Community Is God’s Answer to Defeat

In Philippians 2:3-4 it says, “In humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” (NIV)

Each one of us needs other people to watch out for us—to defend us, protect us, and help us stay on track. In the book of Philippians, the apostle Paul tells us that we should look out for each other’s interests, not just our own. What a countercultural verse! In our culture today, it’s all about me—my needs, my interests, my wants, and my ambitions. But Paul teaches us to look out for others too.

Many of us are aware of the physical dangers that sometimes threaten us and the people around us. We have a spiritual enemy as well—one that’s far more destructive than any human? His name is Satan, and he wants to defeat us. He wants to bring problems into our lives, ruin our relationships, and hurt us as badly as he can.

Why does he want to hurt me? Because he wants to hurt God, but he can’t, and so he goes after God’s children. On my own, I will never win against Satan. But when I have other people to watch out for me and help me, I can be victorious. 

Here’s good advice from Ecclesiastes 4:12: “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves” (NIV).

Is there anyone who has my back? Is anyone defending me and watching out for my spiritual welfare? We need a community of people who are saying: “We’ll be with you when you’re going through tough times. We’re not going to let you get discouraged or depressed.” 

Community is God’s answer to defeat. Ecclesiastes 4:10 says, “If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up” (NIV). 

Remember: we can try, but we can’t live life well on our own. We all need other people to walk with us, work with us, and watch out for us.

If I do, then I won't have to watch my back because I’ll have God’s family all around me. When I depend on them, I can stand firm in faith and truth. 

To be part of a community I need to lay aside selfishness and treat others with respect and common courtesy. I am to consider others' interests as being more important than my own. This links me with Christ, who was a true example of humility. Paul encourages me to guard against any personal selfishness, prejudice, or jealousy that might lead to dissension. Showing genuine interest in others is a positive step forward in maintaining unity and community among believers.