1 THE GOSPEL IS A PARTNERSHIP Sermon preached by Pastor C. John Steer Autumn Ridge Church, Rochester, MN October 22-23, 2016 No. 5: What is the Gospel? Scripture: Philippians 1:3-11 History is filled with the story of great partnerships. Mr. Rolls and Mr. Royce created a rather lovely line of cars. Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson started one of the great American gun companies. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield gave us Ben & Jerry s Ice Cream. Bonnie and Clyde turned bank robbing into an art and Adam and Eve started the human race. These all point to the importance of partnership. At our weekend services we have been asking the question WHAT IS THE GOSPEL? We have seen that the word gospel is used in different ways in the New Testament books. From Mark we heard that the gospel is about Jesus. From Luke we learned that the gospel is good news. From Romans we find the gospel is saving. And from First Corinthians that the gospel is to be proclaimed. Today we look at the letter to the Philippians where we discover that THE GOSPEL IS A PARTNERSHIP. Paul was writing to his favorite congregation and he tells them in the first chapter "I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. (1:5) The word Paul uses for partnership is koinonia. It means fellowship and sharing in common. The essence of partnership is doing together what we can t do alone. This is a truth that is found throughout scripture. Solomon makes the wise observation: Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10) Jesus knew the value of partnership which is why he sent out the disciples two by two. When Paul began his missionary travels he didn t go alone. He always had a partner, sometimes Barnabas, sometimes Silas, sometimes Timothy. Here Paul is thanking the Philippians for the practical help and encouragement they have given him over the years. They have stood with him. They have contributed to his support. He is writing this letter from jail. The Philippians have sent him one of their own members called Epaphroditus to take care of Paul s needs in prison. In turn, Paul is going to send them Timothy to encourage them. The point is that Paul and these Philippians are a team, and that s a model for us as Christians. In this letter Paul describes three great benefits when we partner together in the gospel.
2 First, partnership helps us to advance the gospel. The apostle writes, I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel." (1:12) We saw last week that the gospel has a power in itself that propels the truth forward. Even though Paul is in prison he is not discouraged because of the support of the Philippians. His imprisonment has resulted in the gospel being advanced in two dramatic ways. First, it allowed Paul to witness to the Praetorian troops who guarded him in his cell. They were elite soldiers billeted at Caesar s palace. Probably for the first time in their life these military men are meeting a Christian and watching how Paul behaved. They hear him dictate this letter to the Philippians. In doing so they learn about Jesus. As a result some of them have become believers. We know this because Paul concludes his letter by saying, All God s people here [in Rome] send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar s household." (4:22) So Paul s imprisonment has not been a setback but a stepping stone for the gospel. It is good to apply that truth to our own life. God is sovereign in the details of our days. He may permit us to go through some painful experience like Paul being thrown into jail. But he wants to use these so that those who have never heard about Jesus come to learn about him. The second advance of the gospel that came out of Paul s imprisonment is the encouragement of the local believers in Rome. Paul explains, Because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear." (1:14) It is easy to see how this happened. The Christians in Rome are thrilled to have an apostle visiting their city. An apostle was person who had met the risen Christ and there weren t many of them around. Paul s courage in jail is infectious and they are saying to themselves, If Paul can do that in prison we can do it out of prison. The point is there was a partnership. People were not doing evangelism on their own. They were supporting each other and encouraging each other. Some years ago I saw this partnership in the gospel worked out in a local church. I had the privilege of spending ten days in Seoul, Korea as a delegate to a world missions conference. While I was there I visited the Yoido Full Gospel Church. Back in those days it was a struggling fellowship of about 200,000 people. Thankfully it has seen some growth and it is now over 400,000 people. I met with one of the 500 pastors and he explained their approach to advancing the gospel. Like us their church has small groups but it is such a large church that their groups were composed of people all in the same occupation. So there would be a small group for car mechanics, another for teachers, another for bank presidents, and so on.
3 In the car mechanics group they would begin to pray for a mechanic they knew who wasn t a believer. They asked God to bless his family and his business. Then they would wait for an opportunity to minister to this man. Perhaps his wife became ill. So they would go to his home with meals. They would offer to care for the children and help him with his business. They told him they were praying for him. When his wife got better they would invite him to their group and very often he became a believer too. What I learned from these Korean Christians is that they don t witness alone but together. They form a partnership and believe this is the reason for the extraordinary growth of their fellowship. I think their approach is wise. Often we are overwhelmed by the thought of sharing our faith. We are not sure what to say. But when there are ten of us in a partnership all praying and pulling together it is very different. We draw courage from one another. So this is a great model for our own Life Groups. Let s pray for individuals we know and commend them to God and look for opportunities to serve them. Then Paul shows that partnership helps us to defend the gospel. The apostle writes to his friends, 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." (1:7) Paul adds for emphasis, "I am put here for the defense of the gospel." (1:16) From the very beginning the gospel of Christ has been attacked and ridiculed, particularly by the cultural elite who see it as a threat to their desire to set society s standards. Paul is in Rome, the capital of the superpower of his day. He is claiming that a Jew called Jesus is the Son of God and Savior of the world. This is upsetting to the Roman elite. For political purposes Caesar wants people to believe that he is lord. So every place that Rome expands its borders the authorities demand that citizens make an offering and declare that Caesar is lord and god. In our own day the cultural elite also find the gospel offensive. They dislike its claim of absolute truth because they insist all truths are relative. They are offended by its insistence on the uniqueness of Jesus Christ because they say that all religions and no religion are of equal value. They dislike the gospel s call to sexual purity because they want to teach schoolchildren that sexuality is just an appetite like any other that must be satisfied. They particularly hate the idea of divine judgment because that assumes a set of standards by which we will be measured by a holy God. So the gospel is always under attack. Paul s job and ours is to give a defense for the reasonableness of the claims of Christ. We recognize that in a pluralistic democratic society like America we cannot expect everyone to live by gospel standards. But because we believe God has given these standards for our good and well-being we want to make a case for them.
4 So Peter urges us, "In your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander." (1 Peter 3:15-16) Notice that Peter there is addressing the whole church, not an individual. This sort of defense of our faith cannot be done alone. We need to work together in partnership. So some are called to the academic work of apologetics, others to mercy ministries where we demonstrate the grace of Christ, others to gossiping the gospel over a cup of coffee. In all of this we support one another so that our defense of the gospel may be empowered by the Holy Spirit and result in people coming to know the Lord Jesus. Third, Paul shows us that partnership helps us to display the gospel. The apostle urges his friends in Philippi, Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. (1:27) Paul certainly wants the Philippians to describe the gospel in words but he also knows it is essential that the gospel describes them for if we are not careful our conduct can contradict our convictions. The apostle goes on to mention several ways that we can display the gospel. We can do it by striving together. He writes, Whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you." (1:27-28) That expression striving together conveys the idea of pulling together, giving the gospel everything we have, longing to see Christ being glorified in our life. I am encouraged by the many examples of Autumn Ridgers striving together. One great example is Side by Side. This is a ministry to medical spouses that meets here every Friday morning. When our own Robin Morgenthaler was the wife of a resident she realized how very hard it could be. She was raising young children. Her husband was gone for long hours. She thought it would be best to face this challenge in the company of other women going through the same experience. So they partnered together and Side by Side was born. Over a hundred women meet here each week. The ministry has been so effective it has spread to other places in the United States and to other countries around the world. It has taken a lot of work and striving together but the gospel is being displayed. Young women who have moved to Rochester and don t know anyone are invited and immediately are able to make friends. Some come from other countries and there is a special group for those who want to improve their English. They meet for Bible study and worship and enjoy times of fellowship. People have come to faith through Side by Side and others have grown in their faith. It is a great example of what happens when Christians strive together. We can also display the gospel by suffering. Paul tells the Philippians, It has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him" (1:29) Suffering is part of our calling as Christians. God permits us to pass through the valley of suffering in order that we can display his grace.
5 A young couple in our church suffered a major disappointment recently when they were told they could not have any more children. Instead of being angry at God at this turn of events, they asked themselves, What does God want to teach us through this? It would have been easy to be overwhelmed. But this couple believes in the sovereignty of God. They are in partnership together with Christ. They know they do not walk through this valley alone. They said to each other, God has a purpose in this. He will somehow use it for good. They rightly saw there could be positive outcome from their pain. Then we can display the gospel by unselfishness. Paul writes, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." (2:3-4) It is hard to imagine a verse more countercultural to society s values. For this is a call to unselfishness and humility. We are to put other people before ourselves, rather than looking out for our own interests and desires. Secular therapists might warn us this is unhealthy. If we live like this we could get trampled on. It is important we stand up for our own rights. Why on earth should we live this unselfish way? The answer is that Jesus did and as his followers we are to imitate him. When we do so we display the gospel. I know a man who went through a difficult divorce. He was going to fight for everything he could in court. Then as a Christian he was confronted with this principle of valuing others above himself. So he told his attorney Please give my wife anything she wants. I want to put her interests above mine. I want to value her above myself. His attorney advised against it. But that s what the man did and as a result the subsequent relationship with his former wife was transformed. By any normal reckoning he was a fool, but he was a fool for Christ s sake when he displayed the gospel. Then we display the gospel by problem solving. Paul is writing to the Philippians because problems had arisen in the church. Two ladies weren t getting on and it was impacting the whole fellowship. Paul addresses the problem when he writes, I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel. (4:2-3) Interpersonal problems arise in every church and Christian organization. Decent people can look at the same set of facts and come to very different conclusions. These two ladies had a falling out and people in the church were taking sides and it was destroying the witness of the gospel in Philippi. Paul reminds Euodia and Syntyche that they are in a partnership and they need to be of the same mind. Paul realizes it may be difficult for them to solve the problem on their own so he asks the congregation to help these two ladies find a peaceful compromise. Nowadays either Euodia or Syntyche would leave the church and maybe their supporters would join them. But that s an acknowledgement that the gospel has no power to connect
6 human relationships. It is saying my hurt feelings are bigger than the gospel. It reduces the gospel to one of those inspirational posters you see hanging in government offices. But the gospel is about our relationship with Jesus Christ. The gospel is about how we are reconciled to God and to one another. The gospel is bigger than our petty squabbles or even our big ones. So we need to work hard and pray hard and resolve these conflicts which will always arise because as Christians we are in a spiritual battle. Paul has shown us that the gospel is a partnership. This is a vital principle of the Christian life and it is something we express every time we come to church and contribute to the offering. Paul was so grateful for the Philippians financial support of their partnership. He writes, It was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only;... I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God." (4:14-18) At Autumn Ridge we usually close our service with the offering. It is our way of responding to God and it is an expression of our partnership together. The money that we put in the offering bucket or give through our smart phone enables us to advance the gospel and defend the gospel and display the gospel to the world. For example, this money makes possible our Celebrate Recovery program for people with hurts, habits and hang-ups. This money provides for MOPS, our mothers of preschoolers, who meet on Thursday mornings. This money supports the many missionaries we are in partnership with both in this country and around the world. This money enables the work of Next Chapter here in Southeast Rochester. This money pays for salaries and supplies at Compassion Evangelical Hospital in Guinea. In other words, most of what we do as a church would be impossible without our partnership in giving. Paul couldn t have done his missionary work without the financial support of the Philippians. Similarly, there would not be any ministry to the children, youth, singles, couples, or seniors at Autumn Ridge without our partnership when we pass the offering bucket. I began by referring to some partnerships that have impacted our nation and world. Let me close by talking about a partnership than shaped our community. It is the story of two brothers, Will and Charlie Mayo, whose work led to today s Mayo Clinic. They were among the first to see the benefits of medical partnership. Now people come here from all over the world for healing. The brothers partnership was preceded by another. For their father, W.W. Mayo, teamed up with the Sisters of St. Francis to build Saint Marys Hospital after a tornado destroyed much of the town in 1883. So we Christians are to partner as brothers and sisters to offer health and healing to people who are sick and dying in their sin.