PENnED

By Ed Fernandez

Philippians 1:3-8 New International Version (NIV)

³ I thank my God every time I remember you. ⁴ In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy ⁵ because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 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.

⁷ It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. ⁸ God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

When people think of you, what might be their thoughts about you? We are not to presume people often think of us, but sometimes they do. And when they do, what kind of pictures do they see of us? …of me? …of you?

It’s normal to wish that others think well of us. We care about our personal image. However, to have an obsessive desire to portray one’s self  as a great person can be taxing and unhealthy, especially if we are trying to portray a perfect image of ourselves. And we are not. It’s like editing or photoshopping photos of ourselves to make them look perfect before we post them on Facebook. It’s tedious and time-consuming. But it does not really make us feel good in the end. We know—and other people know—that they’re not authentic pictures of ourselves.

There is nothing better than being a person who is authentically good and naturally beautiful inside. The Philippians believers were such persons. That is why “every time” the apostle Paul remembered them he thanked God and prayed for them “with joy”!

The Philippians were a great people. The beautiful pictures that Paul had of them were the kind that they did not labor to paint.  Because of what they truly were, the amazing pictures of the Philippians simply appeared on the apostle’s mind. Unretouched. Beautiful!

Paul was so in love with the beautiful body of Christ at Philippi. Like a lover who is away from his beloved, he longed for the Philippian believers with a certain kind of affection. His love for them was the kind that can also be found in the heart of God—seeing what his “holy people” have become, God loves and treasures them infinitely much more greatly compared to how one would treasure a 530-carat Cullinan, the world’s most expensive diamond, at $400M apiece (cf. Ephesians 1:18)!

Like today’s inmate who has pictures of loved ones on the wall of his prison cell, Paul had them too when he was in jail. His were not literal photographs, as they were mental pictures of the Philippians, nevertheless, they were real and beautiful pictures!

What stuff were the Philippians made of? What made them so loveable that Paul’s heart leaped for joy whenever he remembered them?

Partners in the gospel

In a straightforward way Paul tells why he “always” prayed “with joy” for the Philippians: “because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now” (v. 5). Such partnership began “from the first day.” We may not know exactly what the “first day” was for each one who responded to the call to proclaim the gospel, but we have a sense that the Philippians were quick to respond. They responded immediately to the call to proclaim the gospel. And they did not stop… “until now”?

What? They quit? No, they did not quit. “Until now” must be understood as Filipinos understand the phrase. When Filipinos say mula noon, hanggang ngayon (since then, until now) the latter, hanggang ngayon (until now) does not denote ending. Instead, the phrase carries an ongoing sense. For example, when someone says, Mahal kita mula noon, hanggang ngayon (I love you ever since, until now), it doesn’t mean love has ended; rather, it means that love is still there, continuing!

Such understanding is strongly supported by what comes next: “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” (v. 6; I think that NIV has done a great job translating the verse the way they did).

The Philippians, who I assume had a deep appreciation for the gospel (that gave them hope and changed their lives in Christ) immediately responded to the call to proclaim the same. God may have done a lot of other good works in them, but it seems that “a good work” which God “began in (them)” and which God “will carry…on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” has to do with God laying in their hearts the desire to proclaim the hope-giving and life-changing gospel until the end: “the day of Christ Jesus” (Paul here seems to anticipate Christ’s second coming to take place in their lifetime, just like some believers today).

Partners with Paul

Paul was in jail. He may have preached to prison guards, but his opportunity to proclaim the gospel was limited because of his incarceration. But thanks be to God, he had the Philippians as “partners” in gospel proclamation!

“Partners in the gospel” not “lay preachers”
Paul called the Philippians “partners in the gospel”. He did not call the Philippians “lay preachers” or “lady preachers” or “assistant preachers”. No! He called them “partners in the gospel.” They were his fellow preachers or gospel proclaimers! As such, he regarded them as equals! And that is why he called Epaphroditus “my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier” (2:25)! There is no hierarchy in gospel partnership. There is really no such thing as a “lay preacher.” Everyone who is called to preach and who responds to the call of God to proclaim the gospel is ordained by God! Church institutions ordain people today to do certain tasks, but God calls and ordains believers to preach or proclaim (or share, if you please) the gospel.

By the way, that does not mean that when God calls you and you respond to such call you automatically become an effective preacher of the gospel. The gift may be already there but, like a knife, it must be sharpened before it can be used effectively. That is why training is very important. And leaders and teachers like me are here to help train those of you who respond to the call.

Every believer is called to proclaim
Who are called to proclaim the gospel? It is quite clear that Paul’s partners in the gospel are all of those whom he prayed for (v. 4). In other words, all the Philippian believers were partners and, therefore, called to proclaim the gospel! They all, generally speaking, responded to that call.

Isn’t that amazing? All the while many of us thought that only ordained pastors, priests, evangelists, and missionaries are the only ones who have been called by God to preach or proclaim the gospel. The truth is, God calls you and all believers to proclaim the good news in Christ Jesus!

To be sure, not all Philippian believers were confident and fearless proclaimers at the beginning. However, “…because of (Paul’s) chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear” (v. 14). They stepped up to the plate, so to speak, and proclaimed the gospel boldly despite the probability that they too could be persecuted and perhaps end up in jail as Paul did.

Here’s a big difference between Philippians and believers today: while only a few of us engage in gospel proclamation, all of them responded to the call and proclaimed the gospel!

So what are we doing? God did not call us “out of darkness into his wonderful light” to hide the light of the gospel of Christ. God did not call us to be “bench warmers”—to merely come to service or mass (if you’re Catholic) every Sunday and sit like spectators while some people in the so-called higher level of hierarchy perform for us. To not respond to God’s calling and fail to proclaim is, I believe, a great sin of omission!  God has not called us to sit and watch.

Rather, God has called all of us to proclaim the gospel and fulfill the Great Commission. Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15, NIV). God has made you, along with other believers, to be God’s “chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9, NIV).

Recognition, respect, and support of leadership
Here’s another big difference between the Philippians and some believers today: While Paul regarded the Philippians as “partner” and his equals as gospel proclaimers, yet the latter recognized the fact that Paul was an Apostle.  They recognized Paul’s gifts, especially the gift of leadership.

Paul was the leader in spreading the gospel everywhere and the Philippians looked to him as a model. They also looked to him to encourage them and build them up. But today, there is so much disrespect of leadership. Instead of partnering and supporting the leadership, some people are critical of the leadership. In some cases, they look down on leadership, especially if they think they are smarter than the pastor or the leader.

I led a Bible study recently and when I came in I heard someone talking against pastors. He talked specifically of one he seemed to really disliked. I tried not to listen but he was too loud to not hear.

Before I ended the lesson, I asked if they had questions. The highly-opinionated egoistic guy quickly spoke in a loud voice trying to underestimate  what I said about St. Paul and his tremendous commitment to the preaching of the gospel (he went to jail for it!) and to build up the Philippians who became “partners in the gospel”.

He said, the passage (Philippians chapter 1:12-26) was all about the Philippians, who despite the fact that Paul was not with them, they still flourish, or something to that effect. And he said that in a voice that sounded mad.

The things he said earlier against pastors were still fresh on my mind and what he said implied to me that  pastors or church leaders are not really needed. So I said, “Bro, are you mad at pastors?”

He said, “No!” Still sounding mad, though. Then he explained that that’s just the way he speaks. And then he continued to emphasize what he said earlier: that the passage was about the Philippians. And then I guess he thought that it must also be about God (one shouldn’t forget God, after all), so he quickly added that it’s “also about God”.

So I reminded everybody about what we learned in verse 12: that Paul was not only in jail but also “in chains” for preaching the gospel. Then I asked everybody, “Is this passage about Paul  too?” And everybody said yes.

Then I directed the question to the “smart” guy. “Yes, it’s about the Philippians. Yes, it’s about God. But is it also about Paul?”

He could not argue against it so he said nothing, except, “That was my last comment.” (He actually said something afterwards so with a smile I jokingly said, “I thought you  said ‘that was (your) last comment’”. Everybody laughed!)

Let’s go back to Paul and the Philippians.

Paul considered the Philippians, along with Timothy and Epaphroditus, as equals and yet the two recognized his leadership. That is why they were willing to assist him in his missionary and evangelistic journey, especially now that he is in jail. They brought provisions for him. They encouraged him with reports about what the Philippians were doing as partners in the gospel.

Like us, I don’t think the Philippians always agreed with Paul in every matter. And it may be that there were Philippian preachers who were more eloquent, healthier and better looking than inmate Paul. But these great and wonderful people and gospel proclaimers did not quarrel with Paul or put him down. Instead, they supported him. They did not go against him because they recognized his leadership, and they worked with him as partners, not rivals!

No wonder, they made Paul’s heart leap for joy whenever he thought of them. How about us today?

Conclusion

Today, leaders and fellow believers should have the same mutually encouraging and supportive relationship as partners in the gospel. We the leaders of the church cannot win our community, much less the world, single-handedly. Like the Philippians, we must all respond to the call to proclaim the gospel of Christ, the light of the world.

The call to preach or proclaim the gospel is not a call to prestige. There’s nothing prestigious about it. It is a call to servanthood. As servants of Christ, we proclaim to obey our Master, not to set ourselves above others and be their master.

The call to preach or proclaim the gospel is not a call to a better life or comfortable life or to gain wealth. Paul as a preacher became so poor he had to depend on others for support. The Philippians, like Paul, faced the same persecution and hardship for proclaiming the gospel. The call to preach is a call to sacrifice. We proclaim the gospel without expecting anything—money, appreciation, “love gifts”, or whatever reward—in return. We proclaim the good news for the sake of others.

Just as the Philippians supported Paul and as his partners proclaim the gospel for other people’ sake, so should we. We preach not for ourselves but for others. When you and I truly become partners in the gospel and work together and support each other no matter what the cost, then, like the Philippians, we’ll make each other’s heart leap for joy!