2024-6-11 Pastor’s Journal: Be Like Jesus
Pastor Don Guttormson

Philippians 2:1-2 NIV
“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.”

The Apostle Paul was a “church planter”. His letters show us how he “coached” the people of
the churches he planted. Relationship is front and center in Paul’s letters. It’s easy to see that
relationship in words like “make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love,
being one in spirit and of one mind.”

If you read the first two verses of this second chapter of Philippians Paul essentially says that if you’ve experienced encouragement, acceptance, comfort, fellowship, and compassion from
Jesus – do what Jesus did for you in relationship with others in Christian Community.
Paul starts out with reminding believers what they should be “doing”; this however, is meant to be a by-product of imitating the character of Jesus…

Philippians 2:3-8 NIV
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above
yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In
your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!”

Paul’s instructions are a “face slap” to our current “all about me” culture. The advice Paul offers pushes every follower of Jesus to put others first… In short, be a servant.

Jesus is the model we are asked to imitate. If God (in Christ) emptied Himself of all of the rights and privileges of the Creator of the universe to SERVE – we (by comparison) give up very little in humbling ourselves to serve one another,

It’s been said – “If serving is beneath you, then leading is beyond you.”

Church is never about leveraging your position to rule over others; it’s never about power over
others. Real Christian Community is expressed in laying aside self-interest and appreciating the interests others have as well. Serving does that. Followers of Jesus exercise power under…
They find ways to help build up others.

Imagine what church would look like if EVERYONE chose to serve one another.
I’m thinking that it would make the Apostle Paul’s joy complete…
and it would probably please God immensely.

We have simple instructions… BE LIKE JESUS
1. Do the same loving stuff that Jesus does
2. Be of the same mindset as Jesus