Phil. 2:19 But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly... (20) For I have no one like-souled... 1:27 ...that you stand firm in one spirit, with one soul striving together along with the faith of the gospel.
The book of Philippians deals very much with the soul of believers. We must strive together with one soul in the faith of the gospel (1:27); we must be joined in soul, thinking the one thing (2:2); and we must be like-souled, genuinely caring for the things of the Lord (2:20-21). In the gospel work, in the fellowship among the believers, and in the Lord's interests, our soul is always a problem. Hence, it must be transformed, especially in its leading part, the mind (Rom. 12:2), that we may be of one soul, joined in soul, and like- souled in the Body life. In order to care for the church, we must be one with others. Otherwise, the more concern we have for the church, the more problems we shall cause. Let me give you an example of the problems caused when the leading ones in a local church are not like-souled. More than forty years ago, it was necessary for me to visit the church in a certain locality to help smooth over the differences among the five elders. Each of the elders loved the Lord very much. All of them were intelligent and also frank and straightforward. Furthermore, these five brothers experienced the Lord in the spirit. However, each had a different concern for the church. As a result, when they came together for an elders' meeting, they argued. They did not argue over worldly things, but over the church affairs. Even though the elders in this church loved the Lord and experienced Christ in the spirit, they were not able to be one in the soul. Problems between husband and wife also arise because the two are not one in soul. In loving the Lord and experiencing Him, they have no problems. The brother experiences Christ in his spirit, and his wife experiences Him in her spirit. However, when they talk over certain matters, the husband has one concept, and his wife has another concept. In other words, the husband and wife each have different souls. They are not truly like-souled.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of Philippians, pp. 125-128. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
To unsubscribe from the mailing list, either: Send an email to: [email protected] (No subject or message needed; a blank email will work) or visit www.emanna.com and fill out the unsubscribe form there.
