Working Together / Dr. Jim Tillotson

<p><strong>Title</strong></p><p>Working Together</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Introduction</strong></p><p>Dr. Jim Tillotson opens the new school year with the campus theme — &quot;Together: At Home and At Church&quot; — drawn from Philippians 1:27-28. He argues that living worthy of the gospel and striving together in unity are not separate commands but two sides of the same coin, and challenges both returning upperclassmen and incoming freshmen to make both a priority from day one.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Scripture Texts</strong></p><p>Philippians 1:27-28; Philippians 2:1-4; Ephesians 4:1-3; John 13:34-35</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Main Points or Ideas</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Live worthy of the gospel (v. 27a)</strong> - The Greek word for &quot;conduct&quot; in verse 27 is the word for being a good citizen — the kind of devoted, reputation-protecting loyalty that citizens of the Roman colony of Philippi gave to Rome. Paul calls believers to that same wholehearted devotion to Christ. Tillotson presses the point practically: spiritual hypocrisy — hiding sin while appearing faithful in chapel and class — discredits the gospel and gives unbelievers no reason to believe. Don&#39;t get good at hiding sin; get good at confessing it. He extends an open-door offer to any student struggling with pornography, alcohol, or moral impurity to seek help without fear of dismissal within the first two weeks of the semester.</p></li><li><p><strong>Stand fast in one spirit (v. 27b)</strong> - The image is of standing steadfastly on a hill, holding ground against everyone trying to knock you off — standing for God and against Satan, for what is right and against sin. Unity among believers is critical to God; discord is one of the things he hates most (Proverbs 6). Satan will attack the unity of a Christian college just as he does a church or a marriage, and students must decide from the beginning to defend it. Different isn&#39;t bad — it&#39;s just different. Roommate tensions, temperature disagreements, and schedule conflicts are early training grounds for the greater unity the gospel demands.</p></li><li><p><strong>Strive together for the gospel (v. 27c)</strong> - The word &quot;striving together&quot; comes from a Greek athletic compound — competing in a contest as a team. Tillotson illustrates this with five marks of a good teammate: encourage those around you; make &quot;us&quot; more important than &quot;me&quot;; recognize that every position is important; do what is best for the team; and listen to the coach. The point of all this unity is not community for its own sake — it is so the gospel can go forward. Eternity looks different when believers truly work together.</p></li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Conclusion</strong></p><p>Dr. Jim closes by calling students to resist Satan&#39;s inevitable attacks on campus unity this year — to work things out with roommates, confess hidden sin, and strive together so the gospel can advance. If they do not learn to work together now, marriage and ministry will be much harder. The stakes are eternal.</p>