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“I thank my God upon all my remembrance of you, always in every supplication of mine on behalf of you all making my supplication with joy, for your fellowship in furtherance of the gospel from the first day until now; being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ “
Philippians 1:3-6
Last week it was announced that a new Disneyland-like family-themed amusement park is coming to Green Country. With this announcement, there has been much excitement and some apprehension. Some of the latter comes from all the required work, especially infrastructure that will have to be taken into account with increased tourist traffic in the area. Roads will have to be built, others improved, and there is much work to be done. Have you ever noticed all the ongoing work on our highway system? It is likely that some projects will never come to an end. How does this reality of our lives relate to our lives in Christ Jesus? When we look at the words of Paul, we certainly can understand we are a work continually in progress.
Our Fellowship is Contingent on the Furtherance of the Gospel
The Lord commanded that we are to take the Gospel and preach it to all creation (Mark 16:15-16). This Gospel is what is proclaimed every time we assemble as the body of Christ. This is what we talk about with our families and what we teach to the lost. This is what we sing about in praise and adoration of our God and with what we admonish one another. This is heard in the prayers of the brethren as we seek to reach the lost. This is why we give of our means to support the work of the church. In all things, we seek to magnify the name of Jesus and further the Gospel. The furtherance of the Gospel is a work in progress.
Our Confidence is in the Source of the Gospel
Jesus Christ began the good work of the Gospel when He lived a perfect and sinless life. It was finished in His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. The Gospel was delivered to the world through the inspired preaching of the Apostles on the first day of Pentecost after our Lord’s ascension. Every Christian that has ever lived has received salvation by obeying that Gospel. This work begins in Jesus and ends in Jesus. Our continued faith in the Lord is a work in progress.
Our Lives are Perfected in Our Continued Defense of the Gospel
Each New Testament Christian has the need to progress from the elementary teachings to perfection or completion that is found in Christ Jesus (cf. Heb. 6:1). Paul fully understood this is what the Philippian Christians were working toward. Paul wrote, “even as it is right for me to be thus minded on behalf of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as, both in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers with me of grace (Phil 1:7). The defense of the Gospel is a work in progress.
We Are All Working Toward the Same Goal
When we drive through a continual construction zone, we might sigh or complain. We do not have all the knowledge of the setbacks, the weather delays, or the employment struggle. We may not appreciate that, as the project continues, it is working to completion. We are all at different points in our faith. Some are new babes in Christ who need to be nourished and tended to gently. Some are mature in the faith, having obeyed the Gospel even fifty years earlier. What do they have in common? They are both works in progress. They are both continually becoming more like Christ.
Regardless of where we find ourselves, we must remember that each of us is working out our salvation with fear and trembling (cf. Phil. 2:12). When we understand this, we will recall the importance of our fellowship (Heb 10:14-14; Col 3:16; Acts 2:42, et al). We must also remember who called us by His Gospel. May we ever carry and defend the Gospel! Every road is working toward completion and so is every Christian.
Grace and Peace,
R.D. Beavers
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