Abounding Love
What's love got to do with it? Well... everything really.
I had the honor of coaching one of my son's baseball teams this past season. When they first started, they had so much to learn — how to swing at strikes (or just to swing at all really), how to run to first (and not third), and how to throw to your target. But with time, practice, and a lot of encouragement, they began to improve. Each time we played together, each moment spent practicing, was a step forward in their growth.
And you know what? I feel a lot like they did when it comes to love . . .
In Philippians 1:9-11, Paul says, "And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."
These words have a special place in my heart because they remind me of my journey of learning to love.
Growing up, I didn’t have many examples of what it meant to love well. Love was often conditional and withheld. Love in many ways was just a word we'd say, not something we'd live out.
It wasn’t until I experienced the unconditional love of God and the genuine love of others that I began to understand just how powerful and life-changing it is.
As baseball has been with my boys, love has been with me. It's taken time to develop. When I started this journey, my heart was inexperienced. I wouldn't swing (aka love) when I should have and I'd run towards what I thought was love but wasn't. But God, in His infinite patience, has been my coach. He has guided me, encouraged me, and patiently corrected my mistakes. His love is the constant support that has helped me grow in the very thing I undeservingly receive from Him.
So maybe this is why Paul’s prayer for the Philippians resonates deeply with me. By no means would I consider myself a "major leaguer" in the game of love, but as my love has grown, I’ve seen the fruits of love begin to blossom in my life. It’s a journey I’m still on, and I am grateful for every step of it because the more I experience God’s love, the more I want to share that love with others.
So, my friends, let’s continue this journey of growing in love together. Let’s help each other develop, be patient with each other, and celebrate each other’s growth. And through it all, may our love abound more and more, bringing glory and praise to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Nate Keating
Modern Worship & Creative Director
Prayer Never Disappoints
Something we can learn from Paul's intercessory prayers is that they were loaded with high expectations. Paul prayed that the Philippians would live to the glory and praise of God and that they would abound in the love (agape) that comes from above. Paul’s end goal was for his spiritual children to live fruitful lives and he knew that to live a fruitful life without this kind of love is impossible. According to Paul, agape love shouldn’t only be experienced but shared. For this reason, he prayed that the Philippians would learn to love with understanding, sincerity, discernment, and consistency with the way of Jesus (Phil. 1:9-11).
We have no idea how the Philippians responded to Paul’s letter. We can only assume that they were filled with joy as they learned that Paul regularly interceded for them. What we do know is that Paul always interceded for them with deep joy. (Phil 1:3). In other words, both the recipients of intercessory prayer and those who intercede have access to the joy that this spiritual discipline brings. In other words, “Intercessory prayer never disappoints”.
We are all surrounded by people who need prayer and I’m sure they would be extremely blessed by having someone intercede for them with the Father. I’m sure your loved ones would appreciate having an intercessor.
Would you consider starting to pray in this way for those around you? I hope and pray you do so!
Pastor Esteban
Heart-Level Praying
Series: On Philippians: A Colony of Heaven in a Dissatisfied World
Text: Philippians 1:9-11
Speaker: Pastors Dennis Keating & Esteban Tapia
June 2, 2024: On Sunday, former EFCC Senior Pastor, Rev. Dennis Keating, and Pastor Esteban Tapia, continued our summer series on the book of Philippians. Our main sermon title for Sunday's message is "Heart-Level Praying."
Prison or Freedom
I had a divine appointment with a special woman who became one of the best friends I’ve ever had. I responded to a prayer request for her husband who had progressive MS, and it turned out she had ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Becky became the mentor and big sister I never had and she was an amazing prayer warrior. She soon became a prisoner in her own body, barely able to talk or move, still I knew she never stopped praying for me, my family and many others until her last breath and her joy came from her relationship with Jesus.
In Philippians chapter 1, Paul thanks the Philippian believers for supporting his ministry. Paul encourages them by explaining that all of his suffering has been for a good cause. Even better, attempts to persecute Paul have caused the gospel to spread and Paul is grateful. He fully expects to be released, and to see the believers of Philippi again. Whether Paul was free to preach, or trapped in a prison cell, the Philippian believers sent him their love and full support. Many others would leave Paul during his ministry, yet the Philippians remained loyal and faithful.
Even if we are not physically in prison, we can be trapped in a mental prison of anxiety and fear. Or we get stuck in the better days of the past, or the traumatic days. We are looking in the rearview mirror, (going nowhere) or we are worried about the future, and missing joy in the moment.
Paul focuses on encouraging the believers in Philippi and looking forward with hope. We don’t see him wallowing in his suffering, bemoaning his circumstances or any thing we might do in jail, but remembering God’s calling, he presses on . . . “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14) Press on means going against the odds to do something; it means despite every obstacle standing in your way you force your way through. It's pushing against the wind.
Are you feeling stuck in some way, unable to experience joy? We care and want to come alongside you and/or pray for and with you. Please reach out by replying to this email or click here and visit Prayer – Emmanuel Faith Community Church.
God remains with the discouraged and hopeful—the skeptics and saints. And we have the gift and freedom of inviting others to experience His joy and faithfulness, too!
Blessings on your day,
Deb Hill
Exec. Assistant to Pastor Ryan
Partakers of Grace
Sometimes people get all wrapped up in a situation because of past mistakes or bad acquaintances, sometimes people are just in the wrong place at the wrong time. A high school boy entered the restroom and was in the stall with the door latched when a small gang of students entered and began smoking joints and spraying paint on the mirror and walls. He froze in the stall for a few minutes out of fear, but when it didn’t seem like the other boys would be leaving anytime soon, he finished his business and exited the stall. At that moment, a school security guard entered the restroom because he smelled the pot smoke and spray paint in the hall. In the few minutes those boys were in the restroom, they had filled it with smoke and graffiti. From the security guard’s perspective, it looked like all the boys were involved and caught red handed breaking school rules and property. But unbeknownst to that guard, one of those boys had not participated in those actions, he did not partake in the crimes.
Paul accuses the believers in Philippi of being partakers with him of grace. Phil 1:7 “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.”
J. Vernon McGee writes this about that verse:
“Partaker of my grace” brings us back to the word fellowship. It is koinonia with a preposition that intensifies it: suqkoinonous, meaning “being all wrapped up together.” You may remember that lovely Abigail used these words when she talked to David: “... but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD thy God…” (1 Sam 25:29). Paul is saying that he and the Philippians are all wrapped up together as partners in the gospel.
Believers get wrapped up in the partnership of the gospel. This isn’t a burden to be caught in, it is a gift of grace. Believers partake in God’s saving grace and their lives get wrapped up in the mess of defending and promoting that grace. How about you? Would someone who stumbled upon your life accuse you of partaking in the gospel of grace?
Pastor John Riley
Completion
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.
Philippians 1:6
This is just a sentence in the greeting of a letter to a church that existed well over a thousand years ago, yet the principle behind it brings me endless security. It is called the perseverance of the saints, the last tenant of Calvinism, the ‘P’ in the acronym TULIP. It simply means that once we’re saved, we’ll always be saved no matter what we do. Which means we can’t mess this up! That has always been a huge relief because I am safe no matter what I do. Jesus started the good work in me, and he will finish it. Our salvation is based on Jesus’s life and work on the cross, and he never messed up, not even once!
The work the Lord is completing in us is our sanctification. We will be perfect in our sanctification, fully mature and wide awake. We will be newly untainted by sin yet uniquely enriched by our experiences. We will stand with Jesus at our full stature made holy as God foreknew us to be. Honestly, it will be nothing like we could ever imagine.
The Triune God interacts with each of us, playing a role in helping us part ways with our sinful nature. The thing to keep in mind is the gravity of sin itself and the cost of our freedom. The Bible says and illustrates the cost of sin is death, yet we live! We have abundant life through him now and the hope of eternal life with him in heaven. I’d suggest the name “Perseverance of the Saints” should be changed to The Perseverance of God. He’s the one “putting up” with us.
Jonathan Duncan
Partnership
Paul invites us to dwell on why he had so much affection for this group of people. He claims they were ‘partners with him in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.’ (Phil 1:7) Their bond was formed in the furnace of affliction. They had linked hearts, arms, and voices in the declaration that Jesus is King; a proclamation that was likely to get one ostracized from society and eventually imprisoned. It was this partnership that solidified their friendship. In the Scriptures, a shared mission leads to connected hearts. Mission begets community, not the other way around.
I wonder if it’s difficult for us as Western Christians to develop a community because we have lost the impetus and significance of our shared mission. We have Life Groups (which are great!) and several other ways for people to connect, but there is nothing like the bond that forms amongst people who serve and suffer together. Think back to a time in your life when you were deeply committed and connected to a group of people. Maybe it was a sports team, a band, or a club, and I'm guessing the reason you were so close was the common goal you were trying to achieve together. This is what Paul is experiencing and writing about in Philippians 1, and what we've been designed to experience.
The best part about Paul’s affection for the Philippian church is that it stirs in him great joy! Their partnership is a gift to the world, but it’s also a blessing to him personally. Take some time today and think about people who are co-laborers with you. Spend some time thanking God for them and then reach out to them with a text, email, or phone call, and let them know you are grateful for them. Partnership is one of the great joys of the gospel.
Ryan Paulson
Lead Pastor
Paul’s Transformation
Beginning with his dramatic encounter with the risen Christ (Acts 9:1-8), the spiritual journey that transformed Paul of Tarsus from a bitter Jewish Pharisee into Christ’s “Apostle to the Gentiles” was truly unique!
He was thrown from his horse and blinded on the road to Damascus, miraculously healed from blindness, and immediately sought to preach Christ in the synagogues of Damascus (Acts 9:20-21) - and all of that took place in just the first days of his apostleship! In the weeks and months that followed he was rescued from an assassination plot by Jews in Damascus (Acts 9:23-25), feared by the disciples in Jerusalem but befriended by Barnabas (Acts 9:26-28), and then led into the wilderness of Arabia where he experienced further revelation and transformation through the hand of God, before returning to Damascus to minister there for three more years (Galatians 1:17-18).
Finally, after 14 years of gospel ministry in the region of Syria and Asia Minor, Paul received the hand of fellowship from other apostles and church leaders along with their blessing to continue serving as the Apostle to the Gentiles (Galatians 2:1 & 9). Once Paul was called and commissioned to his appointed work, he never lost his heart’s passion as a bondservant of the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:1).
Chances are that your first encounter with Jesus Christ was somewhat less dramatic than Paul’s, but even so, I hope you will be encouraged through Paul’s story that Jesus Christ also has a specially designed spiritual journey in mind for you! Whatever spiritual gifting and life experience the Lord has for you, I can assure you they are in perfect alignment with the work God is calling you to do for his kingdom!
Whether we’re in the first days of our journey with Jesus or already seasoned bondservants of the Lord, He is faithful to lead us and go with us in each step of this journey. As a unique creation of God, the details of your life journey will also be unique and probably won’t look anything like Paul’s journey. But you can be sure, “that He who has begun a good work in you will be faithful to complete it” (Philippians 1:6). So, like the Apostle Paul, may you be faithful to the wonderful, surprising, and unique calling that God created you to fulfill!
Pastor Dave Korinek
Intro to Philippians
Series: On Philippians: A Colony of Heaven in a Dissatisfied World
Text: Philippians 1:1-8
Speaker: Pastors Tom Mercer & Esteban Tapia
May 26, 2024: On Sunday, guest speaker Tom Mercer, and Pastor Esteban Tapia, began our summer series on the book of Philippians.