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Skip Heitzig: 14 times in the New Testament we are told to stand fast, or we are told to be steadfast. Evidently as a Christian, there are tendencies to make us not want to hold our ground but retreat, hide, go away, or quit following Christ.

In Acts chapter 11, a new church starts up in Antioch, up in Syria. People in Jerusalem hear about that, and they send Barnabas up. It says when Barnabas got there, when he had come and had seen the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. Why would he tell them that? Because he knew that in the opposition that they faced, they were going to want to not continue in the Lord. They were going to want to drop off the map and stop following.

First Corinthians 15, Paul writes, "My beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." If you want any strength in a church, you need a big heart and a firm stance.

Spiritual instability leads to doubt, discouragement, and disappointment. Unstable people are crushed by trials, overwhelmed by circumstances, and overtaken by temptations. As James said, a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. With a big-hearted love, we need a firm stance that says, "I'm going to follow Jesus no matter what."

Sometimes when people come to me for counseling, depending on the issue, I ask them a question that surprises them. I will say, "What would it take for you to stop following Jesus?" They ask what I mean. I ask if there is some kind of event you can think of, some catastrophic event that if God crosses that line or he takes that person away from me, I quit. What would it take to get you to stop following Jesus? Or are you like the song that is sung, "I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back." I'm standing firm. I'm standing fast.

An African pastor in Zimbabwe died. He was martyred for his faith in Christ by persecutors. After he died, among his papers was found something he wrote. It turns out this was his philosophy of life, but it's noteworthy. Listen to what he wrote.

He said, "My face is set. My gait is fast. My goal is heaven. My road is narrow. My way is rough. My companions are few, but my guide is reliable. My mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in a maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, let up, or slow up until I've preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for Christ." That's steadfastness. And it got him killed. I think he was okay with that. I think right now he's saying, "Yeah, I made the right choice."

A big heart, a firm stance, there's a third component, and that is a warm embrace. That is the ability to take two parties that are in disagreement to embrace both of them and helping them to resolve the conflict. Verse 2: "I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche," aren't you glad you have the name that you have? Pardon me if I offended anyone here named Syntyche, but I doubt that is the case. "I implore these two gals to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers whose names are in the book of life."

We don't know anything about who these ladies really are. We don't know any details about their argument. They're not mentioned anywhere else in the New Testament. We just know that something between them happened. We do know what their names mean. Euodia is a word that means "good journey" or "have a good trip." The word Syntyche is a Greek word that means "fortunate" or "lucky." Forgive me, but I'm going to call them Mrs. Good Trip and Mrs. Lucky.

Mrs. Good Trip and Mrs. Lucky loved each other and were part of this church and fellowshipped together and probably brought deviled eggs to the potluck. But something happened between Mrs. Good Trip and Mrs. Lucky and the disagreement got to be so advanced that it polarized the church. Groups developed around both opinions, and Paul writes about it and he's had enough of it. He needs to get it resolved.

Something about these women we do know: they were prominent women. They weren't just any women. They were prominent women. How do we know that? Because verse three says they labored with me in the gospel. That's significant. I'm guessing that they were among the first women who were at the first prayer meeting in Philippi.

I love the idea that a church was birthed out of a group of praying women. We talk about the founding fathers. These are the founding mothers of the church. But a personal conflict has erupted into two antagonistic groups, so Paul wants this stopped. The only time their names are mentioned in the Bible is over an argument they had and now it's immortalized.

For the next 2,000 years, people are going to read the Bible and say, "Those are the two gals in Philippi who had a disagreement." Wouldn't you hate that? Michael Bentley asked this: "If in a hundred years' time your name was to be discovered in an old document, what one thing would you like the finder of that document to learn about you?" It's a good question because these two women at Philippi go down in history being remembered for a disagreement.

Notice the solution. I think the solution is found here. The solution to their disagreement is found in a phrase. Don't overlook this phrase: "in the Lord." Look at it. "I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord."

This is not Paul throwing in a spiritual phrase so it will sound good. This is really the solution to the problem. It's the same thing as in verse 1. Notice he says stand fast in the Lord. Verse 4: rejoice in the Lord always. The solution is always in the Lord because he's usually the one people forget. When they have an argument with each other, when they disagree, they have a viewpoint, you have a viewpoint, you go at it, and you have forgotten the Lord's viewpoint.

What Paul does is brilliant. He takes a social issue and he moves it onto spiritual ground so it becomes a spiritual issue now. Settle the disagreement in the Lord. In other words, focus on God's glory. Aim at his glory. Focus on what he wants.

This is all tied up with the New Testament concept of unity. Not uniformity; it doesn't mean you can't have your own opinions and your own ideas, but unity in the church. Unity among Christians is what proves the veracity of the Christian message. If there's no unity in the church, people aren't going to listen to much else that we have to say.

I found something very interesting from the American Psychological Association. They studied an orchestra. You know, an orchestra's fascinating. You have all these different instruments in an orchestra pit, and it's like one harmonious sound. This psychological association decided to ask the different people in the orchestra what they thought of the other people in the orchestra.

They discovered percussionists were seen as insensitive, unintelligent, and hard of hearing, yet fun-loving. String players were seen as arrogant, stuffy, and unathletic. The orchestra members overwhelmingly chose the word "loud" as the primary adjective to describe brass players. Woodwind players seemed to be held in highest esteem, described as quiet and meticulous, though very egotistical.

I have a question given what you just heard. How on earth can people with such different perceptions of one another and different personality quirks make beautiful music together? The answer: they subordinate their feelings and their biases to the leadership of a conductor. Once they get in the pit and they've got the music in front of them and they're about ready to play, they don't think about what the personality differences are or the opinions are or the political differences are or stances are. They're there to make music. They subordinate all of that to what a conductor wants. They follow the conductor. So that's wrapped up in the idea "in the Lord." He's the conductor. That's the solution.

Guest (Female): You're listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig. Every day your generosity helps reach more people with God's word, changing lives through clear, practical Bible teaching. This month, as you grow in your own faith and leadership, we want to thank you with a powerful new resource: The Making of a Biblical Leader, a practical guide to leading others by Robert L. Furrow.

This inspiring book featuring chapters from Skip and Lenya Heitzig, Gary Hamrick, Daniel Fusco, and others shows how to lead with integrity, humility, and a servant's heart following Christ's example. Request your copy when you give $50 or more to support Connect with Skip Heitzig. Call 800-922-1888 or visit connectwithskip.com/offer. Now, let's return to today's teaching.

Skip Heitzig: A big heart, a firm stance, a warm embrace. Those are three of the five components. Let me give you a fourth: a merry soul. Verse 4: "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice." There it is again. This guy in jail keeps getting happier. "Rejoice in the Lord always, and I'll say it again: rejoice."

That sounds like a command, right? Like stand fast, rejoice. It sounds kind of weird to walk up to a grumpy person and say, "Hey you, rejoice." Really? You're telling me as a command to do that? Why does it come off as a command? For the same reason he says it twice. He says rejoice in the Lord always. And just in case you forgot what I just said, I'll say it again: rejoice.

The reason he says it twice and the reason it comes off as a command is because it isn't easy to always rejoice. It's hard to be joyful. But what this tells me is that joy is a choice more than a feeling, that joy is a decision much more than it is a sensation, that joy is an outlook that is based on an uplook.

How often are we to rejoice? Well, it says rejoice in the Lord sometimes. Oh, did I read that wrong? I'm sorry. Rejoice in the Lord most of the time. I still blew it. Rejoice in the Lord on Sunday at 12:30 in church. No, rejoice in the Lord always.

How can a man say that? Here's why. Joy is a personal choice to react to life's uncertainties with faith. That's my definition of joy. Joy is a personal choice to react or respond to life's uncertainties with faith. So he says rejoice in the Lord. He didn't just say rejoice. He qualifies it: rejoice in the Lord. Let me translate that my way. Life is tough, but God is good. Rejoice in the Lord always.

Paul did this. He testified of this in his own personal life. Second Corinthians 6, he writes: "Being sorrowful yet always rejoicing." Doesn't that sound weird? You can have both. You can be filled with sorrow and grief and pain at the same time your soul rejoices. You're experiencing both. You're experiencing one but you're making a choice for the other. You're responding that way.

Paul and Silas were put in jail in Philippi. You know the story. They were beaten up pretty hard. They were put in chains and stocks, fastened to the wall. They're bleeding. And it says at midnight, Paul and Silas, what did they do? Sang hymns. It's the darkest time of the night. It's the darkest dungeon they've been in for a while. They're bleeding, blood's coming down their arms, they're fastened in stocks, and Paul turns to his buddy Silas and says, "Hey, do you know a song? Yeah, how about this one? Good, you start, I'll do harmony." And they sang hymns to God at night, being sorrowful yet always rejoicing.

Proverbs 15:15 says, "He who is of a merry heart has a continual feast." When you find people like that, you're attracted to them, right? They're a great advertisement for the church. God deliver us from grumpy Christians. Get more of the lightbulb ones out there. As Ben Franklin said, you'll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. You know, you'll catch more souls that way too.

A big heart, a firm stance, a warm embrace, a merry soul. All constitute a healthy, vibrant church filled with individuals like that. Here's a final one: a soft touch. We'll close with this. Verse 5: "Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand." Whenever there's a conflict like this conflict at Philippi, it's that gracious, gentle, diplomatic touch that will make all the difference.

The word gentleness could be better translated "sweet reasonableness." I love that. Let your sweet reasonableness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. This is the person who carries around a big bucket of mercy. And when that person finds failures and faults and shortcoming, they just start pouring that bucket of mercy that direction. That is sweet reasonableness.

Let me say a word to so many of you who are mature believers. I know you're out there. Some of you have grown in your faith admirably so. You've become leaders. You know the Bible. You're Bible experts. You serve in a mature leadership capacity. As wonderful as that is, the danger with that is the older and the more advanced you grow in the Christian faith, sometimes we can forget what it's like to be newly born, fresh off the slave market and liberated into Christ. We forget that.

So what happens is arrogance begins to creep in and a spiritual snobbery starts creeping in and people don't feel relaxed around us because we're so holy. Let me remind you of something: You weren't always this awesome. You weren't always this knowledgeable. You weren't always so mature as you are now. So keep that in mind and give them a little slack and be softer in your touch, gentle in your touch toward them. It says in Proverbs 15, you know this well, a soft answer turns away wrath. It's that soft touch when there's conflict in any group, home, church, whatever. It's that soft touch.

Remember, you follow the Savior who said, "I am gentle and humble in heart." You follow that guy. And that guy's humble. That guy's gentle. So if we follow him, some of that ought to rub off. I have the hunch that some people here have a real battle with anger. Could be that you battle a critical nature that's just been a part of who you are for a number of reasons. Bitter feelings are a part of that. Some of you even battle outright rage.

What Paul is saying in this verse is you need to get a new reputation. You need to be known for something. So if you want to reset your life, here's a good place to start: Let your gentleness be known to all men. Start being famous for your gentleness. Let that be your reputation.

Why should we? Well, it says, "The Lord is at hand." I think most people read this and go, "Jesus is coming back. You better straighten up. He's right around the corner. You better watch it because he's coming back." When it says the Lord is at hand, that can refer to nearness in space or in time. Most people think it means time, that the Lord, chronologically speaking, is coming soon, and I believe that he is. But I think the context suggests nearness in space. He is saying to the church at Philippi, "God is among you. God is present. God goes to your church too." So he's with you. He's present. Be gentle because the Lord is present with you. He's near.

Back to where we started. I said the ministry of a church is the ministry of people. If the church lives, it's because its people are alive. If the church withers and dies, it's because its people are doing that personally.

There was a guy named Tim, and he wrote something very honest. Tim was a Christian, a mature Christian, a leader. But Tim found himself having conversations with people who were other believers and invariably in the conversation, it would go negative toward the church. He found himself talking smack about the church, his church, the church, all churches. Christians are like this. He just found himself on that negative roll.

As he was doing that one day, he said he had a mental image flash in his mind of a bride and a groom on their wedding day. In the mental image, he saw himself walking up to the groom on the wedding day and leaning in and saying, "Your bride is ugly." You can't imagine doing that, right? And he said, "I would never do that." No matter how unattractive a bride might seem to somebody else, to the groom, she's gorgeous. She's radiant.

He said the Lord used that. It was as if He was saying, "Tim, every time you criticize my church, you're telling me my bride is ugly." So we have to be very careful how we talk about what Jesus said is the only thing he came to build, and that is his church. "I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." So deviled eggs at a potluck will not prevail against the church or anything better or worse. It's his bride.

I finally just want to say a word to those of you who have been hurt by the church. I don't know your background, but I could guess that in this group, some have had bad experiences in your past. You left a church, you have not-fond memories of its leadership, they did something to you or your family, and you're still holding on to that. I just want to say to you on behalf of the church as a representative, how sorry I am. I'm sorry that whatever church it was, whatever city you came from, whatever happened to you, would you just accept that apology from a representative of his church? I'm sorry.

But now I quickly want to say this: Jesus never said follow my people. He said follow me. He never said follow my pastors. He said follow me. He never said follow my church. He said follow me. So don't take it out on Jesus for having some bad representatives because here's the deal: He's the only perfect one. We follow a perfect Savior imperfectly. We're all imperfect.

And if you're pushing Jesus away at arm's length, if you decide I'm going to follow Jesus, the perfect one, you're going to be surrounded with a lot of people like you: imperfect. You know the old joke: If you ever find a perfect church, don't join it because you'll spoil it. We're all imperfect. We get that. We're called to pursue the perfect Savior, and as we look to him and we look at all the people who are around him following him imperfectly, at some point, you need to overlook them and keep looking to the perfect one. He can and will change your life if you let him.

Guest (Female): Thanks for joining us today on Connect with Skip Heitzig. Before we go, remember that your generosity helps share God's word around the world, bringing truth and hope to people who need Jesus. And this month, we'll send you The Making of a Biblical Leader: A Practical Guide to Leading Others by Robert L. Furrow as our thanks for your gift. With chapters from Skip and Lenya Heitzig and other trusted pastors, this book will equip you to lead with integrity and purpose in 2026 and beyond. Give now at connectwithskip.com/offer or call 800-922-1888. Thanks for spending time with us today, and we'll see you next time on Connect with Skip Heitzig.