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Most Christian teachers know that the book of Philippians is a book of experience. Philippians is a book on the experience of Christ. In the arrangement of the books of the New Testament, Philippians comes between Ephesians, a book on the Body, and Colossians, a book on the Head. Thus, between the Body and the Head we have the experience of Christ. This means that the way to get from the Body to the Head is through the experience of Christ. This is a strong indication that if we would know the Head, we must have the experience of Christ.
In Philippians Paul speaks about the experience of Christ in a very peculiar way. According to our concept, to experience Christ we must clear the past, consecrate ourselves to Christ, open to the inner anointing, and obey the anointing. Along with this, we need to pray a great deal and have fellowship with the Lord and with one another. This concept of experiencing Christ is not wrong. It is normal and very common. However, in Philippians Paul does not speak of the experience of Christ in this way. It took me more than forty years to understand the way that Paul speaks of experiencing Christ in Philippians.
Philippians 1:5 says, “Your fellowship unto the furtherance of the gospel from the first day until now,” and verse 6 continues, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun in you a good work will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.” These verses indicate that the fellowship unto the gospel is a good work, a work initiated by Christ. Christ will complete this work until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians unveils the fact that the experience of Christ is the fellowship unto the gospel until the Lord Jesus comes back. Notice that in verse 5 Paul does not speak of the preaching of the gospel but of the fellowship unto the gospel. Have you ever noticed that there is such a term in the New Testament as the fellowship unto the furtherance of the gospel? No doubt you have heard of the fellowship of the Spirit, for this is very common. The fellowship of the Spirit is in our concept, but the fellowship unto the gospel is not. From the time we are saved until the time the Lord Jesus comes back, our Christian life should be a gospel-preaching life. We are not here for our education, job, or family, and we are not here to earn money or to gain a reputation or position. We are here to live a gospel-preaching life, a life that preaches Christ. Our living should be our preaching. If someone asks your profession, you should say, “My profession is preaching the gospel.” Thus, our life is primarily a gospel-preaching life. Whether I speak or remain silent, my life, my living, my being, and my entire person are a preaching of Christ.
Our gospel-preaching life should not be individualistic; rather, it must be corporate. This is the reason that in the preaching of the gospel we have fellowship. The word fellowship is rich in meaning. The Greek word rendered “fellowship,” koinonia, means “communication, mutual interchange.” As far as the preaching of the gospel is concerned, today’s situation is very poor. Either Christians do not preach the gospel or they preach it individualistically, not corporately. Every evangelist is individualistic. It seems that the more evangelistic people are, the more individualistic they are. In their preaching of the gospel there is no fellowship. Because there is no fellowship unto the gospel, there is no experience of Christ.
Even if we clear the past, consecrate ourselves to the Lord, and follow the inner anointing, we still may not necessarily have that much experience of Christ. But if we preach the gospel in a corporate way, we will be full of the experience of Christ. The book of Philippians does not speak of clearing the past, consecration, or the anointing. But it does speak of the fellowship unto the gospel. I am very glad that many among us are zealous for the preaching of the gospel on the campuses. But I wonder if in this preaching of the gospel there is the fellowship unto the gospel. If we simply engage in the preaching of the gospel, we will not have very much experience of Christ. The experience of Christ is not mainly in the preaching; it is in the fellowship. We need to preach the gospel in fellowship. As long as you have fellowship in your preaching of the gospel, you will experience Christ.
We human beings are not simple but complicated and intricate. In chapter 1 of Philippians, a chapter on the fellowship unto the gospel, Paul says that some preach Christ because of envy, strife, and rivalry (vv. 15-17). Some may say, “Last month I brought more people to the Lord than you did. Among those I brought to the Lord were a professor and an outstanding student.” Even those in the same church may strive against one another in preaching the gospel. Furthermore, we may also compete with churches in other cities. Thus, after strife comes rivalry. Even in something as divine as the preaching of Christ, it is possible to have rivalry.
Those on the same campus engaged in preaching the gospel may have rivalry among them concerning who will be the leader. Those who cannot be first will at least desire to be second. How disappointed they would be to be last! Such rivalry is hidden within us. When we have such rivalry, we do not have fellowship unto the gospel. In your schoolwork it is all right to be zealous to be first but not in the preaching of the gospel. Rather, in the preaching of the gospel, you should be willing to be nothing. Those who preach Christ out of envy, strife, and rivalry certainly do not have fellowship unto the gospel. If we do not have fellowship, we cannot have the experience of Christ.
I am very happy that the young people are zealous to preach the gospel on the campuses. But now I must ask whether or not in their preaching of the gospel they have the experience of Christ. This depends upon whether or not they have the fellowship unto the gospel. It is not a simple matter to have this fellowship. It requires that we put ourselves, our ambition, our reputation, and our position aside. This is a real killing. The fellowship unto the gospel kills the self, the flesh, and the natural man. It also kills our ambition, desire, preference, and choice. This is the reason that the fellowship in the preaching of the gospel causes us to experience Christ. Thus, according to the word of the apostle Paul in Philippians, the first way to experience Christ is in the fellowship unto the gospel.
The second way to experience Christ is through the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ (v. 19). Notice that in Philippians 1:19 Paul speaks not of the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Jesus, or the Spirit of Christ but of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Not many Christians are familiar with the significance of this title. In Genesis 1:2 we have the term the Spirit of God. Other books in the Old Testament speak of the Spirit of Jehovah. The Spirit of Jehovah fell upon certain prophets. In the New Testament we find the term the Holy Spirit. This term is not used in the Old Testament because it is related to the incarnation of Christ. At the time that Christ was conceived in Mary, the angel said, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1:35). According to Matthew 1:20, the angel of the Lord told Joseph that what had been begotten in Mary was of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, first there is the Spirit of God, then the Spirit of Jehovah, and then the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God is related to God’s creation, the Spirit of Jehovah is related to God’s relationship with man, and the Holy Spirit is related to the Son of God becoming a man. John 7:39 says, “The Spirit was not yet.” What Spirit was not yet? This refers to the Spirit of the glorified Jesus that was “not yet” until the time of Jesus’ resurrection. After Jesus’ glorification, the Spirit of God, which is the Spirit of Jehovah and the Holy Spirit, became the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
In Acts 16:7 we find the term the Spirit of Jesus, and in Romans 8:9, the term the Spirit of Christ. If you read Acts 16, you will see that the Spirit of Jesus is related mainly to the preaching of the gospel. It was not the Spirit of God or the Spirit of Christ but the Spirit of Jesus that did not allow them to go into Bithynia. The Spirit of Christ is found in Romans 8, a chapter on resurrection life. Therefore, the Spirit of Christ is related to resurrection. In Philippians 1:19 these two terms, the Spirit of Jesus and the Spirit of Christ, are combined in the term the Spirit of Jesus Christ. The Spirit of Jesus Christ is for the experience of Christ.
The first two chapters of Philippians are related to the Spirit of Jesus, and the last two are related to the Spirit of Christ. Chapters 1 and 2 are related not to resurrection but to Jesus. Chapters 3 and 4 are related to resurrection. For example, Philippians 3:10 says, “To know Him and the power of His resurrection.” Furthermore, Philippians 4:13 says, “I am able to do all things in Him who empowers me.” This is the Spirit of Christ, who is related to resurrection. In the first chapter of Philippians we have the preaching of the gospel. To preach the gospel we need the Spirit of Jesus. The Spirit of Jesus is clearly portrayed in the first two chapters. The Spirit of Jesus does not strive, and it has no rivalry or enmity. When Jesus the Nazarene was on earth, He did not have any envy, strife, or rivalry. These three negative things are mentioned in chapter 1. In this chapter there are also some positive things, such as the fellowship and the matter of being in one spirit and one soul. How can we have one spirit and one soul? This is not possible by our spirit, for our spirit is a spirit of envy. When we see others taking the lead, we are envious. Then we begin to strive in the spirit of rivalry. Although our spirit is like this, the Spirit of Jesus is not. Consider the life of Jesus as presented in the Gospels. His life was a life without envy, strife, or rivalry. To be one in spirit and in soul is possible only in the Spirit of Jesus.
To be one soul mainly means to be one mind. The reason Christians cannot be one soul is that each desires to be first and that no one is willing to be last. But it is possible for us to be one soul by the Spirit of Jesus. If we say, “I want to be in the Spirit of Jesus,” we will immediately have the experience of Christ and be one spirit and one soul with others. Then we will strive together for the gospel. The word together in Philippians 1:27 means that we are coordinated and that we are not individualistic but corporate. When we are all in the Spirit of Jesus and are in one soul, we will strive together.
Although the first chapter of Philippians is rather long, it may be outlined quite simply. This chapter is concerned with the fellowship unto the gospel by the Spirit of Jesus without envy, strife, or rivalry. It is in this way that we experience Christ. It is not simply a matter of clearing the past, consecrating ourselves, or caring for the inner anointing. That is not the way from the Body to the Head. In order to reach the Head, we need the fellowship unto the gospel by the Spirit of Jesus without envy, strife, or rivalry. In our gospel-preaching life there should be no envy, strife, or rivalry, not even with the opposers. Instead, we should simply preach the gospel by the Spirit of Jesus. But as long as there is the slightest bit of rivalry, we cannot be in the Spirit of Jesus. Moreover, if we are not in the Spirit of Jesus, we are not in the fellowship unto the gospel, and we are through with the experience of Christ. To experience Christ we need the fellowship unto the gospel by the Spirit of Jesus without envy, strife, or rivalry.
Now we come to Philippians 2. The first verse says, “If there is therefore any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of spirit, if any tenderheartedness and compassions.” It took me more than thirty years to understand this verse. Verse 2 indicates that in saying all this, the apostle Paul was begging the saints in Philippi to make his joy full. Paul seemed to be saying, “Please make my joy full. Do you have a tender heart? Do you have compassion toward me? Your strife and rivalry have made me sorrowful. If you have tenderheartedness, if you have encouragement and trust, if you have some consolation of love toward me, if you have any fellowship of spirit with me, please make my joy full.”
Verse 2 says, “Make my joy full, that you think the same thing, having the same love, joined in soul, thinking the one thing.” In this verse Paul was beseeching the Philippians to think the same thing and to have the same love. We should not have special friendships but have the same love toward one another. In his latter years the apostle Paul, who was soon to be poured out to the Lord as a drink offering, was asking the Philippians to make his joy full by having the same love toward everyone. If Paul had heard that the Philippians had the same love, he would have been very happy. But because they had a different love for various people, he was sorrowful, for that kind of love caused them to lose the oneness and to be out of the fellowship unto the gospel.
Verse 2 also speaks of being one in soul. To be one in soul means to be one in our affection, love, thought, and decisions. Such oneness is very practical. If we want to experience Christ, we need to be one in soul. If we are not one in our affections, thoughts, and decisions, we are not one in soul. As long as we are not one in soul, we are not in the fellowship unto the gospel.
Verse 3 says, “Doing nothing by way of selfish ambition nor by way of vainglory, but in lowliness of mind considering one another more excellent than yourselves.” To desire a high position among the saints is vainglory. We should not do anything in the way of selfish ambition or vainglory, in the way of seeking glory for ourselves. Rather, in lowliness of mind, we should consider others as surpassing us. This is the way to experience Christ and to stay in the fellowship unto the gospel. Although we may preach the gospel, we may not have the fellowship unto the gospel because we consider ourselves higher than others.
In verse 4 Paul says, “Not regarding each his own virtues, but each the virtues of others also.” The word virtues means “attributes, or qualities.” We are accustomed to regarding our own virtues but not the virtues of others. Thus, Paul says that we should regard not just our own qualities but also the qualities of others.
Verses 5 and 6 continue, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider being equal with God a treasure to be grasped.” Christ was equal to God; He did not rob God of His position. However, often we commit robbery. For example, we may want to be first but may not have the necessary qualifications. In this way we rob others of what is theirs. A brother may not be qualified to be an elder, yet he desires to be an elder. Thus, he robs those who are qualified for the eldership because he desires something he is not equal to. But if someone is equal to the eldership and wants to have it, that is not robbery. Christ was God. Therefore, for Him to be equal with God was not robbery, but for us to desire to be an apostle like Paul is robbery. In doing this, we rob Paul of his apostleship.
In verses 7 through 9 we are told that Christ emptied Himself, took upon Himself the form of a slave, and became in the likeness of men. Found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross. This is the Spirit of Jesus. In verse 9 Paul says that God has exalted Christ and has bestowed on Him the name which is above every name. Thus, according to verse 10, “In the name of Jesus every knee should bow.” All this is related to the Spirit of Jesus. For the preaching of the gospel we need this Spirit.
Our life should be a life of gospel preaching. In our preaching of the gospel, we need the Spirit of Jesus. In this Spirit there is no envy, strife, rivalry, robbery, or regarding our own qualities. Rather, in the Spirit of Jesus, we regard the qualities of others. This is the Spirit of Jesus for the experience of Christ. If we have this Spirit, we will be in the fellowship unto the gospel, and our preaching of the gospel will be prevailing and fruitful. Furthermore, our fellowship will be full of the enjoyment of Christ. This is the way to enjoy Christ and to experience Him all day long. This is possible by the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. When we have no envy, strife, or rivalry, but stay in the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, there is no need for us to try to experience Christ. We will experience Him spontaneously.
