Friday, November 18, 2022 Some material taken from The Church I Want to Serve
For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you are all partakers of grace with me. Philippians 1:7
Unified In The Mission Of Sharing The Gospel
You and I gather together for worship today because Jesus sent Peter to Cornelius in Acts 10, and the church at Antioch sent Paul and Barnabas out in Acts 13. And, because the Philippians were grateful to have received the gospel, they saw the need and supported Paul in his journeys from there.
All these years later, the mission of the church has not changed. We are still called to spread the Good News and make disciples. Our job is just as important as that of the 12 Apostles that Jesus sent out. Jesus is sending us out as well. There is a hurting and very confused world that is seeking something. They don’t know what it is, but we do, and we have what they want. We can share the truth that will fill the void they are desperately trying to fill.
Paul was thankful and feeling joyful for the Philippians because they had stood beside him and supported him in his trials for the gospel. They had also received the same grace he had - you are all partakers of grace with me… They knew what the spreading the gospel meant to Paul and it meant the same to them.
When we are unified in our mission in the body of Christ, or as North Side Baptist Church, the world sees the value of what unifies us. As we are unified we are stronger and when we work in unity for the same mission, we support one another in ministry. We support one another in doing what the Lord asked us to do - And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Matthew 28:18-20
The gospel is good news because without it we have no hope. We are sinners and deserve nothing but death. And we have absolutely no hope of saving ourselves. But God - Who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do Ephesians 2:4-10
This is why we have to share to gospel. People need to hear that there is hope in a Living God. He is their only hope. Hope is in short supply in this world these days. This why we should be unified and focused on sharing this hope as Jesus asked us to do.
