Scripture
Last time in our Sunday Seconds we examined “Encouragements for Prayer.” Today, I would like to examine “Encouragements for Fellowship.”
Paul’s letter to the Philippians overflows with joy and thanksgiving. It is a wonderful letter in which he urged the Christians in Philippi to demonstrate in a visible way their unity in Christ. Paul closed his letter to the Philippians with a few words of final greeting and a benediction. Though he had written about Christ “emptying” himself by taking on humanity as an exhortation to believers to live in humility and selflessness toward one another, he closed with a marvelously practical final greeting.
Let’s read about encouragements for fellowship in Philippians 4:21-23:
21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you. 22 All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.
23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. (Philippians 4:21-23)
Introduction
The Westminster Confession of Faith has a chapter that is titled, “Of the Communion of Saints.” Paragraph 1 states: “All saints, that are united to Jesus Christ their Head, by his Spirit, and by faith, have fellowship with him in his grace, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory: and, being united to one another in love, they have communion in each other’s gifts and graces, and are obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private, as do conduce to their mutual good, both in the inward and outward man.”
One Bible dictionary defines fellowship as, “The essence of the Christian life—fellowship with God and fellowship with other believers in Christ.” Another Bible dictionary puts it this way, “Communion with God, which results in common participation with other believers in the Spirit of God and God’s blessings.”
The focus of today’s study is going to be on our fellowship with other believers in Christ, also known as the communion of saints.
Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians from a prison cell in Rome. He had planted the church in Philippi many years earlier. He wrote to them because the Philippians had expressed their concern for him regarding his imprisonment and possible martyrdom.
Paul reassured the Philippian Christians that everything that had happened to him were not random acts of fate but, as he said in Philippians 1:12, “that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.” Paul’s rock-solid faith in the sovereignty of God, together with his concern for others, runs like a golden thread through this beautiful letter.
The word “fellowship” appears in Philippians 1:5, where it is translated as “partnership.” Paul wrote in Philippians 1:3–5, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership [i.e., fellowship] in the gospel from the first day until now.” The church that Paul had planted had grown and matured in a wonderful way. It now had officers (overseers and deacons, 1:1), and the church was active in proclaiming the gospel. There was a partnership, a fellowship, a communion of saints who, “being united to one another in love, they have communion in each other’s gifts and graces, and are obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private, as do conduce to their mutual good, both in the inward and outward man.”
Humanly speaking, the believers who made up the communion of saints in Philippi had very little in common. One was a wealthy businesswoman from Asia Minor, another was a slave girl delivered from spirit-possession, and a third was a local prison official (who was perhaps a retired Roman soldier). What could possibly unite such a diverse group of people? Only their relationship to Jesus Christ which bound them together in the communion of saints.
Lesson
Philippians 4:21-23 teaches us the characteristics of the communion of saints. The communion of saints is:
1. An Inclusive Communion (4:21a)
2. A Holy Communion (4:21b)
3. A Christ-Centered Communion (4:21c)
4. A Family Communion (4:21d, f)
5. A Supportive Communion (4:21e)
6. A Growing Communion (4:22)
7. A Grace-Oriented Communion (4:23)
I. An Inclusive Communion (4:21a)
First, the communion of saints is an inclusive communion.
Paul said in verse 21a, “Greet every saint….” Paul wanted every Christian in the Philippian Church to be greeted. Not just some saints, but every saint. He did not want a generic greeting to go out to the congregation, as a visiting pastor might say that he brings greetings to our church from his church. No, Paul knew most of the believers there at the church in Philippi, and he wanted them to know of his own love and affection for them. He wanted to greet Euodia and those who might have sided with her. But he also wanted to greet Syntyche and those who might have sided with her. He wanted to greet Clement and the rest of his fellow workers for the sake of advancing the gospel (4:2-3). He wanted to greet the overseers as well as the deacons. He wanted to greet the slaves who had come to know Christ. He wanted to greet the Philippian jailor who had once kept Paul in prison. None were to be excluded from Paul’s greetings. All were to be included in his greetings.
The communion of saints is inclusive. It includes every single person who has been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and has been converted to the Lord Jesus Christ. The communion of saints does not include some or most believers. It includes all who belong to Jesus.
So, how inclusive are we when we look at others who profess faith in Jesus Christ? How easy is it for us to make distinctions between different Christians. By nature we gravitate to those who are similar to us. But, Christ came to break down the walls of division so that the communion of saints would be an inclusive fellowship. Let us welcome everyone into our fellowship who belongs to Christ because God has put them into the communion of saints.
II. A Holy Communion (4:21b)
Second, the communion of saints is a holy communion.
Paul said in verse 21b, “Greet every saint….” The biblical word for saint (hagios) means “holy, set apart, sanctified, consecrated, saint….Its fundamental idea is separation, consecration, devotion to the service of Deity, sharing in God’s purity and abstaining from earth’s defilement.”
The Roman Catholic Church makes a distinction between “Christian” and “saint.” In the Roman Catholic Church, a saint is some kind of super-Christian who has distinguished him- or herself by his or her dedication or noble service to God. However, the New Testament is clear that every Christian is a saint.
Every Christian is a saint because he or she has been set apart by God to live for God. A saint is simply a person who is holy, set apart, sanctified, and consecrated to God by God. That is why the communion of saints is a holy communion.
A boy used to attend a church which had beautiful stained-glass windows picturing St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, St. John, St. Paul, and other saints. One day he was asked, “What is a saint?” He replied, “A saint is a person through whom light shines.”
What a good answer! Christians are “light in the Lord” (as we recently learned in Ephesians 5:8). We reflect God’s light because we have been set apart by God for God. We do so because the communion of saints is a holy communion.
III. A Christ-Centered Communion (4:21c)
Third, the communion of saints is a Christ-centered communion.
Paul said in verse 21c, “Greet every saint in Christ Jesus.” Christians are in union with Christ Jesus. We have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit so that we are enabled to believe in Christ Jesus. The Father then justifies us because of our faith and adopts us into his family so that all believers are brothers and sisters in Christ. Apart from Christ Jesus we would not be a communion at all. Everything centers on Christ. One writer puts it this way:
This mystical quality of the fellowship makes the church more than a human institution. When the fellowship is in and with Christ, the church is the body of Christ, a divine institution against which the gates of hell cannot prevail.
We, like Paul, are to stand as Christ before others, to become as Christ to others in order that they might see in us what the Christ way is. Paul knew, as we must learn, that before the Judean churches could glorify God in Paul, Paul first had to glorify God in himself. The only way he (and we) could do that was by living among them as Christ had lived. In that sense every Christian is to be as Christ. To the degree that we are as Christ, to that degree God can be glorified in us.
The local church is not a social club, where we talk about the things that other people talk about. Our goal is to know Christ and to make him known. When we come together, Christ should be the focus of our conversation and communion. The things of Christ draw us together because the communion of saints is a Christ-centered communion.
IV. A Family Communion (4:21d, f)
Fourth, the communion of saints is a family communion.
Paul said in verse 21d and f, “The brothers who are with me greet you.”
Christians are those who have been adopted into the family of God. That is why we are brothers and sisters together. Our spiritual family relationship supersedes every single other relationship we have.
In less than two weeks we will be celebrating Thanksgiving together. Many families make plans to travel long distances to be together for Thanksgiving. Those who live in close proximity to each other also make plans to spend time together at Thanksgiving. There is something wonderful about getting together with family members over a delicious meal to reminisce and to make memories together. Sometimes families just enjoy hanging out together because they don’t have time throughout the year to do so. They take the time to catch up with each and so on.
The communion of the saints should be the same. Because our bond as Christ’s brothers and sisters are even deeper than any family relationship, we should delight to spend time together as often as possible. But, so many Christians don’t really appreciate their adoption in Christ. Just look at how few people attend Sunday Evening Worship. And just look at how quickly excuses are given for not attending Sunday Worship at all. Let us remember that the communion of saints is a family communion.
V. A Supportive Communion (4:21e)
Fifth, the communion of saints is a supportive communion.
Paul said in verse 21e, “The brothers who are with me greet you.” Do you remember where Paul was when he wrote this letter? Yes, he was in prison. Prisons in those days were filthy, disease-ridden holes in the ground where most prisoners lived in utter misery. It was not where one went to spend a few hours with a loved one. But, in his time of need, Timothy, Epaphroditus and a few others were with Paul.
Paul appreciated the ministry of others who ministered to him in his time of need. During his second imprisonment, Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:16–18, “May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me—may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus.”
Many years earlier Paul and Barnabas went their separate ways because Barnabas wanted to give Mark a second chance after he deserted them on their first missionary journey. But, as he sat in prison facing the end of his life, Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:11b, “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.”
The point is that even though we sometimes have our differences in the communion of saints, we need each other. We are to bear one another’s burdens. We are to stand with those who are hurting to listen, love, and give support because the communion of saints is a supportive communion.
VI. A Growing Communion (4:22)
Sixth, the communion of saints is a growing communion.
Paul said in verse 22, “All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.” Those in Caesar’s household could refer to Caesar’s family members. However, that term was also used of those who were in service to Caesar. Nero was the emperor when Paul wrote this letter to the Philippians. Through Paul’s ministry, as well as through the ministry of others (who were converted before Paul arrived in Rome), many people in the most unexpected places were coming to faith in Jesus Christ.
God may have you working in a non-Christian setting. Perhaps it is very difficult to work as a Christian in that environment. Nevertheless, view it as a great opportunity for you bear witness to the truth of the gospel. When I was a student at the University of Cape Town, which was very secular, we often heard of people coming to faith in Jesus because of the non-Christian watching the behavior of the Christian.
So, the communion of saints is a growing communion.
VII. A Grace-Oriented Communion (4:23)
And finally, the communion of saints is a grace-oriented communion.
Paul said in verse 23, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.” This is a typical closing benediction. But, it carries in it profound truth. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is at the very heart of the gospel. Grace is God’s unmerited favor that he bestows on undeserving sinners. Without God’s grace, there is no gospel. Without grace, we could not grow in Christ. Without grace, we will not see the Lord. So, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is what every believer needs every day because the communion of saints is a grace-oriented communion.
Conclusion
Therefore, having analyzed the concept of fellowship in Philippians 4:21-23, let us be committed to the communion of saints.
Let me suggest three concluding applications.
First, commit yourself to the communion of saints by getting involved in a small group. You cannot experience true communion if you are not connected to other Christians who know you and whom you know. Find a Bible Study or an Adult Bible Fellowship and be active in the communion of saints.
Second, commit yourself to the communion of saints by dealing with relationship problems. As you know, the church is not perfect. And it is not perfect because it is filled with people who are not perfect. In fact, all of us are sinners who sin, and we sin against one another. When that happens, make every effort to deal with the breakdown in your relationship with your brother or sister in Christ.
And third, commit yourself to the communion of saints by getting involved in a ministry. Every Christian has a spiritual gift. It is to be used to serve other believers in the church. Focus your attention, your effort, and your ministry on others in the church, and you will discover that your participation in the communion of saints is enriched.
May the Lord richly bless you as you commit yourself to the communion of the saints. Amen.
