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Philippians: thankful for partnership
It’s good to do things together. Mostly. But especially now. How much have we missed joining together for church, or joining together for meals and celebrations? Personally, I don’t miss the crowded shopping centres much, but I do find it weird when the car parks are empty.
But it’s more than just being together that we miss. Many people are missing working together with their work friends, studying together with their friends at school and university. We don’t just miss being together. We miss the physical partnerships we had before. We long to work together with others. One of my highlights at the beginning of this year was the clean-up day when our church came together at St Mark’s Ermington. It was truly a partnership, not just a gathering. We were working together and it felt substantial because we accomplished something that we could not have accomplished apart.
There is perhaps no New Testament letter as thankful as Paul’s letter to the Philippian church. And how does he begin?
Philippians 1:3-6
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus
Paul is thankful for their partnership. The word he uses here is the Greek word “koinonia” which means “fellowship”. This is a spiritual union. It’s more than just being together. It has the sense that we are together doing something together. Contributing. Sharing. It has the sense that we are part of a work that is happening just by gathering together.
And we should note that Paul has this partnership, this fellowship, with the Philippians EVEN WHEN they are not physically together. From the first day until now, Paul has fellowship with them. Partnership. Paul’s prayer, as he writes to them, separated from them, is that God will continue this work in them until the day of Jesus.
When we come to faith, God changes our life. He changes our purpose. And he changes our eternity. He brings us into fellowship with one another AND with Him. We are in fellowship, in partnership, with God. Through the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, we are brought into an eternal relationship together.
Paul is not just thankful that they are “doing ministry together”, which is a great thing. He is thankful that they have been brought into the same koinonia, the same fellowship, the same purposes and the same eternity. Paul is thankful to be in the same holy circle as the Philippians.
Even though we are physically separated for this time, there is nothing that has or can stop the fellowship and partnership we have together in Jesus. We can be thankful that God has brought us together and thankful that even apart, we are together in him. And he will continue this work, this fellowship, this partnership in us until the day of Jesus.
Paul continues with a prayer we can continue to pray for each other during this time apart:
Philippians 1:9-11
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may 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.
Let’s pray that for each other now:
Prayer
Heavenly Father, although separated for a time, we thank you for our fellowship and partnership in Jesus. May you expand our love for you and for one another in knowledge and depth of insight, that we may know what is best, and that we may stand blameless on the day of Jesus’ return, filled with the fruit of the Spirit – filled with the righteousness of Jesus, to your glory and praise. Amen.