Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!

I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

•Fact #1 – Christians sometimes will disagree.•Fact #2 – They must learn to agree in the Lord.•Fact #3 – Sometimes that means we must agree to disagree.•Fact #4 – That doesn’t give us the right to be satisfied in disagreement.

•Do you know when the feud was?•Do you know where?•Do you know what started it?

We will consider matters of Christian unity from the standpoint of these otherwise unknown Christian ladies

They are forever remembered for their noteworthy disagreement with one another.

Brothers – ADELPHOS Beloved – AGAPETOS Longed For – EPIPOTHETOS Joy – CHARA Crown – STEPHANOS

Paul wants them to understand how Christians should view and treat one another.

Paul repeats the phrase “I urge” or “I plead with” before each woman’s name.

Indication is he wanted to be sure that both women understood that they were both responsible for ending the feud that existed between them.

Paul was not taking sides but was exhorting them to find a solution.

•What were they fighting about?•The Bible does not tell us the nature of their disagreement.•The phrase “in the Lord” could be a clue that it was doctrinal in nature, but does not insist that is true.

•We do not know what their feud was about.•We know only that it was unacceptable behavior before the Lord.

•Phil. 2:2 -- then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.

1:27 – Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel

 

•Proper Christian attitude (Phil. 2:2ff)•Proper motivation – unity in Christ•Proper mediation – Syzygus? Or Yokefellow?

We must remain co-laborers for the gospel.

We must remember our names are recorded in the Book of Life.

We must remember our charge: Stand firm!

Unity at the cost of sound doctrine is no unity at all.

Paul is not asking either of these ladies to surrender the truth for the sake of unity.

He is asking them to find unity in the truth (in the Lord).