Transcript & Slides: Relating in Christ

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Relating in Christ
By David Feddes

I have a confession to make. When I have read the letters of the New Testament in the past, I've sometimes just fast-forwarded through the early parts of those letters, especially the letters of Paul. I always figured that Paul starts every letter pretty much the same way, so you hurry through that and get to the real meat of the letter—the places where he's correcting things and where he's revealing important doctrines and so on. But the openings of the letters—you could kind of ignore those because they were much the same.

But I've come to realize how important it is to understand why he opens the letters in that way. He starts almost every letter the same way. He says, "You're called as saints. I constantly thank God for you. I love you and I long to see you." He'll say that in a whole bunch of different ways. And he'll say, "Here are some of the outstanding qualities I see in you." He starts these letters the same way, or in a similar format, in almost all of the letters that he writes.

I'll just take a sample from Philippians since that's the letter we're going to be looking at in more detail in this talk:

So you see the pattern—how he says how much he loves them, how fantastic he believes they are, and what his desires and prayers are for them.

And Philippians is not the only letter where Paul talks this way. I'll just give you a sample of the other letters that he wrote:

To the believers in Rome, he says, "Your faith is famous. You and I can build each other's faith and gifts" (Romans 1:8–12).

To the Corinthians, he writes, "You are rich in faith, speech, knowledge, and abilities. You'll end up safe and spotless on judgment day" (1 Corinthians 1:4–9). Now we know from the later parts of the letter that there were all kinds of problems in Corinth. And yet he opens by saying how rich they are in Christ and how things are going to turn out for them on judgment day.

To the Ephesians, he had to write things like "Don't steal anymore, don't get drunk anymore." There were a lot of things he had to correct. But at the beginning of the letter, he says, "You have every spiritual blessing in Christ. Your faith and love fill me with thanks" (Ephesians 1:3, 15–16).

To the Philippians, as we've already seen, he says, "You're my gospel partners. God will finish what he started in you. My heart is full of Christ's affection for you" (Philippians 1:3–8).

To the Colossians, he writes, "You're faithful. You're family. I'm thankful for your faith, your hope, and your love" (Colossians 1:3–5).

To the Thessalonians, he writes, "I know God loves you and chose you. You imitate Jesus. You're an example for other people. Your faith is famous" (1 Thessalonians 1:2–8).

To the Thessalonians in his second letter, he says, "Your growth is amazing. You trust Jesus. You love each other. I brag to others about your bravery under fire" (2 Thessalonians 1:3–4).

To his good friend Timothy, whom he was mentoring, he says, "I love you, son. Seeing you makes me happy. You have what it takes" (2 Timothy 1:2–5).

To his friend Philemon, he says, "Brother, you're my dear fellow worker. Your love gives me comfort and joy. You refresh Christians' hearts" (Philemon 1:4–7).

Again and again and again, Paul opens these letters with expressions of his love and affection and compliments for the wonderful things that God is doing, and confidence that God's going to keep doing it and that great things are going to happen.

Now why does Paul do this? Well, maybe he was in advance of a technique that businesspeople are taught. They're taught to give a "compliment sandwich." If you're going to correct somebody, if you're going to criticize them or straighten them out, first say something really nice, then put in the thing that needs correcting, and then say something nice again. So that's what you mean by a compliment sandwich: say something nice, then get a point across, and then say something nice again.

But with Paul, it's not just a technique to put a little sugar around a bitter pill. He's saying these things because they're really true, and he's saying them because people need to hear them.

And we'll get into a little bit more why that is in a moment. We're going to talk about relating in Christ and do so from Paul's letter to the Philippians in particular. We've already seen that section where he's affirming the believers. And then we're going to go on to see some other things.

This isn't a complete outline of the letter. It's not meant to be a scholarly study of the letter. Instead, it's meant to just give a sample of how the apostle relates in various situations as it comes through in writing to the Philippians. He's affirming believers. He's rejoicing even where there's rival preachers. He's living for other people. He's sharing Christ's mind. God is at work within you. People are maturing together in Christ. He has tears over those who are enemies of the cross of Christ. And he sees a strong relationship between emotions and the way that we relate to people.

So beginning with the affirmation of believers and all the great things that he says to the Philippians—and then in the other letters that he writes as well—why does he do that? Well, because it's true, and it's truth that needs to be heard.

People need to be reminded of who they really are. Believers need to be told who you are. You need to hear that you're a saint or you'll have a hard time believing it. You need to hear that you're beloved of God or you may have a hard time believing it. You may need to hear that things are going to turn out for you well on judgment day. You need to be heard and encouraged.

C.S. Lewis wrote a series of children’s books, The Chronicles of Narnia. In those books, there are some characters who didn’t know who they were.

In The Horse and His Boy, there’s a boy named Shasta who grows up on a shore where he has never smelled anything except fish and fishy nets and has never been beyond there. He’s got a man who doesn’t even look like him, who claims to be his father, who beats up on him and treats him like a slave and makes him do tons and tons of work.

Well, Shasta runs away from home and finds out that man really wasn’t his father. And then he finds out about some evil plots and he helps rescue a neighboring kingdom from those evil plots. Finally, he’s brought into the presence of the king of Archenland, and the people all start cheering and get all excited when they see Shasta.

And Shasta could not understand why everyone stared at him nor what all the cheering was about. But it turned out that Shasta was actually Prince Cor of Archenland, who had been stolen as a baby. His twin brother had grown up without him. Then, when he was almost grown, they saw him and his twin brother and realized who he really was—and that this boy had saved their kingdom. They cheered and cheered for him, and he couldn’t understand why, because he didn’t know that his real name was Cor and that he really was the son of a king.

So too, Christians sometimes forget that we are sons and daughters of the King and that the King has great work for us. Sometimes we need people to cheer a little bit—people who recognize who we really are.

Or take another story of C.S. Lewis: The Silver Chair. In The Silver Chair, there is a man who has been brought under the spell of an evil witch, and he forgets who he is. His father was really the king of Narnia, but he had been enticed and trapped by this witch. Only for one hour a day would he remember who he was. And during that hour—just before that hour came on—he would be strapped in a silver chair. Then the enchantment would wipe out his memory and he’d go back to forgetting who he really was.

At any rate, there’s a band of people—children and others—who come and rescue him from that silver chair and free him from it. And they still don’t quite know who he is. But as soon as he’s free from the chair and has been freed by them, then he says, “I am Prince of Narnia. While I was enchanted I could not remember my true self.”

C. S. Lewis is communicating something very important in the character of Prince Rilian. So many of us forget who we are. We can’t remember our true self. And we need to be reminded. Sometimes we need other people to free us from the evil spell that has darkened our mind.

When you’re a saint, you need to be told you’re a saint. When you’re a child of God, sometimes you need to hear it or you forget it. And that’s why the apostle Paul opens his letters by telling people who they really are. He’s not just complimenting them to get on their good side before he says something kind of hard-hitting. Of course, he was a very wise man, and he knew good techniques and methods of communication. But the main reason why he affirms these believers is because it’s true—and because we need to know these truths about ourselves when we belong to Jesus. Or we forget him.

We forget Jesus, but in forgetting Jesus we forget who we are. And so, remember: you’re a saint, and you need to know it. And when you’re relating to others who are saints, tell them so. Even when they don’t seem very saintly, remind them who they are in Christ, and you will be relating to them in a way that brings out what is true, what is noble, what is good—that God has put in them.

Another thing you see in Paul’s relating is not just how he affirms people and reminds them who they really are and builds them up, but he also has a certain attitude towards rival preachers. He writes about how some people preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill (Philippians 1:15). There were some people who preached Christ because they were opponents of Paul, and they wanted to compete with him and preach better than he did and steal some of his people. Even when he was in prison or jail, they would try to steal his followers. They would preach sermons about Jesus Christ and look to get followers for themselves in their church who had previously belonged to Paul’s church.

So what’s Paul’s attitude?

“Well, what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice” (Philippians 1:18).

You rival preachers—yay, you’re preaching Christ! You may not have very good motives for it, but you’re doing it.

Now, notice what Paul’s doing here. He’s not cheering on people who are preaching false religion or are trying to lead people into phony beliefs. He’s cheering for people who really should have better motives.

I’ve got to be honest. Sometimes I get a little envious when people from my church decide that they’d rather go to a neighboring church. They like that church better or they like that preacher better. And I can learn a thing or two from Paul, where he says, “Hey…” And in those cases, I’m not even saying the preachers at those churches are trying to lure people away from mine. But preachers who are on the same side—who are on the side of Jesus Christ—can sometimes still feel like rivals.

And one of the great things about healthy relationships is you learn this attitude from the apostle. What’s it matter? If Christ is preached, I’m going to rejoice if they’re truly preaching Christ.

You see some similar things happen in other parts of the Bible, in stories about Moses. In the book of Numbers, the leaders of Israel are gifted for a time with the ability to prophesy. But there are two who weren’t with the rest of the group when that prophesying happened. And it’s reported to Moses: “Hey, Eldad and Medad are back in the camp and they’re not over here with us, and they’re prophesying over there. Tell them to quit” (Numbers 11:27–28). And Moses says, “Oh, I’m not going to tell them to quit. I wish all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” (Numbers 11:29).

You see how Moses relates? He says, “If God gives them the gift of prophesying, I’m glad. I’m not going to say, ‘Oh, you didn’t do it in the place where I thought you should, and you’re not one of my circle right here.’”

You see something in the New Testament where Jesus’ disciples report to him, “There was somebody who’s not of our group, and he was driving out demons, and we told him to stop.” And Jesus says, “Why’d you tell him to stop? Do not stop him. For whoever is not against you is for you” (Luke 9:49–50).

Just because he’s not part of the group that’s traveling with us doesn’t mean he’s not on God’s side.

So you see this attitude in Jesus, in Moses, in the apostle Paul: that we have allies. Don’t treat them like enemies. And sometimes the allies have mixed motives. Sometimes the preachers are kind of competing with each other—but get over it. What’s it matter? If Christ is preached, rejoice in that. Don’t rejoice in false religion being preached. But if there are true churches and true ambassadors of Christ who are preaching the Word, hey—we all have a little bit of a mixture of motives. Let’s be honest about that.

The apostle Paul was very noble and very pure. I’m not so noble. Other preachers are not so noble. The fact is, we may have bad motives. We may want to get noticed. We may want to compete and have a bigger church than the next guy. And we ought to repent for those things. But when we see that in others, let’s not judge them too quickly. Let’s instead say, “Hey, they’re preaching Christ. I’ll let the Lord sort out what’s going on in their hearts and what their motives are. But I’m just glad they’re preaching Christ.”

So part of relating is realizing that even if somebody is kind of a rival, if they’re a rival on the same side—if they’re fellow Christians and fellow Christian preachers—then rejoice when Christ is preached.

The apostle Paul goes on to say, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). He reflects a little bit on whether it’s better to die or to remain alive. And overall, he says he’d be better off dead. If he were dead, he’d be with Christ: “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body” (Philippians 1:23–24). So he knows he’s going to go on living for a while yet because God still has work for him to do and there are people who need him.

But notice what is going on in his mind. He says, “If I didn’t have a purpose here on earth, I’d already be with Christ because that’d be better.” If pleasure was his purpose, he’d already be dead and in heaven, because the pleasures there would be much greater. But God has something for him to do here. “I’m alive to serve Christ here. I’m alive to serve others here.”

And that’s part of being relationally fit—realizing that I’m here on earth not just to take up oxygen, not just to eat food, not to do this or that. I’m alive because “for me to live is Christ,” and I’m here to serve Christ. I’m alive here on earth because others still need me here on earth. I might not even understand all the purposes for which they need me, but I better start thinking about it because I’m still here. I’d be in heaven if God just wanted me to be perfectly happy and with him. But right now, he’s got other plans for me. He wants me to be serving him here on earth. He wants me to be serving others here on earth. So I’m here on earth to bless and serve others.

And if you go into it with that attitude—if you live saying, “You know what? God would already have me in heaven except for the fact that he still has people here who need me here on earth to bless them and to lead them closer to Christ”—that will transform your relationships and the way you see other people.

The apostle gets to the very core of healthy relating—of relational fitness—in Philippians 2, where he urges people to “have the same mind and the same love, being in full accord and of one mind” (Philippians 2:2). And then he says, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name” (Philippians 2:5–9).

He says, “Now have this mind in yourselves which is in Christ Jesus.” We saw in an earlier talk that we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). But we also need to be reminded: now that you have this mind of Christ, live this way. Have this attitude. Realize that you’re of the same mind with other people.

So when people are arguing or bickering with each other—like Euodia and Syntyche were—he says, “I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord” (Philippians 4:2). These are dear women. They’ve been partners in the Lord. They’ve been partners with me. Now I just want to urge you to be of the same mind in the Lord.

This is the key of it all, folks. When you have the mind of Christ, when you have the same mind as other people, when you have that mind that looks not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others (Philippians 2:4), then you're relating in Christ. Relating in Christ means always being aware that I have the mind of Christ, and I share in the same mind with other people who are in the Lord Jesus Christ.

And another thing that we find in Philippians is Paul saying that God is at work within us: “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Philippians 2:12–13). “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life” (Philippians 2:14–16).

Notice the key to it all: God works in you. God works in you—your willing, the things you want; your acting, the things you do—are according to his purposes because he’s working in you. And so when God’s working in you, then you don’t complain or argue as much. And you shine so that others are blessed by you.

You see, a lack of complaining, a lack of arguing is a big part of relational fitness. Who likes to be around a whiner all day? Who likes to be around somebody who’s always picking an argument or a fight? Well, if you’re someone in whom God is working, and you’re in tune with that working of God, then you’re going to do things without complaining and arguing, and you’re going to be holding forth the word of life, and you’re going to be shining like stars. You’re going to be the light of the world, because God’s at work in you and others are going to sense that.

And notice how Paul argues. He doesn’t just say, “Now people, quit griping. Quit arguing.” He roots it in the fact that you have this mind in you which is in Christ Jesus. And God is at work within you. He’s always reminding you: remember who you are. Remember who lives in you. And once you remember that, then you can start acting in tune with him.

If you’re just told, “Hey, it’s important to relate well to people, so don’t complain or argue”—those kinds of orders are the old way of doing things. Under the new covenant, it’s “God’s at work within you.” The Holy Spirit’s at work within you. Live according to the life that’s in you. Think according to the mind that’s in you because of Christ.

And it’s always Christ. With Paul, it’s always Christ: “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things” (Philippians 3:8). “I want to know Christ” (Philippians 3:10). “I press on toward the goal” (Philippians 3:14).

So his goal individually is to know Christ. But why is he saying all this? Because he wants others to have that as their goal as well: “All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you” (Philippians 3:15).

What is the whole point of relating in Christ? So that we can help each other to know Christ better and press on toward that goal. I press on toward that goal individually, and I urge others on toward that goal and seek to encourage and inspire them on towards that goal. And that’s what we do when we’re all moving toward maturity together.

Here’s another element of relating in Christ. What do you think of those who don’t know Christ? How do you relate to those who are enemies of Christ? Are you just angry at them? Are you just scared of them because they might do something mean to you? Are you upset because they haven’t listened to you?

Well, the apostle says, “As I have often told you before and now say again even with tears: many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who… will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (Philippians 3:18–21).

So Paul’s excited about being a citizen of heaven, about having a transformed resurrected body and reigning with Christ. He’s excited about that. He’s delighted by that.

But when Paul thinks of his enemies, he’s sad for them. Because his enemies—some of them threw him in jail, some of them beat him, some of them said cruel things about him. But he wasn’t thinking about his own problems that came from his enemies. He was thinking, “What’s going to happen to them?” They’re enemies of Christ. They’re headed for destruction. They’re living a shameful life. It’s pitiful that their god is their gut. What a horrible, horrible situation to be in. It just makes me cry.

In another place, in the book of Romans, Paul says, “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel” (Romans 9:2–4). He loves the Jewish people, of whom he was one—but some of whom rejected the gospel and persecuted him. He wishes they would turn to God.

If you are relationally healthy, if you’re relationally fit, you don’t gloat over those who are enemies and who are going to get what’s coming to them. You cry over them. And when you have that tender heart, you might find that a few of your enemies begin to soften and become not enemies of the cross, but people who begin to be drawn to the cross—because you love Christ and you love them. And they can tell that you’re not just mad at them because they’re inconvenient for you or because they contradict you. You’re sad for them because you care about them. Tears over enemies is one of the signs of being relationally healthy.

There’s a close relationship between emotions and the way you relate to others. Just take a snippet from the fourth chapter of Philippians:
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4–7).

There’s a tremendous amount in those verses. I’m not even going to try to explore it all. I just want to highlight this: when you deal with others gently, when you deal with others kindly, what’s the key to that? Well, one of the major keys is: how are you doing yourself? Are you a person who’s rejoicing? Are you a person who’s full of thanksgiving? Are you a person who’s at peace with God?

One of the reasons why we’re harsh and when we lack understanding in our dealings with other people is that we’re not very secure ourselves. And our insecurities come flooding out in the way we attack them or cut them down or treat them harshly. When you’re a person who’s full of joy, when you’re full of thanks for all that God has done for you, when you sense God’s peace just reigning in your heart and guarding you, you can afford to be gentle. You can afford to be nice. You don’t have to compete with everybody. You don’t have to beat them. You don’t have to knock them. You don’t have to build your self-esteem by grinding theirs down. You’re already joyful. You’re already thankful. You’re already at peace. You’re already free from anxiety because you’ve cast those cares on the Lord.

And that frees you up to relate to others well. So if you’re relating to others poorly, one of the keys is simply to be close to the Lord and to experience more and more of the positive emotions that flow out of the presence of the Lord in your life. And that will make you a gentle and kind and tender person to be around.

The relationship between emotions and relating to others is very close. And so, if you want to learn wisdom in relating, then say, “Lord, give me the fruit of the Spirit. Give me love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23). Fill me with joy and thanksgiving and peace, and then I will relate to people the way I should.

So much of our bad patterns of relating come from our own insecurities. Let the Lord fill up your lack of security with his peace, with his thanks, with his joy, and it’ll make a difference in your gentleness towards others.

So again, this is not some big systematic analysis of how everybody should always relate. This is just a look at how the apostle Paul relates in various ways in the book of Philippians. I was reading Philippians and was so struck by this that I just wanted to highlight it in one of these talks.

He affirms believers and says, “Remember who you are. You are saints. You are beloved of God. You are destined for glory.” He rejoices even in rival preachers. He lives for others, knowing that, “Hey, if God didn’t have a purpose for me here on earth, I’d already be in heaven. So I’m here on earth to serve others. And God has given me great opportunities to do that.”

“I have the mind of Christ. And now I have to live like I have the mind of Christ. And those others share that same mind of Christ. And that’s the key to our unity and our relationships together as Christians.”

God’s working within—so I don’t have to argue and complain all the time. God’s at work in me. I’m going to trust that God’s at work in some others too and let him do his work instead of arguing and complaining over every little thing. Together, we’re maturing in Christ. We want to know him and his power in our lives and encourage each other in doing that.

When there are enemies of the cross, when there are enemies of the church, when there are personal enemies of mine who despise my faith, do I just get angry and blow up at them? Shouldn’t I rather be sad over their lack of faith, over their distance from Christ, and over their terrible destiny if they don’t eventually come to Christ? So, have tears over my enemies.

And then realize that in relating to others, if I’m going to do it gently and in a positive way, I need to have the joy of the Lord in my own heart. I need to have the thanks and the peace of the Lord in my own life. And as my emotions are positive and are healed, it’s going to flood over into positive relating to other people.

I encourage you to read Philippians for yourself. There’s a lot more there besides the things I’ve talked about. But highlight these things as you walk with the Lord, and you will find that the reality of Christ in you—the hope of glory, the mind of Christ in you, God working within you—will have a tremendous and transforming effect on your relationships.

Relating in Christ
By David Feddes
Slide Contents

Affirming believers

Paul starts almost every letter by saying:

• You are called as saints.
• I constantly thank God for you.
• I love you and long to see you.
• Here are some of the outstanding qualities I see in you.
  

Your faith is famous. You and I can build each other’s faith and gifts! (Romans 1)

You are rich in faith, speech, knowledge, and abilities. You’ll end up safe and spotless on judgment day. (1 Corinthians 1)

You have every spiritual blessing in Christ! Your faith and love fill me with thanks! (Ephesians 1)

You’re my gospel partners. God will finish what he started in you. My heart is full of Christ’s affection for you. (Philippians 1)

You’re faithful! You’re family! I’m thankful for your faith, hope, and love! (Colossians 1)

I know God loves and chose you. You imitate Jesus. You’re an example for others. Your faith is famous. (1 Thessalonians 1)

Your growth is amazing! You trust Jesus and love each other. I brag to others about your bravery under fire. (2 Thessalonians 1)

I love you, son. Seeing you makes me happy. You have what it takes! (1 Timothy 1)

Brother, you are my dear fellow worker. Your love gives me comfort and joy. You refresh Christians’ hearts. (Philemon 1)

Relating in Christ (Philippians)

• Affirming believers (1:1-11)
• Rejoicing in rivals (1:15-18)
• Living for others (1:21-24)
• Sharing Christ’s mind (2:1-11)
• God working within (2:12-18)
• Maturing in Christ (3:1-17)
• Tears over enemies (3:18-21)
• Emotions and relating (4:4-9)

Affirming believers: Reminding of true self

"Shasta could not understand why everyone stared at him nor what all the cheering was about." (C. S. Lewis, The Horse and His Boy)

I am Rilian, Prince of Narnia. While I was enchanted I could not remember my true self. (C. S. Lewis, The Silver Chair)

Rejoicing in rivals

Some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill… But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. (1:15-18)

Living for others

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain… I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. (1:21-24)

• If pleasure was my purpose, I’d already be dead and in heaven.
• I am alive for Christ and others.

Sharing Christ’s mind

… complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind… Have this mind in yourselves, which is also in Christ Jesus… I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. (Philippians 2:2, 5; 4:2)

God working within

Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God. (2:12-15)

Knowing Christ

I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord… I want to know Christ… I press on toward the goal … All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. (2:8-15)

Tears over enemies

For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. (3:18-20)

Emotions and relating

Rejoice in the Lord always… Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (4:4-7)

Relating in Christ (Philippians)

• Affirming believers (1:1-11)
• Rejoicing in rivals (1:15-18)
• Living for others (1:21-24)
• Sharing Christ’s mind (2:1-11)
• God working within (2:12-18)
• Maturing in Christ (3:1-17)
• Tears over enemies (3:18-21)
• Emotions and relating (4:4-9)