17) Strength in Suffering Series
One sister confided that she worried about her prayer life. She said, “I repeat myself a lot, and I wonder if God gets tired of hearing it.” She wanted to know if she was practicing vain repetition. Her sisters assured her that she was doing exactly what God teaches us to do. We are created to repeat things, whether it’s a routine, a thought, or a supplication to God.
Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not irksome, but for you it is safe.
Philippians 3:1
Paul tells the Philippian Christians that he’s given these instructions to them before. They need to hear it again, and he says he’s not annoyed to repeat these warnings. Rather, he’s thinking about their well-being.
God is not annoyed when we repeat our thoughts to Him, and He wants us to keep going over His words to us. We, as Christians, need to hear the same principles because we forget. We also need assurance of what we already know. There is comfort in the repetition.
Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the concision:
Philippians 3:2
Here’s the warning that Paul has already told them, and it looks like advice for their specific trouble. What they are fighting against in their region has to do with a very sinister movement within the Church. It’s a movement divides the family of God.
First, Paul describes people who are working against the Christians in Philippi as dogs. 2 Peter 2:22 speaks of Christians who turn away from the truth as being like dogs who return to their own vomit. Deuteronomy 23:18, in reference to the holy house of Jehovah, prohibits prostitution and speaks of male prostitutes as “dogs.” Many Old Testament passages put the word dog in a bad light as a lowly animal. Psalm 59:14 describes the dog as a hungry, scrounging animal looking for food, and this view is confirmed again when Jesus insults a Gentile woman in the New Testament and she humbly replies, “yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from the masters’ table” (Matthew 15:26-27). So, for Paul to call these adversaries of Christ “dogs,” is to describe them as low and base individuals.
Second, Paul calls these adversaries of Christ “evil workers.” People who do not work for God will work against Him. They are the promoters of evil, and their work harms the good works and good name of the Church.
Third, Paul warns his brothers and sisters to watch and be wary of the concision. The term “concision” means to divide or cut off, and it, likely, has a double meaning. In the time of this letter, some who had left the faith were promoting a new doctrine they said was from Christ. It wasn’t from Christ; it was a disease infiltrating Christ’s body through a number of symptoms, one being that all Christian men had to be circumcised. Paul preached against being circumcised in the name of Jesus (Galatians 6:12-15), even saying he wished those who taught this doctrine would be “cut off” or mutilated because of the damage they were doing to the Church (Galatians 5:12).
Whether these three warnings are talking about one divisive group or they represent different forces attacking the church at Philippi, the message is clear that the Adversary was hitting hard against these persevering Christians. Paul is determined to keep them wary of the falsehood being spread around them. He wants them safe and secure in God’s truth, and so he’ll keep repeating himself as long as it takes to see them through the tribulation they’re facing.
One of the biggest, most frustrating issues I have when I’m suffering is my inability to listen to repetitive advice. When I’m going through a trial, I find that my mind is an emotional beehive. I don’t think as clearly, so I’m not able to see solutions as easily. The devil knows this and will use it to mislead. I’m sure we’ve all been in a situation where a sister needed to vent, and the one thing she didn’t want was advice. She wanted to be understood and consoled, not warned. Paul shows us that being the advisor takes patience, just like it takes patience to be the sufferer. Words of wisdom can go unheeded for years. As the sufferer who was guilty of not listening, I now thank God for the patient people in my life, gentle sisters who have repeated the things I needed to hear. And they didn’t get annoyed; they were concerned for my safety. Whether you are the sufferer or the advisor, be patient and remember: God’s instruction bears repeating.
Next, Paul will speak of those who have been truly cut to be Christ’s holy people.
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