The Basics of Community

The person you will become is directly linked with the heroes you admire and the friendships that you cultivate. At the end of chapter 2 in Philippians, Paul describes his travel plans. He tells us about the itineraries of two other individuals, Timothy and Epaphroditus.

So how is this relevant to us? Today, another chapter in the basics of the Christian life. From Chicago, welcome to The Moody Church Hour with Pastor Philip Miller. Stay with us for a time of worship and teaching as we continue a series on Back to the Basics. From the second chapter of Philippians, we'll find out all about the basics of community.

Here now is worship leader Tim Stafford. Would you stand as we begin today? Do you know how confident you can be in the Word of God? I mean, no question at all.

Do you believe that? You should really put a new kind of step in your walk there, right? Give you a little bit of a hop.

You're not worried. You're not tiptoeing your way through life. You're walking sure-footed with the presence of God.

You can stand on the promises of God. Amen? Let's thank Him for that today. Lord, we're thankful for the joy you've given us, not just the promises of heaven and the problem of death, the solution for that, but your real presence right now. Your comforting Word, your strong power, your protection is with us right now. So we sing to you today. We praise your name, and we thank you with hearts full of love and joy today.

We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Let's sing about the promises of God.

Amen? Let's sing about the promises of God. I'm standing on the promises of God. I'm standing, I'm standing, I'm standing on the promises of God. I'm standing on the promises I cannot fall. I'm resting every moment till the Spirit's born.

Resting in my Savior as my home in all. I'm standing on the promises of God. I'm standing, I'm standing, I'm standing on the promises of God. I'm standing, I'm standing, I'm standing on the promises of God.

I'm standing, I'm standing, I'm standing on the promises of God. Amen. Amen.

Bless the Lord. Through it all, through it all, I've learned to trust in Jesus. I've learned to trust in God. Through it all, through it all, I've learned to depend upon His Word. I thank God for the mountains, and I thank Him for the valleys, and I thank Him for the storms He's brought me through.

For if I never had a problem, I wouldn't know what I could solve there. I wouldn't know what faith in God could do. Through it all, through it all, I've learned to trust in Jesus. I've learned to trust in God. Through it all, through it all, I've learned to depend upon His Word.

Through it all, sing with me. Through it all, through it all, I've learned to trust in Jesus. I've learned to trust in God. Through it all, I've learned to depend upon His Word. Oh, I've learned to depend upon His Word.

Oh, I've learned to depend upon His Word. What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer. Are we weak and heavy laden, covered with the Lord of air? Precious Savior, steal our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer. Oh, one feast we often pour in.

Oh, one needless pain we bear. All because we do not bear everything to God in prayer. Amen.

Amen. Father, we just cry out to you for mercy. Help us, Father, to be the people that you've called us to be.

Sensitize our hearts one for another that we would be more concerned about our neighbor and brother and sister than we would about ourselves. Strengthen us now, Father, we pray. Unite us now, Father, we pray. And as your word goes forth, let it go forth with power that it would meet our needs this morning. Fill us, Father, with your Spirit, we pray now in the matchless name of Jesus. And amen. Let's look again at God's Word and read it together.

This is our pattern. How do we know how to walk in this life? How can we see that others have a testimony of God's faithfulness? Well, we read it in His Word and we see it in one another. Let's stand together as we read from this important passage, Hebrews 11, about those who have gone before us. It says this, this is God's Holy Word. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the Word of God so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him. By faith Noah being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of righteousness that comes by faith. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance.

And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in a land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to this city that has foundations whose designer and builder is God.

By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered Him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man and from him as good as dead were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return, but as it is they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared for them a city.

And now join me in reading aloud together. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 2 Timothy 3.16 says, And those of you who have been reading your Bibles for the course of your life will know that while all of Scripture is equally inspired, not all of Scripture appears to be equally inspiring, right? Some passages are difficult, some sections are slow going, other sections might feel like they're so historically entrenched that they are largely insignificant for contemporary life. And so when we come to passages like that, our temptation is to simply skip through it, speed read ahead to get to the good stuff, right? And today we come to one of those sections in the Bible that we might be tempted to skip over. Here at the end of Philippians chapter 2, Paul takes 12 verses to describe his travel plans, his sort of intentions to travel and visit the Philippian believers, and he gives the travel itineraries of two individuals who will be coming, Timothy and Epaphroditus. And it would be tempting for us to simply skip through this and go on to the rest of the book.

But rather than describe this at great length here, let's just read it together and then we'll talk about it a little more. Philippians chapter 2 verses 19 to 30. This is page 981 in the pew Bible there if you'd like to join us there, 981. Philippians 2, beginning reading here in verse 19.

Just as soon as I see how it will go with me, and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also. I've thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my needs, for he has been longing for all of you and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. Indeed, he was ill, near to death, but God had mercy on him and not only on him, but also on me, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. I am all the more eager to send him therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again and that I might be less anxious. So, receive him in the Lord with all joy and honor such men, for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me. Thanks be to the Lord for the reading of his word. So here we have a bunch of historical details, travel arrangements that must have been very helpful to the first century audience.

I mean, they knew these people personally, and all these details helped them sort of orchestrate the details of their calendars and make preparations for hosting these individuals, right? But there's nothing much here for you and me, right? We should just skip to chapter 3, right?

Well, I think that would be a mistake. There's more here than actually meets the eye, and what I want to do this morning, I want us to dig in and see what's really here. Timothy and Epaphroditus are being sent by Paul to Philippi to serve at three different levels, and I want to show them to you this morning. They are emissaries, they are encouragers, and they are exemplaries.

They are emissaries, encouragers, and exemplaries. And by the time we're through today, I hope and trust you'll be glad that we didn't skip this section and move on. So let's open our Bibles, let's bow our heads, let's pray and ask the Lord to be our teacher this morning. Father, Your Word is life, and every one of the words that are in Your Holy Scripture, every jot, every tittle, every piece of this is meant to change our lives, to speak life into our being. Help us see that that's true today.

Help us, we pray, in Jesus' name, amen, amen. So Timothy and Epaphroditus here are sent to Philippi by Paul first as emissaries. In the first century world, news traveled by means of couriers who went from place to place bearing letters in hand. Rome and Philippi were some 800 miles apart. Much of the journey from Rome to Philippi would have taken place on the famous network of Roman roads, in particular the Via Apia in Italy and the Via Ignatia in Macedonia, which were conducted across the Adriatic Sea by a shipping lane.

All in all, it took about six weeks to complete the journey. And it is in this role as couriers, as emissaries, that Timothy and Epaphroditus are deployed here. They're serving in this role. First Timothy, verse 19, I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon so that I too may be cheered by news of you. So I'm sending Timothy to you with the purpose that he can bring back news concerning the Philippian believers to Paul and that he will be cheered in hearing the news about what's going on back in Philippi.

Skip down to verse 23. He says, I hope therefore to send him to you just as soon as I see how it will go with me. And I trust in the Lord shortly.

I myself will come also. So remember, Paul's legal situation in Rome is tenuous. He doesn't know how long everything is going to take. He doesn't know if he's going to be imprisoned for a long time, if he's going to be released, or whether he'll be executed in the end. And so he figures what he'll do here is he'll wait until he has more definitive information about his situation in Rome, and then he will send whatever the update is to the Philippian believers so they'll know what's going on with him so that then Timothy can return with news about them so he can be encouraged. And so with this also, Paul closes out by indicating his confidence that the Lord will allow him eventually to be released and that he will be able to visit in person one day himself. Now, in the meantime, Epaphroditus is already on his way, basically.

Verse 25. I've thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier and your messenger and minister to my need. I'm sending you Epaphroditus. He's your messenger.

He's your minister to my need. So apparently Epaphroditus was the messenger, the courier that the Philippians sent to Paul in the first place. They had heard that Paul was in prison, and they dispatched Epaphroditus to come to Paul. And apparently in route, on his way to Rome, he had taken quite ill.

But that didn't deter him from completing the journey. He reached Paul at last, but at great cost to himself, to his health. Verse 27, Paul says, indeed he was ill, near to death, but God had mercy on him, and not only on him, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. Now we have to ask the question, why was Epaphroditus so determined to reach Paul? Well, he was carrying a gift, a financial gift, to help Paul in his various expenses that he would have under house arrest in Rome.

Paul couldn't work, of course, and so he needed to rely on the assistance of others. If you go to the end of Philippians, Philippians 4, verse 18, you will see that Paul there says, I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts that you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. So at the very most basic level, Timothy and Epaphroditus are serving here as emissaries, as couriers on the Via Apia and the Via Ignatia.

These are reliable and trustworthy men. Paul can count on them to get the job done, and these messages will get through to the intended parties. One of the things Epaphroditus is doing is he's actually bringing this letter to the Philippians with him back to Philippi. So they are couriers on the Via Apia and Via Ignatia. Now, secondly, Timothy and Epaphroditus are sent to Philippi by Paul as encouragers. These are no emotionally detached, uninvolved postmen, right?

Simply ferrying unknown letters from one stranger to another. No, these are brothers in Christ who care deeply for one another and for their respective communities. Epaphroditus here was entrusted to bring this gift of love from the Philippian believers to Paul. He is the bearer of friendship and affection for Paul from the Philippian believers.

You see this. And Timothy, likewise, who is the co-author of this letter, who helped plant the church in Philippi and who will soon go to Philippi, he will go now as an extension of Paul's love and affection for the Philippian church. So these men are sent not just to carry letters but to embody the love and affection that binds Paul and the Philippian believers together in Christian friendship. Remember how Paul began this letter back in chapter 1 verse 7. It is right for me to feel this way about all of you because I hold you in my heart. He said in verse 8, for God is my witness how I yearn for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. Now, look in this passage, look at all the feeling, the affection, the yearning that is conveyed in this text in Paul's description.

Verse 19, I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon so that I might be cheered by news of you. He says, you know what would really cheer me up? Here I am in chains. Everything's going kind of lousy for me. You know what I wish for more than anything? I want to hear how you're doing.

That would make my day. Verse 25, I've thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. He says, this is your brother Epaphroditus here. He's longing for you. He wants desperately to be near you, especially because he knows you heard that he was ill and he wants you to know he's okay because you love him and he loves you.

Verse 28, I'm the all the more eager to send him therefore that you may rejoice at seeing him again and that I might be less anxious. I want you to rejoice when you see him because you love him dearly. I want you to have him back and then I'll be less anxious.

Why am I carrying these things? I'm anxious for you. I'm anxious for your concern for him. You're anxious about him and he's anxious for you and I'm anxious for you because he's anxious and so I care about this.

You see his transparency here. This is weighing on his heart. There's such warmth, such tenderness, such emotional openness.

These are more than letter couriers. These are representatives of spiritual friendship and affection. These are representatives of spiritual friendship and affection. Friends, there are some things that cannot be conveyed in writing. There's something about being together. We need each other, right?

There's something about being together that matters. An Epaphroditus presence in Rome is an embodiment of, for Paul, of the spiritual friendship and affection of the Philippian believers that could be conveyed in no possible way by an insured FedEx package. He had to come in person to embody the love and affection that the Philippian believers had for Paul. It's the only way it could be conveyed and Timothy's incarnate presence in Philippi will give Paul's spiritual friendship and affection tangible meaning in a way that even an inspired apostolic letter could not.

Isn't that amazing? We need embodied encouragement, don't we? We need embodied encouragement.

We are better together. And friends, this is why we need real community in the family of God. There are some things that God wants to communicate to us that we can't get in writing.

We just can't get it in writing. Even in inspired apostolic writing, there are things that we can only feel and sense and know through the incarnate presence of the body of Christ, making tangible the love and affections of Jesus for one another. We were never meant to go it alone, were we? So, Timothy and Epaphroditus are being sent by Paul to Philippi. First as emissaries, second now as encouragers, and then thirdly as exemplaries. Look with me here at Paul's description of Timothy. Verse 20, for I have no one like him who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. In the Greek, this phrase is literally, I have no one equal in soul. No one equal in soul. There is no one, Paul says, whose soul is more perfectly knit together with mine than Timothy.

He's like-minded. Our hearts beat as one. We are equal in soul. Now, if you were reading this in the Greek, you might pick up on the echoes here in this phrase of some previous statements in chapter 127 and chapter 2, verse 2. You'll recall in chapter 127, Paul said, only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ so that, and he gives a list, but one of the things is I may hear that you are standing firm in one spirit and with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel. This phrase, one mind striving side by side, is parallel to the statement here, one soul. No one equal in one soul with me.

You have to see it in the Greek. The words are very similar. The imagery is brothers standing side by side in battle who can trust each other at any point until the very end. Equal in soul, one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel. Chapter 2, verse 2 has a similar idea when Paul gives the exhortation to the Philippian believers and he says, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, here's the phrase, being in full accord and of one mind. Full accord, this is the same imagery of one soul standing side by side in the battle, having each other's backs. In full accord, united in soul. So he's saying, look, I'm sending Timothy to you because I have nobody equal in soul like him.

I can't come to you myself, but Timothy's coming will be almost as good in every way because his soul is knit together. He's my brother. He's the one who has my back in the battles. He's equal in soul.

He says because he's genuinely concerned for your welfare. Again, a parallel echo here of chapter 2, verse 3, where Paul commends the Philippians in humility. I want you to count others more significant than yourselves, which is conceptually parallel to Timothy who has genuine concern for the welfare of others. And then he says, verse 21, for they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

Does that seem familiar to you, that language? Chapter 2, verse 4, let each of you look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Verse 22, he says, but you know Timothy's proven worth.

How is the son with the father? He has served with me in the gospel. Again, these descriptions are not haphazard, he says you've seen his proven worth. Remember Paul's prayer from chapter 1, verses 9 to 11, and this is my prayer that your love may abound more and more with knowledge and discernment so that you may be approving what is excellent.

Same phrase, you might approve what is excellent. Timothy's proven worth, parallel concepts, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. He says, look, I prayed that you'd be able to approve what is excellent so that you would be pure and blameless and righteous in Christ.

And now I want you to look at Timothy, whose worth has been proven, and he will come and help you on your way to becoming like Christ. He says he served with me as a son with a father. He's my apprentice in ministry. He's my equal in soul.

He's my son in the gospel. Do you see what he's doing here? Do you see what's happening? Paul has been praying for the Philippians, that they would be formed into the image of Christ, yes? He has charged them to live in oneness and selflessness, looking out for the interests of others, yes? He has called them to imitate Christ, to pattern their lives after the example of Christ, who in humble service and others' first sacrificial love laid down his life for others, yes? And now he sends Timothy, who is the embodiment of Christian Christ-like love and others-centered humility.

Do you see what's happening here? Timothy is a living, breathing, embodied example of what Christ-likeness really is. This is why there's so many verbal parallels and echoes in the text here. Timothy is embodying what Paul is exhorting. Timothy is embodying what Paul is exhorting. And this is not just true of Timothy. Paul wants them to emulate Timothy, but not only that, he wants them to emulate Epaphroditus. Look at verse 25. This phrase again, fellow soldier, what does that sound like? Brothers standing side by side with their backs against each other, right?

Contending. It's what he said in verse 27, striving side by side for the sake of the gospel. So not only does Timothy stand in the battle with Paul, one soul fighting the battle, having each other's back, Epaphroditus jumps into that battle as well.

He stands by Paul. He says, I thought it necessary to send him to you, verse 26, for he's been longing for you and has been distressed because you heard he was ill. He's been longing for you all.

What does that sound like? Again, remember chapter one, verse eight. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ. Paul yearns for them with the affection of Christ. Epaphroditus is longing for them with the affection of Christ as well. And he's distressed because he knows how anxious they must be for his sake.

He's looking out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Chapter two, verse four, verse 29 here. So receive him in the Lord with all joy and honor such men for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me. He says, receive him with joy, honor men like him for he nearly died for the work of Christ. He risked his life in service to me.

Do you see the themes of the book coming together? Chapter one, verse 29 and 34, it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ, not only should you believe in him, but also suffer for the sake of his name. We are called to suffer for Christ's sake. And Epaphroditus has suffered much for the sake of the gospel, yes? Chapter two, 17, even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I'm glad and I rejoice with all of you. Paul says, look, my life is like a sacrificial offering before the Lord. Even if I'm dying here for the sake of the gospel, if my trial doesn't go well and they execute me, I will be poured out like a sacrificial offering. I will be obedient to the point of death, even this death in Rome. Chapter two, verses five to eight, Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, held onto, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form. He humbled himself by being obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. He says, honor such men. Just as Christ was honored by the father because he in sacrificial self-giving service and love laid down everything for others, I want you to honor Epaphroditus because he risked his life in service of Christ and of me.

Don't you see? Epaphroditus is a living, breathing, embodied example of what Christ's likeness really looks like. He's embodying what Paul is exhorting.

So they're not just couriers on the Apium and Ignatian way. They're not just representatives of spiritual friendship and affection that are binding these people together. They are models of Christ's likeness worthy of imitation. They are models of Christ's likeness that are worthy of imitation. Friends, we are called to be imitators of Christ, yes?

Yes. We are called to be holy as he is holy. We are called to be increasingly conformed to the image of Christ.

But sometimes that vision seems so lofty, doesn't it? So out there, so intangible, which is why God sends us people, people like Timothy and Epaphroditus and Paul who will show us in real life and real time what real Christ's likeness looks like because we learn by imitation, don't we? We learn by patterning ourselves after others which is why Paul writes in chapter 3 verse 17 of Philippians, brothers, join in imitating me and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. Imitate me. Keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us in me. Paul says, look at this pattern, my life, Timothy's life, Epaphroditus' life.

Look at those who are godly and mature. I want you to pattern your life after us. I want you to model our lifestyle. I want you to imitate our example. I want you to follow us as we follow Christ. I don't know about you but I never quite realized how pervasive this language of imitation is in the Bible. Just a handful of examples, 1 Corinthians 11 verse 1. Again, Paul, be imitators of me as I am of Christ. Philippians 5 verses 1 to 2. Therefore, be imitators of God as beloved children and walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Hebrews 13 verses 7 to 8, remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Imitation, following, patterning. Paul even uses this language of Timothy, doesn't he? Like a father with his son, like a son with his father. He says like a son with his father. This is how Timothy has been with me in ministry. How do sons learn? Imitation, like father, like son. My own father was here just a couple weeks ago to pray over me at the installation, which is a very moving moment for me.

And so many of you came up to me in the subsequent weeks and said things like, I can see where you get it. I can see so much of you and your father and your father in you, the way you talk, the way you stand, the way you interact, your personality, mannerisms, so much that's strikingly similar. Now, how did that happen?

How did that happen? I've never once consciously thought I'm going to go mimic what my dad's doing. I'm going to copy his voice.

I'm going to try to mimic his cadence, his posture, his mannerisms. And yet the similarities are obvious. Like father, like son. And brain scientists tell us exactly why this happens. We have these things called mirror neurons, mirror neurons, like mirror, like a reflection that our brains subconsciously are always patterning after people around us, especially those that we admire. We're imitating. It's how we learn, right?

Every training program is the same. I do, you watch, now you do and I watch, right? We pattern, we imitate. Apprentices become like their masters. Pupils become like their teachers. Protégés become like their mentors. Children become like their parents. Companies become like their founders.

Congregations become like their pastors and nations become like their leaders. The person you will become is directly linked with the heroes you admire and the friendships you cultivate. The person you will become is directly linked with the heroes you admire and the friendships you cultivate.

That's why we tell our kids, show me your friends and I'll show you your future. Because association, who you're with, leads to admiration, who you adore, leads to imitation, leads to habituation, which becomes formation. Association to admiration to imitation to habituation to formation. In other words, we become what we behold. We become what we behold.

So two quick takeaways. First, who am I imitating? Who am I imitating? Not who do I wish I was imitating, but who am I really imitating? Who am I looking to? Who are my heroes? Who has captured my attention and my imagination?

Who do I admire? See friends, in a million subtle and subconscious ways, we are being formed, whether we realize it or not. We're being formed by TikTok influencers, some of us. We're being formed by Hollywood elites. We're being formed by social media feeds and algorithms. We are being formed by our cable news consumption. We are being formed by marketing. We are being formed by our business heroes.

We are being formed by our politically elected officials. And whether we like it or not, we're imitating somebody. Who is it?

Who is it? Do you know? Are you imitating someone who is imitating Christ? Or are you imitating someone who's imitating Christ?

Who knows what? Under their influence, am I becoming more loving, more joyful, more patient, more kind, more good, more faithful, more gentle, more self-controlled? Or am I more self-focused, more fearful, more anxious, more impatient, more irritable, more desperate, more cynical, more angry, more impulsive?

Friends, it really is that simple. In our pursuit of Christ, when we see ourselves and we say, well, here's an area where I'm deficient. I'm not walking in the fruit of the Spirit. Let's say, because I don't struggle with this one, let's say it's patience. I find myself being impatient.

This is really a thing. So I'm not very patient. Okay. Okay.

So here's the goal then. I go find the person who is most patient in my circle of acquaintance and I go hang out with them and I try what they're like and I do what they do and I practice what they portray. I watch them. I admire them. I imitate them. That's how we grow because the person we are becoming is directly linked to the heroes we admire and the friendships we cultivate.

That's the first question. Who am I imitating? Second question, who is imitating me? Who is imitating me?

And the reality is it's quite a few people, isn't it? We don't stop to think about it, but it's quite a sobering thought to think of all the people we interact with that are mimicking and imitating and patterning themselves off of the patterns of behavior that we are living out. We think we're being humble when we say don't follow me, follow Christ. Don't look at me, look at Christ. Or perhaps it is not humility that causes us to say that, but the fact that we do not have lives that are worthy of imitation.

We say it all the time, do as I say, not as I do. Fred said is so short of the vision of Christ for your life. He wants to make you like himself and glory and splendor. The children of God are to share in the character and likeness of their father, like father, like son, like father, like daughter. God's intention for you is to embody for others exactly what it is that Christ is like, that you would be a living, breathing example of what Christ's likeness really is so that others might imitate our faith. Fred, this is why we have small groups.

This is why we have Sunday communities. We can't make this happen, but we can get people together so that we start to see and behold the goodness of Christ in one another so that we might imitate Christ in each other. That's why we want every single one of you to belong here at Moody Church, because God has beautiful transforming glorious dreams for your life. And it's going to happen together because the person you are becoming is directly linked to the heroes you admire and the friendships you cultivate. The person I am becoming is directly linked to the heroes I admire and the friendships I cultivate.

So who is it for you? What would it mean to take action in becoming the person God is calling you to be in Christ by the power of his spirit? What would it look like to choose some intentional friends and heroes for the sake of the gospel and the glory of Christ?

Would you pray with me? Father, we want to be like Christ. So often we reduce this vision that you have for us to just pray in a prayer and walk in an aisle and getting right with you through Christ so we can go to heaven and be with you one day. But then the rest of our lives is kind of up to us doing our thing, sort of hoping accidentally we might become full of the spirit and his fruit in our lives. But what if it takes intention?

What if it takes patterning? What if it takes purposeful friendships and association? What if it's like everything else in life? We don't learn anything except by association and imitation so that we become formed.

That's why we go to school. That's why we have mentorships and leadership development and go to conferences and read books. What if this character formation is the same kind of thing, only easier because of the Holy Spirit? Father, would you forgive us for being lazy, for being haphazard, for drifting through life? Would you teach us what it means to run hard after you, to recognize that holiness will not come by accident, that Christ's likeness will take some effort, and by your grace through faith in Christ and by the power of the Spirit, this too can happen in our lives. Father, we're Yours. We give You ourselves.

We hold nothing back. Change us, we pray, for Jesus' sake. Amen. On today's Moody Church Hour, we heard Pastor Phillip Miller teaching on The Basics of Community, the fourth sermon in a series on Back to the Basics. Next week, don't miss some great teaching about the basics of identity, taken from chapter three of Paul's writings to the Philippians. Make plans to join us. The Moody Church Hour is a listener-supported ministry.

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