Side by Side Commitment

Ben Miller

Side by Side for the Gospel • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago

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Big Idea: Commit to gospel partnership trusting that God is committed to generous provision.

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We are in the last sermon in our series through the book of Philippians, “Side by Side for the Gospel.”

And this book… this series… has been SUCH A GIFT to our church during this season, hasn’t it?

I have seriously LOVED this study, and it’s caused me to LOVE all of you all the more.

In a season where the whole world feels isolated and divided, we have taken a long, hard look at what it takes to stand together.

We set out with this vision from day one of this study (starting back in September): To partner together in the pursuit of knowing and proclaiming Jesus.

If you’ve been with us this Fall… Just take a little bit of an inventory of your heart and life… have you grown toward that goal this Fall?

IF you haven’t been with us this Fall, you should know that we believe this is what church is… it’s a PARTNERSHIP in the pursuit of knowing and proclaiming Jesus.

It’s not an event we attend… it’s not a social club… it’s a side by side partnership. Every person fulfilling their calling THROUGH the power of Jesus in our lives.

To help us fulfill that vision we had 3 clarifying goals… they weren’t complicated… they were basic.

First, we needed to SERVE Jesus in regular ministry.

After a season of being scattered due to COVID19, we needed to get back to every person serving one another WEEKLY in some way.

Second, we needed to “Hold fast to the gospel through consistent Gospel Community.”

Again, after a season where consistency in meeting was hard to come by, we had to remember that we NEED each other to keep walking forward in a manner consistent with the gospel.

And finally, we said that standing side-by-side would mean “Supporting the multiplication of leaders.”

We had some transitions where some deacons… some ministry coordinators needed a break… or where we needed to get certain aspects of ministry off the elders’ plate…

And so we were praying and seeking and God provided.

I believe we have seen God work POWERFULLY in our church this Fall through this study to do ALL of these things…

It’s been a HARD year… but God has done such a work to bring us together and focus our hearts on knowing and proclaiming Jesus.

And listen.. God’s still continuing that work...

Just because we come to the end of this study, doesn’t mean we can let up on that pursuit...

It doesn’t mean we can stop pursuing what it takes to keep that partnership healthy and fruitful…

Really, this series in Philippians was just calling us to get focused on the basics of what it means to be a church… ministry servanthood.. Gospel Community... supporting leadership multiplication… none of that is NEW for us...

That’s just what we do.

So at the end of this series, I want us each to COMMIT. [everybody say, “commit.”]

Side by side partnership requires side by side commitment.

So I’m calling us this morning to make a personal commitment to not forget what God has been teaching us in this season.

On Nov. 3 (just two weeks ago), Katy and I marked 13 years since I asked her to be my wife… (I’d say we “celebrated,” but I think we both forgot all about it.)

On that night 13 years ago, we moved from “dating” to engaged which led to us being married…

Dating, as you know, is this weird “testing the waters” period… we often say we are SO GLAD we are not in that stage of life anymore.

Dating is relationship without solid commitment.

And (if we’re honest), dating is often more about ensuring our own personal preferences... and protecting our own interests.. than it is about expressing committed love.

Now almost every dating person THINKS they are expressing the height of love… but then they get married and figure out how much SACRIFICE true love requires...

But on Nov. 3, 2007, we made the next step of saying, “We are commited.”

In that moment we were saying, “I want to COMMIT to this partnership with you.

I don’t want you to ever have to question my loyalty to “us.”

I want to share all of me with all of you.

My eyes are only for you. My emotions are only for you. My bank account is 100% yours. My house will be yours. My kids will be yours. You get the point...

And we don’t make that commitment to one another based on our own ability to achieve it…

If it were dependent solely upon us, that commitment would be over.

We can make that commitment only because GOD has brought us together and we believe GOD will give us what we need to have an enduring marriage.

And while I don’t want to press this metaphor too far, too often we treat our partnership with the church like a “dating”-type partnership.

We are committed to one another as long as it’s convenient… or as long as our feelings don’t get hurt.

We make sure that others in the church match our preferences or viewpoints exactly.

We are committed as long as people don’t offend us or ministry does’t infringe on our lives too much.

And even long-standing members of the church can do this...

We can allow secondary concerns to erode our commitment to God’s primary calling. (we talked about that last week).

We can give up on long-standing relationships simply because something rubbed us the wrong way.

And so as we get to the end of this series, I want to challenge you to COMMIT to gospel partnership.

Now I want to be clear what I mean when I say, “Gospel partnership.”

When I say, “Gospel Partnership,” and I will probably say it a lot today, I want you to think, “My commitment to Jesus and his mission that is expressed with the people of a particular local church…”

That’s what we saw in Philippi… they needed to be committed to one another so that they could KNOW and PROCLAIM Jesus TOGETHER...

And that resulted in a meaningful partnership with Paul’s team for the same purpose globally.

Gospel partnership is, “My commitment to Jesus and his mission that is expressed with the people of a particular local church…”

For most of you, that will mean a commitment to Oak Hill.

Another phrase you could substitute for “gospel partnership” is church membership when it is actually lived out properly.

That you would say that as long as Oak Hill is in pursuit of knowing and proclaiming Jesus…

and as long as you have the physical ability to do so… then you are COMMITTED to PARTNERING to that end.

Maybe you already are… that’s GREAT! And so as you listen to this sermon, I’d ask you to renew your heart and mind to that end.

Maybe you can see ways where your commitment could grow… you’ve been on the fence… you’ve been “take-it-or-leave-it” with the church...

And you need to put a stake in the ground and say, “I’m committed.”

If you are a first-or-second-time guest with us, I realize that might sound like a big ask… I don’t expect YOU to make that decision today necessarily, don’t worry...

But hopefully you can get a sense today of what that type of commitment might look like… what it means to partner with a local church.

And especially if you are looking for a church, I want you to be reminded afresh of WHY CHRIST would want you to be involved in a church.

The Philippian believers were committed to one another, to Paul, and to Jesus Christ… and it provided an incredible opportunity for the gospel.

And based on their example and God’s CLEAR call on our lives in his word, I want to URGE you today...

Big Idea: Commit to gospel partnership trusting that God is committed to generous provision.

God is committed to PROVIDING for our partnership in the gospel THROUGH the local church.

Your Bibles are open to Philippians 4...

Paul is winding down this letter that is all about side-by-side partnership for the gospel...

Paul and his team established the church in Philippi by preaching the gospel to a group of ladies at a Jewish prayer meeting on the riverbanks.

They proclaimed the gospel, they strengthened the believers, they appointed leaders… and then he moved on to plant a new church with his team.

Proclaim, strengthen, appoint, repeat. That was Paul’s pattern.

And as he planted church after church after church, a NETWORK formed that was COMMITTED to seeing the gospel advance to more and more places.

They supported his team… they supported the other churches…

And the Philippian church was part of that network… in fact, they were one of the few that did that WELL.

So Paul writes this letter to encourage them in their commitment… and he brings it to a close in this way...

Read Phil. 4:10-23

I hope you hear in Paul’s tone the JOY that comes from gospel partnership!

And I hope you can see how the Philippians lived out our Big Idea for the day:

Big Idea: Commit to gospel partnership trusting that God is committed to generous provision.

In this text, I believe we can see

Three Commitments that Require Trusting God

1) Care, content that God cares for you. (v. 10-13)

Look at v. 10 - “I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me.” (Philippians 4:10, ESV)

Explain: This may seem obvious, but the Philippians were committed to gospel partnership because they actually CARED… they were CONCERNED.

That word “Concern” is the same word that has shown up A LOT in this letter… it’s the word for mindset, like “Have this MIND among you” and “AGREE in the Lord” or to “FEEL” strong affection”… that’s the same word as “concern.”

Christ’s church is UNITED by a common CONCERN… the people of the church are actually supposed to CARE about one another… in the Lord.

And that care is supposed to extend beyond the walls of that church to the partnerships they develop to see Jesus proclaimed to the nations.

There is a mutual CARE between the Philippian believers, Paul and his team, and the Lord.

Now the way Paul words this in verse 10, it can almost seem like he is DOUBTING how much they care because there was a period of time where they weren’t sending him any gifts.

It would be easy for the Philippian church and for us to read this sort of sarcastically, “Well, I was happy that NOW… AT LENGTH (FINALLY) you decided to revive your concern for me… I’m here rotting in this prison cell… you are finally giving me what you owe me!”

And so Paul is kind of aware of how this COULD sound… and he makes sure to clarify: You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.

There was a season where I didn’t hear from you… and I was OVERJOYED to hear from you again…

Not just because you sent me money… but because you CARED about our ministry in the Lord.

He says in v. 10, “You REVIVED your care for me...”

That word “revived” is used in the Greek language when a flower blossoms in a certain season.

Their care was alive in all seasons… but it was BLOSSOMING now… it was showing its’ particular beauty in THIS season when they got to send a generous gift through a caring friend.

Our care in partnership must continue… even if it sometimes looks a little different in each season.

Apply: But sometimes, we allow the seasons of life to KEEP us from caring about our Gospel Partnerships.

If we’re honest, sometimes the reason we aren’t committed is because we don’t really CARE all that much about Gospel Partnership. It seems like something for someone else.

Sure, we care about our preferences being met.

We care about our political ideology being promoted.

We care about our own circumstances that feel so big in the moment.

We care about the thing that will bring us success… our job... our academics… our perfectionism...

We care about the things that bring us temporary pleasure… our hobbies… our sports… our entertainment.

We care about our emotions feelig good.

Oh WE CARE… a lot... about ourselves.

But we’ve seen throughout this letter that a CARING MINDSET requires humility that denies ourselves to know and proclaim Jesus.

We need to have the mindset of Paul that says, “To live is Christ, to die is gain.”

We need to have the mindset of Jesus, who emptied himself and took the form of a servant… and DIED for us, trusting GOD to highly exalt him.

Listen: Genuine CARE leaves you VULNERABLE.

But you can trust that as you CARE for what’s on God’s heart, he will CARE for you.

Let me say it again: As you CARE for what’s on God’s heart, he will CARE for you.

Paul understood that…

So he shows them what sustains HIS care for others in various seasons of life:

He says: “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:11–13, ESV)

Just like flowers and plants need to stay alive through a variety of seasons, every ministry… every church… every partnership... goes through seasons...

There are times when we are feeling low… and times when we are on cloud 9.

Times when we are able to SHOW our care A LOT… and times when we can’t show it as much as we would like to.

There are times when we have MORE THAN ENOUGH resources to care for others… and there are times when we don’t know where those resources are going to come from.

But Paul shows us how he stays committed to gospel partnership in every season… by being CONTENT that GOD cares for him.

Seasons change. Circumstances change. God’s care for us never changes.

Our focus must be vertical before it is horizontal.

A vertical focus on GOD’S care empowers our horizontal care for one another.

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. THAT’S how we grow our care for others.

Now verse 13 is one of the most popular verses in the scripture to take OUT OF CONTEXT.

Philippians 4:13 is NOT a verse to put on your workout gear… “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me… including losing 20 pounds through the holidays...”

Philippians 4:13 is NOT for football players to shout out before the big game hoping God is on their side to pull out the “W.”

Philippians 4:13 is NOT about you students performing well on a test that you didn’t study for.

“I can do ALL THINGS through CHRIST who strengthens me” is a statement of CONTENTMENT in God’s care for us… that ENABLES US to CARE for others for the sake of the gospel.

“I can do ALL THINGS (that God has called me to do) because he empowers me to do them.”

THAT is the secret to contentment.

THAT is how we keep caring in the various seasons of life.

I can know that GOD is giving me exactly what I NEED for exactly what he has called me to.

Romans 8:32 says, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (ESV)

Because God was COMMITTED to caring for us by sending his own son to DIE for us, we can KNOW he will KEEP caring for us as we live out our faith in him.

Because God cares for me, I am free to care about what HE cares about… partnering together to know and proclaim Jesus.

Let me ask you: How could you “revive your concern” for the sake of gospel partnership this week?

Maybe you need to ask God to give you a heart of care because you just don’t have it right now.

Ask him to show you how much HE CARES for you… and for the people he died to save...

It starts in prayer… confessing a lack of care… and asking God to produce that in you by the power of the Spirit.

And then ask him to reveal how he wants you to SHOW that care and look for the opportunity he provides.

Every time we’ve prayed that prayer in our family, God has answered it in powerful ways.

No matter what season you are in, you can show some sort of CARE for your gospel partnerships...

Look for opportunities to support and bless gospel work… look for the ministry servants on the front lines and get in their beside them.

Provide for what they need...

Give them some encouragement.

Maybe it’s showing care to someone OUTSIDE our church family in one of our Gospel Partnerships...

Roll up your sleeves at Solid Rock or Solanco Neighborhood Ministries or Good News Club...

Use our prayer cards that are in your mailboxes right now to pray for other churches and the drop them a note that you were praying for them.

Look for a way to bless one of our global partners.

You saw my email this week about the Newells needing to leave KL by the end of the year.

I’m SURE they would love if you dropped them a note in Email or Whatsapp expressing your concern and love for them.

Reach out to Jonathan and Miriam and express your care… we still support them every month.

However God leads us to do it… expressing genuine care will require physical sacrifice… and that sacrifice is one that God will also supply.

Look at v. 14 - “Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Philippians 4:14–20, ESV)

2) Share, convinced that God shares with you. (v. 14-20)

Explain: Paul says, “It was kind of you to share in my trouble.”

Now when we think of sharing with one another, we usually think of sharing in something good…

A typical missionary letter would say, “You shared with me… and the result is a new church building… a successful ministry… 50 conversions and 100 re-dedications… and YOU SHARED in THAT!”

But here, Paul says, “You shared in my TROUBLE.”

That word, “Share” is the same word as “Have fellowship” or “partnership” that we’ve seen throughout the letter...

The word “share” and the word “partnership” in these verses come from the same root word, koinonia, that describes our fellowship in the Lord.

And here, Paul says that their FELLOWSHIP… their PARTNERSHIP… has been expressed by SHARING in his trouble.

This is similar to how Paul relates to Jesus… Paul said in chapter 3 that he KNOWS Christ, in part, by SHARING in his sufferings.

COMMITMENT requires SHARING in one another’s trouble… for better or worse, richer or poorer...

Think about this… put yourself in their church’s shoes… pretend you’re an elder in the church in Philippi thinking about supporting a global partner, how much would you be jumping at the opportunity to support one that is currently in jail?

We don’t think of that as an “opportunity” for support like he mentioned in v. 10.

It would SEEM like Paul is sort of limited in his ability to advance the gospel.

And if he’s such a successful missionary, why has God allowed him to be imprisoned?

But because the Philippian church was committed to Paul from the beginning, they understood that his TROUBLE was the direct result of KNOWING and PROCLAIMING Christ.

Like Paul said in chapter 1, his TROUBLE was PRECISELY the OPPORTUNITY God gave him to advance the gospel in Rome.

It wasn’t a hindrance… it was his opportunity.

And because they had experienced God’s kindness THROUGH Paul in the past, they were eager to SHARE God’s kindness WITH Paul in the present.

That had been their pattern since day 1. Paul reviews their ongoing partnership in v. 15...

He says they entered into partnership with him “in the beginning of the gospel.”

He’s referring to the early days when they first believed and the gospel FIRST took root in their heart.

When Paul left Philippi, their church was not very old. Between one and two years, and their church planter was off again… run out of town...

But even in their immaturity as a church, they realized that it was RIGHT for them to continue partnering with Paul.

So we read in places like 2 Cor 11 (which was in our reading plan this week) that the church in Philippi supported his ministry while he planted the church in Corinth (that was part of your reading plan this week).

We also know that they contributed to the collection for the Jerusalem saints that Paul was taking up.

And now they are supporting him in Rome.

That’s commitment.

But even before all that… even before he left for Macedonia… he reminds them that they supported his work in Thessalonica .

Thessalonica was still in Macedonia… it was the city where Paul planted a church immediately after he left Philippi...

It was 95 miles away… just down the Ignatian way...

It would be like traveling I95 from here to Washington DC, only without a car.

And Paul says they partnered with him even that early on… and they did it more than once.

More than once, someone made a 95 mile journey, just like Epaphroditus did, to supply Paul’s needs both relationally and physically as he poured himself out in gospel partnership in Thessalonica.

1 Thess. 2 (which was also in our reading plan this week), we see how that enabled him to minister night and day like a Father caring for his children… like a mother nursing her infant...

He used everything the Philippian church gave him to pour himself out for the gospel.

Illustrate: This is what we are going for with relationships like the GCC...

We have gospel partnership with one another in our own local church.

But then through that partnership, through representatives like myself and sometimes other leaders, we have partnership with other regional churches like Mission Church in Lancaster and churches in Maryland and Ohio and New York and Maine...

And we have partnership with churches all around the country and all around the world… with churches like Harvest KL in Malaysia…

You need to understand: I talk to their associate pastor who is now one of three elders who are still going to be there… I talk to him honestly more often than I talk to Pastor Nate…

And we have a deepening friendship and through that relationship, we are seeking to support their elder team as they enter into this CHALLENGING season where Nate and Marie aren’t going to be there anymore.

And YOU are part of that work continuing in KL as you support me and I support him.

Not only that, but we have partnership with the GCC staff themselves as we support their administrative costs which enables THEM to provide valuable training for our leaders and other leaders around the world and we support them in that mission...

Listen: YOU get to partner in that global mission of strengthening leaders and planting churches simply by being a HEALTHY partner in what is going on here.

By SHARING your time talent and treasure with the saints at Oak Hill, PART of that is benefiting disciples and churches all over the world.

And as we raise up more healthy disciples and leaders here… we’ll be able to send out MORE people to plant MORE churches around the world.

That’s the beauty of how God designed the church and gospel partnerships.

And Paul is saying, “You Philippians have PROVEN your commitment to gospel partnership again and again… both in giving and receiving.” You SHARE with me in EVERY WAY.

Now here’s the thing… some people in Philippi could be like, “You SAY we partnered in giving and receiving… but it seems like we are doing all the giving Paul… and you are doing all the receiving...

From a purely financial perspective that could be true.

Paul spent a year and a half with THEM and this is the first letter we know of. So maybe 13 years later, some Philippian believers could be like, “Are we really still doing this?”

But that would be the CARNAL and SELFISH way of looking at it…

To be honest, some people could look at our relationship with the GCC in the same way…

They could say, “Some of my tithe goes to a ministry where I don’t know the people… I don’t directly benefit from them… what’s up with that?!?!”

Some people have that kind of relationship with the local church too… some people think the church is a “pay as you go” plan like a cell phone or Netflix subscription…

If I feel like I’m directly benefiting, then I will give… then I will serve… then I will share… if I’m not… then I won’t.

But that misses the spiritual nature of gospel partnership in the church… it is CARNAL and selfish and must be repented.

In verse 17, Paul points to what they “receive” through church partnership: “Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.” (Philippians 4:17–18, ESV)

Again, Paul isn’t focused on the finances… he’s focused on the partnership they express.

And what he receives THROUGH their financial gift is more than a physical provision.

The material gift is a spiritual blessing that allows for spiritual work resulting in spiritual fruit.

Likewise, the “credit” they receive is the knowledge that their physical gift bore spiritual fruit... they made a fragrant offering that pleased God.

This would take their minds back to the Old Testament sacrificial system...

And not to the sacrifices that took away sin...

Their minds would have gone to the sacrifices that were made simply to praise God and offer thanksgiving because he had provided for their salvation and sustenance…

Their sharing was NOT given to RECEIVE MATERIAL blessing… it was given simply to praise the Lord.

That’s so important as we get to this next verse that is so often misused: “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Philippians 4:19–20, ESV)

In context, Paul is saying, “As you PARTNER in gospel ministry, you can be CONVINCED that God will share with you everything that you NEED to CONTINUE partnering.”

He has EVERYTHING you need at his disposal. And he LOVES to provide for his children.

You can never out-give God. Every time you invest in his kingdom work, you can trust that he will supply every need...

But he does NOT supply your need because he owes you something.

Paul does NOT say, “Build up God’s kingdom so that he can build up yours.”

He is saying, “God SUPPLIES every need AS you continue sharing with others.

God supplies every need SO THAT you can stay committed to gospel partnership.

And he does it BECAUSE he is the one who deserves all glory forever and ever!

When we pour out our resources in worship… and he keeps providing… HE gets more and more glory!

Apply: So let me ask you this… I RARELY preach on money or giving… but when it comes up in the scriptures, it’s not off limits… do you share resources for the sake of the gospel?

Are you giving sacrificially and generously and cheerfully… to God’s mission through the church...

Are you sharing as an act of worship?

And if not, why not? What might keep you from that?

Is it because you are afraid that you won’t have what you need if you share with others?

Is it because you are focused on funding other pursuits and desires instead of God’s glory in the gospel?

When you give to Oak Hill, you are SHARING in physical ministry that bears SPIRITUAL fruit… both locally and around the world.

And you may or may not see the DIRECT PERSONAL benefit…

but you can trust that God supplies the NEEDS of his church THROUGH his CHURCH for his ultimate glory IN his church.

God wants you to commit ALL of your life to gospel partnership… , including sharing your material resources.

Now, I understand that requires a certain degree of trust.

There needs to be a degree of love and affection and relationship that holds that partnership together.

Between one another… and between them and God.

And that’s what we see again and again throughout this letter. Ultimately it comes down to relationship.

Look at verse 21 - “Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.” (Philippians 4:21–23, ESV)

Three Commitments that Require Trusting God: 1) Care, content that God cares for you. 2) Share, convinced that God shares with you.

Finally this:

3) Embrace, certain that God embraces you. (v. 21-23)

Explain: Paul ends this letter in the same way he started: recognizing that God has set apart these people for this partnership.

He opened the letter saying, ““Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

And here at the end he says, “Greet every saint in Christ Jesus.”

He’s reminding them that they are Christ’s set-apart ones… his holy church.

They need to hold together… they need to maintain their partnership… because the mission is relational.

And so he tells them to GREET one another...

The word would involve them embracing one another… possibly giving one of those side kisses like we see in Mediterranean countries.

In other words, pursue WELCOMING relationship. Don’t hold people at a distance. Greet EVERY saint.

We say this often at Oak Hill: The gospel is relational.

Listen… if you are a greeter or an usher, you have a CRAZY important job of making this place a RELATIONAL place each week.

Be motivated by the gospel in that role.

When you come to our celebration gathering on Sunday morning, come ready to GREET… to WELCOME one another because Christ has welcomed you.

When you gather with your Gospel Community on Friday nights… GREET every saint!

Strive for appropriate warmth and affection between you and each person.

Greet every saint. There is relationship and gospel partnership between one another.

And then he reminds them of their partnership with him and his team…

He says, “The brothers who are with me greet you” (that’s probably Paul’s teammates).

So there is relationship and gospel partnership beyond their local church...

Finally he reminds them that their partnership… their fellowship... with one another and with Paul… is always expanding.

And then he says, “ALL the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.”

He emphasizes those saints because it would have meant something for them to know that EVEN those closest to Caesar (who claimed to be Lord) were now confessing Jesus as Lord.

God was working. People were coming to know Jesus.

And God had used their partnership… their fellowship with Paul to do it.

And God would continue to empower that fellowship… that partnership… with his grace.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”

They could embrace one another because God would continue to embrace them with his grace.

They were the expression of God’s grace and love in one another’s lives.

Illustrate: Remember this diagram we used to demonstrate biblical fellowship:

Fellowship = Relationship + Mission

Fellowship = You, me and Jesus pointed in the direction of knowing and proclaiming Jesus.

That’s what Paul is describing as he closes out this letter.

They are to greet one another.

Greetings also come from their partners on Paul’s team.

And the Lord was embracing them all with his grace.

And the result was more and more people coming to know Jesus.

Do you see how it works? Are you ready to see how it works in our church?

Then commit.

Go all in.

Don’t date the church. Put a ring on it.

Care. Share. Embrace. trusting that God is committed to generously providing for you as you do.

Prayerfully Commit: What is your next step of commitment to partnering together for the pursuit of knowing and proclaiming Jesus?

A couple of ways to make this practical… a couple of ways we are continuing this thought in the coming weeks and months:

First, we are holding a baptism on Dec. 28…

Baptism is saying, “I’m identifying myself with Christ and his church.”

If you have put your faith in Christ, but have never been baptized, that’s the first step of commitment to Christ’s church.

Second, I’m teaching a membership class today and part 2 is next Sunday. If you want to know what it looks like to commit at Oak Hill, come to that class.

The class itself doesn’t mean you are making the commitment… but it is a good step in that direction.

Third, maybe you have been baptized and you are a member…

Commit to walking out the way of Jesus with the other disciples at Oak Hill.

Starting next week, we are going to dig into a series called “The Way,” and it’s all about what it looks like to purposefully make disciples together.

Our study in Philippians is over… but we need to make this commitment permanent: that we will partner together in the pursuit of knowing and proclaiming Jesus.