I Am a Partner?Philippians 1:1-11?
Five Dimensions of Rush Creek Partnership:
1. We are partners in the gospel vv.3-5
Gospel is the restoration of the image of God in the soul of humans.
? Partnering in the Gospel means: ?
* Praying for those God has placed in your life who may be far from Him.?
* Learning how to share your testimony, your story with people in your life.?
* Inviting people God has placed in your life to be a part of Rush Creek?
* Giving generously so that we can push back the darkness in our world?
* Going on mission trips to broaden your vision and sense more clearly God’s heart for a lost world. ?
* Keeping a prayer list of RC mission partners and praying for them weekly
2. Partners in good works v.6
Partnering in good works means: (build)?
*Being a faithful servant in one of our ministries?
*Participating in special events like Rush Week, Shreek, Operation Joy, Nehemiah project, etc?
*Creating ways to be the eyes, smile, hands, & arms of Jesus
3. Partners in grace. v.7
Partnering in grace means:?
* Being in a small group that cares for the needs and hurts of each other?
* Stepping in and helping people in the body who are distressed and hurting?
* Being a part of our prayer team that prays weekly for the needs of the body
4. Partners in growth vv.9-10 ?
Partnering in growth means:?
* Developing a rich, vibrant daily devotional time
* Being in church unless ill or out of town?
* Listening for the voice of God on Sunday mornings and doing what He says?
* Being a faithful, participating part of a small group
5. Partners in glory v.11
I am a partner!
Illustration (need a video of people pushing flaming car over to get man trapped)
Philippians 1:1-11
Continue our series this morning entitled I AM blank. It’s a series that examines what it means to belong to the Body of Christ here at Rush Creek. Many of you formalized your relationship with us by attending Elements.(logo) But Elements is no more. We buried it this Summer. Instead, beginning January 1, we are going to launch what we call the First Step Experience (logo). If you want to wait til January to join us, it’s going to be an awesome experience. But if you want to join this fall, then during the month of September, during this I AM series, you can join right here on the spot at the end of the service today.? Last week we covered the basic fundamental characteristic of what it means to be a part of the Body of Christ here at Rush Creek, and that is to be a follower of Jesus. A follower of Jesus is someone who has: (build)? 1. Acknowledged their personal sin and personal affront to God.? 2. Repented, that is, turned from a path of their own choosing, and turned toward a path that follows Jesus.? 3. Believe that Jesus died for and paid for their personal sin.? 4. Followed Jesus’ example and command by being immersed in water as a testimony of what Jesus did in their hearts.
So last week we completed the blank: I am a Christ-follower!
Now this morning we drill down on the second characteristic of the person who wants to be a part of the Body of Christ here at Rush Creek, and that means becoming a partner in the mission and vision of the church. ? We’re shunning the term member and adopting the term partner. Membership smacks of countryclubitis: come when you want, pay your dues, enjoy the benefits, but not really get involved that much.? Partners are completely different. If you are a partner in a business, you act completely different than if you’re an employee, right? Partners own what is at stake. Partners do what it takes to accomplish the mission and vision of the enterprise.? Story of situation where employees ran out of fire, owner ran in… or….? What’s killing the 21st American church is that membership has degraded into the notion that a person can come, sit, soak, sour, throw a little in the plate, enjoy the benefits, but not be fully vested in the mission and vision of the church. ? Turn in ur Bibles to Philippians 1:1-11 as we gain a biblical perspective on partnership
Paul writes this letter to the church at Philippi from a Roman prison in Ephesus. He had been in Philippi, which is in modern day Greece, and met you’ll recall a business woman by the name of Lydia. He shared the gospel with her and she opened her heart to Jesus. Later Paul was thrown into the local jail because he was preaching Jesus and the local Jews didn’t want him to. You’ll recall that at midnight Paul and Silas were singing praises to Jesus and an earthquake opened their jail cell. The jailkeeper started to kill himself because he knew he would be tortured and killed for losing such a prize prisoner, but Paul and Silas cried out to him—“Hey—wait a minute, we’re not going anywhere.” So the Philippian Jailer & his family became Christ-followers that very night. So this fledgling church began with a business woman & prison guard.? The fellowship among them and their commitment to each other and the gospel created a soft spot in Paul’s heart for these Philippian believers. So a few years later when he’s back in another prison in Ephesus, where we’ll be this next May on our Journeys of Paul trip, Paul writes a letter to his dear Philippian brothers and sisters.
Let’s read the opening part of his letter to them. Philippians 1:1-11 (on screen)? Do you sense the warmth and love Paul had for them in this? When I was serving on staff at FBC Jackson, Ms, I had about 1500 singles that I pastored there. Those 5 years were and are still so dear to me. I performed more weddings in those 5 years than I have the rest of my ministry. Those were rich years for me. When I think of them I get warm fuzzies in my heart. That’s what’s going on here. There’s so much in these verses it would take us months to squeeze every bit of juice out of this passage, but I want you to notice Five Dimensions of Rush Creek Partnership:
1. We are partners in the gospel vv.3-5(on screen)
We’ve talked a lot about the gospel lately. Gospel literally means good news. This is the over all banner (motion) that Paul hangs over the rest of this letter. It’s all about the gospel. The gospel permeates everything. Remember that ultimately the Gospel is the restoration of the image of God in the soul of humans. So when I get up in the morning and seek the face of God in prayer and journaling and Bible study, that’s gospel. When I refuse to look at images real and virtual that prompt lust in me, that’s gospel. When I say or do something that is improper or inappropriate for a Christ follower, and I confess that to God and ask forgiveness, that’s gospel. When I live in a way that draws people to know the Jesus that I serve, that’s gospel. When I open my mouth and give a witness or explain the redemptive offer of Jesus, that’s gospel.? Paul says, “I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, 4 always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” vv.3-5? They owned the mission of the church, any church, our church: to go into all the world and make disciples. That’s what Jesus called us to partner in: going and making disciples, Christ-followers where we live, work, and play—here and around the world.? How does that play out at Rush Creek? Partnering in the Gospel means: (build)? * Praying for those God has placed in your life who may be far from Him.? * Learning how to share your testimony, your story with people in your life.? * Inviting people God has placed in your life to be a part of Rush Creek? * Giving generously so that we can push back the darkness in our world? * Going on mission trips to broaden your vision and sense more clearly God’s heart for a lost world. ? * Keeping a prayer list of RC mission partners and praying for them weekly
2. Partners in good works v.6 (on screen)
I love this verse! What a wonderful promise!! That God who began a good work in us will complete it. What an assurance of our salvation! Salvation is something that God does; it’s His work in us. Ephesians 2:8-9 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—9 not from works, so that no one can boast.” We can’t save ourselves. We can’t work hard enough, try hard enough, give enough, to gain God’s forgiveness and grace. It’s only received by faith. Right. Salvation can only be RECEIVED by FAITH.
Whew! That’s good news. Cause I’m morally bankrupt! Jesus did the work on the cross! Hallelujah!? But look at v.10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.” Once saved, we are to be about good works, not to earn God’s salvation, but as a normal product of salvation.? This is where our vision statement comes front and center: We want to become more like Jesus so that we can become Jesus to the overwhelmed, the under-resourced, and the far away. ? What does that look like at Rush Creek? Partnering in good works means: (build)? *Being a faithful servant in one of our ministries? *Participating in special events like Rush Week, Shreek, Operation Joy, Nehemiah project, etc? *Creating ways to be the eyes, smile, hands, & arms of Jesus
3. Partners in grace. v.7 (on screen)? Paul says that these Philippians believers were partners in grace with him. What did he mean by that? Well, Paul is in Prison. He’s in a hardship. He is in a time of trial and tribulation and testing. But he didn’t feel alone. He knew, he felt their love and support for him. He knew that they were in this trial with him. ? Somebody said that Grace in the life of the believer is the desire and the power to do God’s will. They were partners in grace. They were praying for that grace in Paul’s life: the desire and power to do God’s will. They were in that prison with him.? What does that look like at RC? Partnering in grace means:? * Being in a small group that cares for the needs and hurts of each other? * Stepping in and helping people in the body who are distressed and hurting? * Being a part of our prayer team that prays weekly for the needs of the body
4. Partners in growth vv.9-10 (on screen)? Let’s not kid ourselves. There are many of us who have very little interest in growing in the things of God; who have little desire to live a pure and blameless life. How do I know? I see some of your FB posts! I hear stories about infidelity from grieving spouses. I get emails from people being taken advantage of by business owners in our church. These things ought not to be!? So many of us have a breakdown, a disconnect between what we hear on Sundays or in small group and how we live. So many of us are like babies that can’t feed ourselves, protect ourselves, mature ourselves. ? Where do we grow in our knowledge of the Scripture and the discernment to apply its teachings? What does that look like at RC? Partnering in growth means:? * Developing a rich, vibrant daily devotional time
* Being in church unless ill or out of town? * Listening for the voice of God on Sunday mornings and doing what He says? * Being a faithful, participating part of a small group
5. Partners in glory v.11 (on screen)
Paul reminds us that the reason he is in prison and the reason that he is suffering and the reason that he has such a bond with this group of believers and their copartnering with him is all about the glory of God. Why do we labor? Why do we give? Why do we sacrifice? Ultimately for the glory of God. ? Last year as we focused on becoming more generous with God, we concentrated on Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us—21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” ? To the glory of Jesus and His bride, the church. There is no higher calling. No higher honor. No higher mission. No higher partnership.
I am a partner!
