Philippians 1:1-11

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.  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.  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.  For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.  And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Paul loves the church in Philippi, and the church loves him.  He longs to see the church continue to grow in both productivity and unity.  He starts this letter practicing three disciplines that are key to accomplishing that goal.  Truly, anyone who wants to impact the lives of others will do well to follow this example.

 

GRATITUDE: Thanksgiving is a vital part of our lives in Christ.  It is a solution to so many of the struggles we face in life.  We can be thankful for many things and many people, but we are thankful to God.  Ultimately, all that we have and are comes from Him.  It is not that we should not thank others, but we must always remember that He is the source of all good things.  The gratitude we express should be constant and marked by joy.  Like many aspects of our walk with Christ, gratitude should not be based on our circumstances.  There will be struggles and suffering in this sin cursed world.  However, we have full confidence that God is using those things to strengthen us and make us more like Christ.  This is why joyful thanksgiving should be a companion in our walk.  Specifically, Paul expresses his gratitude for the constant cooperation in the advancement of the Gospel.  None of us can live our Christian walk alone and the only way we can accomplish the mission of God on this earth is by working together.  As believers, we are never to be in competition with one another, but are called to be grateful for one another as we work to serve the Lord together.

 

ENCOURAGMENT: Paul encourages his readers and all of us with the truth that the work being accomplished in our lives is the work of God.  He is sovereign and will finish what He has started.  Our progress may be frustratingly slow, but God is at work to bring us in line with His will to conform us to the image of Christ.  Paul assures them of his love for them but more importantly of God’s love for them and the assurance that he has that they are children of God.  It is a blessed thing to have others recognize the work of Christ in and through our lives.  They were saved by Christ and being used of Him to encourage Paul in his imprisonment.  When the body of Christ is functioning properly, believers will be constantly encouraging one another in the Lord.

 

INSTRUCTION: We impact the lives of others through the ministry of gratitude and encouragement; but we are also responsible to instruct one another.  When God blesses us with an insight from His Word, we are expected to pass that along to others.  There are basically three instructions that Paul gives his readers.  First, they are to grow in their love of God and one another.  They have proven themselves to be very loving.  However, love is supposed to grow.  We should never be satisfied with our level of Love for God and others.  Second, they are to approve the things that are excellent.  It is of vital importance that our priorities match the Lord’s.  We are to love what He loves and hate what He hates.  This type of discernment comes from careful study of His Word and walking in fellowship with Him.  Finally, Paul instructs them to grown in holiness and productivity.  We can never coast in our Christian walk.  We are either progressing or digressing.  God wants us to live in a way that will reflects His character and power.  Our lives should be marked by holiness and intentional proclamation of the Gospel.

 

APPLICATION: Be intentional about expressing gratitude to the Lord and to others.  Look for ways to encouraged others as we see the Lord at work in their lives.  Don’t become stagnant in our love or pursuit of holiness, but always strive for excellence in dependence on the Lord.

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