Ep. 43 | Gospel Partnerships | Philippians

Listen in as Pastor Eddie Blalock shares today’s daily devotional featuring Philippians 4:15-19. Let’s be Formed by The Word together!

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Transcript

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Welcome to Formed by the Word, a podcast where we don't just read the Bible, we invite it to shape our lives. In each episode, Pastor Eddie Blaylock will provide daily devotionals seeking to connect real scripture to real life. We'll be starting with the book of Philippians. This incredible letter clearly reveals how life in Christ shapes a resilient faith and a joy that is not dependent on circumstances. So wherever you're listening, whether you're driving, working out, or just scrolling for something meaningful, lean in, open your heart, and let's be formed by the word together.

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When I first met Cliff and Peggy Matthews, I was in a tumultuous struggle with what I sensed God was calling me to do. I was sensing that God was calling me to plant a new church in Lake City, Florida, but I had some struggles, frankly. Cliff helped coach me and Beth through that process, and in fact, he was the first to suggest to me that a church planter can also be a long tenured pastor. And that was very appealing to me because I love long tenures. I just assumed that being called to church planting meant planting a new church, then after a few years moving on to start another. Cliff looked at me and said, Eddie, what if you became a founding pastor and pastored one church while planting many? Thought had never occurred to me, frankly, but nearly twenty years later that has become a reality in my life. Cliff and Peggy's encouragement didn't end with that statement. Several months after our initial meeting and we had said yes to God's call to the orchard. We were beginning the new work that God had called us to. God had clearly told us not to find secular employment and to trust him completely for the resources that we would need. Looking back, he knew that we would need to put all of our time into this new church plant. But how? How does that happen? How do we proceed with no money for living expenses, let alone church planting expenses? We were convinced that God would supply those needs, but we had no idea how he might choose to do it. In the midst of those moments of uncertainty, I got a phone call. It was Cliff. To shorten a long story, Cliff pledged a substantial amount of financial support. He told me that he and Peggy saw their support as a spiritual investment in me and in this new work called the Orchard. Well, Paul was in a similar situation. His ministry needs had expanded, his tent making business had to be put on hold, and Paul was making his way through Asia Minor on his way to Europe and eventually to Rome. He was confident that God would provide for the needs of his ministry, but at times didn't know how that would happen. The Philippians were Paul's Cliff and Peggy. Now sometime later Paul was writing this letter to, among other things, say thank you for your support. He too realized it was tremendous help to him, but it was also a great investment for them. In the text we've come to now, Philippians chapter four, verses fifteen through nineteen, Paul wrote these words. He said, And you Philippians know that in the early days of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in this matter of giving and receiving except you alone. For even in Thessalonica you sent gifts for my need several times, not that I seek the gift, but I seek the profit that is increasing to your account, but I have received everything in full, and I have an abundance. I am fully supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you provided, a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice pleasing to God, and my God will supply all your needs according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus. What a wonderful paragraph of Scripture. I observe here four major themes in these short verses. Each one deserves its own podcast. By the way, when I first wrote those words, they each deserve their own podcast. I intended to say, but we're going to try to give them all into one. After pondering it and looking at it a little more closely, I thought, no, I can't do that. I'll just take the time to give each one its due attention. So let's start with the first. The first major theme is what we might call gospel partnership. It's found in verse 15. He says, For even in Thessalonica, now Thessalonica was a richer place than Philippi. They had more money, they had more business, it was a thriving place on the coast of the sea. Even when he was in Thessalonica, the poorer, the people with less resources in Philippi sent gifts. He said, Even in Thessalonica, you sent gifts for my need several times. You see, the Bible makes it clear that when we give toward gospel ministry, we are entering into a partnership with that ministry. This partnership through giving is a vital expression of Christian fellowship or quinonia. It's a vital expression of mutual support and participation in the spread of the gospel. Partnership is giving not merely a financial transaction, but a spiritual partnership where givers pray for the work and sharing the fruit and the rewards of that ministry, whether that's a church, a parachurch ministry, a missionary, or in this case, an apostle Paul. Well, giving connects us to the mission of the church. This partnership giving, this giving to one who is involved in the gospel that we are partnering with connects us to the mission of the church, and that is to go into the world and to preach the gospel. The Philippians supported Paul early. He says, in the very beginning of the gospel, in the very beginning of this ministry, they supported him. They were the only church actively partnering financially at that time. And through their support, Paul said they were sharing in what God was doing in his ministry. To restate what we've already said, the word partnership, quinanea, implies the shared mission, the shared investment, and even the shared reward. They didn't just believe in the gospel, they invested in it. There's some key principles from the scripture here that we need to see. We need to draw some of these principles from this passage about partnering with others, because we too can partner with gospel ministry. We too have opportunity to give in support of gospel ministries and become partners with them. Whether it's a church, whether it's a mission organization, a missionary, or whatever, we still have those active today. First of all, I think this is important and I'm free to say it. Those who proclaim the gospel have a right to support. The Bible affirms that full-time ministry work deserves material support, so workers can focus on the spiritual labor without distraction. Paul dealt with this issue when he wrote to the church at Corinth. He wrote these words, 2 Corinthians chapter 9, beginning in verse 7. He said, What soldier has to pay his own expenses? What farmer plants a vineyard and doesn't have the right to eat some of its fruit? What shepherd cares for a flock of sheep and isn't allowed to drink some of the milk? Am I expressing merely a human opinion? Or does the law not say the same thing? For the law of Moses says you must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain. Was God thinking only about oxen when he said this? Wasn't he actually speaking to us? Yes, he says, It is written for us so that the one who ploughs and the one who threshes the grain might both expect a share of the harvest. He continued, verse eleven, since we have planted spiritual seed among you, aren't we entitled to a harvest of physical food and drink? If you support others who preach to you, shouldn't we have an even greater right to be supported? But we have never used this right. We would rather put up with anything than to be an obstacle to the good news about Christ. Don't you realize that those who work in the temple get their meals from the offerings brought to the temple, and those who serve at the altar get a share of the sacrificial offerings? In the same way, the Lord ordered that those who preach the good news, the gospel, should be supported by those who benefit from it. That's a strong word, but great explanation coming from the apostle who understood that it was a necessity that he be supported in provisional needs. He couldn't work, he was not allowed to work. There were too many things going on in the gospel ministry. Things were too demanding. And so he said, It's your privilege to give and to give cheerfully. And when we give cheerfully, generously, and voluntarily support solid gospel ministries, Paul says it's an investment in that ministry. As we've already learned, the heart attitude matters even more than the amount. Boy, I just believe that Cliff and Peggy have an important, important partnership with the orchard. And even though Cliff's gone to heaven now, that reward is still being realized. So again, let's put some handles on this if we could. First of all, I think this verse is telling us that we need to learn to shift from being a consumer to a partner. Ask yourself this: Am I just benefiting from the gospel or am I investing in it? If you've never supported gospel ministry before, I encourage you, get started. Start with your church. Your giving to the church is not to pay the light bills. You're giving to the church is your investment in the proclamation of the gospel. Second, if you've given before, why not consider increasing your giving? Now that you're giving to your church, why not add a missionary ministry? You say, well, Pastor Handy, I don't know how to do that. We have young men in our church who are involved in such ministry. For example, the Jacksons over in West Africa, they rely on the support of friends and church partnerships here in the U.S. to support their work and to support them while they give their time to reach these people in West Africa. Young men like Trey Lee, who works with FCA. You may not realize that FCA doesn't pay a salary to trade. No, he gets it when people, friends, partners partner with him in giving. Maybe through something like Compassion International. Beth and I have for many, many years supported orphans through that great work. There's many ways. Think eternally. What you give today impacts eternity and builds lasting fruit. Why not get involved? Here's the takeaway for today. When you invest in the gospel, remember this. You share in its impact. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing us this time together. God teach us on this important subject. Open up our minds to know how we might give and to whom we might give. And help us to remember that as we give to gospel ministry, it's more than a gift, it's an investment. Thank you for investing in us, Lord, with your life, your precious blood. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

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Thanks for joining us today. We are so glad that you chose to spend a few moments with us in God's Word. If this episode has encouraged you, we ask that you leave us a review or maybe share this episode with a friend. Also, would you consider sending us a note to let us know what God is doing in your life? Pastor Eddie would love to hear from you. You can find this email in the show notes. Until next time, stay in the scriptures, keep following Christ, and allow your life to be formed by the Word.