Phil 1:1-11 Partners in Ministry
We are moving on to a new book today but still in the same timeline as Ephesians.
• Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians about the same time as Ephesians, while he was in captivity in Rome.
• This letter is one of his more personal and joyful letters among all his epistles.
• Paul wasn’t despondent even though he was imprisoned and facing an uncertain future. He has good support from believers, particularly the church at Philippi.
They were close to his heart. Paul founded this church some 11 years ago and they have been his faithful partners in ministry since then.
• He was on his second missionary journey and in Troas when he had a vision in the night of a Macedonian man calling him.
• He travelled to Philippi and met a woman named Lydia and her group of women praying by the riverside.
• She came to know Christ and that was the start of the church, which has grown to be one with many overseers and deacons (mentioned in his greetings in 1:1).
Paul’s opening words reveal his love and gratitude for this church.
• Even though he did not stay there for long, and only visited them probably two other times (on his third journey), they had been supporting Paul right from the start.
• We see this beautiful and exemplary Christian bond, which we can learn today.
• We see their PARTNERSHIP IN THE GOSPEL and their MUTUAL SUPPORT IN MINISTRY.
PARTNERSHIP IN THE GOSPEL
1:3-5 3I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
When was this “first day”? Let’s go back 11 years and take a look at Acts 16 when Paul was on his second missionary journey.
• They were in the region of Galatia wanting to go South to Asia Minor but the Holy Spirit prevented them (16:6).
• They then wanted to head North to Bithynia but the Spirit stopped them.
• Paul was at Troas mulling over his next step when he saw the vision and travelled West and came to Philippi, by God’s leading.
There was no synagogue there because the Jewish community was small.
• They went to the river bank and met Lydia (a dealer in purple cloth) and her prayer group. By God’s grace, Lydia became the first convert and was baptised.
• She opened her home to the team and they stayed there and the church was born.
1:6-7 “6And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 7It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel.”
• Since then, they have been supporting Paul in the work of the Gospel.
• Not that they were physically present with Paul on his mission trips but that they were standing by him throughout his ministry.
• 1:7b “…you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defence and confirmation of the Gospel”.
Let’s take a look at how they supported Paul right at the start (turn to Acts 16):
• Acts 16:15 And after she [Lydia] was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.
• Paul and his team stayed at Lydia’s house, where the church was founded.
Later Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned (for healing a slave girl with an evil spirit). And while they were in prison, they prayed and sang.
• An earthquake struck, the gates were opened, they stayed and the jailor was converted, together with his family.
• Acts 16:33-34 “33And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. 34Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.”
These were his first impressions of Philippi. The believers cared and provided for him.
• Paul believes that the God who saved them and began a good work in them will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ. (1:6)
• That transformation that he saw 11 years ago – that work of God in their lives will continue to transform them until they reach perfection on the day of Christ.
• Well said. This assurance comes from God’s faithfulness, not man’s piety.
This partnership in the Gospel brought Paul much joy and gratitude, despite the hardships and persecution he faced in the ministry.
• Their friendship was his strength and encouragement. He was grateful for their unwavering support “from the first day until now”.
• Paul did not feel alone nor was he left alone in the work of the Gospel.
In a sense, Paul has many unseen partners in ministry.
• The believers were not always with him but they were behind him and for him.
• As believers, they share the same commitment to Christ and the same commitment to the Gospel.
Paul has some seen partners, of course. Barnabas, Timothy, Silas, Luke… those who were with him on his journeys.
• When he was writing this letter, Timothy and Epaproditus (2:19-30) were with him, and also “the brothers who are with me greet you.” (4:21)
• Epaphroditus was sent by the church at Philippi to take care of Paul (2:25ff). He was very sick at one time but recovered, and will soon return to the church with this letter.
Whether seen or unseen, let us be faithful partners in the Gospel, supporting God’s workers and the work of the Gospel.
• How? That’s my second point. We can see their mutual support for each other in the ministry.
• They set for us this beautiful and exemplary Christian bond which we can emulate.
MUTUAL SUPPORT IN MINISTRY
The church in Philippi was known particularly for her financial support for Paul.
• Phil 4:14-16 “14Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. 15And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the Gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. 16Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again.”
Not long after the founding of the church, the authorities asked Paul and Silas to leave.
• They left Timothy and Luke behind and went to Thessalonica. It wasn’t easy. They have to work night and day to survive.
• 1 Thess 2:9 “For you remember, brothers, our labour and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.”
The church at Philippi supported Paul: “Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again.” (Phil 4:16)
• And they did not stop there. When Paul went to Corinth, further down South, they provided again.
When Paul first arrived in Corinth, he had to work. Acts 18 says he met Aquila and Priscilla who were tentmakers and he stayed and worked with them. (18:3)
• Acts 18:5 “When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.”
• Only when financial support came from Philippi, Paul could devote his time to preaching the Gospel.
When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, this was what he told them:
• 2 Cor 8:1-5 “1We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4begging us earnestly for the favour of taking part in the relief of the saints— 5and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.”
The Philippians have been Paul’s avid supporters - financially definitely. They were his constant encouragement and help in the ministry.
• They were not with him and yet they were with him - in their giving, in their commitment to the Gospel, and in their prayers.
• Paul thanked them for their “partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now”!
We do not need to be in the same place, at the same time, or doing the same work to support one another.
• We can partner with the servants of God who are in the fields or the frontlines and provide them with the support and prayers they need.
• We can support the work of the Gospel with our givings, or any resources that God has given us.
• Without the church’s support, Paul would not have accomplished as much as he could. He could devote himself to God’s work because someone gave.
We cannot go into Myanmar or speak the Myanese language but we can provide a place for them to worship and preach the Word.
We can do missions without travelling, right at our doorstep.
We are partners in the Gospel and not competitors! As Christians, we are all partners.
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Paul was committed to preaching the Gospel throughout the region. He would not remain in Philippi for long, nor in any place, for that matter.
• Paul writes and prays for the churches he founded. That’s his support for them.
• The letters have become timeless lessons, not just for the churches then but for all time, now that his letters were canonised and became part of the Scriptures.
Paul virtually prayed for every church that he had started. We know that from the letters he wrote to them.
Paul did not stay long in Philippi after founding the church (Acts 16).
• He left for Thessalonica and only visited them on his third missionary trip when he went to Corinth through Philippi and then again on his return trip to Jerusalem.
• Just two short visits. Paul hardly stayed long in the places he visited except Ephesus (3 years) and Corinth (18 months).
While they supported him in KIND, Paul supported them with PRAYERS.
• They were ON HIS MIND - 1:3-4 “3I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy…”
• They were IN HIS HEART - 1:7 “7It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace,d both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.”
• They were IN HIS PRAYERS - 1:8-9 “8For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment…”
WHO are usually on our minds, our hearts, and in our prayers?
• I am asking WHO, not WHAT. WHAT is easy – we are often concerned about our needs and wants, our achievements…
• But WHO are usually on our minds? WHO do we think about, most of the time? The WHO are those we truly care about.
• “God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.” NIV 1:8
It is like the picture of the high priest coming before God in the Tabernacle and praying on behalf of Israel, wearing the ephod with the 12 jewel stones upon his chest, inscribed with the names of the 12 tribes of Israel.
• He carries the people upon his heart and intercedes for them, before God.
• That’s Paul, for the churches!
And what did he pray for?
Phil 1:9-11 “9And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
The church was already known for their love and yet Paul prayed that they “abound in it more and more”.
• It seems odd at first but the truth is, there is no end to love. There is no graduation to loving someone, there is no “we have loved enough”.
• We are always growing in love - our love for God and for one another. It is something we work at constantly and continuously on this side of heaven.
• It does not matter how much we love; we can still love more and better.
And it’s not a love that is naive, Paul prayed, but one filled with knowledge and discernment, guided by truth and wisdom. That’s a love that is righteous and mature.
1:10-11 “…so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
• It is a love with the objective of fulfilling God’s will, not self-will. It’s a love that brings about the righteousness of Christ.
• It is a love expressed for the sake of Christ and “to the glory and praise of God”.
• It is a Christ-centred love and not self-gratifying, giving all glory to God.
CONCLUSION
We are all partners in the Gospel. We are all commissioned to preach the Gospel and reach others for Christ.
• We do not all do the same work but we are all committed to the same Gospel.
• Some will serve as missionaries like Paul and others in local churches providing nurturing and support, like the believers at Philippi.
We provide support for one another in the work of the Gospel until the day we see Christ.
• Let us do that, in big or small ways, in seen or unseen ways, prayerfully and faithfully until the day of Christ.
• We can always do more and do better. Let us be faithful partners in ministry.
A few weeks ago Rev Barnabas Ong brought a Hong Kong missionary to my office and introduced me to her ministry.
She started an online care ministry specifically for full-time pastors and missionaries only – those in the harvest fields. She calls it “Walking With You” and it provides an online network of friendship for pastors and missionaries to connect and meet, to come together to encourage one another, through helpful talks.
She started this knowing that there are many in the mission fields, especially those in third-world countries, who are serving quite alone, far away from other churches or in very difficult environments.
So “Walking With You” helps them know that they are not alone in the work. We are all partners in the Gospel.
Let us pray.
We praise you, Lord for your work in reaching and changing the lives of those in Philippi in Paul’s days and the example they set for us. May we be found equally faithful and committed to you and the work of the Gospel.
May we be an encouragement and support to one another in ministry. Let us be fervent in prayer for one another. This we pray in Jesus’ Name, AMEN.
