Philip Dampier's Blog

Chapter 4, Verses 14-16, “Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only.  Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again.”

Paul can’t end his letter without one more mention of the special relationship he has had with the Philippian church. Paul’s past persecution of the churches no doubt limited the number of early supporters. The Philippians had accepted him and did so with their meager wealth. They learned to love Paul and he them and this letter is a testament to what can happen when the people of God work together to spread the good news of Jesus. The Philippians didn’t care who got the credit because their gifts were the product of love for Christ and His servant.

Note that this was not a one-time thing. They agreed to help Paul in his work and they continued to do so even when things weren’t going so well. Churches today could learn a valuable lesson from this example of cooperative evangelism. For any mission effort to succeed it must continue through good and bad times, in victory and defeat. Hurray for the Philippian church.

Task for Today: Whatever you decide to do for the work of the kingdom of God do with all your mind and heart. Make a commitment to support the spreading of the gospel and stick with it. You won’t get a letter from Paul but God will note your good work.