Gospel Partnership

Introduction

Well, good morning! If you have your Bibles and I hope that you do, turn with me to Philippians chapter 1. Just recently, we began a new sermon series in Paul’s letter to the church of Philippi. And listen, it’s a wonderful letter…so much different than anything else that he wrote. I believe it’s a letter that truly shows us the heart of Paul and his heart for those he considered to be his friends.

And I believe as we go through this letter over the next five months, the biggest theme we’re gonna see come out of it is the idea of unity. I believe over and over again in this text, Paul highlights the importance of biblical unity which again is why I’ve titled this sermon series, “Bridge Builders.” As children of God, we’re called to unity. We’re called to lay down our differences and we’re called to come together through Christ…to bridge our differences through His power. If you remember, in Paul’s introduction, he called these Philippian believers saints and said that they were all in Christ. It was a reminder that we’re all set apart and unified in Christ Jesus, those that have repented and believed in Jesus Christ…And listen, this morning’s passage is no different. His whole message in these verses centers around the idea of partnership. And not just any partnership but partnership in the gospel.

You know, when we think about Paul’s circumstances as he penned this letter, it should really make us wonder, how in the world was Paul not depressed? How was this man not on the verge of giving up? I mean, Paul’s circumstances at the time he wrote this letter, they were bad. He was imprisoned in Rome, possibly even facing execution…Now we know based on the accounts that he was later released but he wasn’t certain at that time that he would be. We know he was on house arrest, chained to a Roman soldier to prevent him from escaping. I mean, Paul was fading there, he wasn’t able to do the work that he loved, right? All while others, as we’ll find out later, took advantage of his situation, they preached the gospel out of context and out of strife. Like, how in the world was this man still going? How had he not gone mad? And yet, as we read this letter, another theme that really pops up is joy. Paul’s heart, even under extreme pressure, it was overflowed with joy. And if anything, those horrible situations that Paul endured, it made his joy all the greater. He counted it a joy to suffer for Christ’s sake because he trusted in the sovereignty of God. He trusted in the perfect plans that were set before him and it gave him strength and comfort. And when we read these verses this morning, we see a great deal of that joy came from those that had partnered with him in the mission he was called to. In fact, this wasn’t just a partnership, these Philippian believers were Paul’s friends in Christ. There was a deep bond there that gave him so much joy.

There’s a New Testament scholar named Walter Hansen and he’s written a powerful commentary on Philippians. But listen, in his commentary, he points out that Paul’s letter here has ten parallels with other letters that were written in the ancient world centering around friendship…and in conclusion, he says that while Paul’s letter speaks to joy and unity and so many other things, it’s a letter of friendship. It’s a letter that shows us the joy we find in the relationships we’re called to build with one another in the church body. Listen, we should be building relationships and bonds that go beyond family…that go beyond anything else we’ve ever experienced. These people that we fellowship with every single Sunday morning, they aren’t just people that come to this church building, they’re people that we’ll spend eternity with. There should be strong bonds here between us.

Just this past week, my family and I got to travel down to South Carolina…and listen, we went there because of the strong bond we shared with a sister in Christ. Ms. Juanita, she was 92 years old and she had impacted us in ways I just don’t have enough time to describe. She was a godly woman. She was an example of what it meant to be impacted and changed by the gospel. I had watched her time and time again partner in different ways in sake of the gospel. I watched her love people. I watched her share the love of Christ with so many around her. I watched her literally get run over by a truck and watched her overcome that with so much joy. And this past weekend, we got the chance to celebrate her life…She had struggled with terminal cancer in the last few months of her life and even through that, she used her time left to serve Christ and she, like Paul, counted her suffering as joy. Guys, our friendship with her, it went beyond our family. It went even beyond our church home. We were connected by something stronger than anything else we’ve ever experienced. We were connected to the same vine…to Christ. And that connection, it created a bond that was so strong. And in ways, as I stand here today, I’m jealous at the fact she gets to stand before Jesus and worship Him so freely this morning.

But guys, as we read through this text this morning, I want us to consider just that…I want us to consider the implications of our own relationships with each other in the body of Christ today. What does your bonds with each other look like this morning? Do you consider it a joy to have the relationships God’s allowed you to experience here at FBC?  Has it impacted your life in ways that pushes you closer and closer to Christ? Listen, would you consider that as we read the next few verses in this letter?

Paul writes in verse 3, “3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 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. 7 It 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 defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.”

Listen, as you reflect on our passage this morning, I want us to look at three things concerning partnership or friendship; 1. The nature of gospel partnership, 2. The foundations of gospel partnership, and then finally 3. The power of gospel partnership.

1.) The Nature of Gospel Partnership

And so, if you’re following along with me, let’s start with this first idea; the nature of gospel partnership. What are we talking about here when we say gospel partnership?

Look back at verses 5 and 7 again with me. In those verses, there’s a word that Paul uses that’s really hard to define in the English language. There’s just an inadequacy of words for describing what Paul was talking about here in this passage. There’s all these words that we use but none of them really capture the essence that Paul was trying to get across to his reader. The key word here in both of these verses is the Greek word koinonia (ka-no-nee-ah) (κοινονια). And listen, in these passages, we see it translated into “partnership” and “partakers.” And those aren’t necessarily bad translations…I just think it doesn’t help us really understand what Paul’s getting at here. I think this is one of those instances where we really need to understand the Greek word to understand the context of this whole letter. We need to really understand the word koinonia (ka-no-nee-ah).

Oftentimes, in the New Testament this word’s translated into “fellowship,” but the problem with that is when we think about that word in today’s sense, we think about a meal that believers share together, right? If you’re a Baptist, you think about those potluck meals we do after Sunday morning worship. That’s a fellowship…Other times, this word’s translated into “communion.” And the problem with that word is it makes us think about the Lord’s supper and what surrounds those elements. And listen, all these words are exactly what koinonia (ka-no-nee-ah) is all about. It’s all about sharing something in common or a close association that involves mutual interest….but again, it still doesn’t help us really understand Paul’s heart here. Even the word “partnership” for some of us, it’s like a business transaction.

Hansen, in his commentary, I think gets at the heart of the word the best. In the ancient world, this word was uses for a variety of things…It was used to describe all the things we talked about but also common ownership of property, citizen, religious organizations…It was used to described marriage relationships, family…and listen to this…friendships. According to Hansen, Paul’s use of this word was to transform the Philippian’s mindset and experience with this word in light on their new relationship with Christ. What we’re seeing here in these passages therefore, is the transformation of these concepts…friendship, partnership…in Christian terms. This letter is all about the friendship Paul shares with these believers in Philippi. It’s all about gospel-centered friendship. They were devoted to each other in ways that extend beyond the secular view of this word.

In fact, it’s the same exact expression used in Acts 2:42 when Luke writes, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the koinonia (ka-no-nee-ah)…to the fellowship.” Or in 1 Corinthians 1:9 where Paul says, “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the koinonia (ka-no-nee-ah) of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” You were called into the fellowship of His Son.

Listen, when we put all this together, what Paul’s saying here is that we’re all called to gospel friendship….it involves as D.A. Carson puts it, “a self sacrificing conformity to a shared vision.” We’re committed to each other in ways that extends beyond anything else earthly. It’s real…its personal…but it’s permanent.

How many of you have read the Lord of the Rings? Or if you’re anything like me, you watched the movie, right? Specifically, in the first movie, the Fellowship of the Ring, there’s this company of nine different people who come together…and they’re all from different backgrounds, and races, right? I mean we got hairy footed hobbits, and these weird looking elves, and men and dwarves…and of course there’s this wizard. But anyways, there’s nine people who are bond together, right? And they’re bound together by a shared commitment to a common purpose. In the that particular story, there’s this ring that has the power to do immeasurable wickedness…And so, they come together to destroy the ring of power. They form the Fellowship of the Ring.

And listen, that’s exactly the idea of fellowship or partnership or friendship that we get in the New Testament. This gospel friendship that we’re called to, it’s again, a shared commitment to a common mission. It’s sacrificial conformity to a shared vision. That’s what we’re after in the body of Christ. It’s goes beyond our desires. It goes beyond our wants and needs. To keep things really corny…we might call this the “The Fellowship of the Gospel,” right? We’re the fellowship of Jesus Christ. We’ve come from different backgrounds, races…we have different stories…and beliefs…but we share King Jesus…amen? And this friendship that He’s initiated in us, this fellowship so to speak, it’s bound together by the strongest thing our universal has ever seen…the power of the Holy Spirit. We share in a common Savior, we’re united by the same Spirit, and we’re all headed for glory together.

And listen, that means…our gospel friendship….it’s not merely a friendship with other believers that’s based on common interests. We’re not friends with each other because we like the same football team or TV show. We’re not friends because you’re equally as bad at golf as me. And listen, those friendships are great and all, but that’s not what Paul means when he writes about this friendship in the gospel. Just like everything else Jesus does in us as believers…He changes everything. He changes us…and He changes our relationships. We’re bond together. We’re of the same vine. That’s the nature of our gospel partnership.

And listen, this gospel partnership, it goes deeper because not only does it give us commonality with other believers, but it also gives us a means by which to deal with conflict, right? It’s the gospel…it’s always the gospel. When we understand the gospel, we learn about sin and repentance…we learn about the necessity of reconciliation, for forgiveness…we see the need in service to one another. And this is true for any conflict we face, right? Marriage problems, friendship problems, family problems….problems in the church…we filter everything through the gospel. Our gospel friendship or partnership its bond us together by something so much stronger than anything our own imaginations could dream up and it forces us to act in a way that honors the Vine we’re all connected to. Again, that’s the nature of our gospel partnership. Paul wanted his Philippian friends beside him because they were more than just friends…they were partners with him in the gospel…What he’s saying here is that in our Fellowship of the Gospel, we recognize our differences but at the same time we celebrate our unity in Jesus and we commit to give ourselves for the mission of making the gospel known. If you have partners in the gospel, then guys, that gives you reason to celebrate…but if you don’t’ and you’re a Christian, then you should begin cultivating these kind of relationships because they’re crucial to your mission in the kingdom of God. Our being changed…our becoming Saints…now that we’re all in Christ, we’re now called to gospel partnership and friendship. That’s the nature of our calling.

2.) The Foundations of Gospel Partnership

But as we look at this text this morning, Paul also gives us some foundations for what this gospel partnership should look like. There’s six of them specifically that I see come from this passage. And listen, I think these six things are absolutely critical for our relationships with one another in the church.

Here’s the first one…shared experience. Look at verse 3 with me again…Paul says, “3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your koinonia (ka-no-nee-ah) (κοινονια) or your  partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”

Again, this is the first mention of this word…and this shared partnership, this partnership in the gospel, it’s a shared partnership from the very first day. He’s bringing it all the way back to the founding of the church…he’s thinking of the relationship they all now have because they’ve come to faith in Christ Jesus. Look at what he says in verse 6, “6 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.” That’s not just merely their commitment to the mission of advancing the gospel, that’s God’s work of grace in their hearts and lives. Paul’s appealing to that, he’s looking back to that and how God’s worked in their lives. They all have a shared experienced in that regeneration. That’s why he continues in verse 7, “7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers (there’s our main word again) you’re all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.” Paul attaches their shared partnership in the gospel with their shared experience of grace, their shared experience in salvation.

Listen, we’ve all heard someone else’s testimony, right? And as believers, it doesn’t matter who it is or what their story entails, there’s always something about their testimony that resonates with our hearts, right? When we hear their experience, and when we listen, we always realize we have essentially the same story. We may have come along different paths, but essentially, our stories are of ruin and redemption and regeneration.

At some point, we were all ruined by sin…we were consumed by it. And when we look back to that time in our lives…we understand just how separated we were from the presence of God. The Bible tells us, “None are righteous…all fall short of the glory of God.” How were we saved then? It was by the cross of Jesus Christ…it was through His sacrifice…His blood. That’s our redemption…He bore the punishment for our sins. And then came the work of the Holy Spirit….It was through the Spirit of God that we were born again…He regenerated us through His power. That’s when our blinders fell off…that’s when we were able to see…that’s the point in our life when we came of our darkness into the light. That’s when our hearts were made alive. That’s our Christian story…and that’s a story that we all share as believers. That’s happened in every single conversion that’s taken place…ruin, redemption, regeneration. And that shared experience…that partnership, that fellow partaking of grace…that sharing together in salvation, is the very foundation in our gospel friendship. That’s the first thing.

The second one’s this shared commitment we all have. Again, in verse 5, the partnership of the gospel, or in verse 7, this partaking together of grace…Notice how Paul describes this in verse 7. He says, “…you’re partakers together with me of grace, in both my imprisonment –” literally, “in my chains”; that word he uses here, it carries the idea of chains or even bonds. Paul’s thinking now of himself…Paul’s a literal prisoner…he’s chained to a Roman soldier…and he’s saying to these Philippians, “You’re partakers with me of grace, both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.”

Listen, he’s saying, not only do we share in this common salvation and experience, but once we’ve been changed by the Spirit of God, we’re not fellow soldiers, marching under the banner of the gospel…for the proclamation of the gospel…all for God’s glory. They’re committed, just as much as Paul, to the same mission. They have a common commitment. And Paul shows us that we do that…we defend the gospel when we defend the truth of the gospel from attack, but we confirm the gospel, the gospel that we’re all committed to, when we’re building each other up in the faith. And that happened for Paul and the Philippians in a ton of different ways. It happened through their prayers for one another. I mean, Paul’s praying for these Philippians in this passage here…He’s thanking God for them…and next week we’ll see in the next couple verses, Paul prays for them and their abounding love…he prays for their growth and discernment. He prays for their holiness and for the fruits of the Spirit to pour out of their lives. But here in this passage, Paul’s thinking about his suffering and his imprisonment and he’s saying, “Your prayers, they’re are helping me.”

That’s partly how the Philippians were demonstrating this shared commitment they have with Paul in the gospel…that’s part of what defined their partnership. But listen, that commitment was also physical. They contributed financially to Paul. We see that in chapter 4. They were physically invested in the advancement of the gospel…all of that’s part of this shared commitment to the gospel. Listen, when we’ve been changed and impacted by the gospel of Jesus Christ, our relationships should now be partnerships in the gospel. When we read this relationship that existed between Paul and these Philippians, it should force us to ask ourselves, “Do we have this same kind of shared commitment to spread the gospel today? Is this what our relationships are all about?” That’s the second foundation to our partnership in the gospel.

The third foundation is a shared destiny. We see this in verse 6 when Paul says, “that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Pay attention to that phrase at the end of the verse, “the day of Jesus Christ.” It’s a pretty important phrase and if you know anything about Paul’s letters, he uses this phrase over and over again. He was constantly looking forward to the day of Jesus Christ…What’s he talking about here? What’s he mean when he says this? Guys, when Paul wrote this, he was speaking about the day that Jesus returns for His bride…for the church. He’s writing about the second coming of Christ, of Christian eschatology, the doctrine of the last things to come…Paul was speaking about the moment that Christ will return and establish His reign on earth. And this theme, it runs throughout the course of this letter. Again, moving into next week’s verses, when Paul begins to pray for these believers, he prays for them to be blameless...when? Until the day of Christ. In chapter two, he tells them to look forward to that coming day. In chapter 3, he pictures himself as a runner who’s straining forward with every ounce of his strength to reach that prize, the prize we receive in the end, at the finish line. What’s that finish look like? It’s resurrection from the dead. He’s constantly looking forward to that future day and he’s telling these believers in Philippi to do the same.

He’s reminding them that their citizenship is in heaven…it’s not of this world. He’s reminding them that they’re waiting for Jesus. He’s looking to the second coming, where God will bring us to completion. Where He’ll finish what he started in us at the day of salvation…the day he began the work of regeneration in us. Which also raises another question? What’s it mean for Him to complete that work of salvation in us? It means the work He started isn’t complete…it’s not finished…God’s saving work begins a process that’s not yet finished and will only be complete when Christ returns. But based on Paul’s statement here, our salvation is something that belongs to God…He initiates it, He maintains it, He completes it…all in His timing. That’s what it means for us to all be ‘partakers of His grace,’ right? And as partners in the gospel, it’s a reminder that we all share the same destiny. We’re all headed to the same place. We’re all living for the world to come. That’s our shared destiny…and God will finish what He’s started in each of us at that day of Jesus’s return.

Number five…we have shared mindset. In verse 7, Paul writes, “Its right for me to feel this way about you all.” That word “feel,” I think it really helps us understand the thoughts, and attitudes, and feelings…all those inward things…how those motivate our outward expressions. When we’ve been changed by Jesus, that inward mindset that we all share as children of God now, it leads to a certain outward expression. That’s why it’s right for Paul to feel all the things he feels for his brothers and sisters in Philippi…because they’re all his partners in the gospel. I think that’s why in chapter 2, Paul says, “Complete my joy by being of,” what? He says, “Of the same mind and of the same love.” He wants them to have the same mindset…not because it’s just what Paul wants…but because it’s what a person that’s been transformed looks like. It’s what defines those that are partners in the gospel. We have the same mindset. We’re clothed in the same righteousness that should drive our actions and our speech.

And then finally, the sixth foundation I see here is a shared affection for one another. He says, “how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.” What’s he talking about here? Remember his circumstances…He longs to be together with his friends again. He longs for them to be reunited. He longs for them with the affection that’s in Jesus Christ. It’s the affection of Christ that binds us together…It’s why from the start there’s this theme of unity. Paul doesn’t want there to be division or divide. That’s why he says, “I’m praying for you all, I’m yearning for you all, I’m loving you all with the affection of Jesus.” It’s the same idea when I have to travel away for family or personal reasons…when I was away this weekend. When I was worshipping with Central on Sunday morning. It was sad…it was difficult. I longed with all of Jesus’s affection to be with my church family. To be in fellowship with those I cared about. I longed to be with FBC…because of the affection Jesus has given me for these people here. And guys, that affection can only be initiated and kindled through the power of Christ. I love you this moving because of the shared affection we have…because Jesus has given me that affection. It’s a foundational piece of gospel partnership. We partner together because of that shared affection.

Oh and I missed the fourth foundational point…our shared suffering…We share in our suffering. Paul was saying that here as well. They shared in his suffering. Christ promises our suffering.

3.) The Power of Gospel Partnership

And listen, all of that leads us to our final point this morning…the power of gospel partnership. We’ve seen the nature of that partnership…we’ve seen the foundational pieces of that partnership and what it should look like…but why’s it so important? How’s it really powerful?

Well, first of all…as individual children of God, on a personal level…these kind of partnerships…these kind of friendships were meant to give us some of the greatest sources of joy in our Christian lives. Paul emphasizes that joy constantly in this letter. And it’s a mutual joy they share with each other. I mean in verse 4, that’s why Paul can pray and find all this joy, even in the midst of his trials…because of the joy his friendships bring. There’s a great joy that comes from these kind of relationships we have with each other and it’s relationships that only God can bring together. It’s relationships God’s designed specifically for us.

I can tell you personally…you’ve heard my testimony…being a child of divorce…all I wanted was a family growing up. All I wanted was to be accepted and loved. And I struggled for years with bitterness and anger. And after salvation, I realized God gave me something so much greater in the church. He gave me relationships that extended beyond my family…and these relationships, they bring me so much more joy than I could’ve ever experienced before. There’s power there…on a personal level. God uses our gospel partnership for my own soul care. And He can do that for you too…but you have take advantage of this partnership He’s called you to. There’s joy there to be had.

But guys, there’s also power on a corporate level…on a church level. Because these partnerships or these friendships are built around the unity and harmony of the church, it demonstrates to the world who we really are. When people look into the church body, they see diversity, right? They see all these differences…but when we’re all unified around the gospel they see something that holds us together that’s so much stronger than anything this world offers. They see people of one mind…building relationships on the foundation of the gospel.

And because of that, our gospel partnership is powerful for the mission of the church. Our relationships are strategic for the mission we’ve been called to. They’re essential to the advancement of the gospel. We can’t actually spread the good news of Jesus Christ without each other. It’s why Satan attacks our relationships first. And Paul recognized that when he wrote this letter. He couldn’t have done the work God was calling him to without those in Philippi…and we have to realize that we can’t reach Cambridge without each other. We need our partnerships with one another. There’s power in our partnerships. That’s how the kingdom of God expands. We are all partners in the Gospel and our mission is the same.

Closing

Church, as you reflect on everything we’ve been talking about this morning, would you bow your head and close your eyes?

How would you define your relationships with the people here at FBC? Would consider yourself a partner or a friend in the gospel with those here? How has those relationships allowed you to advance the kingdom in the places God’s called you to? How have you leveraged those relationships?

Listen, if you’re here…and you consider yourself a Christian…a saint…someone who’s been set apart for Jesus and by Jesus…these relationships, they’re nonnegotiables. Because we share in those six foundational aspects that we talked about, it drives us to gospel partnership with one another…What do you need to do this morning to begin making steps to build those kind of relationships with the people here at FBC? Would you join me in seeking God through this? Would you join me in asking God to strengthen the bonds of those here in our church family?

And listen, if you’re here today and you’ve never turned your life over to Christ, the Bible makes it explicitly clear…that none are righteous…it says that all fall short of the glory of God and because of that…because of our sins against Him…we deserve hell and damnation. But listen, it also says that because God loves us so much, He sent His Son, Jesus, to come and die on our behalf…and for those that repent and believe, there is eternal life. Believe that Jesus did come…believe that Jesus died and raised from the dead…all for you…all so that you could experience His grace and kindness and love. Repent and believe.

Listen, whatever it is this morning…would you seek God?

[Prayer]