How to Pray for Ministry Partners

Introduction

Good morning, Soteria Church!

My name is Josh Smith, and I am the Director of Growth Groups here at Soteria.

And I have a confession to make. I am not originally from Iowa. I grew up in a town on the border of Illinois and Missouri called Alton, IL. I grew up about 35-40 minutes from Downtown St. Louis, and that, yes, makes me a Cardinals fan.

Now, for the five of you who haven’t written me off for the rest of the morning, I must admit. There are things that I love about the St. Louis area. There are things I don’t. I love how the city is painted red almost every October during Post-Season Baseball. I love how the winters rarely get below 20 degrees. I love driving north from the town of Alton along the Mississippi River in the Summertime. The Great River Road sat at the bottom of a beautiful bluff that stretched for miles and miles down the river. And it was absolutely stunning.

But when I think about the town of Alton, these aren’t the things I miss that much. When I think of that town, instead what I think of are the people that I developed close bonds to. The people that I love and that love me. Sometimes I wish I could go back and just spend time with them like I used to.

While there are numerous people I could name, there is one particular couple that stands out in my mind. Shawn and Wendy Allen were like an extra Uncle and Aunt for me. I have many memories as a kid where I would go to their house and play basketball with their son, Ben. Shawn was a basketball coach of mine for a couple years. Wendy was my choir director at church and at school for about ten years. They would regularly go on mission’s trips with my church youth group, take our high school church choir on tour to sing at other churches in Illinois, and even travel as parent sponsors with my high school basketball team.

But the main reason why they stand out to me is because of the incredible impact they had on me spiritually. Looking back, if it weren’t for their consistent influence on my life, I honestly don’t think that I would be a Christian today. Their impact on me cannot be overstated.

Time and again, they would point me back to Christ. Every time we started a church choir practice, Wendy reminded me that all of our practice in singing, all of our effort for all of our lives should be for the glory of God and the spread of the Gospel.

Years later, when I think about Shawn and Wendy, I look to them as partners in ministry. And every year or two, I am able to make it back to Alton to visit. And let me tell you,, I am so much more grateful for them today, then I would have been years ago. Why? Because now, I understand more fully just how much they did for me. As I seek to serve people in the church today and point them to Christ, I am reminded of just how much they served me and many other kids at the church.

And every time I think about these wonderful Christians, these wonderful partners in ministry, I thank God for them.

And I can’t help but see that same kind of heart in the Apostle Paul as he begins writing the book of Philippians. As we walk through this passage this morning, we will see how the Apostle Paul prayed for his partners in ministry. Even though it had been years since they had seen each other. Even though Paul was hundreds of miles away from Philippi, Paul prayed fervently for these dearly loved partners in ministry. And we see that heart begin in verse 3.

After greeting them, Paul says in Philippians 1:3-5:

Philippians 1:3–5 (CSB)

I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

Now we need to get some context real quick. About ten years before Paul wrote Philippians, he came to Philippi for the very first time. While there, Paul saw some people saved and planted the first church in the city. But Paul was also met with some great hostility. You see, there was a slave girl in the city who was demon possessed. This demon enabled her to to tell the future, and her owners made a large profit from her fortune-telling.

Witnessing first hand how the demon and her owners were afflicting this slave girl, Paul cast the demon out of her. Enraged at the loss of profit, the girl’s owners grabbed Paul, dragged him through town, and threw him at the feet of the authorities saying, “These men are seriously disrupting the city! And even worse, they’re Jews!” Caught up in the accusations, the crowd began attack Paul. They stripped Paul of his clothes, grabbed their clubs and severely beat Paul before throwing him in prison for the night.

But Paul was really the one in control in this situation. Because Paul, he knew something they didn’t know! Paul was a Roman citizen and knew that it was illegal for the authorities to beat and imprison a Roman citizen without a trial first.

So the next morning, the magistrates of the city found out what they had done and Paul used it for the advantage of the church. Paul went through a lot for these people out of his love for the gospel.

And now, about ten years later, Paul finds himself in a similar situation. This time, however, Paul is imprisoned in Rome. Because of this, Paul was struggling. The Philippian church, we learn from other passages, was remarkably generous in raising money for Paul and in sending people to take care of him while he was in prison. And now, the church has come to support Paul in his time of need, ten years after Paul gave so much for the Philippians. This is one of the most beautiful pictures of what Christian partnership is. In all of Scripture, the relationship between Paul and the Church in Philippi is heralded as the pinnacle of Christian Partnership.

And at the end of our passage today, Paul prays for these partners in ministry. And what we will see from the passage today is this:

BIG IDEA: Prayer for partners in ministry begins with participation in the Gospel.

Prayer for partners in ministry begins with participation in the Gospel. So let me ask you, who have your partners in ministry been? Take a second and think about that. Who have your partners in ministry been?

I used the example of Shawn and Wendy, a couple from my past. I could also mention all of Brown Street Baptist Church. In college, I attended Ankeny Baptist Church and it brings me great joy to see how the church is growing and seeing people saved. I love seeing a friend of mine and former member here at Soteria lead his church in Holmes, IA, as a new pastor up there. I can’t help but think of the many friends and partners that I was able to preach to at Park Church on the East Side of Des Moines last week!

And here at Soteria, it brings me joy to see so many of you actively serving your growth groups, sharing the Gospel with your coworkers and neighbors, and giving God glory in the day to day. And we have partners in ministry that we support as well! It is always a joy to hear from the Betz’ family in France, the Albright’s in Peru, and the Grings’ in the Congo.

We all, as Christians, have partners in ministry just as the Apostle Paul did. And what do we have in common with these people? What does Paul in Rome have in common with Philippi? What does our church in the city have in common with rural churches in Iowa? What does Des Moines have in common with France?

Paul gives us the answer in verse 5.

Philippians 1:5 (CSB)

because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

1. We partner in the content of the Gospel (vv. 3-5).

Church, we partner together in the content of the Gospel.

It was the Gospel that saved Paul. It was the Gospel that Paul preached to the Philippians. It was the Gospel fused them together. And it is the Gospel that fuses us together with Christians across the world.

Let me put it like this. John, Jane, and their kids are members at Soteria. They live about ten minutes from here in Norwalk. Their two kids are 6 and 8 years old. They drive a Honda mini-van. They have a pool in their backyard.

Their neighbors, Ken and Kim, by worldly standards are pretty similar. They too have a pool in their backyard. They drive a Chrysler mini-van. Their two kids are 7 and 9. But they’re unsaved.

Meanwhile, John and Jane have a friend named Deb. Deb has never been married, and doesn’t have any kids. She rides a bike to work every morning. And she lives in London, England. You see, Deb moved to London about ten years ago as part of a missionary team to the city.

Now let me ask you, who do John and Jane have more in common with? By worldly standards, Ken and Kim are! But John and Jane know better. They have far more in common with Deb than they do Ken and Kim. And this is all because of the Gospel.

Because Christ gave his all for us, he has brought us into a new family, into new relationships. Our identity has fundamentally shifted in Christ and he is the common bond that we all have with one another.

This partnership, however, is far more than just the same views, the same beliefs. It is far more practical than that! Not only do we share the same convictions, we also share the same mission, the same goal, the same purpose.

Think through who your best friends are. Likely, those friendships are solid not because you have common affinities, but because you have been through a lot together.

You’ve heard that some of the greatest bonds in the world are between soldiers who served together in wartime. Why do you think that is?

It is because, based on common convictions, a common set of beliefs, a common cause , that they fought alongside one another. The goal was clear. The mission was set before them, and they, out of that common conviction, completed their mission together.

Brothers and sisters, the fight that we are in has far more at stake than any war in the world. We fight not against flesh and blood. We are in spiritual warfare on a daily basis, and we need to have our partners! Not just in common conviction about the truth of the Gospel, but also in a daily fight against sin. A daily commitment to encouraging one another in the battle. A daily commitment to reaching the lost because of what Christ has done for us.

Christian partnership is not just accepting the central truths of the Gospel. It is also participating in the mission of the Gospel together. This is what Paul and the Philippians did. And this is what we do as well.

We partner in the content of the Gospel. And second, Paul goes on to link it with the mission of the Gospel.

2. We partner in the mission of the Gospel (vv. 6-7)

In verse 6, Paul starts by saying, “I am sure of this.”

Paul goes on to say, “And I have no doubt about this.” “Of this, I am absolutely certain.”

Paul is as sure of what he is about to say as he is that the Sun will come up tomorrow. That death is certain. And that tomatoes, though a fruit, don’t belong in a fruit salad. Paul is completely certain about what?

Philippians 1:6 (CSB)

I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Paul admits that everything he and his partners are doing is only by the power of God. The Gospel did not spread because Paul was a great preacher. People were not baptized because Philippi was the greatest church in the Roman Empire.

And brothers and sisters, the Gospel isn’t effective here at Soteria because of what we bring to the table. Everything that God is doing here at Soteria is not because we are the best. It is because Christ is the best. And everything we do here at Soteria is to make much of Christ. When we make much of him, the Gospel spreads like a wave. When we make Christ the focus, people start to take notice.

And friends, God will complete this work. Someday, the mission of the Gospel will be complete. Christ will return and make everything right once more! And what do we do in the meantime? Trust that God is carrying on the work. Trust that God is moving the Gospel forward in us and through us.

Paul goes on in verse 7 by defending why he feels this way. He says,

Philippians 1:7 (CSB)

Indeed, it is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart, and you are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

Paul reiterates that we are all partners in grace. He reiterates his love for the Philippian church. But he details more of what the mission is: Paul mentions, as we discussed earlier, how the Philippians partnered with him in his imprisonment. This is a reference to the money the church collected to help care for Paul while he was in prison.

But he also mentions right here at the end of verse 7 their partnership “in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel.”

Now when Paul says “defense” and “confirmation,” he is referring to the two sides of the mission of the church. We know this because what is a defense? A defense answers the question: “Why do you believe this?” “Why do you believe Jesus rose from the dead?” “Why do you believe he is the only way to God?” “Why do you go to church every Sunday?” The defense is inherently evangelistic. The defense is the Philippians partnership in making more disciples of Jesus Christ.

When Paul says, “confirmation,” he’s referring to the other side of the church’s mission coin. To confirm answers the question, “Why do we believe this?” “Why do we fight against sin?” “Why do we tell others about the Gospel?” “Why do we believe Jesus had to die on the cross?” The confirmation is more along the lines of discipleship. The confirmation is the Philippians partnership in making better disciples of Jesus Christ.

Church, this is what we partner in as well! All Christian partnerships are based on the content of the Gospel. Because of what Jesus has done for us, we have partnership with God and one another. Second, we partner in the mission of the Gospel. The closest bonds are always formed when you are on a mission together. For Christians, that mission is the Great Commission. Third, we see in verse eight that we partner in the heart of the Gospel as well.

3. We partner in the heart of the Gospel (v. 8).

Verse 8 reads continues the passage,

Philippians 1:8 (CSB)

For God is my witness, how deeply I miss all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

It’s been a while since Paul has been with the Philippians.

SO WHAT DOES PAUL ACTUALLY PRAY FOR? He has spent so much time outlining what Christian partnership is. We partner together in the content of the Gospel, the mission of the Gospel, and the heart of the Gospel. Yet in verse 9, Paul transitions into a prayer for his partners. And what does he pray over them? He says,

Philippians 1:9–11 (CSB)

And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, so that you may approve the things that are superior and may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

First, we see that Paul prays that their love will keep on growing. But it’s not just any kind of love. This love isn’t the kind of love that we hear about in culture. Instead, this love is defined by what we just saw in verse eight. The heart of the Gospel is the affection of Christ Jesus.

In John 15, Jesus himself says this: John 15:12-13

John 15:12–13 (CSB)

“This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.

Shortly after Jesus said these words, he led the disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane. There, he prayed to God asking him, “Lord, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.” And then, Judas came and betrayed Christ. Christ was led away, falsely accused, beaten, mocked, scorned, nailed to a cross on which he, out of the greatest love, the love of God, laid down his life for us.

This is the love we are called to grow in. We grow in the love of Christ. This is the heart of the Gospel! And this is what we are to pray for ministry partners. That they, as Christ, would embody the Gospel.

4. We pray for partners to embody the Gospel (vv. 9-11).

And when we pray for ministry partners, we first pray that their love will grow. But how does love grow? Verse 9 continues: “in knowledge and every kind of discernment.” Love grows as we grow in our knowledge of God. Love grows as we better know the needs of others. Love grows when he know the situation of those around us. The more we know someone, the more we know how to love them. The more we know how God loves us, the more we know how to love one another.

And it is this we pray for. But Paul goes on to show the effects of growth in love. As we continue to grow in our love, we begin to change. We begin to as it says here in verse ten, “approve the things that are superior.”

This idea of “approval” carries the idea of quality assurance. A few years back, I got to tour the Jelly Belly Factory in North Chicago. Now what is Jelly Belly known for making? Jelly Beans! Who doesn’t love Jelly Beans? They’re awesome!

But, when I was on the tour, I learned something pretty cool. After the Jelly Beans have been made, they are all checked to see if they are the right size and shape. If they aren’t, the jelly beans get tossed aside.

These deformed, oddly shaped, and sometimes massive jelly beans end up getting filtered out of production because they were not the “superior” jelly bean.

Instead, they get sold in bulk bags that you can buy at a discount price called, you guessed it, “Belly Flops.”

Kit Kat does the same kind of thing! When Kit Kats are being processed, sometimes they end up getting broken or deformed. When this happens, they get filtered out. Apparently this happens all the time because I found out recently that the inside of a kit kat bar is made up of other kit kat bars that didn’t make the cut! When a kit kat is tossed aside because of imperfection, it is ground up, mixed with other ground up kit kat bars, and used to fill the next batch of kit kat bars!

Jelly Belly and Kit Kat aren’t the only ones who should be checking whether or not they are putting their best foot forward. Christians, too, should be intentionally seeking out what is good, what is excellent, what is superior.

Brothers and sisters. as we grow in the love of Christ, we begin to change. We begin to approve the things that are superior and begin to live purely and blamelessly. But we’re not just approving the superior things. Approving what is good and right necessarily means that we are renouncing shameful ways of living!

So growth in love is based out of the love of Christ. More than that, growth in love is also being sanctified into the image of Christ! And we see in the end of the passage that all of this takes place as we wait for the day of Christ.

Philippians 1:9–11 (CSB)

And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, so that you may approve the things that are superior and may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

When we pray for ministry partners, we must pray that they embody the Gospel. And what is embodying the Gospel? Living out of the love of Christ, Growing in the love of Christ, and relying on the love of Christ all the way to the end. We pray for partners to embody the Gospel because, as one author said, “God is the Gospel.” We do all of this as Paul concludes Philippians 1:11, “to the glory and praise of God.” It is through him that we have life. It is by him that we live. It is by him, that we continue on.

So when we pray for partners in ministry—missionaries, churches, pastors, friends in other congregations—we must pray that they would embody the Gospel. But we must not forget that our prayers will be fueled by our own participation in the Gospel as well.

BIG IDEA: Prayer for partners in ministry begins with participation in the Gospel.

In a moment we are going to sing an old hymn together. It’s called, “The Church’s One Foundation.” And one of the verses of this great hymn beautifully details what we’ve been talking about today:

Yet she on earth hath union

with God the three in one.

And mystic sweet communion

with those whose rest is won.

O happy ones and holy!

God give us grace that we,

like them, the meek and lowly

may ever dwell with thee.

This is what we are called to. God has brought us into union with him through Jesus Christ our Lord. And we will forever be partners with all whom Jesus has saved. So, brothers and sisters, let’s pray for our partners in ministry. While remembering that praying for them begins with participating in the Gospel ourselves.

Take out your connect cards.

CONNECT CARDS

NEXT STEPS: Write down the name of a partner in ministry. Whether that be a person or an entire church. And take a moment to pray for them.

Benediction

2 Corinthians 13:11 (CSB)

Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice. Become mature, be encouraged, be of the same mind, be at peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.