Being A Family Of God

Being a Family of God

Philippians 1:3-5

Online Sermon: http://www.mckeesfamily.com/?page_id=3567

While most people remember where they were when they got news of the twin towers falling, they are also unlikely to forgot where they were when they first heard of the Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China! Who could ever forget the social distancing rules, masks, constant washing of hands and numerous business closures? But what I found the most difficult to endure during this pandemic was the many months that I was not allowed to congregate with fellow believers! While the churches have greatly enhanced their online presence through a much-needed upgrade in web services, fellowship did not seem the same without face-to-face contact, sharing of life triumphs and tribulations, and singing those God-honoring songs in unison with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who were just a few feet away! And despite still having to wear a mask and social distance, I cannot help but thank God for the absolute honor and privilege it is to meet on a regular basis! With such great blessings heaped upon us I cannot help but think of our responsibility to make every effort to be the kind of church that Christ would look upon and say, “good and faithful servants!” In the following sermon I am going to examine Apostle Paul’s thanksgiving prayer to the church of Philippi and suggest the foundation of a great church honors Christ through thanksgiving, mutual love, joy, unity of purpose, and steadfast devotion to carry on a good work until He returns!

Church Fellowship

What Apostle Paul was most thankful for was the fellowship he had with the church of Philippi in the Lord, Jesus Christ. We tend to use the term “fellowship” quite loosely to mean a gathering of fellow believers with the common goal of sharing a few laughs, fostering feelings of happiness, having a few theological debates while participating in social activities and occasionally leaning on one another for friendship and support. While all of these make a really good “social club” such an atmosphere, even if loving, does not constitute what Paul means by “church fellowship.” Paul did not thank God that the people of Philippi just met regularly together but that they “were united, not on a social level, but by their commitment to the truths of the Gospel message.” To keep from being lukewarm, true fellowship must rely on Christ to maintain the bonds of peace and enable each member to use their gifts to build one another up in the faith to collectively accomplish His will. Paul thanked God because the church of Philippi’s “right hand of fellowship” was given in love, not only for all members in the form of friendship and sharing of resources, but in labour which was seen as a privilege, a “credit to divine grace!” Would you not want to join a fellowship where differences are celebrated, unity protected, and service seen as pure joy because it is done not to gain notoriety or power but to please our Lord? While a brief sermon cannot do justice on laying every brick of what makes a church holy and pleasing in the Lord’s sight, the goal of this sermon is to review Paul’s prayer for the church of Philippi and suggest just five key attributes of what makes a church great.

Offering Thanksgiving

One of the key foundational bricks of a church that is pleasing in God’s sight is thankfulness. The first thing Paul says in the opening of his prayer for the church of Philippi is, “I thank my God.” This phrase was not a stereotyped formula or “Christianese” term for Paul but here and elsewhere in his writings (4:19; Romans 1:8; 1 Corinthians 1:4; Philemon 4) denoted unspeakable joy that he had found from a deep, profoundly personal relationship with the Lord! The only way for the church to become holy is if its members stop blaming their distance from God and lukewarmness on the collective whole and take responsibility for their spiritual wellbeing by asking God to search, reveal sin and through confession refine their hearts so that they draw nearer to Him! As one learns to love God more, one in turn can love others more and successfully build up the body of Christ! After Paul thanks God for his growing, personal relationship with the Lord he gave thanks not just for the friendship he had with the church but more importantly the “evidence of spiritual blessings,” in the form of mutual love, the presence of the Holy Spirit, and their partnership in sharing the Gospel message. Since no one is good (Romans 3:10-18) and the heart truly evil (Jeremiah 17:9), we need to be like Paul and never stop offering intercessory prayers that God will enable the entire body of Christ to take every thought, word, and deed captive (2 Corinthians 10:5) and enable His own to do good deeds and build each other up in the faith! A praying church, who is deeply in love with God and one another, is one that stands firm on the Rock of their salvation as a holy and pleasing fragrance unto their Redeemer!