Sermon Notes

I HEART MY CHURCH: Why Partnership Matters!
Philippians 1:3-5; 2:1-5

1. Partnership provides us with Joy

Philippians 1:3–5 (ESV)
“3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”

“We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet really not small) gifts.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together

2. Partnership leads us to humbleness

Philippians 2:1–5
“1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any
affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

“A Christian fellowship lives and exists by the intercession of its members for one another, or it collapses. I can no longer condemn or hate a brother for whom I pray, no matter how much trouble he causes me. His face, that hitherto may have been strange and intolerable to me, is transformed in intercession into the countenance of a brother for whom Christ died, the face of a forgiven sinner.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together:

3. Partnership keeps us close to Jesus

“5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,”“

(From our Partnership Class)

BENEFITS OF PARTNERSHIP

A commitment from you. It is good to commit yourself to love and serve others. You will mature as a Christian as you commit to encourage, build up, serve, strengthen, and pray for other Christians.

A commitment to you. Becoming a partner with the church means joining with an entire group of Christians who have committed to watch over one another spiritually. You have an entire church full of people who are publicly committed to love and serve you. Also, you are now part of a family that will help you through life’s burdens, struggles, and sufferings.

Pastoral Care. If you are a partner of a church, the church’s pastors, shepherds/elders,and staff know you, care for you, pray for you, and personally counsel and teach you. As a partner of their church, they are accountable to God for how they lead you.

Safety net. Being a church partner means that a whole church full of people are committed to helping you live a life that is pleasing to God, even to the points of calling you out of sin and back into the grace of Jesus. While this sounds harsh to some, to those of us who know the deceitfulness of sin, this is an immensely comforting and encouraging reality.

“Nothing can be more cruel than the leniency which abandons others to their sin.Nothing can be more compassionate than the severe reprimand which calls another Christian in one’s community back from the path of sin.”
— Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together.

Assurance. Partnership is the church’s affirmation of the validity of someone’s profession of faith. The church looks at a person’s life, hears their explanation of the gospel and how they came to believe it, and says, “You look like a Christian to us. So join us. Watch over our lives and we’ll watch over yours.” So while partnership in a church doesn’t guarantee that someone is a Christian, it should assure believers of the genuineness of their faith.