Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.
To Be Likeminded
The older I get, the more I realize that some people I think I know well have very different tastes from my own. I am sometimes shocked at the things people like! I’m being facetious here, but I am sometimes amazed at how different I am from the people who are very close to me. Now, I have a choice. I can either find unity with people based on the fact that we both have the same tastes in hamburgers and football teams, or we can go a little bit deeper.
The Bible tells us in Philippians 2:2, “Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.” Notice the words “likeminded,” “same,” and “one.” Then the Bible says, “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.”
Notice all the references to the way we think: “likeminded,” “one mind,” “lowliness of mind.” How do people in a local church who are so different one from another maintain the same mind?
The answer is found in verse 5, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” The verses that follow remind us how that God in the flesh, Jesus Christ, was humble and obedient. Can you imagine God Himself humbling Himself and being obedient? Yet, that is exactly what Jesus did. If Jesus Christ would humble Himself, then who am I to lift up and exalt myself? If Jesus Christ will be obedient to the Father, then who am I to not have a spirit of submission? When I always have to be first and I always have to be boss, I cannot possibly get along with the people with whom God has placed me.
God has put all the people in your church that your church needs to win your area for the Lord Jesus Christ. You have different gifts and different backgrounds, but that is by design. Someone says, “Our strength lies in our diversity.” No, our strength lies in our unity. God has built in the diversity in order that every need would be met. We are the ones that by God’s grace are responsible to be unified around the truth of the gospel.
So, how am I to be likeminded with people who are very different than me? The way for people to be likeminded is to be like Christ.