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“19我靠主耶稣指望快打发 提摩太 去见你们，叫我知道你们的事，心里就得着安慰。 20因为我没有别人与我同心，实在挂念你们的事。 21别人都求自己的事，并不求耶稣基督的事。 22但你们知道 提摩太 的明证；他兴旺福音，与我同劳，待我像儿子待父亲一样。 23所以，我一看出我的事要怎样了结，就盼望立刻打发他去； 24但我靠着主自信我也必快去。”腓立比书 2:19-24
“别人都求自己的事，并不求耶稣基督的事。”
什么是求耶稣基督的事？
这段经文描述了两种类型的信徒，他们有着截然不同的追求。第一种是“别人”，他们追求自己的效用，保罗描述他们只“求自己的事（21节）”。虽然我们不能知道他们具体都在做些什么（可能是忙着累积财富，建造房屋，努力工作，照顾家人——不一定是不好的事），但至少他们不像提摩太那样，真诚关心其他（腓立比教会）弟兄姊妹的灵命成长；他们不太愿意与保罗同工同劳，一起兴旺福音。第二种则是提摩太，他真诚关心腓立比教会，愿意为他们付上代价，愿意长途跋涉去探望他们，是“求耶稣基督的事”的基督徒。
在这里，保罗给我们一些线索，让我们看见“求耶稣基督的事”是什么意思：在当时的处境中，这包括与属灵长辈一同为兴旺福音而劳苦，并对那些为福音而受逼迫的长辈如同儿子对待父亲（22节）。我们或可以此来检验自己是“别人”还是“提摩太”：只有提摩太们愿意放弃自己的舒适和手头的事情，来帮助造就信心幼小的基督徒，并在顺服中支持属灵长辈投身的事工。在某些领域，“别人”即便同工，也可能会抱怨或不情愿，而提摩太的心却如同儿子待父亲，尊敬顺服且同心同意地兴旺福音。
我们都可以成为提摩太，但是这是下苦工的成果。无论在教会的服事还是职场中，不再寻求从人而来的赞赏，停止喂养个人成就感和内心的骄傲，转而开始关心神放在我们生命中的人；不再利用人来满足我们的好处、实现我们的目标、完成我们的任务，转而开始学习我们能够如何服侍他们，从而使耶稣对他们显为真实，盼望有一天他们也可以称耶稣为主。当我们这样做的时候，我们真是在“求耶稣基督的事”了。
Philippians 2:19-24
What is seeking the things of God?
This passage introduces two types of believers with two different pursuits. The first is that of the others who seek their own pleasure. Paul describes them here as ‘seeking their own things’ (verse 21). Though we are unsure what these things are, but we know for sure that unlike Timothy, these ‘others’ do not truly care for their Christian brothers and sisters in Philippi, and they are not willing to co-suffer with Paul to further the gospel. The second type is that of Timothy, who is described as truly caring for the Philippi church (verse 20) and hence was ‘seeking the things of Jesus Christ’ (verse 21).
Paul gives us a hint what it means to seek the things of Jesus - to co-suffer with our spiritual oversight as children serves a father, in the furtherance of the gospel (verse 22). This is the acid test to see which type we belong to: Only the Timothy-s are willing to give up pleasure for building the faith of weaker Christians, and are willing to support the work of our spiritual leaders in obedience. Where ‘others' might complain, Timothy serves as a son towards a father for the work of the gospel.
We can all be like Timothy but it requires hardwork. Instead of seeking peoples' praise, or personal satisfaction and pride in our actions, whether in the church or in the workplace, we are to start caring about the people whom God has placed in our community. Instead of using people for our pleasure and focusing on what they can do for us, we need to start learning about how we can serve them in order that Jesus becomes real for them and that one day they may call Jesus as Lord. Indeed, then we will be seeking what Jesus truly cares about.
