Everything's Possible - Day 30

Philippians 4: 2 Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. 3 And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life.
4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.

Who are these people? Let’s take a look. Paul names two women who had worked with him and apparently were at odds. Their quarrel may have been a key reason why Paul wrote this letter. They would have been leaders in the Philippian church. By addressing their dispute in a letter to the entire congregation, it seems Paul was encouraging accountability.

It is pretty well considered that these women were leaders in the church and, as such, seemed to be beyond the words that Paul mentioned in other letters about women not speaking in church. He felt that working beside these women was worthy of note, and therefore we should take seriously women who work for Christ through the church. His statements about women not speaking in the church come from the letters to the Corinthian church, where there were known to be many mystery cults where women were encouraged to lead. It is reasonable to think that he was not making universal comments about women in the church but speaking directly to the context in which the Corinthian church found itself.

Paul wants these two women to agree in the Lord. There is nothing worse than a church divided, a church fighting, and a church that cannot agree. Nothing is of greater joy for Satan than watching people who have found grace fight amongst themselves. Churches can be difficult places for people to get along, and it is always discouraging when churches or people within the church fight.

What is the best way to help people to get along? One of the ways we talk about a lot here at Crosswalk is to make sure that we are always looking toward the horizon that God has called us toward. It is easy to get lost in the weeds of what the right way to do something is, who likes what, and how we can do things better. All good conversations, but when we forget where we are going, they become arguments for argument's sake, and that does not do anyone any good!

So, we are to keep pressing on toward the goal that God has set for us, and that is different for every community and for every one of us. But the end goal is important to continue to keep in sight.

1. What do you believe is the end-goal that God has called you to? 
2. How can you make that happen? What steps are you able to take to make that happen?
3. Have you ever been in an argument in church that could have been handled better and created a bigger impact if you had?