Praying with Joy and Affection

Image result for i always pray for you
Add caption
Philippians 1:3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus
Paul had a brilliant theological mind like no other, but in this first chapter of his letter to the Philippians we see he is deeply relational as well.  We also see how committed to prayer he was.  He prayed for the Philippians often.  He prayed with joy because of their partnership with him in the gospel.  He prayed for ALL of them.  He obviously had spent a lot of time with them and developed a deep bond of friendship with them.  And at the heart of his prayer for them was their relationship with Christ.  He prayed that the One who had begun a good work in them would carry it on to completion.  
They had spent time together and now he could maintain his friendship and love for them through prayer.  Most likely Paul was in prison for the gospel and he knew that they were praying for him as well.  Paul says, "He longs for them with the affection of Christ".  Those are strong words and shows the lasting impact of relationships that are formed when we do ministry together in meaningful ways.
I can think back to people in each of the three churches I have served and to the powerful experiences we had doing God's work together.  There were special seasons were God did amazing things in all of our lives.  will always remember these times fondly.  We still share prayer requests and keep tabs on each other.  Some I am in no contact at all, but I still treasure the memories we shared, our time together, and what God did among us.

All of this shows the depth and quality of relationships where Jesus is present.  The bible calls this fellowship.  It is a word which means a deep connection through the power of the Holy Spirit. This "koinonia" creates a depth of friendship in the Christian community which goes much deeper than one will find in the world.  Of course it isn't perfect but nothing here on earth is.  
Are you connected to a Christian community?  Do you have Christian friends who pray for you and you in return pray for them?  Who really knows you?  Who can you have real conversations with about things that really matter?  God has designed the church to be such a place.  We need each other.  One day when we go to heaven we will enjoy the fellowship we experience here with all those who believe.  Thank God for your Christian friends.  Pray for them and hold them close to your heart with the affection Christ has for you.   

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Acts 22 - Paul Sees the Light

Image
6  “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.   7  I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me,  ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’  8  “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.  “  ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth,  whom you are persecuting,’  he replied.   9  My companions saw the light,  but they did not understand the voice  of him who was speaking to me.  10  “‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked. “  ‘Get up,’  the Lord said,  ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do. This is the famous story of the apostle Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus.  Paul was going there to persecute Jewish Christians and throw them into prison and he meets Jesus is a spectacular way.  Not only is he blinded by a briliant light, but he hears the Lord's voice audibly.  And the Lord asks him, "Lord, Lord why are you persecuting me!"  Paul thought he was serving the Lord, but he was persecuting him b
Read more

Hebrews 6 - Have You Graduated From Elementary School of Faith Yet?

Click Here to Read or Listen to Hebrews 6 6 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so. The author once again picks up with the theme of moving on to Christian maturity.  He teaches them to move on from the "elementary" teachings about Christ. What does he mean by that?  He gives clues by citing repentance, faith, cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, and teaching on the judgment and resurrection from the dead. We might call these the basics of the Christian faith. If you read through the Apostle's Creed, which our church confesses in our 8am service, it contains many of these core doctrines.  Click here to see the Apostle's Creed Written Around “When we consider the
Read more

2 Timothy 4 - Fight the Good Fight! Finish the Race!

Click Here to Read or Listen to 2 Timothy 4 4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. Paul gives a closing charge to Timothy. First of all, he is to preach the word. God's Word speaks to all situations and seasons. The Word of God will sometimes correct us. Our lives can get of out alignment with God's will as outlined in
Read more