Prioritizing Our Gospel Partnership

Proposition: We can grow in Gospel gratitude when we properly prioritize gospel partnership by thanking God, remembering his continued work, and by praying for the right things.

My very first Sunday at Faith Church was July 1, 2001 – the same Sunday as the Pig Roast. I came as an intern while completing the final year of my M.Div. at Baptist Bible Seminary.

I was required to attend the Monday basic training course in biblical counseling. I did not know anything about biblical counseling. One of the first things I learned is that you always review the previous week’s homework. So … I believe that Pastor Viars gave us some homework for this week.

1. Read Acts 16 to help us remember how the church at Philippi started. (not at 8)
2. Read the Book of Philippians in one sitting.
3. Look for all the places in the book that talk about joy.

Well, how did you do? I hope all of you got an A+. Sometimes the pastor giving the sermon uses “homework” as a little joke, but what is serious is that the truth of God’s word should impact every aspect of our lives.

Our annual theme is Growing in Gospel Gratitude. The more you immerse yourself in the book of Philippians, the easier it will be to accomplish. I hope you will take those encouragements (or homework assignments) to heart.

Today we have the joy of studying the next section of Philippians. I invite you to turn in your Bibles to Philippians 1:3-11.

As you are getting there, here are three quick reminders:

1. Philippians is known for its attitude of joy. Joy appears more frequently in this letter than in any other place in the Bible. It is truly an upbeat book.
2. Philippians is a letter in response to a gift that, for Paul, represents a group of people focused on the same mission. This is not just a meal for a person who is sick, a book for a prisoner, or a coat for a person who is cold. This is a joint venture in gospel ministry.
3. It is a letter written about 10 years after Paul started the church. This church kept that relationship strong and healthy.

Read Phil 1:3-11. This is the Word of the Lord. The title of our message this morning is Prioritizing our Gospel Partnership. I would like us to consider 3 actions that help us prioritize our gospel partnership.

Please notice that there is a community aspect to this idea. It is not simply you as an individual prioritizing the gospel as much as it is all of us prioritizing our partnership in gospel ministry. Both ideas are important and true, but I am focusing on the latter. Great, so what can we do?

I. Thank God for each other (vv. 3-5)

Philippians 1:3-5 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, 5 in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.

When you reflect on our church, I hope it results in a thanksgiving prayer to the Lord.

• We, like every church, have people who are not living for Jesus.

• We, like every church, have steps of growth to take.

• We are not even close to perfect.

• But that is not the headline of Faith Church.

The headline today is that your brothers and sisters at East, West, and North are involved in gospel ministry. One person’s involvement positively impacts all of us.

When one is a part of a ministry like this one – with multiple services and campuses – it is always possible to take one another for granted or at least to not know what is happening. I want to share a bit of our larger ministry to help us camp on that word “remembrance.”

Example #1: Christmas and New Year’s ministries

I assist counselors in becoming ACBC certified. Pastor Goode was a former executive director and Pastor Viars has been on the board for many years.

• I was speaking with another pastor and he said, “we are like a lot of churches, things mostly shut down during Christmas.” I did say anything about that, but I was thinking … shut down, shut down.

We don’t shut down during Christmas, we ramp up.

Musicians and servants were trying to make the Taste of Christmas an entry gate to the pearly gates! Two nights of presentation preceded by months of preparation to see as many ladies won to Christ as possible.

Living Nativity … set up, 5 nights (one got cancelled), and then tear down until 11:30pm. That was not shutting down, it was let’s tell everyone about Jesus that we can. I served on the hospitality crew and I spoke to people who saw the lights and got in line. They would not have heard the gospel that night if it were not for people serving in order to tell them.

Christmas musical with a full orchestra and choir. It was amazing and amazingly exhausting for the team. Three Sundays in a row with multiple services each time.

Winter break ministries. We had people serving every single day of winter break.

I could go on and on. We were not shutting down; we were ramping up. That is a reason in your morning devotional time to thank the Lord that you go to church with people who want to capitalize on gospel opportunities.

Example #2: Restoration and Vision of Hope

There are people serving at both ministries every day. Many of you know that we are raising money for a new barn that will allow the ministry to expand.

• That is great, here is another thing it will provide. The opportunity to work in a temperature controlled environment.

Right now, the current barn has no HVAC. That means the barn can be very cold. When it is 10 degrees in the morning, volunteers are working in the sawmill helping the men. Most of us would not know it is happening. Why do these servants go work in a freezing cold barn?

• Because they care about gospel ministry. They want these men to come with their addictions and lay them down at the foot of the cross.

Vision of Hope has its own stressors. With so many people living in close proximity, how do you keep people safe?

• The staff, interns, and volunteers have had to endure some greater restrictions and challenging policies that were never part of the conversation before. Yet, they serve.

• Why? Because the gospel is more important. If Paul can be in jail, then I give up a few freedoms to share Christ too.

Example #3: BCTC

A third example is a ministry that is just a few weeks away, but one we have been doing for almost 40 years – the BCTC. People come from all over the US and around the world to participate in biblical counseling training here. But every year, what surprises the newcomers the most is the way you serve them.

• The resource center is packed with volunteers helping attendees find what they are looking for.

• Break servants provide snacks and drinks with a smile and a short conversation.

• When you allow people to stay in your home it builds a friendship and significantly reduces the cost of the conference.

• Every single one of those attendees takes the training they receive and uses it to impact people in their communities. It is a tremendous gospel partnership.

Example #4: Children and Youth Ministries

People continually serve in Children’s and Youth ministries.

• They provide age appropriate explanations to the Bible to help young people of all ages connect the truth of God’s word to their lives.

• The only times that we miss those things is when they are not available.

I could do this all morning, but I will stop with one more …

Example #5: Individual care

A fifth example is the way people are serving people without a lot of fuss or fanfare. I know of many who brought meals, without any formal organization, to families struggling with cancer, after a surgery, or various other sicknesses. No one knows about it because it is quiet. But it makes a difference in the overall ministry of the church.

Each example is a small picture into the heart of our church family giving us reason to give thanks to God for each other.

• I hope these examples help you “in your remembrance” of your brothers and sisters during your personal devotions.

Please do not miss this … while there is a place for thanking one another (Paul writes the letter to thank them for their gift), the focus of this passage is thanking the Lord.

When Paul thought about the Philippians, he thanked God for them.

Fee explains, “The basis of the thanksgiving will be given [in v. 5]—their past and present partnership in the gospel. Paul, after all, rarely thanks God for “things”; his thanksgivings are for people, for those special “gifts” whom God has brought into his life, who, despite whatever frustration or grief they may also cause him, are invariably a source of great joy and thanksgiving.”—Gordon D. Fee, Philippians NICNT. Pg 80.

Please also notice …

With a heart of joy (v. 4)

Philippians 1:4 always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all

Paul’s gave thanks to the Lord with joy. We can allow circumstances, both great and small to rob us of joy. Paul, being under house arrest and imprisoned for 4 years would know something about the challenge of circumstances. But they were not an excuse.

He was willing to look at his life and see the way this church partnered with him and cared about him. I think we can do exactly the same thing.

I encourage you to thank the Lord for one another … just as your pastors are thanking God for all of you … and to do so with joy.

The passage also emphasizes …

Because of your faithful commitment to the gospel (v. 5)

Philippians 1:5 in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now

When the Philippians sent a gift to Paul, Paul did not receive it as just a gift – but as a reflection of their partnership in the gospel ministry.

When you think about each act from that perspective, it produces joy that overflows in prayers of thanksgiving to the Lord.

Let’s return to the previous examples:

• Participation in Christmas ministries is gospel partnership

• Participation in Restoration or Vision of Hope is gospel partnership

• Participation with the BCTC is gospel partnership

• Serving in Children and Youth ministries is gospel partnership

• Our care for one another in meals, cards, encouragement, or gifts is gospel partnership

When we see all these things as participation in the gospel, then it produces prayers with an attitude of joy.

Look around the room. These are people (and many more like them) who have proven with their words and their actions that they are partners in the gospel with all of us. As you remember them, thank God. We also see a second action that we can take to prioritize the gospel…

II. Encourage one another that God started and will continue to work (vv. 6-8)

Philippians 1:6-8 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me. 8 For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

Paul reflects for a moment on the start of the church. He says that God began a good work. The Bible is not afraid of talking about people who have a fake faith.

• It comes up in the parable of the soils where only one kind of seed produced fruit.

• It came up in our study of John where Jesus did not entrust himself to some of them.

• It comes up in Hebrews where some talk about being a Christian, but are not truly saved.

• Paul has certainly seen some of that in his ministry too. People whose profession was never possession.

But that is not true here. Paul is confident because he has seen the fruit of their conversion. So we can also encourage one another in …

God’s work in your salvation

We can encourage one another that God has started his work in our lives. This might be a great time for a little assignment. Send a note … card, text, email …expressing your encouragement that God saved that person.

• We praise the Lord for the work that he began.

It may be that as I am talking you might find yourself in one of two situations different than what I just described.

• It may be that you know you do not have a saving relationship with Jesus. You know that you need him … Last Sunday a person at Faith North admitted this between the two services. You might be in the same position.

• You know that you are sinner, you know that Christ died, was buried, rose again, and is returning. But you have never trusted Christ as your only hope of salvation and submitted your will to his.

• Today could be that day.

• That is available for you today as well.

It would truly be an awful situation if a person who did not know Christ heard us encouraging one another because of God’s saving work and did not know what to do about it.

As Paul continues his prayer of thanksgiving, he expresses confidence that the Lord will continue the work that he started. We are not relying on our own strength to continue this gospel partnership. We are counting on the Lord’s continued work in our lives.

His work continues until the day of Christ (v. 6)

Until the day of Christ… that is some reassurance for our future. We know that God is going to continue his work in us until he takes us home or he returns. Either way, God’s work continues until the very end of our lives.

Peter wrote that trials test our faith and that the successful endurance of trails reveals that our faith is genuine.

• At the end of all this, we may learn about a few people who did not believe in the Lord as much as they say they did.

• But by and large, what we have seen in a God-empowered ability to withstand adversity and remain focused on gospel priorities.

I think that every one of us can look forward with a bold confidence that the Lord is actively working to bring about his goals and his purposes in our lives.

This can happen at a corporate level. We should all be encouraged that so many people are participating in the survey … Over 1300. Wow. That is a reminder that the Lord is working in people’s lives to partner together to find ways to serve Christ by winning people to Jesus and teaching them to be more faithful disciples. The Lord is going to work in our church as a corporate body in the days to come.

But sometimes these reminders need to come personally too. When our son Samuel went to Cedarville University there was a parent session. I heard one parent say something that has really influenced my behavior these last 5 months. He said that he regularly texted his son, “you got this. The Lord is still at work.”

• What if that message were a regular message we shared with each other here at Faith?

• What if we regularly reminded each other that God is at work through our blessings, our normal life, and our trials?

• Maybe that card, that text, or that email could make a significant difference in someone’s day.

Notice what happens when people unite in gospel partnership …

Resulting in a partnership that builds relationships

Philippians 1:7 For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me. 8 For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

In vv. 7-8 we also find that Paul returns to his personal relationship with the church that has partnered so well with him.

• We should expect that the Lord’s work in our lives would result in a stronger overall partnership.

• We should expect that as he completes his work our areas of common ground become more important than ever before and the areas of our disagreement become ever less important.

If we will allow it, partnering together in the gospel to accomplish what God has given us to do can unite us at a corporate and personal level. We can enjoy our relationship with each other because we are focused on the same things.

We will find commonalities across the spectrum of life, but I encourage you to make conversations about ministry a priority as well for ultimately it is the ministry that binds us together.

I suggested that we can prioritize the gospel by thanking God with joy for the various ways that people participate in the gospel and encouraging each other that God began his work and will continue it until the day of Christ. The third way to prioritize the gospel is to …

III. Pray that our love would abound (vv. 9-11)

Philippians 1:9-11 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; 11 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Prayer requests often center around how a person feels (whether they are sick or not), or how a person’s circumstances are (whether they are easy or difficult). There is most certainly a place for these kinds of prayers.

• I believe it is helpful to ask people what we can pray for. However, there might be a few things we should pray for in addition to their requests.

When the biblical authors pray or ask for prayer, there is often a deeper spiritual connection to the request.

• Paul rejoiced that the church participated in the gospel with him. He rejoiced as they shared physical provisions and compassionate love. He gives thanks to the Lord for them.

But as he turns to his request, he prays that their love might grow. What is so surprising is how important this love really is.

Love characterized by knowledge and discernment

Philippians 1:9 real knowledge and all discernment

Paul does not ask that any old type of love would grow. Sometimes self love masquerades as real love. Self love pretending …

• gives only when the return on the investment is high enough.

• manipulates

• assumes everything is okay

Paul prays for love controlled and constrained by the characteristics of knowledge and discernment.

The Scripture is God’s self revelation. It is the standard of truth. God wants to ensure that our love is based on the knowledge of the truth.

Loving based on a lie is not very loving. Sadly that is what some in our world have to offer. They have an appearance of love which is clouded by the real truth of selfishness behind it. Once the selfishness is exposed, the love falls apart.

Many of us have seen the Bible speak of what we might call “tough love.” It is the love that bases its response on the truth of Scripture.

• Discipline might not seem loving until the person grows up and is crippled for life.

• Confrontation might not seem loving until the person grows up manipulating everyone in their life to get what they want.

The loving response is whatever response the Bible would say in a particular instance.

We should ask the Lord to help each one of us (ourselves, our family members, our friends at church) to be people whose love is characterized by knowledge of God’s Word.

Sometimes what is right and what is wrong is not crystal clear. It seems as if multiple options could be acceptable. If that is the case, then it is discernment that makes the difference. It is discernment that ensures our love occurs in the proper lane.

God wants us to grow in our love that is characterized by knowledge and discernment. I encourage you to make this one of your prayer requests for yourselves and for your church family.

• We will praise God for the degree to which our love is properly controlled by knowledge and discernment, but we will also ask the Lord to continue to grow it.

Notice what happens when it does …

Resulting in the ability to discern what is excellent

There are some people who accomplish a lot for Christ. Jay Adams wrote 100 books. How do you do that? Jim Elliot gave his life and his little saying has been popular for the last 70 years. In my home church in Columbus Ohio my pastor personally discipled an unbelievable number of men into the ministry (in a church that was never above 450 people). Doc Smith was part of the beginning of a movement that has blossomed. Bob Leffew started two Christian schools after experiencing horrible suffering in Vietnam. How does that happen?

I believe every case, and many more like them, they had a love for God and people characterized by knowledge and discernment that resulted in them choosing to live their life productively for Jesus.

Not everything is important to your Christian life. Not every interest, hobby, or commitment is something that God would consider excellent.

• Not everything we are involved in is worthy of praise

Love characterized by knowledge and discernment sees that. It can look out at life and register those things that matter and those that do not.

Making excellent decisions does not come naturally, it comes from a love characterized by knowledge and discernment.

The older I have grown, I have witnessed some people with off the charts abilities. It is as if there is no end to their talents.

• But they are not always the ones God uses to accomplish great things. It is ordinary people, doing ordinary things.

• It is those who look at the next 24 hours and rightly divide their time.

It is a knowledgeable and discerning love that allows the person to test what is in front of them and make the right choices.

I can speak for all your pastors when I say that we want to make excellent decisions in our lives and we want you to make excellent decisions in yours.

But even that is not an end to itself. It is certainly good to make excellent decisions, but notice what comes next …

In order to be sincere and blameless

Philippians 1:10b in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ

During stewardship month we teach that God can call us into account at any time. There is an expectancy present in that truth. But Phil 1:10 addresses a slightly different topic. When Jesus arrives, in what state or condition will he find his people?

Commentators have debated what sincere means and the idea is authentic. When I was young I used to collect baseball cards. One of the most expensive cards on the market today is a 1909 T206 Honus Wagner. It sold in 2021 for 6.6 million. I think that is awesome because I have one of the those that I bought in a specialty pack in the 1980s for about .25. Before any of you panic or are misled, my card was a reproduction made in the 80s that is worthless.

Well, why tell the story … because the Lord wants us to be the real thing -- genuine. He wants our life … our thoughts, our words, and our actions to fit together perfectly. He knows that if our love is abounding in real knowledge and discernment then we will approve the things that are excellent and therefore will be sincere and blameless at the coming of Jesus.

Gordon Fee explains this prayer as follows:

Paul prays (1) for their love to abound yet more and more;

that (2) this be accompanied by full knowledge and moral insight,

so that (3) they might approve those things that really matter,

so that (4) they might be unsullied and blameless when Christ returns,

as (5) they are now full of the fruit of righteousness,

fruit that is (6) effected by Christ Jesus

and (7) for the glory and praise of God.

—Gordon D. Fee, Philippians NICNT. Pg 96

Paul reminds us as followers of Jesus that we have the fruit of righteousness due to the finished work of Jesus, and that we are designed for the glory and praise of God.

You can prioritize the gospel in your own life which will help you grow in Gospel Gratitude by …

• Thanking God for one another with you knowing that there are many illustrations of gospel partnership.

• Encouraging one another that the Lord began his work and he will complete it.

• Pray asking the Lord to help us all grow in knowledgeable and discerning love so that we can approve what is excellent in daily life.