#2 Philippians - Participation and Preservation

Dr. Ron Sumners

April 18, 2010

Philippians 1:3-8

A spirit of confusion often hovers over believers when asked to explain what our role is in the Christian life. What are we supposed to do from New Birth on? What is the relationship to God’s grace and my response?

Paul’s letter to the Philippians deals with this issue. Paul is thankful unto God for the recipients of the letter in Philippi. As he praises them, he gives us a glimpse as to the important relationship of God’s grace in our lives which moves us to action. (Philippians 1:3-8)

The Christian Life Is One of Participation

Participation produces joy over time. Philippians has been called the letter of joy, but the joy that is expressed here is not exuberance in good times, but delight in the midst of suffering.

Paul’s thankfulness for the Philippians, his constant response of prayer for them is always accompanied with joy.

Joy lies at the heart of our experience of the gospel. It is the fruit of the Spirit in a Christian’s life, serving as evidence that God has made you one of His own. The joy Paul describes here is despite his present circumstances, as he is now under house arrest, chained and awaiting a trial which he knows may well end in his death. He remembers them with joy even though it was in Philippi that he was arrested, beaten and imprisoned. In Acts 16, we read of how Paul and Silas were whipped and thrown into prison and placed in stocks. Later that night, around midnight, Luke tells, they were praying and singing hymns to God.

Paul’s joyful response to his adversity arises not from a consideration of personal well-being but from the recognition that his ministry is bearing fruit, as he makes clear in Philippians 1:12: “Now, I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me really has served to advance the Gospel!”

Paul is moved to joy when he remembers the Philippians. It has been said that “God gave us memory so that we may have roses in December.” I don’t know about you, but were I to endure the troubles Paul did in Philippi, my memories would be the harsh treatment by the many, not the wonderful response of a few. We, who are in ministry, must learn to find joy in the response and growth of the few. If we can only find joy in the overwhelming response of the many; we will constantly be disappointed and we won’t find joy!

Paul remembers the partnership in ministry by those in Philippi. They have continuously been generous to Paul. The word for their partnership is the Greek word “koinonia”. That word was used of business partnerships, or of a society of friends who banded together to work.

We often think of fellowship as doughnuts and coffee, a slap on the back or handshake, small talk and a pig-in-the-blanket and then move on. Fellowship is more passive than active. But Paul does not mean that the Philippians were a group he shared coffee and Krispy Kremes with! They actively participated in the ministry and became Paul’s partners!

What do we know about their partnership from Acts 16? When Paul arrived in Philippi, the first person to respond was a business woman named Lydia. In response to the gospel, she and her household were baptized.  She also invited Paul and his companions to stay with her.

Paul and Silas were introduced to the town jailor in a less than ideal situation. Yet, like Lydia’s response, when he heard the gospel, he washed their wounds, and took them to his own house and made them a meal. Acts 16:34 says, “He was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God – he and his whole family.”

An important reason for Paul in writing the letter is to thank the Philippians for the financial support they’ve provided Paul, support that has come not just once, but repeatedly.

“Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I sat out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. Not that I am looking for a gift, but for what can be credited to your account. I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to the gracious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:14-19.

They gave of their homes, their food, and their finances.

Participation produces affection despite the circumstances. Right feelings do not depend on circumstances. The joy Paul feels for the Philippians is further expressed in his heart-felt affection. This love that Paul has for them is a settled issue for him. In verse 7, he says that, “it is right for me to feel this way.”

Paul’s “feelings” in verse 7 is a term he uses throughout this letter. But it is often translated differently. In 2:2 it is “like-minded,” and “one purpose.” In 2:5 it is “one attitude;” in 4:10, the word signifies both intellectual and affective activity, touching both head and heart. It is more than a gut feeling, but a discerned attitude one chooses to make which affects the whole person.

This deep love Paul has for the Philippians is certain no matter what the circumstances in which Paul finds himself. While he was held captive, he knew others still supported him. While he was making his defense in court or preaching the Gospel, they were partners with him.

Paul said, “All of you share in God’s grace with me.” This time he uses a compound word, sugkoinonia, “fellowship together,” to intensify the unity he shares with them. Just as God’s grace is at work in Paul, he knows that it is at work in them as well.

Several years ago, studies were conducted among former American POWs to determine what methods were most effective in breaking their spirit. The findings revealed that they did not break down from physical deprivation and torture as quickly as they did from solitary confinement or from disrupted friendships caused by frequent changing of personnel. Attempts to get prisoners divided in their attitudes toward one another proved to be the most successful method of discouraging them. It was further learned that the soldiers were not sustained primarily by faith in their country or by the rightness of the cause for which they fought. They drew their greatest strength from the close attachments they had formed in the small military units to which they belonged.

Paul sustains himself knowing that there are others standing with him for the Gospel.

The Elijah complex is all too common. After defeating the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18, Elijah fled to Horeb and there, while physically exhausted and spiritually drained, cried out to God to die, since he alone is the only one who serves the Lord. It is then that God reminded him that there are 7000 others who, like Elijah, have not worshipped Baal.

As Christians we all need to know that others are participating with us. As a pastor, as much as the words of affirmation are appreciated, the thing that gets my juices flowing is engaging in service side-by-side with you. Your partnership in the Gospel is best seen when you invest your time and effort for the cause of the Gospel. Your partnership in the Gospel is seen when you invite people to church, when you open up your home for hospitality, when you not only learn, but lovingly communicate those truths to others. That is when I really have you in my heart. We really are partners in the cause of Christ!

Right affection flows from Christ. Paul’s pulse beats with the pulse of Christ; his heart throbs with the heart of Christ. In the form of an oath, he makes his love for his readers clear. The love he has for them is the love of Christ overflowing. What the NIV translates as “affection” is splagchnon – the inward parts, the bowels. We could say, “From the depth of his being, he desired to be with them.” Christ loves the Philippians in and through Paul. 

Paul is not talking like an academic in this letter as he was in Romans. He is a passionate servant of Jesus Christ, whose love is made plain the deep and uninhibited expressions of affections that speak of thanksgiving. Academics tend to be embarrassed by such displays. The emotion in Paul is simply the outflow of his theology and the spirituality that flows from such theology.

What kind of partnership do we have? The greatest thing that can be said about any church is that it has a partnership, a koinonia, for the Gospel. This means there is a bond, a deep tie, an abiding relationship between that church and the Gospel.

The Philippians did not think for a moment that Christian faith was a ticket to inactivity and neither should we. How have you responded to the Good News of Jesus Christ? Have you seen your life as a Christian as a partnership in the Gospel, that your job is to encourage and support the work of the church? Does your response produce joy; in you and in others?

The Christian Life is one of preservation. (Verse 6)

Verse 6 speaks of the means that makes the partnership possible. Our participation is made possible by God’s preservation. When we roll up our sleeves as Christians and become involved with others, which serves as a wonderful reminder of what God is doing in and through us.

Participation in the Christian life is absolutely necessary. It is not optional! But when faced with the question “how can this be done?” we find comfort in verse 6, “God will complete what He has started with us and through us.” 

Have you ever taken the time to take an account of your spiritual journey? I came back to Alabama over 18 years ago with much different plans than I have now. But looking back on God’s providence, I see that He used my plans to work His will, even when my plans were far from what He intended, God was at work.

The evidence of the preservation of God is a good work in you! What does God do? In the beginning He pronounced that creation was “good!” He says that of us also. Then, He created us, loved us, and died to offer us salvation. His work allows us to become a good work.

Notice that the good work is not “despite you,” but rather “In you!” There should be no debate about where our good works come from. It is God working in us and through us. 

The Christian life is the wonderful, exciting experience of seeing God’s persevering work in you so that you participate in the life of God. This great relationship between God’s grace at work in you and His demands for you to work will never leave you twiddling your thumbs wondering what to do for Christ. Because of God’s love for you and His power to accomplish what He wills, you can obey what He commands and do what He desires.

“Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did,” said Newt Gingrich. That is true only to a point. God has given us something so much better.

My uncle Paul, as an electrician, climbed telephone poles. The secret to climbing a pole is to lean back, allowing your weight to rest on the broad leather belt that encircles yourself and the pole, allowing your spikes to dig into the pole at as broad an angle as possible. Climbing a pole is not too difficult – as long as you lean back and trust in the belt. That is much like the Christian life.

We must depend on God; lean on Him; trust in Him. That is how we discipline ourselves to move and make progress.

Paul trusted his calling and the partnership with the Philippians because he was placing his life in the hands of Jesus.