"Christ Offers New Discipleship Importing Truth Inside Our Nature!" (C.O.N.D.I.T.I.O.N)/"What C.O.N.D.I.T.I.O.N are you in?" By Ramesh C. Reddy

“Christ Offers New Discipleship Importing Truth Inside Our Nature!" (C.O.N.D.I.T.I.O.N)”

SCRIPTURE:
“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with 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 purpose.” (Philippians 2:1-2)

Approach Question:
What do you have with Christ?

Observations:
I asked myself what words/phrases of repetition are found?
1. If (4 times)
2. Any (4 times)
3. Being (4 times implied)
4. You (4 times implied)

I have learned through the years studying Scripture that repetition signifies important concepts and principles. So, I wanted to look deeply into these words/phrases and what they are added on to.

I asked myself what the repetitions point to?
I saw if-then and cause-effect principles in these verses based on the words of repetition.
1. If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ,
2. If you have any comfort from His love,
3. If you have any fellowship with the Spirit,
4. If you have any tenderness and compassion,
Then make my joy complete by being like minded!

Interpretation/Application:
I asked myself what does it mean to be ‘united with Christ’?
What came to my mind is believers being united as a community. I found it interesting that the ‘you’ in this passage seems to refer to the Philippians as a community rather than individually. I also realized if I am to be united with Christ, I need to do my part and other believers their part. Then when all the parts are put together there will be a whole signifying unity as opposed to separation.

It is significant that unity in Christ brings encouragement rather than discouragement.

I asked myself what is ‘His love’ means?
What came to my mind is Jesus’ agape love for me. It is a love that is so unconditional that I am loved as I am. There is nothing I can do to earn His love but He loves me in my sin and has come to restore me. He died on the cross and sacrificed His life for me and came back to life to save me as I yielded to Him and received His love. This love is for everyone receiving Jesus.

It is significant that knowing ‘His love’ is what gives true comfort rather than distress!

I asked myself what is ‘with the Spirit’?
What came to my mind is the Holy Spirit. What was really exciting to know is that I can be with the Spirit. The Spirit is available to those who ask of the Spirit to make His presence known in their lives. This way I will not be alone in my walk but I will be with the Spirit.

It is significant that ‘being with the Spirit’ is what gives true fellowship in our lives rather than loneliness.

I asked myself what is ‘tenderness and compassion’?
What came to my mind is a state of being of the heart that is soft and not hard towards people which is also reflected in having empathy towards others to the point that we want to help them.

INTERPRETATION:
I asked myself the significance of the 'IF statements?'
I found it interesting that Paul is reminding the Philippians that actions speak louder than words. It is as if he is saying, ‘IF you say you have all these things’ then ‘you should be revealing the virtues that follow 'THEN’ in these verses in your lives.

I asked myself why were they mentioned in that particular order?
It occurred to me that I need to be united in Christ as a human being to receive His encouragement rather than being my own individualistic person. This in turn leads to knowing His love for me as I receive His comfort. As I come to know His love and receive His comfort, it is because the Spirit is with me which in turn allows me to have fellowship with the Spirit. Then, I should be able to live my life with tenderness and compassion towards others. It starts with me allowing Jesus to be part of my life letting Him work in me and through me.

As this happens, the action of being like-minded should flow out of my relationship with the Lord. Paul wanted that for the Philippians to exhibit in their actions.

I asked myself what does it mean to be like-minded?
What came to my mind is having the mind of Christ that everything I do or say should be reflective of Christ. It is as if I am to be a replica of Jesus’ mind as I live here on earth. But that is only possible IF the 4 criteria I learned about are being met.

What came to my mind were 3 ways that show us to be like-minded:
1. Having the same love.
2. Being one in spirit.
3. Being one in purpose.

Having the same love reminded me of ‘His love’. I am to imitate the love of Christ in my surroundings when I am around people. Also, as a community of believers we are to imitate His love around people.

Being one in spirit reminded me of ‘With the Spirit’. I am to be within the Spirit as I live my life and not apart from the Spirit. In this way, as I walk in the Spirit, I will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

I believe it goes deeper as the ‘one’ can also imply all the believers being one that the world may know Jesus is Lord. As believers in the Lord, I believe united we stand and divided we fall. Sadly, the world does not see us as being one in the Spirit because we are all so fractured holding on to traditional and denominational beliefs rather than the core beliefs/doctrines and affirmations of Scripture. This starts to cause division among believers and Christ is not glorified.

Jesus had problem with the tradition of the Pharisees because they were holding on more to tradition than the Word of God and its implications for our lives.

This is something I have discussed with Pastor Hugo regarding essentials and non-essentials. The essentials are where there can be no compromise especially the infallibility and inspiration of Scripture given down to us by God through the prophets and apostles from which all doctrine should follow. I believe in the core doctrinal values listed below for us to be a follower of Christ! The statements below which I believe in are the Pittsburgh Chinese Church-Oakland & Oakland International Fellowship's core values.

We believe that the BIBLE is the inspired Word of God, the revelation of His will for the salvation of men, and the Divine and Final Authority for all Christian faith and life.

We believe in one GOD who is the Creator and Supreme Ruler of the Universe, the heavens, the earth, and all the things therein; and who eternally exists in three persons: Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.

We believe that MEN were created in the image and likeness of God, but in Adam all men have fallen into sin, and as sinners men are in need of God's salvation.

We believe in Salvation and Justification through faith in JESUS CHRIST. All who turn from their sins and receive Him by faith as Lord and Savior are justified wholly on the ground of His shed blood and are born anew of the HOLY SPIRIT into the family of God, and brought into the Kingdom of His Son.

We believe that the CHURCH is one body, of which Jesus Christ is the Head, and is composed of all who are regenerated by the Holy Spirit. The duty of the Church is to proclaim through word and deeds, the Gospel of Salvation to the World, and to nurture the spiritual growth of members through prayer, teaching, fellowship, and worship.

In the essentials there can be no compromise but in the non-essentials there should be room for compromise but sadly it is here that denominations are built.

I asked myself how could we be one in the Spirit with all these denominational differences when Jesus wanted to do away with them based on John 17?
What came to my mind is ‘Being one in purpose’. Regardless of what our denominational beliefs are, it is exciting to know that we can be one in purpose if that purpose is to be like-minded as Christ and letting our lives reflect that as a community.

IMPLICATIONS:
I saw important implications for my own life. The purpose of today's study made me see that the IF-THEN statement will only be fulfilled in CHRIST ALONE BY HIS GRACE as we depend on Him to help us.

We can only do everything mentioned in Philippians 2:1-2 if we take God's Word to heart and apply it in God's grace through Christ Jesus our Lord so “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with 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 purpose.” (Philippians 2:1-2) becomes a reality.

I ASK YOU NOW:
I ask you now dear friends, what condition are you in?
Dear friend, I do not know what condition you are in but it is exciting to know that you can have 'encouragement being united with Christ, comfort from His love, fellowship with the Spirit, and tenderness and compassion' in your life which in turn can help you be like-minded as Christ as you realize your own worthlessness and turn your life over to the One who can make you worthy. You know what, none of us are worthy and yet God in His love for us 'while we were yet sinners sent Jesus Christ do die for us to redeem us.'

If anyone thinks he is worthy to receive the grace of the Lord Jesus, then that person has been lost right there. There is no one who is worthy to receive the Lord Jesus Christ if it were not for the grace of the Lord Jesus. If anyone thinks he is, he has let pride sweep over him already revealing the condition of the heart. Of all sins, pride is the greatest sin from which everything else comes from.

It is pride that began the fall of Lucifer and the fall of man. Lucifer, through his pride wanted to become equal or greater to God and fell with 1/3 of the angels. That just shows there will always be someone to follow evil and good. Because Lucifer fell, he wanted to take as many with him and still wants to take God's creation into Hell's pit deceiving, lying, and conniving. You and I will not escape Satan as long as we think we are worthy of anything. We are not worthy of anything and need Jesus.

We have let sin take over our lives and only the touch of the Master's Hand can help us overcome this sin. When the Lord touches our heart, He will take away our sin by His precious cleansing blood, giving us new life. Yes friend, He will.

With Jesus, we are so worthy in God's eyes and through Jesus Christ, He justifies us and sanctifies us by His power. He will give anything because He loves us more than anything. It is His free gift we share to a world that needs it. His love is always with us. His love is so great and so strong. (This is a also a children's song)

Yes friend, Jesus loves us so much. Even now when I have gone my own way and done my own thing, it is His grace that has saved me and redeemed me to live for Him. He can help you too friend. Thank you so much Jesus!

No matter what the condition of our heart, the Lord can take our heart of stone and give us a heart of love where we know we are loved by Him and therefore are able to love others.

For the Word of the Lord says, “How great is the love the Father has lavished upon us that we should be called His dear children” (1 John 3:1, TLB)

That is exciting to know. If you feel your condition made you realize your worthlessness and wretchedness before an all awesome God, then you are on the pathway to Eternal Life. You have great reason to rejoice because your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life when you turn to the Savior for your redemption. Thank you Jesus!

If you feel your condition is ok, you have great reason to have sorrow for the day of judgment will come when you are not expecting it.

Friend, I don't want that for you! You should not want that too! Now is the time of Salvation. You can receive the Lord’s salvation in your own life. Yes, you can! Jesus waits to welcome you as you are and as you yield your life to Him, He will work in you and through you. Yes, He will! I know He will for He has done that in my life. I am no different from you. I am a sinner just like you saved by grace and now seen as a saint in the Lord’s eyes. Remember from chapter 1, that Paul addressed the believers as saints. That can happen for you too! Come as you are to the throne of God above!

"Christ Offers New Discipleship Importing Truth Inside Our Nature!" (C.O.N.D.I.T.I.O.N)/"What C.O.N.D.I.T.I.O.N are you in?"

Please pray this prayer to receive the Lord Jesus into your life or to rededicate your life to the Lord.

PRAYER:
Dear Jesus, I heard that you became my sacrificial Lamb of God to save me from my sins. Thank you for shedding your blood for me and coming back to life to save me. I turn to you now. At this moment Lord, I confess to you all my sins and am so sorry for them Lord. I repent of my sins and ask you to help me overcome them for I cannot on my own strength. Cleanse me with your cleansing blood and I will be clean again. Wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Come into my heart Jesus. Please make my heart your home. I believe only you can justify me by your grace. Live in me Jesus and I will live for you and I will serve you the rest of the days of my life as you begin your sanctification by your grace in my life. Thank you Jesus for coming into my heart! Thank you Jesus for making my heart your home and living in me! I acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior. Thank you for being my Lord and Personal Savior. Thank you that you have heard my prayer and that you have answered me. Thank you for being part of my life now and giving me a new beginning. Thank you for my Salvation. Thank you no matter how I am feeling inside, you have saved me. I love you Jesus and want to live for you. Help me to find fellowship with other believers and most of all to have daily fellowship walking with you through your Word and talking to you. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

No matter what you feel in your heart, know that Jesus has come in and resides with you! You are not alone! To make your walk strong with the Lord, spend time in prayer talking to Him as you would to a friend. You don’t need special words to talk to the Lord. Spend time in His Word reading Psalms and turniLOVINGg them into prayer. Next allow God to heal you and speak to you through the Gospel of John or Gospel of Mark before moving on to other Books of the Bible! Slowly, let the Lord show you to which Scriptures He wants you to go to next. It is also important to be part of a body of believers to help you grow in the faith. Find a Bible believing church that preaches the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation proclaiming Jesus Christ our crucified and risen Lord who brings us hope, healing, and help by His grace alone!

Feel free to email me at reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com if you want to meet to study the Bible, pray with, talk about Spiritual issues or whatever is on your mind! My number is 412-641-9426

"This is my work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB)