Philippians 1: Partnership in the Gospel

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 1:3-11

Paul's letter to the Philippians was one of the first I remember studying as a teenager.  I remember holding on to verse 6 of Chapter 1 - he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.  Words of great encouragement to a teenager who is very unsure of her value.

The theme that sings out of these opening paragraphs is one that always continues to inspire, challenge and encourage: partnership in the gospel.  In this short space of time, I want to draw out the following:

• We are partners in the gospel because we all share in God's grace.  '...all of you share in God's grace with me' (1:7).  This is not just about all being individually saved and therefore having something in common.  We are saved as a people.  When we think about the God we serve, it cannot be any other way - our God is not solitary but Trinity.  If we are his body on earth, we cannot be than as individuals.

• We have a joint mission.  I have a view that is constantly being proved right to me: the Christians we are closest to are those we have served with.  Partnership is more than just being brothers and sisters - we are also a team on a mission: a mission to grow as the body of Christ.  In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul talks about us being 'created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them' (Ephesians 2:10).  As the body of Christ, we do not work in isolation, but each with different gifts as we partner together to build the body up as a temple of God.

• We should spur one another on in love and faithfulness - through prayer, words and actions.  Normally, it's very hard to partner with someone when circumstances separate you, but there's a key difference in the gospel, and that is prayer.  I mention in the last paragraph that bond of service, and one of the key reasons it is so strong is that Christians who serve together, pray together.  Paul reports that he is continually thanking God for the Philippian Christians, praying with joy, and praying for their spiritual growth - for both love and discernment, resulting in the 'fruit' of righteousness.  However, the partnership does not end there - he writes this letter to both encourage and admonish (see later chapters for the admonishment!), and the Philippian church have not been inactive on their side, sending financial aid (4:10-14) and also practical help in the form of Epaphroditus (2:25).  Each played a different role, but there is no one member of the church, no matter their position of leadership or authority, who should not be supported by others, in prayer, practical help and encouragement.