. This is the way to exaltation in God’s plan. Following His utter humiliation, Christ was then lifted to the place of exalta tion (2:9-11). Believers are exhorted to follow the example of their Lord (2:5). The tree that bears the most fruit bends the lowest. of Others Phil. 2:1-4 Helps for the Children Working Together in the Church Acts 4:32-37; Phil. 2:3, 4 Memory Verse: “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord” (Psalm 122:1). After the Lord Jesus Christ returned to His Father in Heaven, His followers went everywhere preaching the Word. Soon small groups of believers formed churches that they might worship and serve Him more acceptably. Some of the new Christians were wealthy in ma terial possessions ; others were very poor. The love for one another of these new followers of God’s Son was so great that those who owned houses or lands sold their possessions and brought the money
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