Paul had planted the church at Philippi on his 2nd missionary journey (Acts 16:12). The church had ended up being strategic in reaching Macedonia with the gospel. They had sent Paul several financial gifts (Philippians 4:15–18). And when they heard that Paul was in a Roman prison, they sent Epaphroditus (who many scholars believe was one of the pastors or elders of the church at Philippi) to minister to him (Philippians 2:25).
Additionally, we have evidence that Paul encouraged the church in Philippi to give famine relief to the church at Jerusalem (Rom. 15:26; 2 Cor. 8:1), thus training them to look beyond themselves.
This partnership was something Paul was thankful for. It was a partnership that Paul not only enjoyed with the church at Philippi, but with other churches as well.
The fact that Paul thanked God for this partnership speaks to the fact that Paul saw partnership as God’s plan. It was God’s plan for His churches then and it is God’s plan for His churches today.
Let’s look at Paul’s prayer here and see what we can learn about God’s plan for partnership. (READ TEXT)
1. The Focus of Our Partnership - v. 5
What did Paul mean when he spoke of their “partnership in the gospel?” Well, the gospel is the Good News about Jesus Christ. Who He is and what He has done. That He is God come in the flesh to pay the price for the sins of the world. When anyone acknowledges Him as their personal Lord and Savior, they can be forgiven of their sin and enter into a personal love relationship with the God of the universe.
“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” - Romans 10:9 (NIV)
It is the divine expectation of God that the message of salvation through Christ will be spread through-out the entire world by His church, to all people, all nations, everywhere.
“Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” - Mark 16:15 (NLT)
The command is given to all Christ’s followers, including us living today. But how can we obey this command of Christ effectively? The same way the Philippian church did, by working in partnership with other churches and servants of God.
The most basic way Baptist churches partner with other churches is through the association. Why? Because we believe this was the way the early churches worked together to spread the gospel.
In Galatians 1:2, Paul addressed the “churches in Galatia.” In other words, he was writing to a group of churches in the region of Galatia. The churches of Macedonia and Achaia pooled their financial resources to give to the church in Jerusalem (Romans 15:26). In Revelation 2 & 3, John wrote to seven churches who were associated with one another along a major Roman road in a region known as Asia Minor. In 2 Corinthians 8:19, Paul says he was sending men “appointed by the churches to travel with us” to Corinth.
So, believing associations to be a biblical way of organizing to partner together in the spread of the gospel, the local association became the earliest way Baptist churches partnered together.
Later came the formation of state and national associations which have come to be referred to as “conventions.”
So, the focus of our partnership is on the spread of the gospel. Our partnership with one another is not primarily functional (that is, we all do church the same way) although how we function does play a part; or doctrinal (that we all interpret the Bible the same way) although what we believe does play a part; but it is primarily missional (that we all believe the world needs to gospel). Spreading the gospel plays the major part in our partnership.
“If we take our Lord seriously, we must dedicate ourselves fully - time, talent and treasure - to the fulfillment of the Great Commission, not out of a sense of legalistic duty, but out of love and gratitude for what Christ has done for us. If we want to obey Him, He says, ‘Go,’ and that is sufficient reason for going.” - Bill Bright
2. The Benefit of Our Partnership - v. 5
The Greek word translated “partnership” is “koinonia,” which refers to the fellowship enjoyed by those who are part of God's family.
Webster’s dictionary gives these definitions of koinonia:
1. The Christian fellowship or body of believers
2. Intimate spiritual communion and participative sharing in a common religious commitment and spiritual community
The fact that Paul uses the word “koinonia” here to speak of his partnership with the church at Philippi tells us certain things about genuine Christian fellowship.
A. It is based on a common understanding of the gospel.
B. It is based on a common acceptance of the gospel.
C. It is based on a common commitment to spreading the gospel.
This last element is what is missing among too many Christians and is what keeps them from experiencing true Christian fellowship.
Paul is using the word “Koinonia” here to describe that second definition given by Webster. He is speaking about intimate spiritual communion and participative sharing in a common religious commitment and spiritual community. Specifically, the commitment to work together to spread the gospel.
Too many of God’s people focus on uniformity (everyone acting like we do) or on unanimity (everyone thinking like we do). What our focus needs to be on is unity (everyone working in partnership). True unity among God’s people comes when we engage in the partnership of the gospel.
Part of the purpose of our association is to encourage the development of such fellowship among our churches through partnership.
A man told his wife he never wanted to live in a vegetative state dependent upon a machine. He said, “If I ever get in that shape, I want you to pull the plug.” She got up and unplugged the television.
Too many of our churches are like that man. They are in a vegetative state and are unaware of it! But partnership can make the difference.
3. The Power of Our Partnership - v. 6
This promise relates to us:
A. Individually.
God has begun a good work in each of us that He will complete when Christ returns. Which is one of many reasons why I can know that if I am saved, I will be saved forever. It is the predetermined destiny of every Christian to one day be just like Jesus. For this reason, I can rest assured that God is using every experience in my life for His good, as Paul explains in Romans, chapter eight.
“That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun.” - Romans 8:28-30 (The Message)
This destiny of being completely like Jesus one day will be fulfilled only when I am in the presence of the Lord.
“Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be but we know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.” - 1 John 3:2 (NASB).
But salvation isn’t just about God taking me to heaven one day, it is also about God bringing heaven to me today. God calls me to partner with Him and with others in sharing the gospel so I might experience as much of His heavenly blessing as possible on earth today.
“I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ.” - Philemon 6 (NIV)
B. Collectively.
Keep in mind that Paul is speaking to a church here about their partnership in spreading the gospel. Therefore, verse 6 also has application for us collectively.
“If we merely apply this verse to our individual salvation and neglect God’s work through our collective mission, we’ve overlooked the context of Paul’s prayer and the broader impulse of his missionary appeal. As a result, we’re missing out on one of the greatest encouragements Scripture has to offer for faithfully and
generously supporting gospel ministry.” - Former Central Asian IMB Missionary Elliott Clark
The application is that whatever effort made in partnership to spread the gospel will have an eternal impact. No effort done to partner with others to support the spread the gospel is wasted effort. Partnership has the power to multiply our reward for spreading the gospel.
There will be people I will one day meet in heaven who I never knew personally, but who I was able to impact with the gospel because of partnership with other believers.
Conclusion: Partnership is God’s plan. It is focused on the spread of the gospel; it benefits us by allowing us to experience true Christian fellowship (koinonia); and has the power to grow us individually, and allow us to make an eternal impact collectively. Partnering in the spread of the gospel is God’s will.
“Most people don’t want to know the will of God in order to do it; they want to know it in order to consider it.” - William L. Pettingill
Today, we have considered how partnership with others is God’s will. Now, let’s get busy and do it!
