WEEK FIVE
Day Four
DAILY SCRIPTURE
Philippians 4:3
LEADER GUIDE QUESTIONS
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Know: Read Philippians 4:1-3
Note: Read slowly, carefully marking keywords.
Stand fast, Euodia, Syntyche, labored, Clement
Observation: Study notes below for context.
Who are the people Paul mentioned?
Why does Paul urge the women to be at peace with one another?
What: How can we live at peace with one another? Do you live at peace with everyone? What steps can you take to do so?
“Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved. I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.” Philippians 4:1-3
Stand fast in the Lord… In light of the church being citizens of heaven, their Lord was Jesus, not Ceasar. One day, King Jesus would return and bring anything that is not right, the light and rule of heaven, to bear on the whole world.
Paul immediately urges two dear friends, women, to get along and to have the same mind. Here, he was in prison, and his thought was for the peace of two women in disunity within the church. They must have been at a deadlock, and it became a point of concern for the church to report about it to have Paul intervene. "Stay focused, ladies. What matters?" I can hear Paul saying. As a leader, I want everyone to live at peace with one another so that the church can grow healthy. When two people are angry, it feels like all work has to come to a standstill for the conflict to be resolved. For a leader, it takes a toll on the mind and body. I can imagine how pained Paul was to hear about these two women's disagreement.
There is nothing more sad than people fighting within a church. I have experienced friends getting angry with me or the pain of gossip or slander hitting my ears, throwing me into turmoil when I believed all was well. A few years ago, while in the middle of decorating for a women's retreat, I was walking down a hallway when two close friends were talking about me. All had been going well, and then I entered this impassioned conversation where the younger woman heatedly told the older woman that she wanted me out. She wanted control of the event and felt like her ideas were better and stylish- I was getting in her way. I listened for about five more minutes and then realized that the longer I stood there, the more I would have to forgive. The hurt almost made me quit that day, but I went home and sat with Jesus. His love and compassion filled my heart for both women. I had organized that event so women would be reminded of the love of God so that they would live from love, not from their emotions. I gathered the ladies together the next day, and I had them speak value over all the women and then pray for them- when we were done praying, I felt the atmosphere shift, and suddenly, smiles were on everyone's faces, and we were all focused. I never had to mention the conversation I overheard.
Recently, I experienced anger from a friend who I never would have thought would get upset with me. I pursued her to sort out why she was angry and to ask for forgiveness for anything I may have done to offend. When we got to the heart of her offense, after she was reassured of my love and peace, she could reason to sort out what caused the offense. It boiled down to her not feeling prioritized in my life. Little thoughts of insecurity had begun to pile up in her mind until it was a full-blown offense. It almost seemed silly after, but it was a big deal to her. It threw her out of peace with me.
This is how offenses work. Within my marriage, speaking for myself, if I am offended by my husband, it throws off our unity. I snap at him over things I would have laughed at a week before. His presence becomes annoying rather than a comfort. How does this happen? We don't argue very often, but when we do, I sometimes catch myself in a fight and realize we are fighting over nothing, allowing the devil to divide us. When things settle down, when we talk about it afterward, the root cause of the offense is always clear- I either felt misunderstood, undervalued, or neglected. We then work toward remedying that insecurity and reassuring one other of our love.
Live your life in a state of forgiveness with people to minimize offense in your heart. Some of us can find anything to be offended with. Somebody can walk past us without saying hello, and we can get offended by them. This makes it challenging to live in peace with others. How can people live at peace with a person who is constantly offended? Like Proverbs says, "A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, and contentions are like the bars of a castle." (Proverbs 18:19). "Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop, than in a house shared with a contentious woman" (Proverbs 21:9)," Do not strive with a man without cause, if he has done you no harm" (Proverbs 3:30).
When we position our hearts in forgiveness toward one another, we can express the love of God in relationships rather than petty offenses that may feed our offenses. When we look at people, and the temptation to find the negative or to nitpick them creeps in, we turn that criticism into praise. Find the value in that person and remind yourself of it- tell them what you see. That will settle any insecurity within them.
The value of women
The women in Paul's life, Euodia, and Syntyche, were two dear friends in disunity within the church. Despite being in prison, Paul was concerned about their relationship and urged them to reconcile and have the same mind.
It is remarkable how each writer of the Gospels opens with a story involving women. These stories not only reveal Jesus's true nature but also highlight the significant role women played in his life and ministry. Jesus restored the value religion had removed from women, and the Gospels tell of it.
Think of it: in the Jewish culture, worship was segregated. Women were not allowed to enter into the best part of the temple. When Jesus taught, he welcomed men and women - even going to those who would not come to him. When Jesus sat outside the treasury teaching about widows, he sat in the Women's Court. Jesus talked to women; this was astounding in a culture where men were not allowed to speak to them unless they were married to her. Jesus also defended women by healing and speaking up for them, women such as the one who bent over for eighteen years. Jesus told stories about women, He discipled them, He taught on faithfulness in a culture where men could legally abandon their wives for no cause, and Jesus commissioned women to preach the good news of the gospel.
Paul also greatly valued women. He worked alongside them and gave them positions of honor, making them deaconesses, elders, and pastors. The two women listed in this passage were those who labored with Paul, meaning they ministered with him—like him. Paul had no problem with women in leadership, as his letters tell if you read them correctly. Rather than confront the passages which seemingly would argue this point (I wrote about it in two blog posts called "Can women preach? and Should women remain silent?"),I want to mention a few women whom Paul did tell us about.
First of all, we get a glimpse of how spirited the women were when we recognize that they were among the many who were murdered at Paul's command before he came to Christ. They were only killed if they were publicly preaching the gospel.
In Romans, Paul identified 29 people. Some he greeted, some he highly praised. Among the groups he highly praised, 80 percent are women. According to Paul, women had as much influence as men and had equal stake in the church.
Phoebe was mentioned in Romans 16:1-2 in the same way Paul introduced Timothy or Epaphroditus. "I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea, that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever business she needs you; for indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself also." She had Timothy's duty- to read and explain Paul's instructions to the church. She would take questions and skillfully answer them. Romans was considered Paul's masterpiece, so the task of teaching would have landed on a very influential and skilled teacher- like Pheobe.
Junia is introduced to us at the end of Romans. Paul greeted her by name and mentioned that she had been in Christ before him, she'd spent time in prison with Paul, was mentioned as a great apostle, and "she is outstanding among the apostles." (Romans 16:7)
Mary, Tryphena, Tryphosa, and Persis were also mentioned as fellow servants of the Lord—ministers of the gospel.
Prisca is one of Paul's closest friends. You would know her as Priscilla. Paul called her by the pet version of her name, which expressed his fondness. She and her husband, Aquila, were church planters. Paul felt like her influence was owed a debt of gratitude. (Romans 16:3-5) She was considered Paul's "right-hand man," his equal, and said she risked her life for him. She was a pastor to the apostles, training Apollos and Ephesus, and she had two apostles, Andronicus and Junia, in her church. She was a super-pastor who raised giants in the faith.
Paul greeted, "Nympha and the church in her house." She was a church planter and pastor of that community.
Chloe is mentioned only once. We know of Pastor Chloe because she sent her people to inform Paul of the church's condition—there were quarrels in her church. Paul did not rebuke them for leaving a woman in charge; he credited the church with telling him about the problem so he could come help.
Lydia, we already met at the beginning of this study (Acts 16). In Revelation, we learn that a church had been planted in Thyatira. This was Lydia's hometown and was never visited by Paul, so it is very likely that Lydia planted that church.
Other women of influence are listed in scripture.
The apostle John addressed his second letter to "the lady chosen by God and to her children." He finished his letter by mentioning another "sister." Pastors received letters to the churches, so these women were the pastors John was writing to.
Miriam helped lead the children of Israel out of Egypt, and Deborah ruled the nation of Israel with strength and wisdom. Huldah was a prophetess who instructed men in the ways of God in the days of King Josiah; Queen Esther saved a nation; Ruth became a mother in the lineage of Jesus; and the woman at the well, Photini, became the first evangelist. Let us not forget that it was a woman whom Jesus stopped for on His way to sprinkle his blood on the Mercy seat in heaven.
Are women valuable? Can they lead and preach and pastor?