Philippians 4:1-3

Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!

(v1, NIV)

Paul is speaking to the church in Philippi. These believers are loved and longed for by Paul. We who follow the Lord Jesus Christ are partners in the gospel together. Paul loves his fellow brothers and longs to be with them. In addition, they are his joy and crown. He hopes that they will continue firm till the end so that they may prove to be true followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. By doing so, Paul will have assurance that he did not run or labor in vain. Instead, the good work God allowed him to be a part of would be brought to completion by the Lord and prove fruitful.

Paul is calling his readers to stand firm in the Lord. He is referring to what he has just mentioned. First of all, we are not to confidence in the flesh. Paul had much reason for this, but he counted it as rubbish. Secondly, we must press on towards the goal, forgetting what lies behind. This attitude of striving forward must be in us.

I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

(v2-3, NIV)

Euodia and Syntyche are apparently two women who are not agreeing with each other. Their disagreement is probably not a serious issue; otherwise Paul would have dealt with it as he did many other issues in his letters. Instead, it is probably a minor issue that is not in opposition to the gospel of Christ. It may be something like a disagreement as to how dishes should be washed, or maybe they disagree with how a person should tie their shoes (or sandals). In addition, these women have worked at Paul's side for the gospel. They are acknowledged by Paul as saved since their names are in the book of life. Their disagreement is merely a minor disagreement between two people who are both truly serving the Lord Jesus Christ. Why would two brothers or sisters in the Lord disagree about something so insignificant? Well, I'm sure you and I have argued about a small or stupid thing in the past. It happens, but we shouldn't let it happen or we shouldn't let it happen for long. It's a silly matter, we should agree in the Lord.

What may be weird is how Paul outright mentions the two people involved in the dispute. The proper thing may have been to try to deal with this problem privately. However, Paul probably names both names openly in this letter because everyone already knew about the issue at hand. The fact that the problem is made aware by Paul probably means that everybody knows about it. There's no use trying to keep it under wraps if everyone knows about it. Paul just wants them to deal with it and be done with it.

Paul calls for help from Syzygus. This can be translated as "yokefellow", but probably referred to a person's name. The word is used to refer to those united by any bond, such as a relationship or marriage or labor. With regards to a bond, it may have been that this yokefellow was known for bringing people together, as his name may imply. Regardless, these two ladies are in disagreement over a small issue and they should both agree in the Lord.