Evans family Mission Commissioning Philippians 2:1-11

This morning we stepped into Philippians 2. It was more than a sermon: as a church we "lived out the Gospel," commissioning Rob and Laura Evans and their two kiddos, Hannah and Josiah, to serve in Mexico with WEC international. This is the kind of sermon illustration/application pastors only dream about. Rob and Laura are following Christ (2:5), leaving their home and loved ones for the salvation of others. What a blessing Rob and Laura are to our church!
May our Lord (2:11) bear much fruit through their sacrificial ministry!

Les Miserables and Philippians 1:21

Last Sunday I shared a scene from Victor Hugo's classic, Les Miserables.
Released from prison after 19 years (for stealing a loaf of bread) Jean Valjean is taken in by a bishop and given supper and lodging. Valjean steals his hosts silverware and slips away in the middle of the night only to be stopped by suspicious policemen, questioned and returned to the priests home to see if the silver they found him with was indeed stolen. Here is the dialogue from the musical, it reaches its pinnacle in the bishop's final lines.

[the police constables]

Tell his reverence your story
Let us see if he's impressed
You were lodging here last night
You were the honest Bishop's guest.
And then, out of Christian goodness
When he learned about your plight
You maintain he made a present of this silver.

[Bishop]

That is right.
But my friend you left so early
Surely something slipped your mind

[The bishop gives Valjean two silver candlesticks]

You forgot I gave these also
Would you leave the best behind?
So, Messieurs, you may release him
For this man has spoken true
I commend you for your duty
And God's blessing go with you

But remember this my brother
See in this some higher plan
You must use this precious silver
To become an honest man.
By the witness of the martyrs
By the passion and the blood
God has raised you out of darkness
I have bought your soul for God.

My Lord, by His passion and His blood, has raised me out of darkness and has bought my soul for God! What will I do with the riches of inheritance He has given me?

Living as Part of Something Bigger

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain, Philippians 1:21.
In life I will seek not own intersts, but the interst of others. Like Him I will lay down my rigths for the sake of His rigtheousness to be given to others in the Gospel. My life shall be, as Robin Marks sings so well, All for Jesus.

What should I pray?

In the service we used a prayer I adapted from Philippians 1:9-11. Several of you have asked me for it, so here it is:

Father, I pray that __________’s love will grow and overflow to others. I ask that you will give ____________ understanding and discernment. Help ____________ to make the best choices and have right priorities, so that ____________ increase in purity and righteousness. Father, fill ___________ with the fruit of the Spirit of Christ, to bring you glory and praise. Adapted from Phil 1:9-11

As you pray this prayer for others, you may want to consider some other prayers that you can also make your own for those you pray for. Take a prayerful look at Ephesians 1:16-20, Ephesians 3:16-19, and Colossians 1:9-12.

Why should I pray for you?

We are supposed to pray--we know that. Yet, we don't...at least not so very much. Try keeping track, who do you pray for and how much, how often. Maybe we don't because we lose sight of the why. Phil 1:3-8 describes some of the reasons Paul kept praying for these believers.

1. He was personally connected to them, he had to pray for them. I pray for our kids, I have to, they're stuck with my prayers, cause I'm personally involved, connected, invested. If we're not praying for others, maybe we need to jump in a find ways to connect with others. Maybe...praying for someone is a first step toward a growing relationship with them...
2. These believers were participating together in the gospel. Their fellowship was like that diverse band of brothers in Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring. They were very different, but bound closely together in their partnership in a crucial mission.
3. Paul kept praying because he had God's promise. He had an eternal optimism for them, because he know that God would finish in them that good work He had begun. If I want my prayers answered, why not be praying for what I know God will do--His work in you.
4. Lastly, Paul prays, and we do, out of deep affection. If I love you, I will pray for you. And then again...if you love me, you will pray for me...

Excuse me, I gotta go. I need to pray.