May 17 – Philippians 4:14-16
“Yet 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; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need.”
Paul was content in all circumstances, but at the same time was grateful for the assistance and care the Philippians offered to him.
The church in Philippi had begun a pattern of sending aid to Paul when he was Thessalonica and continued this pattern through his ministry. What a fabulous early notion of supporting mission work!
It’s hard for me to think about the realities of missionaries in today’s world because I see them through the eyes of an American. We tend to look at people who need Christ in developing countries as less than us because they seemingly have so much less. So, as we support missionaries, we want to see that they are caring for orphans and widows, providing food and care to people. We don’t see missionaries as a bridge between two equal groups, as the means for the gospel to reach the entire world.
We lived in one church community that had sponsored several immigrants from Southeast Asia. While these people were welcome in the church, they were never treated as equals. In fact, as we watched the relationship between the church and the families we sponsored, we realized that they were treating these people as pets – well cared for pets, but pets still the same. They didn’t want to recognize that there were skills and talents equal to their own. As long as the families needed help with rent, food, education, etc., they weren’t given the respect due to an equal, they were less than children … more like pets.
In another church community, the church had sponsored a young man a bit differently. As he grew, they helped him finish his education, bring his wife and children to America, taught him the ropes of American culture, watched as he got a good job, bought a home and entered into the life of the church fully as an equal. It was something else entirely for them.
This is the model of missionary support that the Philippians offers us. Paul was moving among people, not to just meet their physical needs, but to bring Christ to them in whatever way possible. The support came to him immediately and willingly, knowing that he would use it honorably whether for himself or the church he was a part of.
Over and over, the Philippians met his needs. Jesus commanded his disciples (that includes us, now) to take the Gospel to the world. If we can’t go, others will. We have to support them freely so that they can do whatever it is God calls them to do, wherever it is He calls them to do it.
“Yet 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; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need.”
Paul was content in all circumstances, but at the same time was grateful for the assistance and care the Philippians offered to him.
The church in Philippi had begun a pattern of sending aid to Paul when he was Thessalonica and continued this pattern through his ministry. What a fabulous early notion of supporting mission work!
It’s hard for me to think about the realities of missionaries in today’s world because I see them through the eyes of an American. We tend to look at people who need Christ in developing countries as less than us because they seemingly have so much less. So, as we support missionaries, we want to see that they are caring for orphans and widows, providing food and care to people. We don’t see missionaries as a bridge between two equal groups, as the means for the gospel to reach the entire world.
We lived in one church community that had sponsored several immigrants from Southeast Asia. While these people were welcome in the church, they were never treated as equals. In fact, as we watched the relationship between the church and the families we sponsored, we realized that they were treating these people as pets – well cared for pets, but pets still the same. They didn’t want to recognize that there were skills and talents equal to their own. As long as the families needed help with rent, food, education, etc., they weren’t given the respect due to an equal, they were less than children … more like pets.
In another church community, the church had sponsored a young man a bit differently. As he grew, they helped him finish his education, bring his wife and children to America, taught him the ropes of American culture, watched as he got a good job, bought a home and entered into the life of the church fully as an equal. It was something else entirely for them.
This is the model of missionary support that the Philippians offers us. Paul was moving among people, not to just meet their physical needs, but to bring Christ to them in whatever way possible. The support came to him immediately and willingly, knowing that he would use it honorably whether for himself or the church he was a part of.
Over and over, the Philippians met his needs. Jesus commanded his disciples (that includes us, now) to take the Gospel to the world. If we can’t go, others will. We have to support them freely so that they can do whatever it is God calls them to do, wherever it is He calls them to do it.
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