A Missionary and his Supporters

A Missionary and his Supporters

Philippians 1:1-7

[1] Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: [2] Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. [3] I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, [4] Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, [5] For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; [6] Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: [7] Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.

1. Paul’s REASON for Thanksgiving
   1. Their FAITHFULNESS – They could be counted on – The one ability that every Christian can have and exercise is dependability. That is just another way of saying faithfulness  It does not matter what gifts and abilities we may have if we are not at our station ready and willing to exercise those gifts. Think of it this way, I could be the greatest heart surgeon in the world, but if I am not where the emergency is, my skills, training and experience are of no value whatsoever. I may be the most gifted speaker with a God given ability to explain the things of God, but if I will not use that ability in the service of God it is of no consequence at all. As the expression says ‘even a hound dog can be faithful’. 
   2. Their STEDFASTNESS – Year after Year – The Christian life is a marathon not a dash. Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. It is a difficult thing to continue to labor year after year, especially if we do not see results we think we should see. This is where faith is involved. If I am faithful in doing the will of God the results are up to Him. I think of the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah who labored faithfully for some forty years seeing little results.  However his work has had an impact far beyond anything he could have imagined. In this life you may never see what God does with you and your labor for Him. 1 Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. One might then cite ‘the parable of the talents’. The emphasis is on the faithfulness of the servants in laboring for their master. 
   3. Their PARTICIPATION in the work
      1. Praying – Perhaps the greatest weakness in the spiritual life of the average believer is a lack of effectual prayer. James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. So much of the average prayer is either some kind of rote recital or lukewarm filled with platitudes and presented without the fervency of desire.  Most are presented in a dignified, emotionless manner more suited to a requisition for supplies for an office than a plea to the Sovereign of the Creation. The business of serving God should move us to the core of our souls. There is more energy and fervency at a college football game than in the prayer life of most Christians. 
      2. Giving – Luke 12:34For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. What is important to you will determine how much time, effort and money you spend on it. For some it may be fishing and a $40,000 bass boat seems a reasonable expenditure, for others it seems a foolish waste of money. To those who don’t see the value in a soul money spent on missions is a foolish waste and possibly worse, an intrusion into someone’s culture.  I remember while on deputation being asked what the folks who give to missions get out of it. To the lost man or carnal Christian it seems a waste to send resources to benefit people we don’t know nor who can help us. Giving to missions is an integral part of worship because it is the heart of God. 
      3. Working – It may seem counterintuitive but it is much harder to get time from someone than money.  Most of us have what the economist calls ‘expendable income’. Time is precious to us, we have lives ruled by the clock and calendar. We find time to do that which is a priority, whether it be a hobby, shopping or television. If missions are important to one they will make the effort to participate in the work of missions. 
2. Paul’s RECRUITS
   1. A Local Assembly – The institution that God has created for this dispensation is the church.  The manifestation of the church here is the local assembly.  All work should be done under the auspices of a local assembly.  This does not preclude cooperation between churches.  Many congregations are small and lack the resources to send a missionary to the field, but by combing their efforts it is possible to do just that.  It is our belief that the work of God should be done under the supervision of a local church or a group of locals churches.  The workers should come from these local congregations.  The local church should take care to examine the candidates for membership as to their salvation.  The local church is given the responsibility of preparing the workers for the ministry of the church, whatever their calling might be.  God will, of course, use our natural abilities and our training and experience, but these should be directed by the teaching of the Scriptures and the guidance of faithful brethren, all being led by the Holy Spirit. If an independent unaccountable institution is created, albeit for a good purpose, it is all too easy for an ‘ends justify the means’ attitude to infiltrate and unscriptural means to be used in the effort.  God has ordained the local assembly as both an agent in His work and a check on the methods used in that work.  
   2. A Long Reach – I may never be able to travel far and wide, but with my giving to missions I can have an influence to the far reaches of the world.  My prayers are completely unhindered by distance.  I have the privilege and responsibility to go Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. By means of cooperation with other churches and fervent prayer we can certainly accomplish the ‘Great Commission’. Places and people that I will not see until we reach Heaven can be part of our effort by these means.  That is a long reach. 
   3. Their Reason for doing – Their Love for
      1. God – John 14:15If ye love me, keep my commandments. Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Love is not just an emotion, it is an exercise of the will.  I took a vow to love my wife, if love is just an emotion that rises and falls beyond my control, I made a foolish vow.  However love being a decision to do the best for the object of my love is not beyond my control. Love will most definitely produce emotions but they are the product of love not the essence of love.  If I love God, the best I can do is obey Him.  Love will often cause us to do things that are not pleasing to the flesh, such as discipline our children or speak the truth to our loved ones.  It is difficult to tell those dear to us that unless they repent of their sins and accept Jesus as their Saviour they will spend an eternity in the flames of Hell, but love impels us to this very action.  In the same manner our love for God impels us to obey the missionary call.
      2. Paul – the missionary – The Philippians loved Paul not only because he was God’s instrument to reach them with the good news of the Gospel, but also because God puts a love for the brethren in the heart of those who are saved. They loved Paul because he was in the family of God and they loved the work that God had given him to do. We should have a love for all of God’s people and love those who are faithful in carrying out that work.
      3. The Lost – We must have a love for the lost though they don’t deserve it.  But I freely confess that I cannot have that love except by the work of the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures are clear that we received Jesus as our Saviour, we also received Romans 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. The Holy Spirit imparts to us the love that God has for the lost. 2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: Love without action is just an emotion and without any eternal value, true love impels us to take the Gospel to those in the darkness of sin.  
3. The DURATION – Beginning with the New Birth – From the first moments after the new birth God gives us a desire to see others receive Jesus and this wonderful freedom we have in our Lord and Saviour.  We have freedom from sin and its penalty, its guilt and even its power. This desire only matures in the faithful believer and God will expand our reach as we learn to obey as we grow in grace.  Physically I may not be able to do the things I once did but now I can teach and I can give and I can pray.  My part of the labor may change but I still have a job to do until my passing or the rapture. 
4. The TESTIMONY of the Philippians should provoke us to greater:
   1. Effort – I am constantly amazed at my ability to underestimate God’s ability to give me strength to do more.  I find that I tend to rely on my own strength but in Christ I can do more than I could ever imagine.  When we read of the heroes of the faith we must keep in mind that they did not do those things in their own power, but in the power of the Holy Spirit. 
   2. Endurance – Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Need we say more? We can do more and continue longer than we think. We just follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and He will supply the strength needed. 
   3. Sacrifice – Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. If what we give, be it time, money or anything else we value, is not something we need it is not a sacrifice. Faith requires that we give beyond our natural ability and trust God to supply our need. He will always =give what we need. The problem we have is a confusion between our needs and our desires. 1 Timothy 6:6-8 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. We have made many modern things out to be necessary when we merely want these things for the ease which they impart to our lives. We must be willing to do without the things of  the world if necessary to advance the work of God.