HEALING THINKING AND BEAHAVIOUR

Philippians Chapter Four

2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

THIS TEACHING STARTED OUT AS A RESPONSE TO A FIGHT BETWEEN TWO SISTERS IN THE CHURCH IN PHILIPPI.

· It must have been a long standing disagreement because Paul was in Rome and these two ladies were in Macedonia and he was writing assuming that whatever it was between them had taken on a permanent format.

· These two were not people who didn’t know better. They were fellow workers in the cause of Christ. (Remember that the church in Philippi was started with a bunch of women who used to go out from the town to pray.)

· This was a problem that had been allowed to remain and it was obviously continuing to affect the church, but had not been resolved.


· This is a good down to earth example of what happens when we find ourselves operating in consistent dysfunction. This disagreement was saying something about the women and it was saying something about the church.

· All dysfunction needs attention, otherwise it will continue to needlessly limit the effectiveness of the church.

· So often we alternatively choose to live with the dysfunction and when we do that for too long it becomes as normal for us.

· When we make dysfunction normal, we will certainly see it being reproduced in the people around us and the people who look to us for their values.




4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.


SIX IMPORTANT PERSONAL INITIATIVES

1. DETERMINE TO FIND THE JOY THAT COMES FROM JESUS, RATHER THAN FROM CIRCUMSTANCES (4)

2. ALLOW GENTLENESS DOMINATE YOUR APPROACH RATHER THAN DESTRUCTIVE REACTIVE EMOTIONS (5)

3. DECIDE TO LOOK AT THESE ISSUES IN THE LIGHT OF THE IMMANENT COMING OF CHRIST RATHER THAN ALLOWING THE PRESENT MOMENT TO REPRESENT TOTAL REALITY (5)

4. GET TO A PLACE OF PRAYER INSTEAD OF SITTING AROUND GETTING ANXIOUS (6,7)

5. FOCUS YOUR MIND ON EVERYTHING THAT WILL HELP RESOLVE THE ISSUE RATHER THAN THE THINGS THAT WILL CONTINUE TO DESTROY (8)

6. MAKE SURE YOU ARE DOING EVERYTHING YOU KNOW RATHER THAN WORRYING ABOUT ALL THE THINGS YOU DON’T KNOW (9)