Tuesdays from Phil 1 - Partnership in the Gospel

"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now." Phil 1:3-5

Do we really see the gospel as a partnership? Sure, we "partner" with folks all the time: "You bring the veggies, I'll bring the dessert" "You sing and I'll preach" "You work with the youth and I'll serve in the nursery" There is no denying that these are all partnerships of some sort and when they are offered in humble service to Christ, they are partnerships in the gospel. But, I can't escape the thought that Paul was commending the Philippians for something beyond an entry level, basic body-life sort of partnership.

Think for a moment about what Paul says in 2 Cor 8:

"We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints—and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us." 2 Cor 8:1-5

 They gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. They gave out of their abundant joy and extreme poverty. They begged earnestly to take part in the relief of the saints. That's a picture of partnership!

I also like to think of partnership in business terms. As I work for my employer, I want the company to succeed and keep me employed. Yet I'm free to go and they are free (hopefully not too free) to let me go. In a partnership, you are "all in". If the business succeeds, you succeed. If the business fails...

So are we "all in" with the gospel? I know the gospel and God's Word cannot fail, but yet God is calling us to put our ministries and perhaps even our lives (whether physically or just reputationally) on the line. And, if we casually re-read Philippians not for the doctrinal truth, but just for the tone of Paul's message, we see that he really did view them as partners in the gospel.

Maybe the prayer and the point is not so much to see the partnership that Paul had with the Philippians, as important as it is to see that (Phil 3:17), but rather to move toward this attitude in our lives and ministries. What would change if  you viewed your church (or where ever you serve) not as the "Jesus Corporation", but as the "Jesus and you partnership". To borrow from a different context, we are no longer slaves (employees) but sons and if sons then heirs (partners).

Be "all in" for the glory of Christ!