Dual PanelBe United and Care for Each Other
1Is there any way in Christ that I can ask you to do something? Does your love make you want to comfort me? Do we share together in the Spirit
2If you have these things, then I ask you to do something for me. This will make me very happy. I ask that all your minds be joined together by believing the same things. Be joined together in your love for each other. Live together by agreeing with each other and having the same goals.
3When you do things, don’t let selfishness or pride be your guide. Be humble and give more honor to other people than to yourselves.
4Don’t be interested only in your own life, but be interested in the lives of other people, too.
Learn from Christ to be Unselfish
5In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus.
6Christ himself was like God in everything. Christ was equal with God. But Christ did not think that being equal with God was something that he must keep.
7He gave up his place with God and agreed to be like a servant. He was born to be a man and became like a servant.
8And when he was living as a man, he humbled himself by being fully obedient to God. He obeyed even when that caused him to die. And he died on a cross.
9Christ obeyed God, so God raised Christ to the most important place. God made the name of Christ greater than every other name.
10God did this because he wants every person to bow for the name of Jesus. Every person in heaven, on the earth, and under the earth will bow.
11Every person will confess (say), “Jesus Christ is Lord (Master).” When they say this, it will bring glory to God the Father.
Be the People God Wants You to Be
12My dear friends, you have always obeyed. You obeyed God when I was with you. It is even more important that you obey now while I am not there {to help you}. You yourselves must live in a way that moves you toward your salvation. Do this with respect and fear for God.
13Yes, God is working in you. God helps you want to do the things that please him. And he gives you the power to do these things.
14Do everything without complaining or arguing.
15Then you will be innocent and without anything wrong in you. You will be God’s children without fault. But you are living with evil people all around you who have become very bad. Among those people you shine like lights in the dark world.
16You offer those people the teaching that gives life. So I can be happy when Christ comes again. I can be happy because my work was not wasted. I ran in the race and won.
17Your faith makes you give your lives as a sacrifice
18You also should be happy and full of joy with me.
News About Timothy and Epaphroditus
19I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon. I will be happy to learn how you are.
20I have no other person like Timothy. He truly cares for you.
21Other people are interested only in their own lives. They are not interested in the work of Christ Jesus.
22You know the kind of person Timothy is. You know that he has served with me in telling the Good News
23I plan to send him to you quickly. I will send him when I know what will happen to me.
24Iam sure that the Lord will help me to come to you soon.
25Epaphroditus is my brother in Christ. He works and serves with me in the army of Christ. When I needed help, you sent him to me. I think now that I must send him back to you.
26I send him because he wants very much to see all of you. He is worried because you heard that he was sick.
27He was sick and was near death. But God helped him and me too, so that I would not have more sadness.
28So I want very much to send him to you. When you see him, you can be happy. And I can stop worrying about you.
29Welcome him in the Lord with much joy. Give honor to people like Epaphroditus.
30He should be honored because he almost died for the work of Christ. He put his life in danger so that he could help me. This was help that you could not give me.