Finding Better Disciples
Notes
Transcript
Paul loves his disciples in Philippi so much, they give him joy, and he has absolute confidence God will complete the good work in them. Where do we find disciples like that? We don’t. God does, as we are faithful to his gospel, we find love, joy, and “partners in grace” despite all circumstances. God is faithful to complete the good work, in each of us, and in all those we disciple. In His good work we find love and joy!
Nerf War
Nerf War
Last week we had our “Nerf war launch event”. I couldn’t find a picture, so this one is from last year, but you get the idea.
For some, this is amazing fun. For others, it is mandatory fun (aka, they don’t want to, but Pastor Dusty makes them participate).
We have been doing this for years now. I was looking for pictures from when we started, and realized that all of my pictures from youth 10+ years ago are all horribly blurry awfulness. Likely because my phone was old and terrible. 1st gen iPhone I think.
Blurry pictures of youth group 15 years ago.
I am thinking back to youth kids “of yore”, because I am thinking of people I have discipled over the years, especially those I have less or lost contact with. And most of them are still around, still local, just… distant in other ways.
What is it like for Paul, separated by 100s of miles, or in this case 4608 miles?
What kind of relationship can one have across that kind of distance?
Most of the people in this photo, I have trouble even figuring out who they are, though at one point I could tell you most details of their lives.
To My Beloved Disciples
To My Beloved Disciples
1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Overseers - that’s elders or “bishops”. Possibly pastors, possibly an office alongside pastors like elders in our church.
And deacons, very much like our church, servants now in an “official” role in the church.
To remember our picture of what is happening here. Paul, with Silas and Luke and Timothy (in his very first days as a Christian, young man), they ended up in Philippi as their VERY FIRST city in Europe. They met Lydia, rich widow, they cast a demon out of a slave girl, they got beaten and imprisoned, but then miraculously freed and the warden and some guards became believers… and that’s the church.
They visited a couple more times over the years, including spending Passover with them just a few years before this.
And now it is 10 years later since that first visit, Paul writing from prison, likely from house arrest in Rome.
And these disciples are on his mind, on his heart. He hasn’t seen them in a long time.
They just recently sent a guy to help him out, maybe with money, definitely with encouragement, Epaphroditus. In some ways this is a thank you letter for that.
But he won’t miss the opportunity to disciple them, to grow them… and by extension, Paul has grown and encouraged and shaped millions and billions of disciples of Jesus.
But let us remember that we are reading a personal letter here. Because I want us to hear how personal this is. Even intimate.
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,
Every time he thinks of them, he thanks God? That seems like a lot…
And in every such prayer… Paul feels “joy.”
Joy is a good thing, we heard the desire of Jesus that we would have the “joy of Jesus”… that it would be full. That we would “love one another and our joy may be full.”
And some have called Philippians the “letter of Joy” because it is going to come in again and again.
Joy is deeper than happiness, not based on circumstance (obviously Paul is in prison).
Deep soul-level delight.
The heart’s reflex to the goodness of God.
A lot of what Paul is going to say seems like hyperbole. Seems over-stated, or even uncomfortably intimate.
Let’s take this challenge: let’s assume Paul means exactly what he says here and see where that takes us.
Everytime he remembers them, in every prayer, it’s with joy?
Do you have people who give you “joy” every time? Every time? That’s impressive.
Why do they make him so joyful in prayer?
5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
partnership - fellowship - koinonia
Like we have “fellowship meal” and everyone brings something. But “partnership” in the gospel. Bringing good news together, serving good news together, being good news together.
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.
More about that later.
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.
partakers - sunkoinonos - same root as koinonia, fellowship. The partner who is in fellowship, the other one who brought a casserole for lunch.
Or in this case, the other partner in grace. What grace you ask?
Imprisonment AND defense and confirmation of the gospel.
Remembering Paul’s experience in Phillipi, this could well be his beating and imprisonment there… or any of the ones since… or his current imprisonment (probably) in Rome.
8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.
This is wild. “God is my witness?” That is “oath” language!!! He really wants the Philippians to know and believe what he is saying.
Some tension there with Jesus pretty much saying not to do this, nobody says Paul is a perfect person. But let’s focus on the emotion of it. “God is my witness!!!!”
How I “yearn” for you??? This is a love letter?
This is earnest, these words are uncomfortable.
Paul will echo this in his closing:
1 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.
It is so true, God himself can witness my honesty, I love you!!!! I yearn for you!!!
And you give me joy every time I pray for you.
How much does Paul seem to like these Philippians?
Can it get better?
9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,
10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
We hear the content of Paul’s prayers for them. Imagine him praying for these people, full of joy, full of yearning to see them, and lifting them before the Father praying this:
“that their love may abound more and more…”
Is that just emotion, just gushy heart stuff?
No! It’s with knowledge and discernment. They will need right information, and discernment to rightly apply. Wisdom, even.
Discernment “depth of insight.”
To recognize “what is excellent” or what is “good and best” and be pure and blameless.
Wait. pure and blameless? Can we ever “achieve” pure and blameless?
Nope, as he is about to say, the righteousness comes only through Christ.
So way “approve what is excellent and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ?”
As Pastor Rod often said “if you aren’t aiming for perfection, what are you aiming for?”
There is a sinful and awful, legalistic, works righteousness version of this that Paul rebukes elsewhere. Trying to earn salvation, trying to be “good enough”, trying to win God’s love… that’s all nonsense. We are saved and sanctified only by the cross of Jesus, by the blood of Jesus.
And, in His righteousness, we are supernaturally empowered by the Spirit to stop hurting ourselves and others and live life to the fullest - that is what is “excellent”, pure and blameless.
And Paul prays that they would learn that, live that way, the most beautiful and healthy, joy-filled, love-filled way to live!
All for the glory and praise of God.
This is Paul’s letter. This people whom he loves, who spark “joy” within him, he wants for them to grow in love, and knowledge, and right EXCELLENT living.
Find the People You “Yearn” For
Find the People You “Yearn” For
“Who sparks joy?”
Where can I find some Philippians? I want to disciple those folks!
We get the order backwards here, all the time. The emphasis is on “finding your people” and then grabbing hold.
Is that what Paul did? Were the folks in Philippi the “right” people and he finally found them? Or did he also find disciples he loves and cherishes in Ephesus, in Corinth, in Galatia, in all the places he served and visited, and even now in Rome where he is on house arrest? We will see him sending greetings from “the saints in Caesar’s house” where he is in captivity closing this letter.
What Paul finds is “partners in the gospel.” Because he is living the gospel, living the good news of Jesus’ Kingdom, Jesus is King, and he has made his forever Kingdom available to you and me.
Paul lives it, shares it, teaches it… and as he leads people, disciples them, welcomes them into the Kingdom, they become to him “partners”, fellowship, and they give him joy and love!
The order goes this way: make disciples, find love and joy.
Serve First, Love Follows
Serve First, Love Follows
Embrace the Mess. Find the Joy.
Make Disciples, Find Love and Joy
This is how human beings work, actually. It’s often backwards.
At the deepest sense, love is a verb, an action, not a noun or feeling. There is feeling there, there is emotion, but if follows the action. It is the reward, not the starting point. It is an outcome, not the origin.
You serve someone, then you serve alongside someone, love and appreciation grows there. That’s how deep friendship works, that’s how marriage works, that’s how people work.
That’s how our love for our kids, our babies grows so much so fast. It’s almost backwards wiring. This kid is helpless, I do EVERYTHING for it… I must love it SO much or why would I be changing diapers!!!?
This is what Jesus invites us into, and even commands us into. When he says “make disciples” he is not describing an assembly line or recruitment drive. It isn’t get 10 people to say the sinners prayer and then “next!” and get the next one!
He is inviting us to foster and develop this kind of relationship. The one he had with with his own disciples. The one Paul had with the Philippians and so many others.
Fellowship in the gospel.
An intimate affection. Love. A profound relationship that sparks joy in prayer before the Lord.
That does open up opportunity for disappointment. For heartbreak, even.
You learn to love these folks, they give you joy… and you see them falling into sin. Or even falling away from the Lord.
That hurts. That doesn’t feel anything like joy. And here is where Paul’s confidence comes in.
Not in his ability to disciple.
Not in their ability to figure it all out, try harder, do it more right more often.
His confidence is in this:
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.
I see this in the church. I see this so powerfully in the youth, kids growing up in youth group, even from years ago… walking with Jesus and then falling away. Or fading away. Or outright rebellion. Or lost in sin.
There’s a lot of loss there. A lot of fear. And I don’t know where their heart is today, truly. And I bring that in prayer before the Lord. That doesn’t usually feel joyful, those moments.
But I trust in this: in some of those cases, I know I saw a work of God in them. I know their faith in Christ was honest. And so I can be sure of this: he who began that good work will be faithful to complete it.
When? I vote “today.” Tomorrow is acceptable.
… but that isn’t the promise. The promise is “to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” That is on the day Jesus returns. And some won’t bow, won’t bend the knee, won’t recognize until the day he comes again in glory. And every knee bows and every tongue confesses Jesus is Lord.
But I hear this as good news: there is no failure in the “good work he began” on that day. There is the “completion”, the “fulfillment” the “accomplishing of the goal” (that’s what that word means).
That doesn’t always mean we have to wait for that day. By the goodness of God we get glimpses.
I had one, just a couple weeks ago I got this text from a youth kid from 10 years ago. Many of you know Kailee. It was a privilege to be a part of her faith journey 10 years ago. Funny enough that’s about the length of Paul’s history with the Philippians.
I had the great privilege of baptizing her. And a few interactions over the years, not least I got to officiate her wedding in 2020.
And hear, just a note of encouragement and fond worship memories… and the beautiful JOYFUL knowledge that God continues the good work he began.
My prayer for all of us, is that we show up on that day, the day of completion, the day of Jesus Christ. And there is a crowd of folks there because we were faithful. I think of that Ray Boltz song “Thank you for giving to the Lord, I am a life that was changed.”
There are my kids, all my kids… youth kids past and future, camp kids, friends, adults I have served and served with, pastored. Discipled.
That is love and joy. That is what Paul held on to, treasured, in the midst of prison.
Let me pray this for us, and all those we are and will disciple in the footsteps of Jesus.
9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,
10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
… and…
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.
