Paul doesn’t just plant churches. He also pastors people. Onsite when possible. Through letters and messengers when away.

He can’t be with the Philippians now. But he holds them in his heart. And the feeling is mutual. The Greek text of verse 7 can also mean, “You hold me in your heart” (NRSV).

They are all in this together. Partners in grace. Partners in pain. And partners in the Gospel.

Philippians is, in fact, a thank-you letter for their support through Epaphroditus, one of their own (Philippians 4:10-18). But the church is not Paul’s fan club. He doesn’t need them to stroke his ego, secure his identity, or increase his influence on ‘social media’. The tie that binds them together is the “koinonia” of the Spirit that transcends all soulish attachments.

“It is right for me to feel this way about you,” says Paul. He is not so preoccupied with his own plight that he forgets his partners. He feels deeply for them.

But don’t be thrown off by the word “feel” (ESV). The Greek word also means “think”, as other translations have it. It’s both a heart-set and a mindset.

Paul is not emo. He feels with his head and thinks with his heart. That is to say, his feelings are founded on clear thinking and sound reason. And something infinitely deeper: “the affection of Christ Jesus”.

Some people are hard to love. Especially when they disappoint us in the things that matter most.

Such was the case between Paul and the Philippians, as the rest of this letter will show. But his love for them is not diminished when they fall short of his expectations.

What’s his secret? Verse 8: “God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.”

The “affection of Christ” is nothing less than the tender mercies and unconditional love of God. Left to our own natural affections, we will never be able to love others, especially the unlovely, as Christ loves us.

The secret we learn from Paul is to let Christ Himself love others — all others — through us.

The Philippians have a long way to go in their journey toward Christlikeness. But Paul loves them wisely and unconditionally. Because it is no longer he that loves, but Christ who loves through him (Galatians 2:20).

That’s a secret we all need to learn.

Pray Now

1 Face it. “Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things that don’t really matter. God’s definition of what matters is pretty straightforward. He measures our lives by how we love” (Francis Chan). Examine yourself.  

2 Dear Pastor, do you love your church? Church is people. God’s household. The “Ekklesia”. Do you hold your people in your heart? How do you really feel about them? Has the prolonged isolation due to the pandemic caused you to yearn for them with the affection of Christ? Has the absence made your heart grow fonder? Are you excited that church gatherings are getting back to normal? Or were you so disoriented and dismayed by the exodus that you’ve lost heart, lost hope, and lost affection for your people?

Turn to Christ. Let Him flood your heart and mind with His affection for you. Let Him love His people through you. For He is with you. “With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs” (Zephaniah 3:17 NLT).

3 Dear Believer, how do you feel about your pastors? Do you hold them in your heart? No shepherd is perfect. Except Jesus the Chief Shepherd. Do you realise that being a pastor is one of the toughest leadership roles on planet Earth? They are called by God to love, lead, comfort, correct, and disciple imperfect, hard-to-please people like us. Every church is a complex community of different generations, social backgrounds, personalities, mindsets, experiences, and expectations.

• Check yourself. Are your expectations realistic? Have you been unduly critical of your pastors? Comparing them with pastors of other churches? Don’t forget, Jesus loves you despite your flaws and failures. So, He expects you to love your pastors – even if they aren’t as relational, affectionate, or accessible as you’d like them to be.
• “Often the people that are most hurt and least loved are the shepherds because lots of sheep bite” (Yeo Kay Chong). Will you pray for your pastors? Don’t pray mechanically just to pay lip service. “Cold prayers freeze before they reach heaven” (Thomas Brooks). Pray with heart until you experience Jesus’ warm affection and perfect love for your imperfect pastors. Pray for them without ceasing. Stand by them when their decisions, though based on sound theology, are ridiculed as old school because they’re not trendy or consumer-oriented. Lift up their battle-weary arms when they are bashed for doing the right thing for the sake of the Gospel. Stay with them for the long haul as partners in grace, in pain, and in the Gospel.

4 Ask God to fill you with the affection of Christ for those who are hard to love. Pray and live the Word: A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35). Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love (Ephesians 4:2 NLT). Love is patient and kind (1 Corinthians 13:4).

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