Genuine Relationships
2/26/17
Philippians 2:1-4
INTRODUCTION
Palmer Chinchen, PhD, True Religion (David C. Cook, 2010), pp. 122-123
In Malawi, practically any shoe is a luxury. Lilongwe, the capital, is maybe the only African city where I have seen grown men walking down the streets barefoot. They are ashamed, I know that, but they have no choice. So I was not surprised when I took our college basketball team from Wheaton to our first practice in the African Bible College gym, and two of the Malawians in the gym were scrimmaging with one shoe on.
Several of our players began to snicker and point out to one another how funny it was that two guys were playing with a shoe on one foot and the other foot bare. One of them turned to my twin brother, who had lived in Malawi for more than ten years and was coaching the Malawian National Team, and asked why these guys were playing [basketball] in just one shoe.
His answer was sobering: "One of the guys showed up today with no shoes. His friend did not want him to be ashamed when you arrived, so he lent him one of his own. Now they both have at least one shoe."
The laughter stopped.
One player looked out for the interests of another even to the extent of his own inconvenience, comfort, welfare.
Phil 2:1-4
2 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
ESV
HAVING EXPERIENCED THE AMAZING LOVE OF JESUS, FREES US TO EXPERIENCE DEEP, GENUINE RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS.
I. It all begins with our experience with Jesus.
Paul is using an if/then argument in Philippians.
The first core value was all about divine intimacy and the pursuit of divine intimacy leads us to the other core values, active repentance, Holy Spirit Dependence, whole life stewardship, Passionate Purpose. One final reality we expect to discover as we pursue HIM--genuine relationships with other.
Author Brennan Manning shared that it is only because we are loved so fully by God that we are free to love others.
To me, it's more important to be loved than to love. When I have not had the experience of being loved by God, just as I am and not as I should be, then loving others becomes a duty, a responsibility, a chore. But if I let myself be loved as I am, with the love of God poured into my heart by the Holy Spirit, then I can reach out to others in a more effortless way.
When we went to Idaho Road, Adam Fleder Pledged friendship, deep friendship to us. Why? How could he do that? We didn't' know each other. Adam understood that the nature of relationships after we have discovered Christ changes.
A. There is a healing in our relationship with Jesus that changes our relationship capacity.
If
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,
we have discovered any healing, fullness, difference in Christ
* encouragement
* comfort from love
* participation in the Spirit
* affection
* sympathy
If we have experienced any of these amazing expressions of God's love to us, then we are expected to relate to one another in a different way.
B. There is an experience in our relationship with Jesus that should change our relationship expectation.
Then
2complete my joy . . .
II. Our experience with Jesus leads to deep relationship with others.
2complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
A. Unique Unity
Minor league hockey team messes up jersey retirement ceremony, hangs upside-down banner anyway, February 18th
Colin Chaulk spent 10 years playing center for the Fort Wayne Komets. He was with the team during their time in the IHL, UHL, CHL, and ECHL. He's seen some changes in that time. Over the weekend it game time to honor the retired hockey player with the team raising his jersey to the rafters.
Everyone claims it was just a mistake. There was just one problem. Colin Chaulk was the head coach of the Brampton Beast who the Komets were playing that night. If it had been their head coach would they have hung the banner?
* Same Love
* Same Mind
* Same Commitment
These deep relationship forms because we share same model for love, the same world view, the same purpose--advancing his kingdom bringing glory to his name.
B. Unique association
3 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
1. Partnership
* Not rivals
* Not in competition
* Equal in significance
2. Common Interests
4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
a) Concerned when you are at risk of failing.
Robert Tuttle tells the story of a certain 9-year-old who is sitting at his desk in school when all of a sudden there is a puddle between his feet, and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop, because he knows when the boys find out, he'll never hear the end of it. And when the girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives.
The boy puts his head down and prays this prayer: "Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat." He looks up from his prayer, and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he's been discovered.
As the teacher is coming to snatch him up, a classmate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl filled with water. She stumbles and dumps the goldfish bowl in his lap.
Now, rather than being the object of ridicule, this kid is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. When he comes back to class, all the kids are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. This sympathy is wonderful!
But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to Susie. She tries to help, but they tell her to get out: "You've done enough, you klutz!" As the day progresses, the sympathy gets better and better, and the ridicule gets worse and worse.
Finally, at the end of the day, they are waiting at the bus stop. The boy walks over to Susie and whispers, "Susie, you did that on purpose, didn't you?"
Susie whispers back, "I wet my pants once too."
b) Concerned that you succeed.
Robert Roberts writes about a 4th grade class in which the teacher introduced a game called The Balloon Stomp. A balloon was tied to every child's ankle, and the object of the game was to pop everybody else's balloon while protecting your own. The last person with an intact balloon would win the game. The concept was if I win, then you lose.
The 9-year-olds entered into the spirit of things vigorously. When the battle was over in a matter of seconds, only one balloon was still inflated. And, of course, its owner was the most disliked kid in the room.
A second class came later that day and was asked to play the same game--only this time the class was filled with developmentally disabled children. The Balloon Stomp proceeded quite differently. When the instructions were given, it seemed the only idea they grasped was that the balloons were supposed to be popped. But instead of fighting each other off, the children got the idea that they were supposed to help one another pop balloons. They formed a kind of balloon-stomp co-op.
One little girl knelt down and held her balloon carefully in place--like the holder for a field goal kicker--while a little boy stomped it flat and then knelt down and held his balloon still for her to stomp.
On and on it went, all the children helping one another in the great stomp. When the very last balloon was popped, everybody cheered--and everybody won.
The question you have to ask is this: "Who got the game right, and who got the game wrong?"
CHALLENGE
APPLICATION:
These types of relationships are born in groups.
