The Indwelling

Finally, my brothers,[and sisters] rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. ~ Philippians 3:1

As I read the Apostle Paul’s words in his letter to the Church at Philippi, I was momentarily stuck on the phrase above. The term “finally” seems out of place in the middle of the letter. Or, perhaps it is a compilation of letters. We can’t know for sure, but it slowed my reading down like a roadsign that instructs you to be cautious and prepare for an encounter that needs careful consideration. Paul says, “To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.” What are the “same things”? Why are they easy to say and safe to hear? 

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ~ Philippians 2:1-11

I’m confident that this is the message Paul felt good about sharing and sure to be safe for its hearers. Please do me a favor now and re-read the paragraph above slowly out loud and let it sink in. (I’ll wait) ⏲ 

So, what was that like for you? Paul says that if anything is encouraging about being a Christian Believer, then live by the example of Christ our Lord - who, being in very nature, GOD, emptied himself to become like us. His example is more than a model; it is a prototype that is a prerequisite for our complete transformation. In the Gospel of John, chapter 5, Jesus said he can do nothing on his own. As he hears, he judges and his judgment is just because it comes from the Father’s. (5:30) When you get to know Jesus in the Gospels, it is apparent that the Father works through Jesus. The Word (=heart and mind of God), the perfect timing, and the miracles are all manifestations of the Father’s will. Therefore, if we live by Jesus’ example, we are to be instruments too. 

Merely copying the recorded words and deeds of Jesus will only take you so far. After Jesus’ resurrection from death, he became what Adam was supposed to be and more. Now He is to us what the Father was to Him in the gospels. By covering our sin and making us welcome in His Father’s house, Christ made the way of salvation and new life in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is Christ dwelling within us. Therefore, if you live as Jesus lived, you serve under Christ just as He served under the Father so that you will say, “Apart from Christ, I can do nothing.” “Nothing I say or do in His Name is valid unless it comes from Him.” 

When Paul said his message was easy to write, it was because it came from Christ. When he said it was safe to hear, it was because it came from Christ. Paul’s admonitions against selfish desires, words, and deeds are not about religious rules; it is about creating room for Christ’s Spirit to dwell in you so that your life is an expression of the indwelling LORD of your heart. Therefore, let us pray words like those attributed to Francis of Assissi.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me bring love. Where there is offence, let me bring pardon. Where there is discord, let me bring union. Where there is error, let me bring truth. Where there is doubt, let me bring faith. Where there is despair, let me bring hope. Where there is darkness, let me bring your light. Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.

O Master, let me not seek as much to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love, for it is in giving that one receives, it is in self-forgetting that one finds, it is in pardoning that one is pardoned, it is in dying that one is raised to eternal life. (public domain)

Scripture passages are from English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.