Nathan E. Lewis

sermon series preached at Evergreen Presbyterian Church in Beaverton Oregon, Fall 2005 by Nathan Lewis:

October 2 “Partners in the Gospel�?
Philippians 1:1-11
October 9 “The Proclamation of the Gospel�?
Philippians 1:12-20
October 16 “Persevering in the Gospel�?
Philippians 1:21-30
October 23 “Your Mind and the Gospel�?
Philippians 2:1-11
October 30 “Your Behavior and the Gospel�?
Philippians 2:12-18
November 6 “The Gospel Reality Show�?
Philippians 2:19-30
Nov. 13 “The Prize and the Gospel�?
Philippians 3:1-21
Nov. 20 “The Peace of the Gospel�?
Philippians 4:1-9
Nov. 27 “The Gospel’s Secret of Contentment�?
Philippians 4:10-23

October 2
“Partners in the Gospel�?
Philippians 1:1-11

Would you rather receive a letter from your Mom or from your attorney. Mom’s letters can be endearing or they may be troubling. Your attorney may save you thousands of dollars by writing a letter or he may fill your life with troubling legal language. The Apostle Paul writes an informal, endearing letter to the Philippian Church. While some accuse of Paul as being a harsh and legal theologian, a reading of this warm and loving letter proves them wrong. What is the source of such affection and unity expressed? Paul and the Philippians are partners in the greatest enterprise in history – the dispensing of the gospel.
From the opening words of this letter, in (5-6), we learn that partnership in the gospel is a life-long enterprise initiated, maintained, and perfected by God. Paul clearly states his life purpose through out his writings in the Bible to be the proclamation of the gospel to Jew and Gentiles alike through out the Roman empire/world by planting the church. The Philippians adopted his life purpose as their own, joining him in this greatest of enterprises. By using the word “partnership�? to describe their relationship, he refers to a business partnership. Together they are enterprising for the sake of the gospel.
God began this life-long enterprise in Paul while he was Saul, the greatest persecutor of the church. He was on his way to Damascus to exterminate Christians, but God struck him face down in the middle of the road, in the midst of a blinding light. A voice spoke, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?�? Saul asked, “Who are you?�? The voice said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.�? While Paul’s conversion may seem to be sudden, God had been working on him for long time. God’s work did not end at Paul’s conversion. Paul was confident that God would maintain and perfect this work throughout his life; He was confident that God would do the same for the Philippians, his partners in the gospel and for us.
For some time before his conversion, C.S. Lewis was aware that God was pursuing him. He described God, if God existed, as the great Angler playing his fish. Then he began to describe to himself God, if God existed as a cat chasing a mouse. He sensed that God was pursuing him. He described God as a pack of hounds hot on his trail. Finally, he thought of God as the Divine Chessplayer gradually maneuvering him into an impossible position. Lewis remembered being awakened to his own need for God. He wrote, “For the first time I examined myself with a seriously practical purpose. And there I found what appalled me; a zoo of lusts, a bedlam of ambitions, a nursery of fears, a harem of fondled hatreds.�? But God did not merely pursue Lewis to convince him that he was depraved. God surprised Lewis. Like a dirty child in need of a bath, Lewis was brought to God “kicking, struggling, resentful, darting his eyes in every direction for a chance to escape.�? But Lewis was surprised by joy, the joy of being united to God. He discovered the joy of becoming a partner in the gospel, one of the greatest Christian apologists of all time.
Each of us may be a partner in the gospel. Partnership in the gospel is a lifestyle. It is an enduring identity. It is a life-long enterprise. Living by the gospel is not all business and serious endeavor. Paul balances this business imagery of partnership in the gospel with another image of feasting. Paul says that the Philippians became partners in the gospel with him by partaking of grace. This is a softer and kinder image. Interestingly, both images are painted by Paul using the same word commonly translated “fellowship.�? Living by the gospel is balanced: it is serious business, an enterprise worth your greatest and enduring efforts; it is also a feast with loved ones enjoying the presence of God.
In (7) Paul tells us that we become partners in the Gospel by partaking of grace, that is, by freely receiving the redemptive gifts of God, thus receiving God himself. To partake of grace is to “taste the goodness of the Lord,�? together! Another book in the Bible titled, “The Acts of the Apostles,�? is a historic record of church planting in the first century. In Acts 16 we can read about some of the first Philippians to become partakers of grace with Paul: Lydia; teen girl freed from demons and profiteers; jailer and family.
Lydia and a group of women regularly worshipped God at the riverside. Lydia was a “God-Fearer,�? a candidate of Judaism, not yet permitted into the Jewish worshipping community as a member. Paul discovered these women worshipping at the riverside and preached the gospel to them: Freely God makes us members of his worshipping community!
This teenage girl who was demon possessed was able to tell fortunes and so a band of men had enslaved her to profit from her dark gifts. Paul met her in a marketplace in the city of Philippi. He cast the demons from her, enraging the men who controlled her. They were successful in landing Paul and Silas in jail. During the night Paul and Silas sang praise to God in their cell. A great earthquake shook; the jail was damaged to the extent that the cell doors sprang open. None of the prisoners escaped but remained in the jail with Paul and Silas. The jailer, thinking he was a ruined man, asked Paul what he must do to be saved, and Paul said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, both you and your entire household.�? All of these Philippians received God’s gifts of grace and began to live according to the gospel.
From these real-life experiences we learn that any situation or circumstance is an opportunity to be partakers of grace (7):
Paul’s imprisonment is an opportunity: The Philippians not only taste grace but they extend it to Paul
while he is in prison. At the conclusion of this letter (4:18), we discover that they sent Paul a monetary gift. Paul, as a prisoner of the Roman state would have be required to pay for his room and board, as well as other personal expenses. While many gave Paul up for lost, the Philippians sent Epaphroditus to him to encourage him, to deliver to him their letter and gift.
Paul’s mission to plant the church is an opportunity: The Philippians earlier joined Paul in extending
grace to the city of Thessalonica. Paul and Silas left Philippi to plant the church in Thessalonica. The only church that financially supported them was the Church at Philippi. The Philippians express grace by giving money to proclaim the gospel and thus establish the church. Paul expresses grace by praying for the spiritual growth of the Philippians and by giving thanks to God for them. No secular/spiritual distinction! Prayer and financial support are equally spiritual endeavor, making Paul and the Philippians partners in the gospel.
Has your life been transformed like Paul’s life? He was traveling from Jerusalem to Damascus to persecute Christians. Several years later he was traveling from Philippi to Thessalonica to plant the church!
Such a dramatic change Paul insists is a work of God’s grace. For Paul it was first a transformation of the mind,
then his heart, followed by his behavior.

October 9
“The Proclamation of the Gospel�?
Philippians 1: 12-20

Paul is confident that God completes his work.
How many unfinished projects do you have at present?
Unlike myself, God gets his work done in his timing.

(6) 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.

I am definitely one of God’s projects. Not only each of us as individuals, but collectively, we are a divine project.

Paul has personally experienced God’s progressive work in his life. But his confidence in God does not flow merely from personal experience. The primary source of Paul’s confidence is the gospel, the divine message that God completes all his work, especially his work to unite us to his infinite love.

Nothing can get in the way of the gospel. No circumstance or person can prevent the gospel from reaching those who need to receive it and live by it.

(12-14) No circumstance can prevent the gospel from reaching those who need to receive it and live by it:
The Philippian church was deeply concerned and troubled by Paul’s imprisonment. But Paul
had discovered that even imprisonment may be used by God to get the gospel to those who need it.
The entire palace guard has observed the gospel in Paul. They have chained him to the wall of his cell, but they have noticed that there is a stronger bond in Paul’s life: he is inseparably chained to Christ. There is no dark hole into which they could throw Paul away that could separate him from Christ. They can not take away Paul’s freedom because his freedom is founded in his connection to Jesus.
The same may be true for each of us: No circumstance of life, good or evil, can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. Every circumstance can be used to present the gospel to those who need it.
When the Philippian church received this letter from Paul, there was one member of the church who especially was able to relate to Paul’s reassuring words. He was one of the first to receive the gospel in Philippi. He was the jailer who placed Paul and Silas into a cell. (tell the story).
As other Christians in Rome discovered that Paul’s imprisonment was being used effectively to present the gospel to the palace guard, they became confident to present the gospel. Paul writes in (14) “Because of my chains, most of my fellow Christians have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.�?
There is no circumstance that should silence the best story in human history, namely, God has liberated us from sin and death through Jesus Christ, who loved us and gave his life for us.
e.g. story of Marcos in Serro Rope, Ethiopia in 1997 Muslim bombings of the church in
prayer…seven congregations full every Sunday…constant stream of converts.

(15-18) No person can prevent the gospel from reaching those who need to receive it and live by it:
Paul now refers to some ministers in Rome who are jealous of Paul, the famous apostle. Now that he is in prison, they are preaching the gospel in Rome, but their motives are self-serving. They are seeking to boost their own notoriety to gather people to themselves. Do not be naïve: Ministers are
sinners too! We struggle with envy, jealousy, strife, rivalry and wrong motives. Thankfully, Jesus died to remove my sins as much as he has forgiven your sins. And none of us in our sinful motives can prevent the gospel from reaching those who need it.
These ministers in Rome were hoping to steal Paul’s followers. While he was imprisoned, they intended to lure these people to themselves. In the larger church we refer to this as “sheep stealing.�?
Evergreen church in Beaverton has not opened this new work in Newberg with the intent of stealing anyone from the other 50+ congregations meeting in this town. We are praying and working toward the formation of an additional community of faith in which people may receive the gospel and live by it. In this sense we are seeking to work alongside the other congregations to expand and magnify the work of God in Newberg. Finding a church home is not easy for most of us. There are many good reasons for a person to move from one congregation to another. There are even better reasons for a person who is not connected at all to the church to join a new congregation.
Many of us are concerned and even embarrassed at the vast number of Christian denominations in the American church, but even these divisions and distinctions can not prevent the gospel from reaching those who need it. In this sense, the many choices available to us is good, giving to us a greater opportunity to find a community of faith that will suit us, enabling us to share the gospel with those who need it and to receive that we ourselves desperately need.
Are you intrigued by Paul’s perspective? His confidence is in God and in the gospel. If his confidence was in humanity, even in his fellow ministers, then he would be disappointed and hurled into cynicism. Sooner or later we will fail each other. But if our confidence is in God who completes his good work in us and in other people around us, then we shall not be disappointed.
Instead of stewing in his cell, filled with resentment toward these sinful, sheep stealing ministers in Rome, Paul is filled with joy! He writes in (18) “But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether by false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.�?
I want to share in this joy. I would rather rejoice in the work of God than be upset by human failures. This is what the Bible means by faith in God. We have faith when we believe that God will provide everything we need. God has forgiven our sins. God has revealed himself to us. God has extended his love to us. God has done all of this through Jesus Christ who has loved us and given his life for us. When we possess this faith, we are able to rejoice in any circumstance regardless of what other people may say or do to us.
Many people think that joy is happiness in pleasant circumstances. When life is going great we are happy and thus we think that we possess joy. But Paul discovered that he could have joy in the worst of circumstances. I want such a faith and joy in my life. The gospel says that I can have it. The gospel says that you can have it too.

October 16, 2005
“Persevering in the Gospel�?
Philippians 1: 21-30

The Idiot’s Guide to the Bible

The Portland Marathon this past Sunday…thousands of runners, mostly amateurs who hit the 18th mile experiencing “the wall.�? One young woman told The Oregonian that she broke through “the wall�? by listening to the musical score from “Chariots of Fire�? on her walkman three times. A marathon runner knows much about what it means to persevere. In running 26 miles, how many times would you be tempted to quit? Perseverance in a race means running until the finish line. What does it mean to persevere in the gospel?
For Paul persevering in the gospel meant that he would continue to live and proclaim the gospel even though he felt like dying and resting in heaven. He writes his famous words, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.�? (21).

(21-26) Persevering in the gospel means that we live for the purposes of Christ Jesus, to produce spiritual fruit for the good of others, even when we desire to die and go to heaven:
Paul tells us that his purpose in living is Christ: “For me to live is Christ.�? What is your purpose for living? Would you be able to concisely state the purpose of your life? Paul knows precisely why he is alive and what he ought to do with his life: “For me to live is Christ.�? What does this mean?
1) It means to listen to Christ;
2) It means to do the mission of Christ;
3) It means to be identified with Christ.
Paul expresses his strong desire to die and go to heaven to rest in the presence of Christ. He writes,
“For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.�? Dying and going to heaven would be best for Paul and it would be his first choice if it were not for his conviction that his life purpose is to live for Christ. As he continues to live for Christ, he will be beneficial to others people, including the Philippian Church. Even though he knows that his life serves other people before his own, he candidly admits that the choice between life and death is difficult for him and at the moment of his writing he is not quite sure which he would choose: “yet what shall I choose I cannot tell, for I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better…�? Paul seems to be thinking and deliberating as he writes. The more he writes and considers that his life is good for others, he becomes confident to choose life over death.
Paul is honest and candid concerning matters of life and death.
He finally chooses life for the good of others: (25-26) “for your progress and joy of faith that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant.�? The Philippian Church hopes to see Paul again released from prison, visiting in Macedonia, working together, persevering in the gospel.
In any circumstance, at any stage of life, we can persevere in the gospel through one of these three
activities: listening to Christ; doing the mission of Christ; being identified with Christ. Participating in one to all of these is beneficial for others and can substantiate plenty of reason and motive toward choosing life over death.

(27-30) Persevering in the gospel means that we live in unity, free of fearing those who would cause us to suffer for Christ:

October 23, 2005
“Your Mind and the Gospel�?
Philippians 2: 1-11

Paul reasons: If there is any benefit from union with God, then live united to one another.
The way to union with one another is to follow Jesus Christ; the only way
toward worldwide unity is submission to Jesus Christ.

What are some of the benefits from union with God? (1)
-Encouragement in Christ;
-Comfort of love;
-Fellowship of the Spirit
-Tenderness/Affection & Compassion/ Mercy

The Dalai Lama writes about compassion, in one of his many New York Times Bestsellers, titled, An Open Heart: Practicing Compassion in Everyday Life: “page 91.�? Everything he says is true and is born out in experience. What the Dalai Lama kindly preaches is not Paul’s point, namely, that compassion, encouragement, comfort, fellowship, and mercy all flow into our lives from God, the source of them all. The Dalai Lama’s teaches that the source of compassion is our personal reflection upon the well being of others. The source of compassion is our personal realization of our dependence upon others. Paul suggests that the source of compassion and all virtue is God.
Paul reasons: If this is true and we have actually experienced these benefits from being united to God, then we should live united to one another.

What kind of behavior indicates unity among us? (2)
positive
-like-mindedness = to have the same worldview as well as possessing a process of thinking directed
and informed by God’s revealed word.
-possessing the same love = experiencing God’s favor and care for us; offering God’s grace, mercy,
and forgiveness to others.
-being of one accord, of one mind = same value system and missional plan informing and directing
all our collective endeavors.

negative
-no motives of selfish ambition or conceit – Rx = humility expressed in esteeming others better than
yourself.
-no selfishness – Rx = put the interests of others before your own

e.g. Dali Lama vs. Paul
Central Park, Aug.15, 1999 (pp.8&10) then (p.6)
Paul – (2:1) and (2:5)

Why is Jesus Christ our leader into unity?
-Jesus is the only Perfect Human Being who has achieved selflessness.
-The purpose and end goal of his perfect selflessness is God the Father exalting him.
-Our following of Jesus in his selflessness flows from our union to him in his death, resurrection,
and exaltation.

What do our minds have to with the gospel?
Paul (1:9) and (4:8f)
Stott: forward;
p.12f. created to think; written revelation; renewed minds
p.30 true worship engages the mind

What does mind have to do with the gospel? Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth
will set you free.�?

p.51 Stott quotes Machen.
p.52 read quote and appeal to mind (understanding the gospel); heart (giving over to gratefulness);
will (inclined by the Holy Spirit to choose to follow Jesus in selflessness – the main point of our text =
If we are united to Jesus and all the benefits of God’s love, then we will choose to follow him in selflessness to the honor and glory of the exalted Lord Jesus.

October 30
“Your Behavior and the Gospel�?
Philippians 2:12-18

How do you react to the word, “obedience�?? As far as I’m concerned, “obedience�? is a perfectly good word if applied to my children’s behavior. But I’m not altogether comfortable with any of you applying it to me. Paul writes in (12), “My beloved, as you have always obeyed…�?
Paul notes the obedience of the Philippian church. He has observed the Philippians’ obedience when he was living with them. But he has recently discovered that they have continued in obedience to God in his absence. Undoubtedly, Paul was a catalyst and an encouragement toward obedience, but he is not the
source of it. Since obedience characterizes the Philippian church, Paul encourages them to continue in obedience. He writes, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for his good pleasure.�? In these words we learn much about our behavior and the gospel.
First, we learn that there is work for us to do. What does it mean to “work out our own salvation�??
Paul equates this phrase with the obedience he has observed in the Philippians. Obeying God’s commands is the prescribed behavior of all of us who have embraced the gospel and seek to live by it.
Secondly, we learn that this obedience is divine work in us. God empowers us and enables us to obey his commands. He is the source of our obedience. Indeed Paul says much more than “God helps us to obey.�? Paul insists that our obedience is actually God working in us. God does not enhance or improve our obedience. Without him working in us, we would not obey.
Such a powerful and transforming work of God in us should reduce us to fear and trembling. Muslims have an age-old saying, “Allah is closer to you than your jugular vein.�? Intimacy with the divine Person produces fear and trembling. When I discover obedience in my life, I realize that such a work has a source alien to me, a source that has invaded me and begun to work inside of me to produce this behavior uncharacteristic of me. (This is the gopsel according to science fiction.) Such an alien invasion of my person and behavior produces fear and trembling. To think that the Creator of heaven and earth, the holy and all-powerful God, who has no beginning or end, is so active in my life, impacting my behavior!
Thirdly we learn that our obedience serves the will and pleasure of God. To what end does God work within us? The end goal is the fulfillment of his will. God’s will is supreme in the world. God’s will for us is that we might live as he intended in creating us. God is quite instructive toward our obedience. His working obedience in our lives is a gracious work, for our own good. It is his will that we would follow Christ Jesus in obedience. God not only communicates his will, he assures that his will is done in us.
The end goal of our obedience is also God’s pleasure. Our obedience pleases God. The purpose of our obedience is to increase God’s pleasure. God’s will for us is that we would please him.
And so, our behavior expresses the gospel, which unites us to Jesus Christ. The source of our obedience is God freely and powerfully working within us. The end result of our obedience is the fulfillment of God’s will to the increase of his pleasure.

Paul continues by giving specific commands to increase obedience among the Philippians. He addresses once again their struggle toward unity. The command of God is, “Do all things without complaining and disputing.�? If we were to follow this command, our church, our families, and all our relationships would benefit immensely. But Paul does not present our unity and personal peace in the church as the reason for giving this command. Why should we do all things without complaining and disputing? Why should we promote the unity of the church? Paul writes his purpose clause, “so that you may become blameless and innocent children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life.�? The reason is that we might be of good to the world. We display the very word of God in our behavior as we obey the word of God.
Paul uses the imagery of stars adorning the night’s sky. He has chosen an image of God’s natural revelation to describe the Philippians obedience. He writes, “Your obedience glorifies God just like the stars in the sky glorify God.�? I love to go camping in eastern Oregon, far away from the city lights and stare at the stars in the sky near the warmth of a campfire. Stars are not only beautiful, but they also speak of their Creator. Similarly, our obedience, as children of God, displays a beauty pleasing to the world and also speaks about our Creator. As we join the Philippian church of the first century in obeying God’s commands, we express our unity in Christ Jesus and become good for the world in which we live.
Paul concludes this section of his letter with another image to express his relationship to the Philippian church as a co-worker in obedience. This second image comes from the pagan culture surrounding the Philippians. Paul writes, “But even if I am being poured out as a libation on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.�? In the first century ritualistic sacrifices were daily experience for common people. Wine poured out of a goblet before or after a meal had replaced the more ancient blood sacrifices. These ritualistic sacrifices connected people to their gods as an act of worship.
Such ritual is so far removed from our experience, that it proves difficult for us to think well of it all. Even as we read in the Old Testament of the blood sacrifices required of Israel in the true worship of God, our modern sensibilities are offended. How barbaric! (Most of us would prefer to be ignorant of the butcher house from whence comes our meat for supper.) Of course, for Israel, the cultic alternatives were to sacrifice their children to Molech, one of the local deities, or two participate in a drunken orgy to stimulate Baal and Asherah, the gods of the Canaanites.
While pouring wine out of a goblet is much more sensible than butchering a bull, Paul suggests that obedience to God is even better! This not originally his idea, but one he learned from the prophet Samuel, who told the first king of Israel, “To obey is better than sacrifice.�? He likens the Philippians’ obedience to God’s commands as the sacrifice of a bull. He says their obedience flows from faith! Then he likens his own obedience joined to theirs, as the wine poured out of the goblet as an act of worship. His obedience joining with the obedience of the Philippians causes Paul to rejoice. He can think of no better gift to offer God in worship, than this collective obedience.
All our obedience is a response to the perfect obedience of Jesus Christ, who did not choose the more sensible path. He chose to fulfill the ancient path of atoning sins through the shedding of his own blood. This was his heavenly Father’s will that he would lay down his life as the perfect and final sacrifice, the perfect act of worship. Because Jesus’s perfect blood was shed to satisfy God’s justice, we no longer offer blood sacrifices.
We baptize with water. We offer wine to signify blood. We live in obedience to God. We rejoice with Paul, realizing that our collective obedience is the proper response to the perfect obedience of Christ. It is the best behavior to adorn the gospel.

November 6
“The Gospel Reality Show�?
Philippians 2: 19-30

If you were going to produce one more reality TV show, The Gospel Reality Show, whose lives would you feature? Would you arrange a guest appearance of Billy Graham or Bono? Or would you invite common, ordinary people? Isn’t one of the attractions of reality TV the opportunity to view common people, rather than professional actors and actresses? This past Tuesday I missed the opportunity to see the Rolling Stones at the Rose Garden. Then I missed Paul McCartney last night at the Garden. I understand that the Garden sold out both concerts without me. It is not wrong to attract big crowds or to be one of the fans. If you could catch a glimpse of the Pope and hear him speak, wouldn’t you go? If you received an invitation to attend a small group meeting with Charles Colson or a home concert of Aretha Franklin, would you not go? It’s not wrong to consider or to treat a celebrity as important. But it would be wrong to consider a common, ordinary person to be unimportant. So, perhaps our Gospel Reality Show, should feature a mixture of celebrities and common folk whose lives are being transformed by the gospel.

Paul is well aware of human nature’s tendency to honor one person more than another, even to prefer one person to another. It is nearly unavoidable. Paul does not find fault with the Philippian Church, warning against hero worship, but he does anticipate their mild disappointment in receiving their second or third choice.
The Philippian Church’s first choice would be to receive the apostle Paul himself. But he is being held in Rome by Caesar’s palace guard indefinitely. The Philippians are deeply concerned for his welfare and so they have sent one of their members, Epaphroditus, to deliver a monetary gift to Paul. They feel indebted to Paul who first preached the gospel to them. He is their spiritual father. The gospel he brought to them had freed them and had given them a purpose and a hope in life. Paul was their Champion. Paul’s release from prison and visit to the city of Pilippi would be their first choice.
Elsewhere to other churches, Paul warns against hero worship and other apostles warn against showing partiality, but in this letter, a very personal letter, Paul has expressed his love, devotion, and gratefulness to this church in Philippi who has shared in his gospel mission more than any other church. To them he writes in (24)
“But I trust in the Lord that I myself shall also come to you shortly.�?
Who is your spiritual father or mother? Who has influenced your life, sharing the gospel with you, leading you further into God’s love? It is good for us to honor such people. It is good for us to look after their needs, to care for them, to pray for them.
Paul knows that he is the Philippian’s first choice. He can not visit them and so he tenderly writes to them this letter informing them that he intends to send to them shortly, Timothy. This is good news for the Philippians. Timothy is their second choice. Timothy was Paul’s right-hand man. He was Paul’s disciple, like a son to him. Timothy was well known in Macedonia. He had accompanied Paul on his first visit to Philippi. He would have met Lydia and the other women who heard Paul preach at the riverside. He had witnessed Paul cast the demons out of the teenage girl, freeing her from the greedy men who profited from her telling of fortunes. He was a witness at the baptism of the Philippian Jailer and his entire family and servants. He traveled with Paul to the great city of Corinth and then sailed to Ephesus. In that city Paul created an uproar that quickly developed into a riot. The church in Ephesus was comprised of as many as 30 house congregations. They were growing rapidly yet they were in dire need of sound teaching. When Paul needed to return to Macedonia, he chose Timothy to remain in Ephesus to lead and to serve the church.
Paul arrived in Philippi to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Undoubtedly he would have reported to the Philippian Church all of his dangerous adventures of the past month in Ephesus. He would have told them of his choosing Timothy to guard and grow the church in this volatile situation. The Philippians would have formed a high opinion of Timothy. Paul considered Timothy able to rise to the challenge of Ephesus. Paul’s plan to send Timothy in his place, to visit the Philippians would be welcome news.
Paul speaks highly of Timothy: “For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your condition.�? Paul kindly presents Timothy as his equal. Receiving Timothy is as good as receiving Paul, he suggests to the Philippians. How is it that Timothy is like-minded with Paul? (21) He is not selfish but instead has the interests of Christ Jesus in mind. Paul has already, earlier in the letter, instructed the Philippians to put the interests of others before their own. He has taught them to have the mind of Christ Jesus who selflessly gave up his life and suffered the cruel death on the cross, for the good of others. Now he tells them that Timothy is among those who have the mind of Christ and thus, the two of them are like-minded.
He speaks highly of Timothy’s proven character. He likens their relationship to that of father and son. He describes Timothy as one who has served with him in the gospel. In other words, we need to get Timothy on our Gospel Reality Show.

Paul also speaks of Epaphroditus, the third choice! Epaphroditus was a member of the Philippian church. He was sent by the church to Rome to deliver a monetary gift to Paul and to inquire after his welfare. Undoubtedly, the Philippian church loved and trusted Epaphroditus. But he wasn’t an apostle or for that matter, the apostle’s right-hand man. He was one of them, familiar to them in all his common virtues and ordinary frailties. The church would trust him to travel from Philippi to Rome, to deliver a sum of money, but few people, if any, would invite him to be the keynote speaker at the city-wide annual conference held at the convention center.
Paul speaks highly of this trusted servant. He refers to him as “my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier.�? What is fascinating about this commendation of Epaphroditus is that Paul puts the two of them on equal ground, ordinary ground. He does not say, “I consider it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my fellow apostle, bishop, and superstar.�? He commends Epaphroditus by reminding all Christians that in our lowly stations of brotherhood, servanthood, and as expendable foot soldiers, we glorify God by living out the gospel. This would be the main point to main point to make through a Gospel Reality Show, though I am not suggesting that we produce one.
Paul reminds the Philippian Church that she trusted this common man to be her messenger, and that he had faithfully completed his assignment in caring for Paul. Epaphroditus is now distressed because he had heard that the Church had discovered that he had been sick. Paul informs the Church that Epaphroditus was critically ill, near death. One of the reasons Paul sends Epaphroditus home is that he does not want to add to the Church’s sorrow concerning Epaphroditus. They are sorry that he fell ill while undertaking the journey. They would suffer even more sorrow if Epaphroditus died in Rome. Paul wants the Philippians to rejoice in Epaphroditus returning home, having fulfilled his mission.
Paul tells the church that she should honor Epaphroditus, holding him in high esteem. He nearly died, risking his life to complete his mission. What did Epaphroditus do to win the honor of the church? Did convert a cannibal tribe? Did he found a seminary training thousands of people for ministry? Did he drink tea with heads of state and publish popular books? Epaphroditus traveled from Philippi to Rome, roughly 720 miles by land or about 360 miles by sea. He made the trip to deliver some money to Paul. He may have delivered a letter or two as well, and some personal items. His visit was a great encouragement to Paul. In the midst of this relatively simple, lackluster assignment, he fell ill and nearly died. This simple yet trustworthy man is to be honored in the church. Today we honor him by honoring every simple and trustworthy one among us. If we were to do the Gospel Reality Show right, for every Christian celebrity appearance, we should have 5,000 simple, trustworthy appearances – children, women, and men without name recognition, short of sensational stories of miraculous feats accomplished in exotic lands, faithful in completing mundane tasks to the glory of God, willing to visit a prisoner, to encourage him. In other words, he was a gopher for God.
The gospel is the story of the one man who has won God’s eternal favor. He alone is heroic. Jesus Christ is the one and only Mediator between God and humanity. The gospel is the story of all other human beings who would unite by faith to this one Man Christ Jesus. The gospel is the story of the one special man sharing all his rewards and honors with the many common people who honor his name above every other name.
But the gospel continues beyond this most important distinction between the One and the many. The gospel is the divine story of God’s grace reaching as low as our mundane tasks, to work faithfulness into our common behaviors and ordinary actions. The gospel is concerned with the elevation of common lives to the height of God’s glorious work in this world. I have a good name for our Gospel Reality Show: Gophers for God.

Nov. 13
“The Prize and the Gospel�?
Philippians 3: 1-21

The most recent issue of Time Magazine reports in its feature article that the secret to success may be genetic. Success in the Christian life is not genetic, but spiritual. Christian success has everything to do with our living according to the gospel.
Paul offers advice in gospel living that he had offered repeatedly to the Philippian Church. He does not apologize for his redundancy but instead says that his repetition of these important instructions is no problem for him. To repeat his advice is a safeguard for the church.
His first bit of advice is one of his themes in this informal letter: rejoice in the Lord. To rejoice in the Lord requires that we see the world as God sees it. In the world God sees no foe or barrier able to block his sovereign will. His kingdom is expanding and shall arrive to its glorious end. As we adopt God’s view of the world, we are able to rejoice in the Lord. Our joy is no longer circumstantially driven.
His second bit of advice is: beware of the dogs. Who are the dogs? They are evil workers. And where might we encounter these dogs? Paul alludes to these dogs being deeply religious people within the church community! He sounds a bit sensational and spooky as he writes, “Beware of the mutilation!�? To what is he referring? He is describing the group of religious people within the church community who were insisting that every Christian man undergo circumcision. In our present world the decision to circumcise or not to circumcise is a medical and social decision. In Judaism and Islam circumcision is a religious requirement. In Judaism every male is to be circumcised. In Islam every male is to be circumcised and the untold story is that millions of Muslim girls between the ages of 10 and 16 are circumcised every year. Paul is not discussing a medical or social action. He is warning us about those who require an action like circumcision for all members of the church.
He writes, “For we are the circumcision who worship God in Spirit, who rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.�? The gospel proclaims that God completely liberates us without any help from us. There is no religious rite, no work, no examination we might lend to God loving and caring for us. You do not have to be circumcised to be a Christian. You do not have to attend a 16-week class to be a Christian. You do not have to go on a mercy mission to be a Christian. You do not have to memorize 100 Bible verses to be a Christian. The only way for you to be a Christian is for God to make you one.
Paul explains that if the gospel is about personal achievement, he would have excelled far beyond the rest of us. Look at his resume with me (5-6) READ. Paul considers all of his achievements to be a pile of garbage or worse. Confidence in the flesh is Paul’s terminology for any of us attempting to win God’s favor through our personal achievement. This is the typically religious way.
But the Christian way is different; it is governed by the gospel.
The Christian way (8-9) = 1) knowing Christ; 2) gaining Christ; 3) being found in him; 4) possessing a righteousness that comes by faith. Paul desires to know Christ. He wants to know the power of his resurrection. But he also desires to know the sufferings of Christ, even to be identified with him in his death. Paul has discovered the connection between death and resurrection. If any of us are to experience the power of the resurrection, then we must experience death. For us to share in Christ’s death means that we must die to self and sin. Our old nature and our jaded past must die. Only the dead are resurrected. Resurrrection power produces new and holy life in us. Paul writes elsewhere, “If any of us are united to Christ we are new creatures. The old has past and the new has come!�? Paul does not seek mere knowledge. His desire is to be united with Jesus Christ and in this union to enjoy death to self and resurrection unto holiness. How will he come to possess righteousness? By faith. Once again he offers a life according to the gospel. Our righteousness is achieved by faith not by works, lest any of us start bragging about our personal goodness. We gain this righteousness by faith and we live it out by resurrection power!
In (12) Paul reminds us that living according to the gospel is a life-long process. The Christian life, governed by the gospel, has a goal. Christians strive daily toward this goal. Paul writes, “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.�? Has Jesus Christ taken hold of you? Paul has discovered Christ’s hold on his life and the result is that he has a goal, a purpose and prize that propels him forward each day. The Christian life is lived with a focus upon the future. As Paul forgets the past, he is refusing to allow his evil past to control him. He often wrote remembering his evil past referring to himself as the chief of sinners.
But he refuses to allow his past to define his present and his future. His eyes are steadily fixed ahead and above him as he seeks God.
He likens his gospel driven life to that of a runner who fixes her eyes upon the finish line. Remember my telling you of the young woman in this most recent Portland Marathon whose goal was to simply finish the race? She did finish and her secret to surviving the 18-mile wall was to listen to the Chariots of Fire theme blaring through her walkman. Chariots of Fire, of course, tells the story of Eric Little, the Olympian who said, “When I run I feel God’s pleasure.�? As a formerly avid runner, all I can remember thinking and praying is, “O God, help me get up this hill.�? Eric may have felt God’s pleasure but usually all I felt was pain. Having a goal, a prize at the finish line helps keep our minds off the pain of our present and the hills looming in our future. We can look beyond the hills to the horizon and see the sun’s brilliance.
The prize of the gospel is union and favor with God in the present and in the future. Jesus Christ takes hold of us to give to us this prize. We have taken hold of him so that we might enjoy this prize. God has called us heavenward so that we might win this prize for all eternity. Paul clearly calls us to live as our father Abraham lived. He was a pilgrim, a Bedouin. Though he was a wealthy man, the only land he ever owned was a field in which there was a cave, the burial site of his beloved wife, Sarah. Though he was an influential man, he never founded a city after his name, the usual power play of men of his stature in the ancient world. Rather, Abraham was searching for a city whose builder and architect is God, a heavenly city. Paul instructs us to adopt the hope and goal of Abraham, a heavenly city as our home. This does not mean that we forget about this world and fail to be good stewards of it. But it does mean that we do not make our stomachs god or consider the cross of Christ, the most horrid deed done in this world to be a failure. In other words, we believe that there is more to reality than this present world and that we have a higher purpose beyond this world.
To have a heavenly prize in mind as our goal supplies us with God’s perspective of our world. This world is important, but it is connected to an eternal realm. This world is all we know by experience, but by divine revelation and by faith we know of the heavenly city our final destination. We are not to be so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good. We are to be good for this world as we keep our eyes fixed upon heaven.
What allows a Christian to unlock his grubby fingers from a gold nugget and offer it to the poor? Though he values the nugget, he hears God’s voice from heaven say, “I am the God of the poor and the oppressed.�? What allows a Christian to be the best surgeon she can be? Though she may be a master of science, she is convinced that God is the master healer and will use her to save lives. What allows a child to share the gospel with a friend? The child has memorized Paul’s holy words, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, it is the power of salvation to all who would believe.�?
What allows a Christian to lift up his eyes to see the heavenly city? The joys of this world are gifts from God and can at times be distracting. The cares of this world can be so stressful that we are often bent over, unable to see the bright horizon. Our doubts, our confusions, our sins, and our enemies all darken the sky and we live in endless night. What allows any of us to see the heavenly city and to hope for our entrance into her gates? The gospel tells us that Christ taking hold of us allows us this eternal privilege. God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus and so our perspective is forever changed. To him be the glory both now and forevermore. Amen.

Nov. 20
“The Peace of the Gospel�?
Philippians 4: 1-9
Paul explains how you might have peace in relationships and within yourself. He first addresses relational peace. Apparently, the Philippian Church was suffering from relational discord. Two women, who had participated in the gospel ministry with Paul, had found their way into a disagreement. Have you ever found yourself in disagreement with a fellow member of the church, with a family member, or with a colleague? Have you felt pressure to agree to keep the peace? Must we agree on everything to maintain peace? These are important questions to answer. Some people think that they must break union with anyone who doesn’t agree with them on every issue. There is no peace unless we all agree with them on every point. Paul pleads with two women, Euodia and Syntyche to “agree in the Lord.�? It may be helpful to read another sound translation, “to be of the same mind in the Lord.�? Paul does not expect these two women to agree on everything. He is pleading with them to return to a relationship influenced by the gospel. He pleads for them to remember their union in the Lord and to approach every issue, which divides them, as two women united in the Lord.
Moises Silva, in his commentary writes, “Many readers tend to view Euodia and Syntyche in a negative light – troublemakers in an otherwise model church. Most likely, however, what we have here is not a personal quarrel between cantankerous old women, but rather a substantive division within the church leadership, which from the very beginning consisted largely of faithful women.�?
Paul reminds these women and the entire church that our names are written in the Book of Life. The Book of Life is not a real book, but a metaphor for our union to God for all eternity. Nothing can separate us from God and his love in Christ Jesus and so, nothing should separate us from each other. Paul pleads with every single person in the Philippian church who is united to him and to Christ, to help these two women remember that they are united in Christ.
We are not told the nature of the disagreement between these two ladies. Aren’t you curious to know? From our collective experience we know that the disagreement could be over a petty or an important issue. It could be doctrinal or it could be cultural. It could be missional or relational. The disagreement could have been about almost anything! Paul would rather us focus our attention on maintaining peace within the church.
Paul’s first lesson in maintaining peace is for us to rejoice in the Lord. Paul is purposeful in his repetition of this theme. Paul’s answer to nearly every problem is for us to rejoice in the Lord. And so he writes again, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!�? Once again we remember that to rejoice in the Lord means that we must first view the world as God views it. When we have the mind, heart, and will of God for the world, we will be able to rejoice no matter how problematic we find our circumstances. Christian joy is not like a crazed Nero fiddling while Rome burned. Christian joy does not move us to laugh at a funeral. Christian joy does not render us smiling saps who never face reality. Christian joy does maintain our certain hope that God does all things right. Christian joy eradicates the bitterness that eats our stomach linings and contorts our faces miserably. Euodia and Syntyche were robbed of their joy. If we are to rejoice in the Lord, then we shall find ourselves rejoicing in what the Lord is doing in each other and through each other.
Paul’s second lesson in maintaining peace is to let our gentleness be evident to all. Are you a gentle person? Some of us are gentle at work but tyrants at home. Some of us are gentle at church but angry with the world. If you, like myself, need some motivation to be gentle, Paul reminds us, “The Lord is near.�? By this Paul reminds us that God is ever mindful of what we think, say, and do. He may also be reminding us that at any moment, in God’s infinite timing, he is coming again as Judge, to end this present age, to usher us into the eternal age. Paul may also be reminding us that our God very present is in control and so we do not have to raise our voices or execute power plays to make people do what we think they ought to do. In gentleness we express our reliance upon a present and controlling God to work his will. In gentleness we are relieved of our manipulative ploys. In gentleness we promote peace as we model resting in God.
Paul’s third lesson in maintaining peace calls us to pray. The opposite of praying is to worry, to be anxious about your life. Paul writes, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, make your requests known to God.�? Prayer maintains relational peace. Pray for each other and pray together for issues beyond yourselves. In prayer we come to trust in God. This promotes peace. As we pray in the name of Jesus, we come together discovering that we have the same mind in the Lord. We enter into God’s presence sensing his nearness and so we are reduced to gentleness.
In (7) Paul says that the peace of God will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. This peace of God transcends all understanding. We experience peace and benefit from it, but the source of peace is divine, and thus alien to us. In every present relationship strained by disagreement and problems of every kind, let us take hope that unity and peace may come. One of the more mysterious aspects of God’s peace is its mending of an impossible relationship. We say, “That marriage had grounds for divorce but God has poured out his peace to unite husband to wife when we could see no hope for them.�? We say, “That man is the most dogmatic person we have ever known. He is always right and everyone else is always wrong. Who would have ever thought that he would admit that he was wrong and ask someone else to express an opinion on this topic!�?
Paul finally instructs us concerning inner peace, telling us that inner peace is first a matter of the mind. (Read 8). We often think the worst of each other or of the world. Our minds are in the gutter. Have you been robbed of your peace, your mind going over and over the injustices done against you? Sometimes I search my brain for the beautiful quote I heard a day or two ago, while I can remember every evil word spoken against me a decade in the past. And so we beg God to renew our minds and by his grace and in his spiritual strength we discipline our minds to dwell on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. The more your mind dwells upon the good, the more inner peace you will enjoy. The Christian’s inner peace is the peace of Jesus Christ. As you have the mind of Christ you will have the peace of Christ. As you are united to Christ, you will enjoy his peace.
Paul also tells us that inner peace is a matter of holy behavior. (Read 9). God has given to us in these last days the apostles as role models. Paul tells us to practice according to what he has modeled for us in his life. What have we learned from Paul? We have learned that God is our Savior and no one else. We have learned to respond to God by faith and repentance. We have learned to put the interests of others before our own. We have learned to desire union with Christ in his death and in his resurrection, to live in resurrection power. If inner peace is a matter of the mind, we ought to meditate upon the apostles’ teaching. Such consideration will direct us to meditate upon the teachings of Jesus in the four Gospels. These beautiful and powerful words will connect us to the ancient teachings of the Hebrew Scriptures. In all of it we will be hearing the very words of God and to be saturated with the truth will calm our fears, our anger, our dissatisfactions, our disagreements. Such truth will answer our questions, our doubts, our arguments with God. Such truth will lead us again and again to the gospel of God pursuing us, finding us, liberating us, and empowering us.
Paul promises us that as we set our minds on the good and begin to practice the good, God’s peace will grow within each of us. Listen to the gospel of peace preached from the entirety of the Holy Scriptures. The prophet Isaiah said that those far from God would shout, “’Peace, peace!’ where there is no peace.�? Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.�? The apostle Paul has said, “As far as it depends on you be at peace with all men.�? He also has written in our text, “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus….The peace of God be with you all.�? Amen.

Nov. 27
“The Gospel’s Secret of Contentment�?
Philippians 4: 10-23

Paul concludes his warm letter expressing his gratitude to God for the Philippians’ gift of money
and their renewed care for him. These words are especially fitting for us to consider on this Sunday proximate to Thanksgiving Day. Paul writes of his contentment in life, regardless of circumstances, which have led some students of this letter to conclude that Paul was less than enthusiastic about the Philippians’ gift. Paul also emphasizes God strengthening and supplying him. Some readers, who are unkindly disposed toward Paul, read into this an ungrateful tone. They would paraphrase his concluding paragraph
in this way:
I am glad that at long last, after waiting all this time, you finally decided
to think about me. Of course, I realize you were meaning to do it – you
just could not get around to it. I hope you understand, however, that I do
not really need the money. My circumstances do not bother me – I have
learned to handle all kinds of situations. Nevertheless, it’s a good thing
you decided to send the money – I mean for your sake, of course, not
mine. You are really the ones that profit by sending an offering.

During the holidays, as we present and receive gifts among family and friends, we may from time to time hear such ungrateful tones. You may give a gift and the response is, “After all these years it sure is good to receive a gift from you.�? It is an unfair, if not an inaccurate reading of Paul, to assign to him an ungrateful tone in his letter to the Philippian church. Paul’s comments of gratitude are saturated with the gospel. He expresses a contentment in life informed by the gospel rather than by his circumstances.
In (10-11) Paul’s contentment comes more from his rejoicing in what God is doing through other people and less from what people may be doing to relieve his suffering. Receiving a monetary gift has caused Paul to rejoice. But he rejoices even more in discovering that the Philippians are reaching out beyond themselves to care for him. Paul is not your unhappy uncle who receives your gift during the holidays and says, “Since I have everything a man could ever want, it is impossible for you to give me anything I truly need, and so, I suppose, I ought to be grateful for this enameled shoe horn. It’s the thought that counts.�? Paul says, “Your caring for me through this monetary gift has increased my joy. But I rejoice even more thinking about you devoting yourselves to giving!�?
Paul’s contentment in life is informed by the gospel. He sees the gospel at work in the Philippian church and he rejoices. Several days after Paul first arrived in Philippi, he preached the gospel to Lydia and the ladies worshipping at the riverside. They joyfully embraced the gospel and helped Paul to form the church in Philippi. In a relatively short amount of time Paul’s gospel ministry liberated the demon-possessed teenage girl, the jailer and his household, and many more. The gospel transforms lives, liberating us from spiritual and physical bondage. The gospel’s influence upon us does not stop here. The gospel continues to inform liberated lives to follow Jesus as a life-long mission. Paul rejoices as he discovers that the gospel has influenced the Philippians toward caring for him.
Read (14-17). Paul sees the gospel at work in the Philippian church and he rejoices. He is content.
In (11-12) Paul’s contentment is not circumstantial but rooted in Christ Jesus who gives him strength. Paul insists that he has learned to be content no matter where he must live and regardless of how much he possesses. J.C. Ryle, in his book, Practical Religion, includes a chapter titled, “Happiness.�? He tells of Madam De Pompapdour, one of Louis the XV’s favorite friends. Not only was she wealthy, but she also possessed unbounded influence at the Court of France. She wrote, “I am always gloomy, and often so unreasonably. The kindness of the King, the regard of courtiers, the attachment of my domestics, and the fidelity of a large number of friends, - motives like these, which ought to make me happy, affect me no longer. I have no longer inclinations for all which once pleased me. I have caused my home at Paris to be magnificently furnished: well, it pleased me for two days! My residence at Bellevue is charming; and I alone cannot endure it. Benevolent people relate to me all the news and adventures of Paris: they think I listen, but when they have done I ask them what they said. In a word, I do not live: I am dead before my time. I have no interest in the world. Everything conspires to embitter my life. Life is a continual death.�? This woman discovered that material possessions, influence, even friendship could not produce contentment. What a pity she never discovered as Paul did that contentment comes from union with God.
Paul enjoys a lasting contentment as Christ Jesus strengthens him. We can enjoy lasting contentment as Christ strengthens us. Christ strengthens our souls so that we might be content even when in distress. He strengthens our souls so that we might rejoice in what God is doing through others.
Jeremiah Burroughs in his book, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, writes, “We cry out, ‘Oh, we cannot bear such an affliction.’ Though you cannot tell how to bear it with your own strength, yet how can you tell what you will do with the strength of Jesus Christ? You say you cannot bear it? So you think that Christ could not bear it? But if Christ could bear it why may you not come to bear it? You will say, ‘Can I have the strength of Christ?’ Yes, it is made over to you by faith: the Scripture says that the Lord is our strength, God himself is our strength, and Christ is our strength…. You must not therefore be content with a little strength, so that you are able to bear what a man might bear by the strength of reason and nature, but you should be strengthened with all might, according to the glorious power of God, unto all patience, and to all longsuffering.�?
Paul not only tells us that Christ strengthens our souls so that we might be content in any circumstance. He also writes in (19), “My God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.�?
Paul’s contentment is based upon a confidence that God supplies everything we truly need –all of our material and physical needs. Paul uses two words that clearly mark his reference to material and physical needs. Every day in this world God is accused of being dead, disinterested, and impotent. Every disaster is an occasion to question God’s willingness and ability to meet our material and physical needs. Every case of poverty and life-threatening disease causes us to question whether or not Paul is in tune with reality when he writes, “My God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.�?
For us to share in Paul’s contentment we must remember that God’s provision of our material and physical needs is not bound to this present age. When we become united to Christ Jesus, we enjoy a provision from God in all realms. For the Christian, death is not the end of the material and physical. Death is not the end of life or contentment. In his death and resurrection, Jesus Christ destroyed the power of death to separate us from God and his great provision for us. Every Christian may shout with Paul, “O Death, where is your sting? O Grave where is your victory?�? Death can not separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Death can not prevent us from passing into God’s eternal age of perfect provision, free of the common curse.
Yet, even in this present age fraught with the common curse, God’s glorious riches flow down in great measure. Think of how horrific this world would be if the influence of Christ Jesus were completely removed! The Philippian church decided to live by the gospel, which influenced them to care for Paul in his need, rather than to accuse God of abandoning Paul in a prison cell. This is precisely what has occurred in Bono’s life. For years he was apathetic concerning the gospel, mostly thinking that God was estranged from the concerns and people of this world. But the gospel transformed his thinking and thus his life several years ago. Now he has adopted the confidence of Paul, “My God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.�? His life work is not only to write and perform great music, but to call all of us to be the hands and feet of Jesus, delivering to the world all of God’s material and physical provision.
God’s glorious riches in Christ Jesus are an inexhaustible resource! When we discover this treasure trove our prayers greatly increase. Our helping of others greatly increases. Our love for God deepens. Our contentment stabilizes. The gospel proclaims the pouring out of this inexhaustible resource as a result of Christ’s redemptive work on the cross and in his resurrection. Jesus has ascended into heaven to shower many gifts upon us. We have received only a small amount of this inexhaustible resource. As we position ourselves to dispense God’s gifts to others, we shall discover increasingly the inexhaustible riches of God. Are your needs met at the moment? Make the needs of others your needs and concerns, then pray to God to make you an instrument in meeting those needs and you will catch of glimpse of God’s inexhaustible resources. This is how the Philippian church operated. Their giving was one source of Paul’s joy. Paul was content in a prison cell as he discovered the church living by the gospel, dispensing God’s riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
May we together enjoy this contentment flowing from the gospel.