A walk through the Book of Philippians
June 4, 2024
A Partnership Like None Other
Philippians 1:1-11
Generally, when we hear the word partnership, we think of people or companies working together in business.
But there are other partnerships, such as a marriage.
A good partnership in marriage is:
“A healthy relationship involving honesty, trust, respect and open communication between partners and they take effort and compromise from both people.”
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In today’s reading from the 1st chapter of Philippians, Paul discusses being a partner in the Gospel.
************************The Point*************************
Let’s look at the 1st part of Paul’s letter to the Philippians.
“Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
It is right for me to feel this way about all of you since I have you in my heart, and whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the Gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”
Philippians 1:1-11
The passage above combines a letter of introduction and greeting from Paul to the Philippians, giving thanks for their knowledge, love, and sharing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Although there are many points made by Paul in this passage, the one that sticks out for me is:
“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 1:4-6
In the passage above, Paul states that God’s Holy Spirit has brought the believing Philippians into a “partnership” with not only the Apostle Paul but all other believers.
Today, we call this partnership “Being in Fellowship.” As Christians, we should be sharing how blessed we are for the forgiveness of our sins that Christ won on the cross.
Paul is overjoyed by how the Philippians have expressed their partnership in the Gospel through prayers, Bible study, and worshipping together.
Christ is overjoyed when He sees us following in the footsteps of these Christian brothers and sisters who are not only in fellowship but share the Gospel message with others.
May the Holy Spirit continue to guide us as we share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others.
Dear Lord. We know that your Son’s sacrifice is not for us alone but for everyone. Continue to allow your Spirit to guide us as we spread the good news throughout the world.
Amen
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