Philippians 2:1 NASB
Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,
In verses 2 through 7, Paul is exhorting the Philippian believers to love each other, to serve each other, and walk in unity. He does all that in light of what he said in verse 1. Paul asked a rhetorical question in verse one, and in light of the obvious answer being yes, he then exhorts the believers to action.
Many decades ago, when I first discovered my union with Christ, my freedom from insecurity, fear, and anxiety grew daily as I took the truth that I was in Christ out for a spin in practical situations. My brokenness was especially manifested in the insecurity that I felt around other people. I simply didn’t know how to relate to others because of the deep sense of self-rejection and the fear that I would come across acting goofy and would just get rejected some more. When I first discovered that Jesus Christ had clothed himself with my humanity, and wanted to live his life through me in the nitty-gritty details of everyday living, the early unveiling’s of how this life was to be walked out was so exciting and so much fun. By the way, after 42 years of taking His adequacy out for a spin, the new discoveries of the riches of life in Christ is still the most exciting and fun thing I’ve ever known. Philippians 2:1 was one of those early discoveries about life in Christ that was so practically liberating to me, as I learned to practically manifest the people person that Jesus always is. I know that different people have different personalities, so, let me say this really clearly; Jesus is always a people person! The most important thing in the world to Jesus is people, and regardless of your temperament, Jesus wants to be the people person that He is, through your unique humanity.
Notice carefully what Paul says in verse 1; “If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love (in Christ), if there is any fellowship of the Spirit (in Christ), if any heart affection and compassion (in Christ)…”
Does Jesus have any encouragement in Him? In other words, does Jesus carry in Him any encouragement that can be given away to someone else? And the answer is, ABSOLUTELY! Does Jesus have the ability to console people with words of love (the term consolation of love means to speak into someone’s life words of love)? OF COURSE, HE DOES! Is Jesus able to have deep fellowship of the Spirit with other people? NO-BRAINER! Finally, is Jesus able on a heart level to show compassion to others? IT’S WHAT HE DOES!
You see, if I’m in Christ, then everything that Christ has I have, and therefore I can walk into any situation where someone needs encouragement and by faith just go for it, trusting that Jesus will encourage them through me. If someone needs me to speak transparent words of love into their life, then again, because I carry Christ in me, I can just go for I’t trusting that what I say won’t come across silly, but will have impact. Can I now walk into any situation, even if it’s among strangers, and trust Jesus to fellowship in the Spirit through me? Of course, I can, and for the last 42 years, I’ve proved him faithful again and again in those situations that used to make me feel so insecure.. I don’t have to sit in the corner, insecure and locked down. Jesus is a people person, and I will just open my mouth, He will people through me. Also, my heart is in union with His heart of compassion, and every time I see a hurting person, I can thank Him for His heart of compassion in me, and then experience Him manifest His heart in and through me.
Paul wasn’t just telling them to love each other and lay down their lives for each other, and walk in unity by them simply rolling up their spiritual sleeves and doing the best they could. He was reminding them first and foremost that all that stuff is in Christ, and they are in union with Him, and in light of that, by Him, they can do all the things he asked them to do in serving and loving each other in unity. The next time you find yourself in a situation where the person or the people that you are around feel intimidating; refuse to come into agreement with those feelings and remember the truth that you are in Christ and thank Him for fellowshiping in the Spirit through you, and then just go for it and watch Jesus be the people person that He is. It’s so liberating. Actually, He’s so liberating. Christianity is a HE, not in it.