If We Do Not Work Together We Will Fall Apart
Having been a basketball coach for over a decade, one of my roles as a coach is to get my team on the same page and to have the same goal in mind. In most sports, the goal is to end up as champions at the end of the season. In order to achieve such a goal a team will need to play unselfishly to have a chance of winning a championship. As coach, I am responsible to make my players believe this goal is achievable. Each player will have to use their own skills in a way that will benefit the team. If one player is trying to serve their own agenda, the team has a better chance of failure when they are put to the test.
In the letter to the Philippian church, Paul is exhorting the church to work together. As a Christian, when we mold ourselves after the attitude and example of Christ then we will be more capable to operate as a single unit for the purpose at hand. In sports the goal is a championship. In our ministry the goal is to save souls. This is only achieved when each member of the body (the church) is willing to set their desires and attitudes aside for the purpose of achieving this unity.
There were some in the church who were arguing with one another. Think about it. Arguments most often are the result of a disagreement between two. However, when a person is putting others before themselves then this type of argument is easily avoidable. Paul wants the church to share Christ’s attitude of serving others. Christ was the ultimate authority, but He was willing to become the ultimate servant.
Paul knew the need to be unified in thought and purpose. He knew that in order to be successful each member needed to examine the attitude that Christ displayed and apply it to their own lives. In achieving this type of unity, less time would be wasted on disputes and more time on reaching out to lost and hurting people. Let us strive to have the attitude of Christ and work together for the common goal. For if we do not work together, we will just fall apart.
