The Partnership Paul Named
Daily Scripture
Philippians 4:15-20
You Philippians know from the time of my first mission work in Macedonia how no church shared in supporting my ministry except you. You sent contributions repeatedly to take care of my needs even while I was in Thessalonica. I’m not hoping for a gift, but I am hoping for a profit that accumulates in your account. I now have plenty and it is more than enough. I am full to overflowing because I received the gifts that you sent from Epaphroditus. Those gifts give off a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice that pleases God. My God will meet your every need out of his riches in the glory that is found in Christ Jesus. Let glory be given to God our Father forever and always. Amen.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
Paul told the Philippians something specific about their shared history. No other church had partnered with him in giving and receiving, he wrote, not from the earliest days of the gospel, not even after he left Macedonia for Thessalonica.
He used real financial language for it. Profit accumulating in an account. Full payment received. This wasn’t vague gratitude. It was the vocabulary of an actual ledger, credits and debits between two parties.
William Barclay noted that Paul’s bond with the Philippian church ran closer than with any other church he’d planted.* No other congregation had supported him this consistently, this early, or this personally.
In the very next breath, Paul called the same gift something else entirely. A fragrant offering. A sacrifice, pleasing to God. The kind of language reserved for what happened at the temple altar.
Paul held both descriptions together. The gift was a real financial partnership. It was also an act of worship.
Partnership, for Paul, was never split into ordinary and sacred categories. The same is true for us. What we give practically can be worship too, without becoming any less practical for it.
- Paul described his relationship with the Philippians as a partnership, not just one-directional giving. Think of a relationship in your life built on that same kind of partnership, where support has gone both ways over time. What has that partnership given you that you’ve never told them?
- Paul held the same gift as both a financial partnership and an act of worship, not one or the other. Where in your own giving could you start seeing something practical as worship instead of splitting the two apart?
Prayer
Lord, thank you for the people who have partnered with me over years rather than just once. Help me name their generosity specifically instead of offering only a general thanks. Thank you for being a God who takes responsibility for meeting needs I can’t always meet myself. Teach me to see my own giving as worship, even when it feels ordinary. Amen.
GPS Insights
Darren Lippe
Darren Lippe, who serves as a Couples Small Group co-leader and Men's Group Leader, while volunteering in a variety of other capacities at Resurrection, wrote today’s Insights. He and his wife, Doris, first met in a Resurrection Single Adult Sunday School class in 1997 and were married in what is now the Student Center. They are empty nesters with 2 college-aged sons, Matthew and Jacob.
The Biblical writers often used metaphors to help make their point clearer to the reader, like these financial examples:
- Noah was a fantastic financier. After all, even in the midst of intense liquidation pressures, he was still able to float a loan.
- The infant Moses is still the best withdrawal from a bank in human history.
- The Bible talks a lot about profits. I suppose Isaiah would probably be considered the greatest.
So, it isn’t surprising that Paul also uses financial metaphors in his letter to the Philippians. Let’s take a look:
First, in verse 15 Paul thanks the Philippians for their participation in the Initial Public Offering (IPO) of his ministry. The prudent investor probably would have waited a bit to see how the ministry progressed, but the Philippians were all in from the get go. Sometimes, a leap of faith is required of a disciple.
In verse 16, Paul applauds them for continuing to buy shares. They didn’t make a one-time investment & call it a day. Their faithfulness was on-going. Likewise, sometimes we need to follow-up when we minister to others. It’s great to deliver a meal or mow a lawn when someone is in the hospital, but perhaps they need encouragement as they return home as well. Paul would recommend the DRIP (Dividend Reinvestment Plan) strategy of caring for others.
Verse 17 Paul advertises the dividends that will come from this investment. No, not cash. Rather, it’ll be reflected in the sense of purpose you feel, the joy you experience as you give, & seeing the lives changed as a result.
In verse 18. Paul emphasizes that, as always, the Philippians should review the entire Prospectus for potential risks. Investing in God’s Kingdom could require a sacrifice of free time, or excess funds, or even pride as we take on menial tasks. But Paul reminds us to not confuse the lack of recognition with a lack of return.
In the final verses of our passage, Paul reminds the Philippians that the underwriter of this IPO has deep pockets. God has unlimited grace, unlimited love, & offers unlimited hope. Solvency isn’t going to be a problem. Bottom line, with God’s resources backing us, we needn’t worry about being overly-generous. So, while we may not receive a lot of earthly acclaim for our generosity, God will always be glorified.
So, what does this mean for us today? Let’s do a quick check on our heavenly brokerage statement:
Account Holder: You
Account: Kingdom, Inc.
Ticker: IHS (Jesus)
AAA Rating: Almighty, Abundant, Always
Contributions: Time, Talent, & Treasure
Capital Appreciation: Character
Dividends Received: Joy
Compound Interest: Lives Influenced
Investment Horizon: Eternity
Management Fee: Already covered by Jesus
This is a deal I can’t pass up! Where do I sign?
Now if you’ll excuse me, I want to check my stock portfolio. What a bunch of mixed results: My helium stocks are at an all-time high, my paper mill stocks remain stationery, & my diaper stocks have reached a new bottom.
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Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* William Barclay, The Letters to the Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians (Daily Study Bible Series) (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1975),
