Philippians 4:10-20

Have you ever tried to thank someone for something and found that you just didn’t have the words to express how you felt? And no matter how you say “thank you” or how many times you say “thank you,” the words just feel so shallow, like they hardly scratch the surface of how deeply you truly appreciate the kind gesture.

I can think of times when my computer had broken, and a friend bought a new one for me.

Times when someone unexpectedly helped pay my tuition in school.

Times when a friend counseled me in moments of deep suffering and pointed me to Christ.

And when you go to say “think you,” the words just feel like they fall flat on the ground. Why is that? Because you feel like what they did for you did so much more than they realize. It wasn’t just a kind gift or gesture, no, it was much more. And there’s really no way of truly sharing how much it meant.

This kind of language isn’t something foreign to us though, is it? You all have missionaries you partner with in Africa, Asia, Central America, and even here in the US, and that’s a wonderful thing, it’s a biblical thing.

But as we look closer at the passage, beyond the language we would expect is some things we might not expect. Some things that might catch us off guard a bit. Do you see the kind of language Paul uses to describe the Philippians’s gift?

Ye did communicate with my affliction. (v. 14)

I desire fruit that may abound to your account. (v. 17)

An odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. (v. 18)

When you think about giving to a missionary, do you think with words like this? If these caught you off guard, verse 15 might even more-so. Do you see what he calls their relationship? It’s one of,

“giving and receiving.”

It’s one of mutual giving and receiving. Does that strike you as odd? What is Paul getting at here?

You see, when the Philippians gave to missionary Paul, their gift did so much more than just transfer money from one bank account to another. It did so much more than the Philippians themselves realized. And in his thank you, Paul seeks to draw their attention to that. Because the Philippians’s gift meant so much more than the simple words “thank you” could express.

So let me share with you some of those moments now.

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Ethiopia is also uniquely poised between Sudan, Djibouti, and Somalia, countries with over a 99% Muslim presence. As such, Addis Ababa is a strategic city for church planting, not just for Ethiopia but for the African continent as a whole.

“As goes Ethiopia, so goes the continent.” – Conrad Mbewe.

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When we landed, Michael Granger, our lead pastor picked us up from the airport along with his brother-in-law, Dave. They drove us back to the Granger’s home for us to rest that night, and start setting up our new lives the next day. We needed to find a house, language school, learn how to shop for food, and find a doctor for Sabrina as she was five months pregnant when we left.

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No one knows for sure how many people like in Addis Ababa, but most estimate it’s bigger the size of New York City and Chicago combined. Addis is big!

Adjusting to life in a new culture in such a large city was difficult for us. Even simple things like shopping for groceries was incredibly challenging, and in Africa, everything takes much longer than we’d expect it to take.

It took a week just to get my cell phone plan working, and another week to get Sabrina’s up and running.

It took a few months to find the furniture we needed for our home.

Our first three months in Ethiopia were difficult, indeed.

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Our great joy in all this was our church, Trinity Fellowship.

We started with just 15 people meeting in the Granger’s living room on Sunday mornings. We began a short sermon series on Romans 3 asking the question “what is the gospel?” This question, though simple, was

MP2: Partnering Churches Share in the Missionary’s Reward