Author: mary

“It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.” Paul describes in ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:7‬. As Christians, we partake in each other’s hardships and joys. We are part of the family of God for a reason. He placed us on this earth so that we could rejoice when others rejoice and cry when others cry.

This was also the picture of the Acts 2 church. After Peter preached to the people on the Day of Pentecost, they began meeting together nonstop. They wanted to be together serving the Lord every minute they could. So they met in one another’s homes and broke bread together. They sold their things and gave them to the poor. Everything they did was for each other and for their community.

Do you know this type of fellowship? Do you love the church the way Paul did? Do you meet with other believers the way that the Acts 2 church did? If not, then you need to ask yourself why. Seek to serve the Lord today. You will be blessed.

Paul shared a great hope with the Philippians in chapter one, verse six, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” God will always bring our relationship with Him and our salvation to completion when we see Jesus.

The end of our lives will be evidence of the beginning of our lives. If we have lived a blessed life in the Lord, seeking to please Him in all we say and do, then we will experience His peace and be satisfied with how we lived our lives and served Him. However, if we live our lives for ourselves, then we will feel emptiness instead. The beginning of Paul’s life was spent trying to follow customs and a religion. His life was more about rules and order. When Jesus changed his life, everything changed. His life became more about hope and actually trusting the God he thought he had served before. He realized that it was not about a religion, but a relationship.

For most Christians, that is how it is. There is a time before Christ, then salvation and regeneration occurs, and then after Christ. Take some time to really examine your life pre-Christ and post-Christ. Are they the same? If they are then you may need to pray about how to focus your life on Christ and not the things of Christ. It is time we as Christians invest more in the relationship and less in the religion. We must understand the God we serve and what His heart truly wants.

Paul tells the church of Philippi in Philippians 1:5 of his joy for them “because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” When we partner in the gospel we will experience the joys and everything that God has in store for us. Have you ever prayed for someone with such passion to see their life changed and then watched the amazing things God did? Your prayers change from urgency to joy. We only get to experience this when we are plugged in with others.

As part of the family of God, we are all plugged into the main source and can do great things when plugged into that source. We can do even greater things when we come together as Christians in unity for the cause of Christ. It is very similar to salt. One speck of salt cannot season food. All the pieces together are what seasons the food. As churches and the body of Christ we must work together to see lives changed.

When problems arise within the church and divisions occur, more than likely there were people who were not plugged into the gospel and to Christ. As churches, we must fall before the face of God and ask Him to lead us and guide us. If we are not following Him, then who or what are we following?

Spend some time in thought and prayer for how you can get involved in your church and start participating in the work Christ is doing in your community. Get plugged in to the One who changes everything.

Paul had a love for each of the churches and people he ministered to. He had a desire to see them be everything God had created them to be. In Philippians 1:4, he tells the church of Philippi that they are “always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayers with joy.” They brought him joy. His prayers were prayers of joy because of what the church was doing. Their actions brought him joy.

This is what happens when you pray. You get to see lives changed. When you invest in lives, you get to see how God transforms them. I have been a part of many Bible studies throughout my life and each one has had a major impact on my spiritual life. I have developed sweet friendships and have watched them grow in the Lord. I have seen some go on to be with the Lord and knew that they entered heaven because of their salvation and choice to love the Lord. It is an honor knowing these people.

Do you feel that type of joy for anyone? If you don’t, then pray about some ways you can get involved in your church and get to know His followers so that you can experience the type of joy Paul had for believers in Christ.

“Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible,” Paul closes out his instructions to the church of Ephesus in Ephesians 6:23-24. Think about how you say goodbye to your family or a close friend versus someone you just met. When you leave someone you barely know, you might say, “Nice to meet you,” and give them a handshake. However, after leaving someone you are close to, you may give them a hug or kiss or even cry. This is how Paul felt about the people he ministered to. He longed for them to know God as he knew Him. He longed for them to feel the power of the Holy Spirit in the way he did. This is how he treated those he encountered.

What about you? Do you feel this way only about the ones you love or are close to? Or do you long for others to know God in the way you know Him? Well, the first step is to examine your relationship with the Lord. If you are close to Him and invest in your relationship with Him, then you will feel strongly for others. You will love your family, friends, church, and community with the type of love that only God gives. Your love for people will grow out of your love for the Lord, but there must be a love for the Lord first. Paul’s love for the Lord changed his life. He no longer cared about the things he did before; that was all part of his former life. Now he only cared about Jesus and his message of the gospel. May you follow in his footsteps today.