Fulfilling Our Role as Partners in the Gospel

Let's look at the Book of Philippians. We've read the first chapter. I'm just going to take a few verses out of chapter one because I want to talk about this whole issue of us being partners in the gospel. As you who are a part of this flock know we support men around the world, men and women around the world and the work of the gospel. We have this group of people that we support every month. When you give on your limbelope, when you indicate it's for missions, it is to support these brothers and sisters around the world.

First, Dale and Kathy Hollenbeck who are in Uganda, Dale is engaged in training Episcopalian pastors. The Episcopalian church in Uganda is very big and strong. It's probably the most conservative part of the Episcopalianism or Anglicanism in the world. He has a really significant role there. Dale and Kathy Hollenbeck we support in Uganda, engaged in training pastors. Wonderful couple.

They went there with one child and I'll have three before they come home when they're first furlough, which is not too long from now. We'll have him here. You've heard Dale preach. He went to grade school at theology where I teach. Wonderful young man and Kathy loves the mission, the work of mission. She always has.

She's been engaged in it even before they met. Then Jim and Kathy Robinette, Jim has preached for us as well. Jim has been engaged in the prison ministry. Many people in this church got involved in prison ministry through Jim when he was here in Lodi. When he lived in Lodi, I've known them as well a long time. They just have a heart for people.

They're in Zambia and primarily working with street children. Jim, God has gifted this man with a gift of mercy. It's just a wonderful thing. He is so solid theologically, but the big thing is this heart of mercy that he has for suffering people. He went from Chicago. He was last year's been in Chicago doing a homeless ministering to homeless people in Chicago and now he is in Zambia.

He and Kathy, they couldn't be happier. When I get their emails, it just amazes me how happy they are in doing this work. They feel so fulfilled. Mark and Debbie Christopher in South Africa, church planners and pastor trainers. Mark is a part of a school there as well that he started. It's an extension.

They actually have several different places. They've trained a good group of men. One of those guys, Kilwa Anderson. We've had preach for us and you could see the product that God has produced through Mark. It's a wonderful preacher. A young man who loves Christ and is hard at work there.

They planted a couple churches. The one he's pastoring now is doing well. It's a hard field. It's a very difficult place to do the work of the gospel. We support them every month as well as Nino and Feli Sanchez. Nino has gone to Grace School of Theology as well.

He's coming back. I hope in this next year, possibly in January for at least a quarter. He wants to take some more theology. Nino started a, he was ahead of missions group there. There was a 200 men and women engaged in ministry that he was over, church planners and pastors. They primarily go into the hill country and tribal people and others and smaller towns.

He left that to go to Mindanao in the heart of where the Islamic, the strongest Islamic movement in the Philippines is to do the work of the gospel. We started a church there and he started a school called Grace Mobile School of Theology and Ministry. He travels around at different places. He and a team of guys that are training and teaching and some of our graduates from Grace School of Theology have gone over there even this past year and have been a part of that and teaching and training pastors. Many of them are pastors who've been in the pastor who've never had any kind of formal training. Others are young men they're preparing for that work and we've been supporting them for several years as well.

And then Tony and Alicia Varella in Mexico, Tony is also a pastor in the head of Grace School of Theology and Ministry. Only it's in Spanish and I don't remember how to say it in Spanish. But he is engaged in that work there. School is in Rosarita and the church is in Tijuana and our group went a couple years ago and worked there in that church for a while. We've had Tony preach for us. Tony as well is a went to Grace School of Theology and God has brought them through some very difficult times the last couple of years and they're they're faithful to the work of Christ and we're so grateful we can be a part of that.

And then of course we're sending again Miriam Bells going out to Uganda. She's been there once for six months. She's going back for another six months and this seems to be the pattern of her life. Six months home, six months in Uganda and sounds like a pretty good program actually. And she's going there with all kinds of things to do. She's shared that with us and so we want to continue to pray for her.

Well having partners in the gospel like this and there are others. Emma and Alan Chihuahonica in Uganda that we have a real connection with although we don't support him on a regular basis. We've poured a lot of resources through those ministries, Westminster School of Theology and those kinds of our Westminster Theological College training pastors. One of the things that God's done for us and just to me it's such a wonderful thing. He's given us missionaries that are not only involved in church planting but pastor training. All of these guys are serious about training men for the work of the ministry and it's been a great delight to be engaged and involved with them.

And so we are glad to be partners in the gospel and to have partners in the gospel around the world and we hope that God will open more doors that he will bring us more men than women that are engaged in this work that we can be a part of their life and ministry. That's what Paul is talking about here in this book. In this first chapter Paul bears his heart. One of the things that we learn in the scriptures especially from Paul as well as the other apostles is that the role of pastors is to lead and feed and bleed and plead and that's what Paul does in this book. He is suffering for the gospel. He is in prison in Rome because of preaching the gospel and he shows us here that a sign of true pastoral spirituality which I don't always have but the real sign of pastoral spirituality is thanksgiving and prayer filled with joy on behalf of all those that God has given to you and you're allotment to care for.

Paul loved those people that he ministered to. It's one of the primary marks of his life that he loved the people that God put into his life and that he had the responsibility of bringing the gospel to and shepherding sometimes from a distance and so the book of Philippians begins with thanksgiving and joyful prayer for these people and so in this we have a wonderful picture of what it means for to relate to partners in the gospel from both ends both those that are sent out and those who stay home and I like to us to take a look at this passage in a real simple way. His heart is for partners in the gospel and notice what he does in verses three through six he gives thanks for them. Listen these words again I thank my God in all my remembrance of you listen to these superlatives here these absolutes in all my remembrance of you always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now and 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.

Notice the depth of his thanksgiving how grateful he is to the Lord for them he says it is my whole remembrance I am always giving thanks for you every one of you all the time with great joy this becomes a mark of this epistle so wonderful letter because in 14 times in this book Paul talks about his joy this man who's in prison and he's facing what he says in the next later a little later on chapter one is the issue of whether he's going to live or die yet his heart is filled with joy

because he is doing what the Lord has called him to and that is to be engaged in the work the glorious work of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the word that he uses here for prayer I think it's significant because it's the one word in the New Testament there's several of them at the one word of the New Testament the describes prayer as an issue of the heart it is when we beg God from the depths of our heart when we feel such a deep need for something that we can do nothing

but ask him have you ever been there where the what was ever was going on in life was so heavy upon you that what you face was so big that all you could do was cry out to God and ask him to move and act and answer your prayer this a lot of times we pray and it's so unheartfelt there's times we ask God for things just with kind of out of obligation we might have a little list that we always go through

but there are times when our hearts are moved so deeply that we feel the need so greatly that we cry out to God and that's the word that he uses here in other words Paul is saying I am emotionally involved in this this is a prayer of my heart I am so grateful that God has made you not only brought you in the kingdom

but made you partners in the gospel of Jesus that you are actively engaged in the work of the gospel of Christ nothing brings joy to the heart of a pastor like that is seeing people engage in the work of the gospel I was on the internet the other day and through a series of things I ended up at a website in Chicago in Mayus house it's a ministry to street people very specific street people street walkers mail street walkers in Chicago a ministry to them and I don't know why

but I begin to look at this and listen to their testimony they had a little video there that I played and I listened to this guy's heart who began this ministry and all those who were engaged in it and it just it was overwhelming to me that the love of Christ the power of the gospel is so powerful that it would cause people to lay down their lives in this way to go after the throwaways in our culture people that you don't even want to get close to and yet they're laying down their lives in order to see them come to know the joy of

salvation in Christ Jesus what in the world would motivate Miriam to go back to Uganda to a place like this with people like this well it's the gospel of Jesus Christ it's the truth of the gospel that he reached all the way down this one that we sang this morning who was above all and yet when he went to the Christ he crossed he thought of you above all is not amazing that he thought of you above all David Ekman a friend of mine Dr Ekman said to me one time and it kind of shocked me and I had to think about this he said

that God has more faith in you than you have in him and it's the truth it's the truth he isn't trusted you with so much more than you will entrust him with it's amazing isn't it that he's entrusted us with the gospel he's given us this word that will set people free whatever their bondage is whatever their bondage is amazing isn't it if they're still breathing they're still candidates for the gospel of Christ it's a glorious truth and

notice the cause of his Thanksgiving in verse 5 it's their long enduring participation and partnership in the gospel they've been consistent I love consistent people oh man after being in the ministry for this many years a quarter of a century and obviously I came in the ministry late since it's only been a quarter of a century

but after this long I tell you what I treasure is consistent people people who stay at the task I've seen a lot of flash in the pans or flashes in the pan I've seen a lot of those over the years teaching at grace school at theology out for over 30 years I've seen so many young men that were so full of them and vigor and they were going to get out there and turn the world upside down and they burned out so quickly and then there are those who plug along and are consistent and stay at the task and our partners in the gospel for

all of life they're never flipping a coin they're not looking to see whether they're going to stay at it or not I just heard the other day a wonderful report about three of our graduates at grace school that just started a church about a year ago

now I had kind of heard about it I finally got the straight scoop started a church in San Jose and I was thinking about these three young men and how they were as students one of them was really brilliant very smart kid the others were just guys that just stayed at the task and they were workhorses although they didn't have the same kind of mind as this one man had but they've linked up and started this church and a guy in the church was telling me about how God is blessing and working and using them

well see that's the greatest joy in all of life that's the greatest joy in all of life to see people be taken in by the gospel to be captivated by it and to see its potential to see its power and to realize that it is the power of God under salvation the theme of this whole book is the participation participation in the gospel participation is the word coin and nia you've all heard of that coin and nia that's a great word for coffee and donuts right and we get together and have a little coin and nia a little fellowship it's interesting he uses this word

now this word used primarily in the original language it was used for partnerships business partnerships when people joined together joined up as partners in the gospel in fact we're told in the gospels that the earliest apostles were partners in this fishing business they owned it jointly it's like joint tenancy when you buy a home and his husband or wife you can buy it with in joint tenancy so both of you own it completely and that's how it is to be a partner in the gospel it's joint tenancy in the gospel it's as much your gospel as it is my gospel I had a teacher once

who talked about how there were five or six different gospels and he based that on the fact that you know the gospel is called the gospel of Jesus Christ it's called the gospel of God and Paul calls it my gospel and he had this theory that these were all different gospels or different slants on the gospel or something I gotta tell you there's one gospel but it's my gospel and it's your gospel too if you're a believer it's yours it's been given to you it's a treasure

in fact that's what Paul called it when he talked to Timothy he said I'm handing this treasure over to you and I want you to care for it I want you to guard it I want you to proclaim it I want you to pass it on to others we've been given a glorious glorious trust this gospel many years ago my dad when he was 15 years old arrived in California riding a freight train and when he got to southern California they arrested everybody on the freight train this is like I think in like 1932 or three or four right in there so they pulled everybody

off freight train and put him in jail overnight fed him and then the next day they took him out to the edge of town and dropped him off and he said he was standing there hitchhiking and a guy picked him up now he had run out of money when he left Oklahoma in 1933 or 34 he had a few bucks he had like $15 he lost $10 gambling he said and so when he got the bigger feeling only had about a 50 cents left he bought some he bought three apples

and so when he got in the truck with this guy he offered the guy an apple he took the apple ate the apple and they went along there and and he took him north from Bakersfield and he was going up by Modesto where my his older brother was working milking cows and when this guy led him off they had talked and he had shared all this and the guy led him off he gave him $20

now $20 is in 1934 how much was that 200 I don't know there's a lot of money and my dad said oh give me your address and when I get a job and I start making money I'll pay you back he goes no I don't want you to pay me back I just want you to pass it on you can't pay God back for this gospel

but you can pass it on you can give it to somebody it's a free gift and you can pass it on and you'll never be impoverished by passing it on is that wonderful you'll never be impoverished you can die Paul says I may die although he chooses to live he says but you know what they can take your life they can take your possessions they can take everything that you have but they can't take the riches of the gospel away from you no matter how much you give it away

in fact the more you give it away the more it's yours and notice this confidence he has in them now they had been investing in all kinds of ways they had sent money to him they even sent a man can you imagine that sending a man to minister to him in Paphroditus while he was in prison under house arrest and they send a man there to be a servant isn't that amazing someone there to help him as he is in prison and so they've been very supportive of him and he says his confidence in them in verse 6 is

notice and I am sure of this I am convinced of this I have no doubt in my mind about this that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ now typically we go to this passage to speak about things like eternal security or the perseverance of the saints

but that's not really what it's talking about the context it certainly includes that but it's more pointed than that in the context he's saying I know God's going to keep you in this work of being partners in the gospel I have confidence that the one who begin the work who is it that gives a person a heart for the work of the gospel none other than God himself you can't work it up you can't twist people's arms into it you can never there's no way to talk somebody into doing the work of the gospel if you do they won't stay at the task

but if God calls if God calls you can't stop them you can't stop them they're unstoppable and he has confidence in them that's this good work joyfully expectant Paul is that they're going to stay at the task because their hearts have been captured they're going to be perfected as partners in the gospel until the day of Christ wow what a thought to end up your life having lived your life for Christ so that you have something to give him wouldn't that be something to stand before Christ as a believer and offer him your life and say I live my life for you I expended my

riches and my abilities and my time and my family I give it all for you all for you and I'm glad I made the investment I never have regretted one penny I have given to the work of the gospel have you never I have never regretted one time that I gave myself to ministry there's been times I've been so tired I couldn't talk straight never once have I regretted it never ever I've regretted a lot of other things regretted a lot of ways I've used my time and money and things

but never investing in the gospel never I'm so glad that God gives us the opportunity to invest in this word and in this work and there's a day coming this eschatological day he refers to here the day of Christ in which we are going to face Jesus Christ we're going to stand before him so that we can give to him what we have done in the flesh what we've done in our bodies is not going to be a day Paul says that about the Thessalonikans he says you are our joy and crown of rejoicing we stand before Christ we're going to offer you to Christ

I want to be there and I want to watch as people offer up to Christ all those that he's placed in their life in which they were able to invest the gospel in them it's not going to be quite a day it's going to be an amazing day I'm looking forward to that I'm looking forward to seeing all these people that were affected by other people who invested their lives in them in the work of the gospel of Jesus Christ Paul is not concerned that they're going to lose their view of eschatology what he's concerned about is they will lose sight of it I happen

to believe that whether you're pre-Mill post-Mill post-Tosties whatever you are the fact is if you believe that Jesus is coming back and you're living in light of that then you've got a biblical eschatology now you may be wrong about a lot of things but you could have a system that you could write a whole series of books about books about like left behind you could have that you could have that and still not have a biblical eschatology if you're not looking for that day when he's going to say

well done that good and faithful servant man I can't wait for that day when he's going to say well done he even says in first Corinthians that he's going to take all that stuff that I've done that has no value and just burn it up and it won't even be in existence so everything I'll have to offer him will be what I've done out of the motivation that the spirit produces in the heart for him it ain't going to be a great day and I think about this when when Miriam is standing there before Christ and offers all these little children and people with dark

skin isn't that going to be a day a day every joicing and you know what you can have a part in that because we are partners in the gospel there are people at the task all over the world and as we are at the task here we can have a part in their ministry we are citizens of heaven and we live the life of heaven right here on earth we are the Bible says the evidence of the kingdom of God you can't see the evidence of the kingdom of God in a lot of places it doesn't look like God is ruling in a lot of places

but in the church of Jesus Christ we are supposed to be a sign of the kingdom the presence of the kingdom of God on earth people in the church actually live in response to the commands of Jesus Christ they make their decisions they plan their life they live out their life they invest their money and their and their goods and their time in response to Christ that's the evidence that the kingdom of God is actually in existence here upon earth

now this verses three through six is kind of like a cameo of this entire epistle that he introduces he introduces this main theme of being partners in the gospel their partnership in the gospel and the rest of the letter he's going to be concerned primarily with their development as partners in other words he wants them to get better at it I want to get better at it don't you I want to get better at I want to be more intentional I want to be more engaged in it and that's what he's going to talk about in this letter

now notice the second thing he says what he does is he has he tells him he has confidence in them in verses seven and eight he has great confidence in them he says it is right for me to feel this way about you 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 defense and confirmation of the gospel for God is my witness how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus he tells why he had such confidence in them why is he so confident that they're that God's going to complete this good work that he has begun in them why is he confident that they're going to continue as partners in the gospel

well he introduces four in doing in telling why he is so confident he gives us four themes they're going to be developed in this book we're not going to be going through this book but as you read the book Philippians you'll see these four themes that are developed that he introduces right here the first one is that engagement in the gospel demands maintaining a certain mindset now where I get that from is that expression that you have there that's translated in in the English standard version I'm reading it is right for me to feel this way about you all

because I hold you in my heart well that expression to feel this way about you becomes one of the primary words it's a translation of one word and it's a primary word in the book of Philippians the word front now and it means mindset it is right for me to have this mindset about you

now you know the passage in Philippians chapter 2 where he talks about the mindset of Christ have this mind in yourselves that was in Christ Jesus who although he existed in the form of God he didn't think it was robbery to be equal with God and yet he emptied himself and took on the form of a servant became a man and humbled himself even the point of death death on a cross that's the mindset of Jesus it's the mindset of a servant it's the mindset that would go to the streets of Chicago at 25 below and witness to worthless people in the eyes of this

world throwaways what would do that a mindset having the mindset of Jesus Christ if we're going to be partners in the gospel we have to have this mindset which was in Christ Jesus the mindset that Paul has this is the first of nine occurrences of this word he's going to repeat it over and over again holding a mindset that expresses itself in action having a mindset that expresses itself in action how do you explain what people are doing it's the way they're thinking it's their mindset and that's what he's saying here this is a prerequisite for being partners in the gospel keeping this mindset the

mindset of Jesus Christ the only way you will stay at the task the only way you will partner with those who are doing the work of the gospel is if you have the mindset if you don't you won't I can guarantee it now we have a responsibility interestingly enough look at this look at chapter two for just a moment

notice what he says in verse in chapter two let me just read the first few verses so if there's any encouragement in Christ any comfort from love any participation in the spirit any affection in sympathy complete my joy by being of the same mind having the same love being in full accord in one mind do nothing from rivalry or conceit

but in humility count others more significant than yourselves let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others have this front net oh this front him on this mindset among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus and then he begins to describe how this mindset of Jesus played out how it was displayed in chapter eight of Romans we're told that the spirit gives us a mindset this flesh has a mindset which is at enmity with God it opposes everything God does

but the mindset of the spirit is life and peace that when you are born again and the spirit comes to reside in you he begins to produce and you this mindset that you actually want to please God and you want to walk with God you want to partner with God in his work in the world and you want to love what he loves and hate what he hates God loves people God loves people and uses things when you have the mindset of Christ you use things and love people when you don't have the mindset of Christ when you have the mindset of this world you

love things and use people isn't that right you want to make it in the world you want to make it in this world system and learn how to use people and love things for motivation just the opposite the mindset of the spirit and so he says in order to be partners in the gospel and the reason I'm confident that you are continuing is that you have this mindset you have been maintaining this mindset as I have for you and then second partaking of grace you are partakers of grace with me partaking of grace

now let me make a point he's talking about in this context enabling grace enabling grace sometimes the only way we think about grace is I can do whatever I want and God's going to forgive me anyway that ain't grace that's stupidity you are all partakers with me of grace perfection as partners of the gospel that's what he's praying for they would come to maturity and they would continue to grow as partners in the gospel is not being perfect it's not perfectionism and it isn't being perfect rather it is learning to be enabled by the grace of God in any and every circumstance enabling grace the

grace the good favor of God that empowers you to do what you know is impossible for you on your own I was in listening to this testimony about this Emmaus house in Chicago there was a lady about my age who was a real estate broker who goes down to this ministry every week a couple times a week and walks the streets with another partner and talks to these men about the gospel of Christ and as I listen to her testimony just an amazing thing that the only she said when I

first heard about this it so touched my heart but I knew I could never ever in my wildest dreams and be engaged anything like that she lives in one of the suburbs in Chicago a nice suburb but she said God began to do something in me he began to do something in me he began to empower me to to go beyond what I could do in myself and it had a little clip of her they're talking to one of these guys and talking about the gospel and then praying for him it was just amazing thing to me see that's enabling grace enabling grace enabling grace

God will enable you to do what you don't think you can do in fact if you could do it yourself you don't need the spirit right if it's if doing the work of the gospel is just something you can do I can do then we don't need the spirit

but it's not doing the work of the gospel being partners in the work of the gospel is actually doing what you can't do that you must trust the living God for and so he says you have learned to be partakers and that's that's our word they're again quininea fellowshipers you experience this enabling grace it's given to you that's what maturity is all about it's learning to trust God more it's not getting everything you know a lot of times our idea of spiritual maturity is a person looks a certain way dresses a certain way and uses certain kinds of words

but all of us have met people who dress right talk right spit white and you know all those things and yet they're spiritual pigmies they haven't learned to trust God at all in fact that's the reason they live that way is because they're so afraid we've all seen that

but maturity is learning to trust God it's learning to experience his enabling grace and situations where you feel so out of place and incapable and unable enabling grace and he says this was a mark that I see in you putting confidence in the flesh is just the opposite of that doing what you can do he's going to talk about this in chapter three of Philippians that you

in fact let just let me read a couple verses he says finally my brothers rejoice in the Lord to write the same things to you as no trouble to me and it's safe for you look out for dogs look out for evil doers look out for those who mutilate the flesh for we are the real circumcision who worship by the spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh we put no confidence in what we can do in ourselves nothing nothing and that has to be pervasive throughout the church musicians have to function this way people work with children

have to function this way preachers have to function this way people engage in all kinds of ministry has to function this way put we put no confidence in the flesh our confidence is in Christ and his enabling grace he empowers us to do what we cannot do Galatians chapter three Paul chides the attacks it it's like he comes at the Galatians so powerfully and says what in the world has happened to you you begun in the spirit you think you're going to be perfected in the flesh you began this Christian life knowing that you had nothing to offer God and all you could do is

come in with empty hands and receive what he was offering you and now you think you could do something in your own works now you think you can do something in your own ability no it's grace and that's what maturity is it's learning to live in enabling grace trusting God for his enabling grace and then third he says you have enduring you have been enduring opposition and as he has they have been partners with him he says both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel you've been partners with me

now Paul isn't talking about you know people thinking badly of Christians he's not thinking about the fact that you know people might complain about him or or gossip about him or slander him or something like that when he talks about my imprisonment in the defense and confirmation of the gospel means I've actually I am actually in prison for the cause of the gospel the work of the gospel normally involves endurance and difficulty and hardship and persecution that is the normal path of the work of the gospel you're going to have difficulties and hardship and sometimes persecution that's just a part of the work of the

gospel and Paul says my prison experience is proof of that because he has been engaged completely and fully with all of his heart and life in the work of the gospel and he is experiencing hardship and difficulty and persecution and notice these two words defense and confirmation these are legal terms the word he is in prison and he's going to come before tribunal and he says I'm here for the defense of the gospel that is a legal defense and the confirmation of the gospel the word the legal word that's used here refers to furnishing security like a bail bail's bondsman does to make bail and

he says my life is the confirmation of the gospel and in other words Paul is incarnated the gospel people aren't just rejecting the gospel they're rejecting Paul they're not attacking the gospel they're attacking Paul and he says my very life is the confirmation of the gospel in other words my life offers proof of the validity of the gospel you've heard that old thing about

you know if you were on trial for being a Christian would there be any evidence to convict you that's a good question is there anything about my life that people knew the whole story of my life would there be any real evidence hard evidence that Christianity is true that the gospel is true now he's got a trial coming up and he knows that he could be convicted he could be executed which he is later on not now but later the gospel is on trial that's what Paul is saying the gospel is on trial and I'm the one who is in this position do

you know what the gospel is on trial today the gospel is on trial in America today like it's never been before in all the history of the United States there is no doubt about that that isn't exaggeration it isn't exaggeration that's why I like you to read this book

because that's really that's the best part about this book is his analysis of the flow of our culture and some of us are just totally asleep at the wheel and you don't realize it what a day for you to be proof evidence of the gospel of Jesus Christ and it isn't primarily through argumentation it's life it's character it's love the love of Christ manifested in people is the most convincing evidence the gospel anybody ever sees or experiences it's what drew you and then he says being moved by deep affection I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus I yearn for you all

with the affection of Christ Jesus wow here's the gospel incarnate this is the gospel incarnate the gospel being manifested through a man whose heart is touched so deeply that he can say as he's in prison in Rome I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ and nobody has loved like Christ that's how much I yearn for you and love you experiencing love remember in in Luke 7 when the when Jesus is at Simon's house the the Pharisee having dinner and they recline at table and a woman comes in from the streets obviously a prostitute who comes in who's been affected by the gospel

and it's turned away from that and turned to Christ and she comes in and she begins to weep and wash his feet with her tears and anoint his head with costly oil she's so overwhelmed and Simon is offended like some Christians are offended some Christians are offended at the where the gospel will take people and so he's offended and Jesus begins to explain to him the reason this woman is acting like this is because she's been forgiven much and you haven't now he's being somewhat facetious with this man he says

you know the one who forgives there's been forgiven little loves little the one who's forgiven much loves much the fact is the Pharisee had not been forgiven because he had not trusted but this woman had been forgiven much and therefore there was much love that's the testimony of the gospel the glorious testimony of the gospel this theme is expressed seven times throughout this epistle it's huge it means I'm so impacted personally by the truth of the gospel in my own life that I can't keep my mouth shut I can't stop loving him and walking in obedience to him see that's Paul's testimony sometimes we forget we just forget

now I have Bible for that second Peter chapter one says what happens to us if we don't stay at this if we don't stay in the word if we don't grow if we don't keep taking in the word itself and letting it sink into our hearts he says we become blind and short-sighted and we forget the life from which we were saved we forget isn't it amazing when you remember back and you don't have the vivid memory anymore of what it was that you were and where you were headed when Christ saved you and changed you that's why testimonies are so moving when you hear

someone testify freshly of just being taken off the ash heap of life and entering into the kingdom of God and the joy is so deep and so overwhelming they can hardly contain themselves it moves us because we begin to remember we begin to remember where he's taken us from and what he's done for us in the work of the gospel apart from Christ we are nothing apart from the gospel we have nothing nothing of value nothing of value

now this is finally he continually prays to them he says in verses 9 through 11 and listen to his petition in verse 9 and it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more with knowledge and all discernment is that amazing that they might develop an intelligent discerning love brotherly love is the foundation of their partnership in the gospel that's what he said back in verse 5 it is the foundation of the of their partnership in the gospel to the extent that we love there will be partnership and what he is praying for what he's asking God for that there would be increasing

and unceasing abundance that would come into their lives of the love of Christ there is never a danger of excess of love in the body of Christ never you will never go into a church you say the only problem with that church they just love each other too much I can't take that that's too much never we'll never love each other too much we'll never experience the love of Christ too much Romans 13 Paul says that the one thing that we should owe everybody every day is love we recognize that we will never fully pay that debt

because of the Christ love for us we owe each other love for one another in the sphere of this love notice what it is the sphere of this love that he prays for is knowledge and discernment real knowledge in other words knowing Christ in the cross loving in an intelligent deep and profound way

because we understand the cross of Jesus Christ in the full light of the knowledge of a crucified Christ and risen Christ and then he says with discernment that means spiritual perception having a feel for how you apply the word of God and the love of God to people's lives growing in wisdom growing in wisdom in the way we love we need to love better we need to we really do we need to love better as a church this is a very loving congregation

but we need to love better don't we we need to love better we need to look for ways we need to start looking for ways to encourage and to incite one another to love and good deeds uh could I suggest something every time

you see something negative that you want to complain about why don't you just ask God to give you somehow the the power to instead encourage to instead incite someone to keep on this path stay faithful we're praying for you keep at this test praise God for you and for what you're doing Christian can be Christian people could be some of the most complaining petty people you will ever run into it's just amazing and sometimes they're not really Christians they're engaged in the Christian church

but sometimes people will come in and someone is just laying down their life in the ministry of maybe ministering to children preparing for hours loving kids praying for them calling them staying at the task somebody comes along the first thing they want to do is tell them what's wrong with with the way they're doing things just amazes me amazes me how Christian people people who call call themselves Christians can attack people engage in the work of the gospel there's nobody I know of and I know a lot of people in the work of the gospel I don't know anybody who has has self assurance in

the way they're doing it that they think they're doing everything right every guy I know in the work of the gospel and some of them in big churches have a lot of doubts about their own ability they're praying about it and seeking better answers all the time God wants us to encourage each other I thank God for the servants in this church that are so faithful

and so sacrificial and I want to be an encourager I want to be better at that I hope God I want God to make me better at that look at the reasons he gives in verses 10 11 gives two reasons why the Philippians ought to develop an intelligent discerning love this is the implication verse 10 so that you may approve what is excellent

and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ fill with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God wow so that you can approve the things that are excellent that's what every single parents want parent wants their child to be able to do is to approve what is excellent the greatest heartbreak in all of life is when a child doesn't approve of excellent things

but approves of things that are not excellent at all and it's what God wants from us so that we can approve things that are excellent live a gospel lifestyle live in light of the cross value the cross and the effects of the cross and people's lives stop in chapter 2 he's going to say stop grasping for glory and live for the glory of Christ live for the glory of Christ it's been really an interesting thing over the last years of teaching in grace school theology

because you have all these young guys who want to go in the ministry and they're training and and how many of them get caught up in themselves and in wanting an opportunity wanting to be successful and always without exception what happens they get broken I just warn you if you want to be engaged in the work of the gospel any level God will break you

first so if you haven't been broken get ready because that's what he's going to do he will break you because we have to be broken of something very important and that is our confidence in ourselves instead of confidence in the living God and then secondly so so they will be sincere and blameless for the day of Christ the word sincere is a word comes to the word for son in other words when you hold something up to the sun and you can see through it you see everything that's really there nothing is hidden and he says that he prays that their love would grow not only in in discernment so forth

but they would grow in sincere that they may be sincere when they stand before Christ otherwise without any fakery without a facade one of these days we're going to stand before the all-seeing God Christ Jesus who knows the truth about us and Paul says you have to live in light of that fact live in light of the fact you're going to stand before Christ who knows the truth about you when you stand before him blameless that is not causing anyone to stumble that's important that's really important I've noticed that there are so many people who are not of the where

the fact of how much of a stumbling block they are to other people it's like they're oblivious to it they can't see it they can't discern it and Paul says I want you to grow in maturity so that you won't be a stumbling block to others

but instead a stepping stone and you would be fruitful fruit with righteousness which righteousness produces well that's the glorious glorious thing that he is calling us to Paul has given us the example and we must be committed to do it as we partner with those that we have around the world and this Miriam goes our responsibility is to be thankful for her and that's going to be manifested in her being on our hearts of having a mindset that includes her in our daily life as we pray for her and consider her and think about her on our website we have all kinds of information about

our missionaries their letters that come in pictures go on there and stay in tune with what God is doing in their lives pray for them stay in touch with them and then secondly like Paul we need to be confident in her and that's going to be manifested by the way we support her not just financially but the way we support her in every other way the way we pray for her and encourage her as she's out there doing this work and then finally to pray for her as Paul says that he did for the Philippians that God would make her fruitful and thus make us fruitful

you see what Paul says in this book is that when the Philippians were fruitful it was making him fruitful because he was partners with them and so if we're partners with Miriam and she is successful and fruitful in the work of the gospel that's going to be our fruit too and we're going to stand there at the Bema seat of Christ and say glory to God for what he did through us glory to God for what he did through us so we are partners and we need to be committed to that partnership I'm going to have Miriam come up here if you would I want to pray for if I thought

you know I like to do is have the leaders of our small groups come up house fellowship meetings come up here will you and we can pray for Dave come up Don and tea and who else what Bible study isn't here today I think everybody's here okay I'm going to have a couple men pray Dave I'd like you to pray for Miriam and her just her safety that God would protect her as she goes and then if you'd pass it over to Don once you pray for her fruitfulness that God would and then I'll close in prayer fathers we come to you today we ask

Lord that you would keep your merciful hand upon Miriam bless her keep her safe it's a long journey Father and we just pray Father that you would be with her as you travels from here to the airport and all the flights that she takes Father and then deliver her safely into Uganda we pray also Father that while she is there that your hand or mercy will be upon her there will be a lot of challenges I know that she will face there a lot of hardships that we can't even imagine

but we know Father that you're faithful you're unchangeable and that you will lay your protecting hand upon her Father we just play that you would bless her watch over her keep her safe Father and then bring her safely home to us and that the blessing that she will spread amongst the people in Uganda will also be a blessing that we can smile about and know that your gospel is being spread to people we just thank you and praise you Lord and keep your hand of protection upon her we just thank you and praise you in your name Father we do humbly come before you as

a local body who is so thankful Father for that Miriam is a part of our fellowship thank you Father for how you have gifted her in so many ways and thank you Father that she's willing to give this gift away I pray that the Spirit would use her in a mighty way pray that many would come to know Christ

because of her love for you I pray that she can just share this love of Christ and it is a gift that you have given us and she's giving back and once again we just pray that you use her in a mighty way and we ask this in your son's name Jesus Christ Amen our Father I want to pray for us as a local church that you would help us to be faithful partners in the work of the gospel Lord that you would keep your hand upon us you would keep our minds fixed our hope fixed upon the coming of Christ and our minds Father

sober and alert as we have a sister halfway around the world doing the work of the gospel for us because she's we're her partners and oh God we pray that you would just keep our hearts tuned in that you'd every day that we would come before you her name would be going up to heaven as we hear from her and the needs that she has and the things that you're doing there oh God that we would continually bombard heaven the throne of grace

because you want to hear from us and we pray oh God that you'd help us just to be faithful to this task of being her partners in the gospel Lord we just pray your pray your rich rich blessing upon her and upon these brothers and sisters in Uganda that love her so much and are so looking forward to her being there we pray God that you would multiply her tribe I pray that many others would come to a conviction about having this kind of retirement program of spending their lives and their resources for the work of the gospel of Jesus Christ how we thank you that you have captured her hard in this way we give you thanks the name of Jesus amen amen