And so turn your Bibles to Philippians chapter number 2. Philippians chapter number 2 is where we're going to be this hour for the Sunday school hour. And so I want to just, I want to be sensitive to the time. Okay, there we go. I guess around 10.30, 10.35, it should be around 10.40, okay. Okay. Okay. Alright. So I just want to be sensitive to the time and so let's read here in Philippians chapter number 2 that as we pick up here from Not so much from last night, but what I want to share with you this morning is really important to understand that it takes more than one to reach a person for Christ. It really does. As Pastor mentioned just moments ago that this work is supported by missions. The work there in Nippon is also supported by missions. And so it's really important to keep that focus in mind that missions is the heartbeat of God. It's really souls You know, the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost according to Luke chapter 19 and verse number 10. And so it's really, really important for God's people to have that focus in mind and God's people to have that heart for people. Once we lose our heart for souls and lose our heart for people, we become very calloused and we become very indifferent towards people. And that really stems from our insecurity. It really is. You know that's so important when we don't reach people for Christ is because we're insecure who we are in Christ. You say, well I'm not insecure who I am in Christ. Well, I would just encourage you to check and see do you really love people the way Jesus loves people? And if you can say anything negative about people, I understand there's an insecurity in your heart that where Christ is being hindered and He can't be seen through your life. We looked at that last night. It really, really encouraged my heart and how the Lord guided and directed that last night. And so Philippians chapter number two, Philippians chapter number two, And verse number 17 of the Bible says here, Wow, what a statement that Paul writes here. He says he's offered upon sacrifice. And so while he's thinking, I'm willing to sacrifice my life for your faith so that you grow. so that you know more about Jesus, so that you understand the joy that's found in Jesus. He's rejoicing in that, that He can suffer a little bit so that they can be fully formed in Christ. And so, dear child of God, as we look at that, it's really important to understand and see that, are you willing to really sacrifice for people? A lot of times we're not willing to sacrifice. Well, you know, at least I know I'm going to heaven. If they're not going, well, that's their problem. Well, that's really a bad attitude to have towards people. It really is. And so it's really important, dear child of God, you know, have an have a heart like the Apostle Paul. He was willing to offer his life. He was willing to sacrifice his life for their faith to be developed. Are you investing in other people's lives for their faith to be developed? Or are you just trying to be grounded yourself and not really letting others to be fed as you're fed by the Lord Jesus Christ? And so it's really, really important The Bible goes on to say there in verse number 18, for this same cause also do ye joy and rejoice with me. They're willing to also sacrifice for the preacher. You know, that's really important in ministry. Are you willing to sacrifice for the preacher? You're willing to sacrifice for that the man of God may go forth and preach the Word, that the man of God may have all his needs supplied so that he doesn't have to go without? You know, Paul went without many times, but I understand these people had a very, very a great prevalent place within the heart of the Apostle Paul. But it goes on to say, Wow! He's going to send another servant so that these believers will be grounded more in the knowledge of Christ. You know, I was thinking about something this something this morning or was it last night? I was just meditating on some things or was it this morning? My nights and days get mixed up and so when I spend time with Christ I don't think about time. I really don't. I just think about Him. That's all I'm thinking about. And so when we look at this truth here, I was thinking about this very truth. You know, it's really important for us to know Christ because as we know Christ, we have a greater love for Christ in our life. Amen. It's really important. Knowing Him helps to love Him better. He really is. Knowing Him helps you to love Christ better. Well, I really love Jesus. Well, I love Jesus too. But understand, the closer you get to Christ in your life, your love grows deeper for Christ in your life. And so we haven't arrived. Paul is so concerned, he says, I'm going to send Timotheus. I'm going to send this man of God to you so that I'm going to be comforted, so that you're going to be grounded, so that I know your state. your position, your spiritual growth, that you are moving forward for Christ in your life. And so, dear child of God, it's so vitally important to understand that when the man of God gets up, he's concerned for your life. He's concerned for your spiritual growth. for you to be fully formed into the image of Jesus Christ. And that's my heart for you this morning during the Sunday school hour that you understand. My heart for you is that you're fully formed. That your status in Christ is continuing to be continue to be manifested through your life. And it's so important. It really is. And so we see as we continue reading here in Philippians chapter number two, it goes on to say, For I have no man like minded who will not nurture a naturally care for your state. For all for all seek their own and not the things which are Jesus Christ. But, you know, the proof of him that as a son with the Father, he has served with me in the gospel." You know, we're all serving together in the gospel. It's not about who's doing more work or what status you have. It's really we're working together is what it is. Working together for the gospel's sake. is what's taking place. Working together not seeking your own thing but really serving with a unified heart, a unified mind proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. When you're around people do you think about their spiritual well-being? You're around people do you think that hey they need Jesus? What are you doing in reaching that person for Christ? because that's the primary focus. That's the mission of God. The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost. Many people walking about that are lost don't know the Lord. And it's really important we who know the light reveal the light through our life. It's vitally important. It really is. And so Paul's heart for these believers was his heartbeat. He wanted them to be fully formed in Christ. He wanted them to really know the power of Christ in their life. He really did. And we find that they had the same heart. They had the same dedication towards the Apostle Paul. Because what did Paul do that they had such a dedicated heart towards him? Well, he was kind of like their spiritual father. Back in, you know, when that ministry started there at Philippi, it was in a prison. You know, it's really unique that a church can be born out of turmoil. A church can be born with, seems like all things are going against for the advancement of the gospel. And then you see God do a miracle in a prison. And God saves one man because two men prayed and praised God for the trial that they were in, for the tribulation that they were facing in their life. And it's so important, dear child of God, to recognize and see that out of turmoil great things can take place. Out of turmoil once again God can move and change hearts. That's Paul's heartbeat. Paul's heartbeat is seeing people saved. Back home my heartbeat is always wanting to see people come to know Jesus. We're always reaching out. We're always trying to just see that the gospel's advanced in Nippon back home. And I know your pastor, he's got that same burden. He's got that same desire that people to be saved. People come to know the Lord. And we find that Paul had this heart. You find that these people had this heart for him. Vice versa. They both had a unified spirit to move forward for the gospel. They had this unified mind so that they would proclaim the message of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And so what made Paul willing? What made Paul so willing to give? What made him so willing to give his heart for these believers? He says, yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith. He's saying, hey, I'm doing it for you. I'm doing it for you so that you get a greater heart for God in your life, that you get a greater love for people in your life. I'm doing it for you so that you're advanced, so that you can do the same thing that I'm doing. Paul didn't see himself greater. He says, I'm the chiefest of sinners is what he said. He wasn't some great man of God. And that's really important as a believer that we focus on Jesus. We don't focus on a man. Amen, that's really important. We focus on him. He's the purpose. He's the source. He is the very message that we're proclaiming as a child of God so that people can come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. And that's what is so vitally important in our life. Is that our focus? Is that really our heartbeat as Paul's heartbeat? As these believers, they had this same heartbeat because the gospel changed them. We got to recognize it in our own lives that, hey, the gospel changed you, amen? Jesus came into your life. And so when Jesus came into your life, you have a new life. There's a new man. There's the there's that new dwelling presence of Christ dwelling within you. And it's he who wants to manifest his life through your life is what he wants to do. And it's so important that we see that letting Jesus being manifested through our life. And that's what Paul was referencing. Hey, to know your state. Hey, so that Jesus would shine. That Jesus would be clearly seen in and through your life. That's what he's stating. And so Paul had resolve to be offered. He was willing to sacrifice. His desire was for their faith. He says, I joy and will rejoice with you all. He was excited. Now these believers had the same. They had the same joy, had the same faith. And Paul's faith in Christ, he knew that he would have to defend. He would have to defend the gospel. Because he was called as one who would defend the gospel. One who would proclaim the gospel. the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ according to 1 Corinthians 15 verses 1-4. We find that it's the gospel that changes a person's life. It's the gospel that is to be declared. He was there to defend it. What are you doing to defend the gospel? No, I'm not talking about being boisterous. I'm not talking about being, you know, mean. I'm talking about how tender are you to people. We need to see that people are hurting. You can't see that people are hurting and it's all, you know, you're just trying to get the message out. They're going to get a bad taste is what it's going to take. You're going to get a bad taste and they're not going to really take to it. They won't. Because you're not representing Christ in the same spirit as Christ loved men. And so it's really important. It really is. Paul had to trust in the Lord and to continue to see his work, God's work in the hearts of others. Because that's what it is. It's God's work. have to recognize it is God's work. It's not your work. This is not your church. This is God's church. Now when I say that I'm not talking about the building. I'm talking about the people because the people are the church. The building is the house where the church meets. Amen? And so understand the church which is you He owns the church and He moves the church whithersoever He will because it's His body. It's not your body. It's God's body. He's the head. Jesus is the head of the church. We follow Him. We follow His leadership. We follow His direction in our life. And so we find, dear believers, that He trusted that the Lord would that the Lord would send others to help. The Lord would help these believers to be fully formed in Christ. And so He would send people. He would send individuals that would be like-minded. Amen? And that's really important to be like-minded. And so we find in our text This morning I'm hoping that I don't get bogged down too much because there's so much on my heart I want to be able to share. And so first and foremost he sends Timotheus who is like-minded. He has the same heart. He has the same mind as the Apostle Paul. He has the same Lord that is moving him in the same direction. You know that's really important. Do you understand that God's not divided? Amen. God's not divided in His work. We divide ourselves because we're insecure of who we are when that happens. That's just a manifestation of how insecure you really are. You're not really letting Jesus guide you. When there's unity there's security for the believer. Now I'm not talking about eternal security. I'm talking about security that the church of God can move as one big army to bring glory to the name of God. And so Paul had companions in the gospel ministry that would have the same heart for the gospel. And so Timotheus was one of those men he could count on. He was one of those men, I know if I send Timotheus I know exactly what he's going to do. He's going to do the same thing I'm going to do. He's going to go there to minister to the heart of those believers so that Christ be fully formed in them. Because that's Timotheus' heart. That was Timotheus. He had the same burden as the Apostle Paul for God's people to be fully formed in Christ. That's so important, it really is. You've got to be like-minded. In the ministry it takes like-minded people for a like-minded work to go forward. It really does. You've got to be like-minded because it doesn't work any other way. If there's this one thought that we would have, well, I think, Pastor, we should do it this way. Well, let's pray about it. That's what I tell my church at home. They give suggestions that, well, let's pray about it. Let's find out if this is God's will. And if it is God's will, let's do it. My folks back home, they know that I pray about everything before I move forward. I don't make any decision without God being behind it fully. God's gotta be behind it. And if God's behind it, you know, I see God's doing great things for this church. God's given this church, you know, a gift. And God's in it. When you see God moving and God supplying, you know, it's really God's people getting involved in what God wants to do. That's what it is. And so it's really important to have the like-mindedness. It's really important to have the same passion. It's really important to have the same agenda. What God wants to accomplish. Because when we look at Timotheus, Paul had that full confidence. that He was going to do the same thing that He would do when He was there present with those believers. And He says there in verse 19, But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you. He's trusting Jesus to send people into His work, not a man's work, into His work. You know that's what God wants to do. He wants to send people. He wants to send men that are willing to sacrifice their life so that others can know Jesus. You know missionaries, they sacrifice their life on the field. And sometimes, sadly, sometimes what can happen with a missionary family that the family can be sometimes suffering because the man is focusing, the preacher is focusing on others. And so it's so important to have a balance. It really is important to have a balance in ministry. It really is. God calls men to go help men know who Jesus is. God calls them. And that calling is a calling of sacrifice. Timotheus sacrificed. He gave his life. He gave everything. You know God calls people today. God calls individuals into His harvest and it's a life of sacrifice. It is a life of sacrifice. And when we sacrifice, God supplies. He does. He continually supplies because He sees the heart of the preacher. He sees the heart of the people and how willing they are to sacrifice for Jesus. It's so important. So why did Paul trust the Lord to send Timotheus? Well, to answer this question is found in verse 23, his care. Finally, in verse number 23, or 20 to 23, I should say, he says, I have no man like-minded who will naturally care for your state. Paul recognized that Timothy had this care for people. Timothy had this love for people as he loved people. You know, that's what it takes in the gospel ministry. You've got to really love them where they are. Amen? It's devastating when preachers, when people do not love people where they are. They go, well, you gotta come our way before we can help you. Well, did Jesus do that? Did Jesus, you know, did Jesus say, well, you come my way, then I'll help you spiritually? No, Jesus sat with publicans and sinners, is what Jesus did. He helped him to know who he was. He called Peter. He called Matthew, who was a tax collector. How many of you like tax collectors? How many of you like paying taxes? Well, this tax collector, God saved him because he was a sinner that needed Jesus. Amen. All of us are sinners. who have become saints, we're saints of God because of the grace of God that we received at salvation. And so we find that Timotheus had the same heart. He had the same care for people as Paul did. So we see the same heart that Timothy had because it goes on to say, For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's. But ye know the proof of him. It says, hey, dear believers, you know what Timothy's all about. You know that he cares. You know that he wants you to be fully formed in the Son of God. You know this, dear child of God. And so let him come and minister to you. Let him help you to know more about Jesus in your life. It's vitally important. He cared for them. He cared for their state. Amen. Do you care for the state of others? Do you care for the state of believers in this church? Are you looking for opportunities to encourage or are you looking for opportunities to discourage? Amen. God wants to care for the state of God's people. He wants them to be encouraged. He wants them to help them to know more about the glory of His Son in their life. That's what Timothy, he's going because he's He's a man that had a heart for people. He had a heart for people. Do you have a heart for people? Do you care for where they are? Understand, we're not all in the, I mentioned that last night, that we're not all in the same area of spiritual growth as others are. And maybe you may have the idea that, well, I'm a little bit more spiritual than that person. Are you sure? Are you sure that you're more spiritual than that other believer in Jesus? Because if you say, well I'm more spiritual, I doubt that. Because now you're comparing yourself amongst yourselves. The Bible says that's not wise. Who you compare yourself is to Jesus, not with other believers. You look at Jesus and you look at your spirituality and go, I think I've got a long way to go. I've got a lot to learn about Jesus in my life. Amen. I know I've got a lot of things to learn about Jesus. Tons of things. He taught me something so precious this morning. I just enjoyed it. I enjoy spending time with my Lord. I love just being with Him. I love being with Him because He loves me. The more I know about Him, the more I just fall deeper in love with Jesus. And the more you fall in love with Jesus, the more you have a passion for the gospel ministry. Amen. The more you will have a passion for God's people in your life, because that's what God wants to do. He wants you to really reflect who Jesus is in your life unto others. That's what the Apostle Paul, he says, I'm praying that God would send Timothy to you so that because I know he cares about you. I know he's going to minister to your heart. I know he's going to minister to your mind. He's going to help you to shore up your state. Help you understand your position in Jesus. Do we understand our position in Jesus? Because that's important. The more we know our position, the more we have power to use that position in our life. You say, well I know I'm in Jesus. Okay, how much do you know that you're in Jesus? Do you know that Jesus wants to live His life through you? It's not a religious thing. That's something that has really made an impact there in Ipuan is that I tell my people, Christianity is not another religion of the world. It isn't. It's not another religion like the JWs. It's not another religion like the Mormons. It's not a religion of Islam. It's not a religion of, you know, it's not a religion. What is it then? What is Christianity? What is Christianity? It's really a relationship with Christ. It's really a walk with Him. And so Paul says, hey, I know what I'm praying that God would send Timotheus to care for your state because he's going to shore it up. You know, we need to shore up our state at times. We need to put a reset button. We need to understand, hey, my life is no longer mine. I belong to Jesus. Amen. Do you recognize that each and every day? My life is not mine. It's Jesus. It's what it is. Amen. So important. You recognize, you see that because that's what gives you the freedom. to walk in the power of Christ in your life, understanding it. It's not a religious thing. If it's a religious thing to you, you got it wrong. It really is. You got it wrong. It's all about a relationship being manifested through your life so others can see Jesus. Amen. We looked at that last night, you know, removing the blinds of strife. removing the blinds of vainglory. Because what people need to see is not you. What people need to see is Jesus. It's what they need to see. And so He cared for their state. He would also seek things which are Jesus Christ. He would help them to understand what is Christ in your life. Is Christ selfishness? No it's not. Is Christ love? Yes it is. Is Christ seeking? Yes He does. He seeks other souls if you let Him use you. That's important. That was Timothy. He let Christ use him. so that other believers, other souls would be saved. Amen. Saints would be edified. Souls would be saved because he submitted to the authority of Christ in their life. He submitted to God's authority, not his authority. You know that's a shame when people think, well it's all up to me. No, it's not up to you. It's really up to you to submit to the right authority in your life. You know, if you submit to the right authority, God can use you. But if you're not going to submit to the right authority, God can't use you. He can't. So he cared. He was also contending for them. He would defend them. He would help them. Hey, don't touch those people. Those are people I care about. You know that's the heart of a preacher. It is. I care about those people. I care about them. It's so important. It really is. His contending. We see there in verse number 22, he contended. He says, but ye know the proof of him. that as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel. He contended for the gospel's sake. He contended so that they would know more about the gospel in their life. But it goes on to say there in verse number 23, him therefore I hope to send presently so soon as I see how it will go with me. He's going to contend. so that the gospel would go forward. You know that's so important for us to care for people. Are you contending for the gospel as Timothy did? Because he contended with Paul. He served with Paul. He went through a lot of things with Paul for the gospel's sake. Amen. And that's what it takes. Are you going to contend? for the gospel. I understand, totally understand, I really understand that sometimes it gets discouraging. Ah, God won't work in that place anymore. God's given up on Thompson. God's given up on Nippuin. There's so much negativity. Really is. You know, the worst thing is when we get negative. We get negative about the gospel. Gospel doesn't work. The reason why the gospel doesn't work is it's not real to you. Amen. It's not real. You've lost a fire. You've lost what it meant when you got saved. you lose that, I understand you won't care for people. You won't care like Timothy cared. You won't contend as Timothy contended for the gospel with Paul. So important, it really is. It really is important in the life of God's people to contend. Timotheus was like-minded. That's important in ministry. It really is. Paul had the same heart. The people there at Philippi had the same heart for Paul. There's got to be unity. No unity, no power. Because what it is is constantly just two cats going, fighting. And the gospel won't go forward because there's no spirit of unity. It's not the spirit of Christ guiding, caring, contending for the gospel's sake. It's all about the gospel. It's all about missions. It's all about, you know, people knowing Jesus. It really is. It comes down to that. People knowing Jesus. You want people to know Jesus? Let the Jesus in you live through you so that Jesus can be seen by others. Amen. Let's pray. Father, I do thank You so much for Thy loving kindness and Thy mercy, O Lord. Help us to be like-minded in the gospel. Help us to have the same heart as You do, Lord Jesus. You came to seek and to save that which was lost. Help us to have that same motivation to seek and to save that which is lost. Lord, I give You thanks and praise for all that You will do in Jesus' name. Amen. Yeah.