By Teman Knight
Adjunct Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
PURPOSE EXEMPLIFIED
Philippians 1:1–11
We have discovered that God created us for a purpose. Sin has not only separated us from God but also derailed our ability to fulfill God’s purpose.
We learned that through faith we are saved from our sin and enabled to rediscover our purpose. The Holy Spirit guides us and empowers us to fulfill God’s purpose in our lives. When we live the Spirit-filled life with Christ-centered purpose, we will bring glory to God.
Thank God for what He has done in the past. (1–5)
Prayer is a key component of living the Spirit-filled life. Thankfulness should be the starting point of any prayer. Paul is thankful for his partnership with Timothy and the privilege of being a servant of Jesus Christ.
Paul is thankful for undeserved and unearned grace and peace through a restored relationship with God. Paul is thankful for the church in Philippi and all they have done for him. In Paul’s darkest hours they had been there to support and encourage him. They were partners with Him in the gospel, and they defended him when he was in jail.
When was the last time you thanked God for all your church has done for you?
Our church is where we learn about God and where we go when we are hurting. Our church is where we find forgiveness when we mess up, where we grow in faith and where we are discipled.
Our church is filled with people who love us and pray for us. Many times, I am called on to minister to a family that has no relationship with a church. Watching them go through the storms of life without a family of faith to surround them and love them is heartbreaking. Celebrate the blessing of being part of God’s family and what God has done in your life through His Church.
Praise God for what He continues to do in the present. (6–8)
We celebrate what God has already done for us, but we are also aware that He is still at work in us. God always finishes what He starts. I am sure of this. We are confident that He will continue to develop us and use us.
He has given us a new life and continues to change us to be more like Jesus and become what He created us to be. Paul indicates that as we serve God and partner together to fulfill His purpose, our love for each other will continue to grow. Thank God for what He continues to do for us and through us.
Glorify God through your continued growth and living for Him in the future. (9–11)
God has blessed us, is blessing us and will continue to work in our lives. If we are going to fulfill God’s purpose and become the people God intends for us to be then we must not neglect prayer. We must pray that our love will keep growing.
Sometimes we focus on attendance and budgets, but what we really need to be concerned with is our love. I often pray that our church will be characterized by our love for God, our love for each other and demonstrating that love to the world.
We must pray for God’s guidance. Being discerning means that we not only judge between good and evil but between better and best. We must pray that we may be pure and blameless.
“Pure” means there is nothing fake about us. “Blameless” means nothing in us causes others to stumble. Paul emphasizes that the evidence of Jesus living in us is the production of righteousness. As we continue to grow and mature, we will do the right thing and thus bring glory and praise to God in all we do.
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