保羅勉勵腓立比信徒，不要因他在監牢裡就氣餒，之後便轉而教導他們，要保守教會和團契的生活。建立教會是神的命令，也是基督徒成長與事奉的地方。沒有教會就無法讓天國降臨，也不能讓神的旨意行在地上如同行在天上。
教會的生活或團契生活，就是在聖靈裡的團契。保羅在第一節中已教導我們教會生活的內涵：
- 我們必須在基督裡。我們接受基督，分享了祂的生命，才能夠成為祂的身體，就是教會，的一部份。
- 我們要接受和遵行基督的教訓。聖經的教導可以勸勉我們，賜力量給我們過符合神心意的生活。
- 我們要分享基督的愛。基督的愛安慰了我，我便以基督的愛去愛弟兄姊妹。
- 在聖靈裡的交通。我們在聖靈的指導和力量底下，與弟兄姊妹一起操練主的教導，並用基督的愛互相照顧與建立，就生活在聖靈的團契裡，也被聖靈所充滿。
- 因此，我們各人的心便充滿了基督的慈悲憐憫，教會或團契的生活就出現第二至四節的情況了。
同時，當我們有了第一、二、三和五項時，第四項就得以圓滿地實現在我們中間。我們被聖靈充滿，是指著上面五項的生活，都充充實實地在我們教會的生活中出現的意思。讓我們一同追求聖經教導的聖靈裡的團契生活，就是聖靈充滿的生活。
經文默想
你想追求聖靈充滿的教會生活嗎？保羅在這段經文如何教導你過教會的生活呢？你要如何回應聖經的教導呢？
Paul exhorted the disciples in Philippi not to be discouraged, but keep the church life intact. Building church life is ordained by God to allow Christians to grow and serve in a body. The kingdom cannot come to us, and God’s will cannot be done on earth without the existence of His church.
Church life or fellowship is the communion in the Spirit. Paul told us very clearly the contents of church life:
- We have to be in Christ. When we have accepted Christ, we share His life, and become parts of His body, which is His church.
- We learn and obey Christ’s teachings. God’s word in the Bible will exhort us and give us strength to obey His will and to live a God-pleasing lifestyle.
- We share the love of Christ. The love of Christ comforts us, and with this love, we love our brothers and sisters.
- We have fellowship in the Spirit. Under the guidance and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we, together with our brothers and sisters, exercise the spiritual disciplines, and build up our fellowship to love and care about each other. This is what the Bible means a spirit-filled life.
- Therefore our hearts become tendered and are filled with Christ’s compassion. With such heart, the contents of the first four in church life will become a reality in our fellowship.
At the same time, when we have the first, second, third and fifth, the fourth will then be completely fulfilled among us. When we say we are spirit-filled, we are talking about the above biblical teachings, and all those five conditions are fully filled in our church life. Let us pursue such Bible taught spirit-filled fellowship in our church.
Meditation on the Scripture
Do you want to have a spirit-filled church life? What does Paul teach you on church life? What are you going to respond to this Bible teaching?
