Philippians 1:6-8 Fellowship That Transforms

by Larry Ferrell | November 25, 2017
There was nothing exclusive about the apostle Paul or his Christian greetings. Four times in the opening verses of Philippians Paul reveals that he includes all the believers in his thinking. He prays for them all (v. 4). He is confident of them all (vv. 6-7). He speaks well of them all, being certain that they are all recipients of God’s grace (v. 7). And he longs for them all (v. 8). Paul’s remarks include all Christians, for he knew that all had been brought by God into a great and indissoluble fellowship. This is Christian brotherhood, and Paul’s greeting is an example of it. It was a new thing in Paul’s day.

To look at these verses more closely is also to see how we can attain Christian fellowship today. First of all, Paul writes that he prays for the Christians at Philippi, “In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy” (v. 4). This is as it should be. Christians should pray for other Christians. Prayer is talking to God. It grows out of fellowship with God, and it is something we are told to do constantly. Paul’s statements do not mean that we are to retreat from life. They simply mean that we are to cherish a constant and growing fellowship between ourselves and our heavenly Father in which we bring all the details of our lives before him. Paul not only prayed for the Christians at Philippi, he was also confident for them all. He knew that God was at work in them and would certainly accomplish His purposes in their lives.

Paul says: “All of you share in God’s grace with me” (v.7). The Greek literally says, “All of you being participants in the grace of God. It’s not Paul’s grace is shared with them; it’s rather that all alike, from the great apostle to the most humble believer, are participants in the grace of God. No truth will more quickly overcome divisions among Christians than the truth that we are all equally sinners and all equally recipients of grace. Are there Christians whom you cannot stand and with whom you think you will never have anything in common? Is there a Christian from another ethnic background who does things differently than you and who thinks you are prejudiced against him or her? Is there a Christian from another denomination who seems obstinate in some doctrine and always seems to be getting at you over it? If this is true of you, it’s a fault that requires changing. God must change you. He wants to change you. He will do it as you begin to pray, and through prayer see that person as a participant together with you in God’s grace.

The last thing Paul says about all the Christians is that he longs for them greatly (v.8). It’s not enough to tolerate other Christians. You must enjoy their company. You must learn from them. Furthermore, this fellowship must be one that is constantly expanding to include other Christians, even those whom you have never met but with whom you are forever united in the Lord.

Philippians 1:6-8 Reflection Questions:
Are there Christians that you just tolerate verses enjoying their company?
Have you seen yourself prejudice against other Christians (ethnic, doing things differently, or denominational)?
How do you pray for other Christians? What about praying for yourself?

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Isaiah 1:10-20 The Religious Situation

by Larry Ferrell | November 17, 2017
The summons to hear in verse 10 marks the beginning of a new unit, linked to the previous one by the repetition of Sodom and Gomorrah. The rulers and people of Jerusalem were involved together in something every bit as offensive to the Lord as what had gone on in those two notorious cities of old.

The rebellion referred to generally in verse 2 is now specified: worship had been divorced from justice, and the fatherless and the widow had become the chief victims (v. 17). Such disregard for justice was a fundamental violation of the Sinai covenant for which no amount of cultic observance could compensate. The exodus itself had flowed out of God’s concern for the oppressed, and from the very beginning He had demanded that His people should have a special concern for the poor and defenseless among them. Isaiah is together with other eighth-century prophets in insisting that ceremonial worship and even prayer are worthless if they are not accompanied by active concern for justice. But in the long and prosperous reign of Uzziah such concern had dried up. The rich grew richer while the rights and needs of the poor were disregarded, so that when Isaiah was called to his prophetic ministry at the end of Uzziah’s reign, the nation was already ripe for judgment.

Verses 18-20 are deservedly one of the most famous expressions of the grace of God in the Bible. The theme of rebellion has been progressively developed through verses 2-17. The guilt of the accused has been amply established, and they are reminded of it here in vivid language: their sins are scarlet, red as crimson, the color of blood. We have reached a point of crisis.

But at the very point when judgment is expected, grace intervenes. The divine judge reasons with the accused, and makes an offer which is truly amazing in its generosity: nothing less than total pardon (v.18)! What they had wrongly tried to achieve by cultic manipulation is now offered to them freely, on the one condition that they cease their rebellion (vv. 19-20). The alternative is certain destruction: they can eat the good from the land or be eaten by the sword. The choice is theirs. The Lord is gracious, but He is not to be trifled with.

The just basis for the forgiveness freely offered here will be unfolded later in the book. But it did not require the suffering of the exile to make it possible. It was always possible if only the people would repent. But grace is always hard for rebels to understand; their view of God is too small.

Isaiah 1:10-20 Reflection Questions:
Why do think it is so important to God that we have special concern for the poor and defenseless?
Where in the New Testament did Jesus talk about the poor and defenseless?
How does this study about God’s grace make you feel?

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