… for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need.
Summary: The strongest bonds are formed when we are in our deepest need.
If you have ever been someplace where you don’t know the people and they don’t know you, you know what it is like to try to make friends. Paul, of course, wasn’t trying to make friends for himself, but for Jesus.
His faith was tested again and again as he worked for the Lord. It was hard work, demanding, and in human terms, thankless.
During this season of his life, when no other church was supporting his work (v 15), the believers at Philippi did not forget Paul. More than once, they sent help when he needed it.
You might be wondering if their decision to send help was a human desire to help or one inspired by God. The answer to that is something each of us will have to decide for ourselves. Scripture does not tell us except to show us that there was a special relationship between Paul and the church at Philippi (Phil 1:7-8).
In the end, what matters is that they helped, and they sent help when Paul needed it. It is hard for us to appreciate how that must have touched Paul’s heart.
Perhaps the lesson we can learn from this has to do with how we can touch people’s hearts, too.
The Greatest Commandment is to love God above all else (Matthew 22:37). The second Greatest Commandment is to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:39). Everything else flows from this.
At the end of Matthew’s Gospel is what is called the “Great Commission.” This is where Jesus says:
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20a)
The question that follows is, “How do we make disciples?”
The answer to that is not, “Browbeat them into submission!” Instead, the answer is found in the Great Commandments: love God and love others.
Our love for God keeps us grounded in his will. Our love for our neighbors ensures that God’s love for them is expressed through us. We become the conduit for God’s love. Making disciples is really just a fancy way of saying we need to love (agapē) people until they wake up and follow Jesus.
Application: When it comes to making disciples, the place to start is making a disciple of ourselves.
Food for Thought: What did the fact that the Philippians sent Paul help say about them as believers? What does not helping say about the churches who didn’t help?
I would say that it means that they trusted God’s provision. That everything comes from God, and is His, and if He gives us more than we need, we should share it with others that are in need. This is regardless of how we perceive the other person.
A second part to this is giving beyond our means when we feel led by the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit asks us to commit to give beyond what we presently have, there is trust that He will provide the means at the right time.
So when a believer is willing to give up “comfort” or willing to accept “discomfort” for the sake of showing the love of Christ to others, it shows a deeper trust and faithful relationship with Christ. But we should not confuse this with giving out of reluctance or compulsion. If we give, we must give out of love, with gratitude in our hearts. The “bountiful” reward is closer relationships; with God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and those around us.
2 Corinthians 9:6-7
6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Thank you, Chris!
I love the verse you chose! It highlights your point about trusting God and loving as he loves.