Ramesh C. Reddy
Editor in Chief
Hi everyone :)
May you experience the Lord's wisdom as you partner in the Gospel! Amen!
Quiet Times (Psalm 147:3 and Philippians 4:15-18)
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3)
“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; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. I have received full payment and even more; 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.” (Philippians 4:15-18)
Observations:
I asked myself what things stuck out in this passage?
Two things stuck out:
I asked myself how were the Philippians helpful to Paul in the area of giving and receiving?
1. In the earliest days of the Philippians acquaintance with the Gospel, they gave aid to Paul when he set out from Macedonia even though no other church supported him.
2. When Paul was in Thessalonica, they sent him aid again and again when he was in need.
3. He has received full payment and even more from the Philippians.
4. He is amply supplied now because of the gifts sent to Paul from the Philippians by Epaphroditus.
Interpretations:
I found it fascinating that they supported Paul to do work outside of Philippi which is evidenced by places such as Macedonia and Thessalonica from their first acquaintance with the Gospel. They did not depend on others to support Paul but took it upon themselves. Even when other churches were not willing to support Paul, they stood out to give him support.
I was amazed the number of times they sent aid again and again when he was in need in Thessalonica which shows that their support was not a one time thing. Their partnership with Paul in the Gospel was an ongoing thing.
Because of the Philippians help, Paul was in a surplus rather than in a deficit at this point being amply supplied.
I asked myself why would the Philippians go through all this?
What came to my mind is that they believed in what Paul
was doing. They believed in the work of the evangelist that Paul was engaged in
that they took it upon themselves to provide aid to Paul so he could continue
it. They must have seen Paul at work and what he was accomplishing for God’s
Kingdom to be excited. In a way, Paul brought those supporters on board because
he had a vision that the Philippians became excited about. They knew their
support would be worth it and not squandered.
It is interesting that ‘full payment’ is mentioned. For me that meant the entire aid went to help Paul directly rather than overhead costs, etc. They wanted all of it to go to Paul.
I asked myself how did Paul respond to all of this?
1. He told them that everything they were doing for him would be credited to their account.
2. They are a fragrant offering.
3. They are an acceptable sacrifice.
4. They are pleasing to God.
What came to my mind is what does it have to do with me in the 21st century?
I saw important implications for my own life. I need to support people who are in ministry doing the work of the Lord even when others do not support them. To do that will be that much easier if I believe in what they are doing and am excited about it. For that to happen, I need to know what is happening in their ministry and be excited enough to know it is worth the partnership. There are so many ministries out there and so many people who need support but I cannot support each one. Those I do support, I want to support because I am excited about what they are doing.
The other aspect of it is that people’s ministries need not be full blown Billy Graham Evangelistic Association success ratio as long as I am excited what they are doing in that area of ministry for the glory of the Lord.
I ask you now dear friend, will you finance a person in ministry?
Dear friends, it is not one person who aided Paul but a community of believers so that he could be helped and supported. It is their support that helped Paul continue in the ministry and keep going. They did that because they trusted Paul and were excited what he was doing not only in their lives but in the lives of others. You have an opportunity to aid someone individually or collectively joining with others. It could be a campus staff worker, pastor, etc. Pray about it and ask the Lord to show you who to support. Get to know the person/s or ministries you want to support and ask yourself if you are excited about what is happening. If you are not then there are other ministries you can look at that can give you excitement to support if it is something you believe in.
For me supporting ministries should not take the place of supporting my local church but in addition to supporting my local church. You need to ask yourself who and what church you want your tithing to go to and why.
Friend, I have learned as we support others they will be in a better position to continue in the ministry rather than having to always worry about their financial deficit. Now they can concentrate on ministering as their needs will be amply supplied. You can be one of them that can make that happen.
I know we cannot provide the whole amount of need individually but as each person does their part, it can happen. From this passage one of the important principles I learned is that it is not up to me to worry whether other people give or not but for me to provide help for those whose mission is the Gospel of Jesus Christ that I believe in. There were churches that did not support Paul and I don’t know the reasons why but that did not stop the Philippians from supporting him.
May you seek the Lord to provide help and support to those you know whose mission is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and who you are excited to partner with prayerfully and financially!
Our support of others who are doing God’s work will please the Lord. Many times it will be a sacrifice but it will please to God! May you walk that path to allow the Lord Jesus to use you to help someone else! Amen!
Financially Incorporate New Allowances Nurturing Christ’s Evangelists! (F.I.N.A.N.C.E)
Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, I want to thank you so much for everything I got out of this lesson. Lord, you have shown me the importance of supporting people who do your work so they can be amply supplied. You have also let me know that not everyone will be willing to support but I need to do my part. Help me Oh Lord to know who to continue to support. Lord, you know all of our financial situations and what we are able to and unable to do. Many times it can be a sacrifice but I thank you that it will please you. That is what I want to go for. Oh Lord, continue to show us the right people or ministries to support for your honor and glory Lord for we cannot support everyone. Lord, I want to thank you for those that have supported me in the ministry and help me to support others in their ministry. Hear our prayers and please answer us Lord. Thank you so much Jesus for being there for us and that we can turn to you. Help us not to forget to support our local church. Thank you Jesus! Whatever your will is for our lives please give us the willingness and strength to bear it. Thank you for loving us so much and dying for our sins and coming back to life to save us as we yield to you. I love you Jesus. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!
Love in Christ,
Ramesh
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