Philippians – Christ-Centered Relationships
As far as we can tell from the Bible Paul visited Philippi three times.
Philippians 1:3-8 “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.
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. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.”
Christ-Centered relationships are different than any other relationships you will encounter:
- Shared mission
- Shared grace
- Shared affection
Philippians 1:6 “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.”
Here is the encouraging word for us:
- You are not finished.
- Your people are not finished.
- God is not frustrated with the pace of your growth.
- God is not surprised by your weaknesses.
Just like each of us in this room:
- God is not done with us yet.
- He is not worried about us
- HE HAS A PLAN
Philippians 1:7-8 “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. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.”
But here’s the Challenge with us being so independent:
- You can’t follow Jesus alone
- You can’t grow alone
- You can’t heal alone
- You can’t fulfill your calling alone
Romans 12:4-5 “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others”
Ephesians 4:11-13 “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
The word “share” in Greek is synkoinōnous – which means joint participants or partners.
God’s work in you is connected to God’s work in us
Philippians 1:8 “God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.”
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
