Philippians 4:2 “I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord.”
All we know of “Euodias” and “Syntyche” is that they have female names and that they were at Philippi. Paul’s open exhortation that “they be of the same mind in the Lord” seems to imply that they were such strong and prominent Sisters in the Church at Philippi that any disagreement they had could affect the peace of the Church. It is clear that Paul was exhorting them to strive for peace and unity in the Church; for, he instructs them all to “Rejoice in the Lord alway” (Philippians 4:4). And he tells them that “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippi 4:7). Many have served the Lord as his Pastors much longer than I have, but over the last thirty-three years of laboring to serve our Lord as a Pastor, I have found that one of the keys to “peace” in the Church is keeping our minds focused upon the Word of God which requires the Pastors to exclusively Preach and Teach the Word of God (Ephesians 4:11-13; II Timothy 4:2). Paul makes it very clear that doctrinal errors disrupt our “peace”: “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” (I Corinthians 15:33); that is, flawed and misunderstood doctrine leads to bad behavior (“manners”). And, bad behavior in the Church causes the sheep to flee. We all have personal preferences, likes and dislikes, ways of doing things, and things that offend us. But, when our minds and hearts are focused “in the Lord” and His Holy Word we rejoice together in spite of our differences; for, the love of God and His Word and His Church and His people and His Commandments have center stage in our minds and lives. A proper understanding of Biblical Doctrine leads us to “be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32) and “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” (Colossians 3:13). We can do this when our minds are more focused upon the Lord than our own personal preferences. The phrase “in the Lord” teaches us that our life and will must not be about our own preferences but about the Will and Commandments of “the Lord” (John 14:15). So, if you wonder why your Pastor so often preaches about the rudiments of Doctrine, this is one of the reasons!