It’s All in Your Mind

I : I Bible tells us that this is the word rejoice. One-mindedness is based on joy. You must have a happy group of Christians. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:4, u~e i.11. flu .J!.o,,d l.l.UDafµ; mtd Q.JJ01.n ;J. llllJ,, ~ 11 The formula begins with rejoicing. The key to fellowship is joy; not griping, not criticizing, not gossiping, not backbiting. The second command is, «(Be pn/,ttL 11 As most know, this is the word for complete or mature. This does not mean without blemish. Rejoicing believers ought to be perfecting themselves. What does he mean? We have the word again in Ephesians 4-:11,12, where God's servants are to, "[Perfect] the saints." When Christ was calling the disciples to Himself, he saw two of them by the ship mending or, as some translations say, repairin.9 their nets. The word mending or repairing is the word perfectiny. The reason the servant of God uses the Word of God is to do some repair business with the saints. Here is Paul's admonition, "'Be perfecting yourselves." How do you get one-mindedness in the fellowship? First rejoice; second start the mending, maturing process. This is difficult in the local church because attendance is so irregular. Faithful Christians are maturing Christians and these will be the back.bone of the local church and the thinking of the local church. Spasmodic Christians never agree, for they are hot one minute and cold the next The perfecting Christian is to "fJl"JllJ- in IJ¥ O.ll, «ml in du knDUJ! .ed.tµ o/ tJa¥...&,d and .SO.oiu (fenu fllui.d 11 (2 Peter 3:18). This growth is a gradual, continual process, and it is necessary for one-mindedness. The third command of the formula is, «(Be oJ good e.o.n,/n,L" We do not talk this way today, but this means to be encouraging. Hebrews 10:24 says, "olnd hi. Ill Mn. .11.dn . tJn£ llltlJ.IJtu. bJ. ~ llll.M- UJ.IU and IIJ. g.tJ.D-d l1MnlL" We are not to provoke to division. There must be encouragement for the saints in the local church. Is this your aim in your local church? God's people should not be discouraged when they are faithful to the church. They should always go home encouraged. Now Paul has come to his phrase, "(]Je o/- NI£ miMLL. 11 If you are rejoicing, and maturing, and encouraging, you are going to begin to think alike. Paul believed this exhortation. Again, we reemphasize the results of the renewed mind in Romans 12:16, «(Be oJ /Ju .tantt mind MU wma,d flltlJ.IJu,.,"' In Romans 15:5, Paul says, "r'll.o.m du .(µJd 6/. p.n1kntt and ~ tpmd ytJa bJ. ~ lilumindd tJ.n£ lim,.a,d mw.l.hu. . 11 If you would take your pencil and go through Paul's epistle, you would find the following phrases; the same mind, like mind, one mind, ready mind, willin9 mind, froward mind. He wanted Christians to think alike. Romans 15:6 says, «qt,,at 1ft may, UJillt t#U mind mu[ ()ff£ maulh q/Ni/y, . (j.od ..•" Here he exhorts Christians not only to think alike. but to talk alike. Read l Corinthians 1:10 again. For years I have been made to feel that if a pastor and people worked, agreed, prayed and talked over plans together in unity, there was something wrong, or at least people thought it was odd. When God's people do not have this, there is something biblically wrong, and we ought to face it. When God's people live by the Book, rejoice, mature, get 60 - -·-