The following message is from the Audio Teaching Library of the Briarwood Pulpit, a ministry of the Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Our speaker is Dr. Harry Reeder, Senior Pastor of Briarwood Presbyterian Church. It is our hope and prayer that this message will equip and encourage you in your walk with Christ. And as a result, you will be used by our Lord as an instrument of change to further his kingdom and bring honor and glory to the name of Christ. Here now is our pastor teacher, Harry Reeder. If you're able, please remain standing for the reading of God's word. Would you turn in your Bibles to Philippians chapter one? Children, you can make your way. Boy, they've had a great time at GLOW this week. And they're going to make their way to the worship center. And if you'll pick them up afterwards and if you'll make your way to Philippians chapter one, if you're visiting with us today and you don't have a Bible, there's a pew Bible, a Bible right there in the pew in front of you. We would love to make that available to you. And I think it would be helpful if you had that open. Just turn to page 980 and you're right with us. And by the way, if you don't have a Bible yet, that Bible can be your gift. We give it to you. Just take it home. I would ask that you stop by and let me give you a little Bible study to go with it. Just stop by in the lobby. And also, if you're visiting with us, Cindy and I look forward to giving you a gift and to spend and greet you in the back as well. Our missionaries will be back there afterwards. You can greet them. And so we look forward to that time together. This this after the service, would you look with me in Philippians one and look at verse three, verse three. This is God's word that is read in your hearing, inspired, inerrant and infallible. I thank my God. I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you, all making my prayer, making all my prayer with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. And it is right. for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus, the grass withers, the flower fades. God's word abides forever by his grace and mercy. May his word be preached for you. Please be seated. Well, as Brian said, it's been an awesome week. It's been a great week. Cindy and I were just commenting, talking through it and what a great week it's been for us and how we anticipated this service. The commitment of our faith promise commitment for this year, how we're going to be personally engaged and we're going to be personally committed and our prayer plan and and then the faith promise offering that God's led us to give. We've been looking for it. But one of the things that really blessed us is we went around to global glimpses. Well, first of all, I obviously was challenged and impressed by that segment of our missionary family that we have now, we're approaching around 300 missionaries. I don't know the exact number, uh, not counting agencies. Uh, but, um, and so we have the opportunity to have about 10% of them, 10 to 15% at the most each, uh, missions conference, but to hear them. And, but as I was listening to them, not only was I challenged and, um, encouraged by what I was hearing. they were doing and how the Lord was working in their life and what the Lord was doing through there. But I immediately went back to something else. I give thanks to the Lord for and I, uh, I give thanks to the Lord for our missions. Pastor Brian, I give thanks to the Lord for this ever growing global missions team. It just keeps expanding each year. And I know that when I hear missionaries that are on mission on message and in the right ministries, I know That is not only their heart, but I also know that they got into this congregation and we get the opportunity to get into their life because of the leadership of our global missions leadership team that they faithfully use that biblical paradigm. We're committed to the Great Commission, and if you're committed to the Great Commission, then you not only have a message, we've got one message to give to people. And that message is this, that God is glorified in the preeminence of his son, Jesus Christ, as he is proclaimed the one who has created us, the one who alone can save us, and the one who intercedes to sustain us. And this glorious Christ, this gospel message that he saves sinners from their sin, is the only message we have. It has multiple implications. It has a comprehensive world and life view that is attendant to it. But it is a singular message of how a man who is wrong with God can be right with God. The failure of all of man-made religion is obvious, but the glorious truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ is delightful and extraordinary and life-changing and transforming. That's our message, and our mission is to get this gospel message to all the nations. Christ has given us the mission, Christ has established the message, and Christ has given us the ministries. How do you do this? Well, we don't have to wonder. That's why one of the reasons he put the book of Acts in here so that you see when the gospel went out, you see that Paul and the team that he had did four things. They did gospel evangelism and discipleship. They did gospel church planting and revitalization. They did gospel deeds of love and mercy, and they did gospel development and deployment of leaders. That's what they did. Those four things, city after city, after city, after city. And so our missions team is always got that paradigm in front of them as we determine who would we have, who would God have us to engage with. So I know that what I've heard this week is not only the result of how God has moved upon the hearts of these missionaries that has been shared. And the global glimpses, but also how God has moved upon the leadership of this global missions team so that we can stay. Now you say, Hey, why are you taking a lot of time at that? Well, I'm taking time at that, not for political reasons, but for a very reason of stewardship. I think God's money's important. I think the time of God's people is important. God's given all of us. We all woke up the day and you only get 24 hours in this day. And by the way, you're only going to have so many days. And as you live your life and you spend a day done. So when you spend time in the world missions program of Briarwood, I want to make sure we're on mission on message and in ministry. And I thank God for a team that keeps us in that direction. Secondly, as God's people say, OK, Lord, here's your tithe in worship. But now we have prayed about what we will give sacrificially beyond that as you bring it into our lives in a faith promise gift. And I am so grateful. Now, Cindy and I have some individuals, not a whole lot, honestly, that we support outside of our faith promise. But one of the reasons we put almost all that we do in missions in faith promise is because I know There's a global missions team that's praying for them, not only holding them accountable, but is constantly at work with them. And I know that by God's grace, we are putting and making count what those those resources are that God has given. And they're in the right ministries doing the right thing to fulfill the great commission on mission, on message and in ministry. And I'm grateful for that. And I know that doesn't happen without leadership. That's why I share that with you. I share that with you because of the stewardship that it gives me confidence as I enter into the each year, not only as a pastor, but as a member of this congregation to serve the Lord in the engagement of world evangelism with fulfilling it, not only with the mission God's given us in the message, but also the ministries he has laid out in his word. So I'm grateful for all of that. So what I thought I would do this morning is just go to a missionary letter. That's where I am. Philippians, that's where I like to look at it. I look at it like a missionary letter. It's a missionary letter that actually has three prisms to it. Now, I'm fully aware that there are other significant themes that run through the letter to the Philippians. I'm fully aware of that. But here is a local church that's. A missionary by the name of Paul. Writes to. To let them know, I got your gift, I got your man, I got the people you said, I got the gift you sent. I've heard about your prayers. I've heard of all those things. Now I'm going to give you a report. So I know most of you missionaries heard me say this in the first service, but if you don't mind, I'll say it again. Note to self, if you want to learn how to write a missionary letter to a missionary supporting church, read Philippians. It is for you. But there's another prism, but this prism is not only giving you that insight, this prism also gives you this prism gives you an insight into the heart of a missionary. I mean, just listen to his heart. My earnest expectation. Is I will not put Christ to shame in life or death. I press on toward the goal of the upward call of Christ. I want to know the resurrection power of Christ. Note to self, if you want to see a profile of a missionary, listen to Paul's heart as he shares his missionary heart with his missionary supporting church. Note to self, here's a missionary supporting church. But here's another thing I want you to see. When he writes back to thank them for being his partners, did you hear what I just read? Would you go back there? Because I don't want to just run by it. Would you go back to Philippians 1 just for a moment? What I just read. And I'm not going to read the whole thing again, but I do want to read just a little piece of it with you. Look at what he says. He says in verse five, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. Now, you know what you're going to hear? This is the only church that Paul let be a supporting church in his ministry. This is the only church that he let support him. And here's something else that you get from that. Not only did he let this church support him, but secondly. Secondly, this church had supported him from the very beginning. Now, do you know how the church at Philippi began? You know, we start churches with core groups. Do you know what the core group of the church at Philippi was? A converted jailer and his household. a woman, a servant girl who was demon possessed, who people were making money off of, and a businesswoman by the name of Lydia who was there for a short period of time. She's actually from Thyatira. That was his core group to start with. And from the very first they didn't say, well, you know, after we get up and we get Sunday schools and we get this and we get that, we're going to start a missions program from the very beginning of that church. According to Paul, they engaged in gospel partnership with Paul from the very beginning. They started with him. And by the way, notice Paul's failed attempt to be a southerner. How many times when you read through Philippians, he says, you all, he has not yet learned y'all. He has not yet learned all y'all, but he does say you all he's on his way. He's on his way. And what he is saying is you all the reason the church was a missionary supporting church was because the members of Philippi had engaged in it. You all. So here is a missionary supporting church, a missionary supporting church. That's in partnership with the apostle Paul, whom he prays for that they will stay healthy. Boy, I'll tell you that was a great insight. If you read this, just look how concerned. Paul is that Philippi stays on mission on message in ministry. Look how concerned he is that they stay the course. He wants their stability. Be anxious for nothing. He wants their anticipation. It has been granted unto you not only to believe in him, but to but also to suffer for his sake. He wants them to have confidence in the Lord. He wants them to know that the life in Christ is pervasive and comprehensive. Listen, when Jesus goes to the cross, he pays for all the sins of all of his people. And he gives us all of his righteousness to clothe us. And he gives us a new heart, a new record, a new life. And now we give him all. We don't set up a list of life. OK, I mean, I'm in life and I'm going to nod my head to Jesus. Eleven o'clock on Sundays. No, no, he gets our life, and by the way, he doesn't just get one day, praise God for the Lord's day, but he doesn't get just the Lord's day, he gets every day and praise God that not only does Jesus migrate up to the top of the list in our life because he is our Lord and Savior, But when you really understand what Paul is saying is Jesus doesn't belong at the top of the list of a healthy Christian and a healthy church. He is the list for to me to live is Christ. Then Jesus makes our list. We don't make a list to put Jesus at top. Jesus is the list. And Jesus makes the list for us. Here's what it means to be a man, Harry. Here's what it means to be a husband. Here's what it means to be a father. Here's what it means to be a grandfather. Praise the Lord. That's a gift coming for some of you. Stay in there. Stay in there. Grandparenting is coming. It's glorious. And so here's what it means to be a grandparent. Here's what it means. Here's what it means to walk with the Lord in business. Here's what it means to be a pastor. Here's what it means to fulfill your calling. I will make your list and I will give you the ability to live that out for me. That's what's in his heart. And that's what he is communicating. But what's really interesting is he gives us an insight. Into what gospel partnership with a missionary is like for a missionary supporting church. And he identifies three things in the text. Those three things that he identifies in the text, I'm going to go ahead and alert you, you should have gotten in the mail your faith promise card. If you didn't or you forgot it. We conveniently put another one in there for you this week. There it is in your worship folder. And you will notice that as I walk you through this, what Paul identifies that Paul identifies three things about a missionary supporting church that I that that reveals their partnership in the gospel with him as a gospel missionary. And you're going to see that these three things actually match up with the card. I am so grateful that Paul gave you these things to match up with our card. Wait, maybe we designed the card to match up with what Paul says, that's what we've done, but I want you to see it. I want you to see a missionary. Paul writing to a missionary supporting church that he identifies as a partnership church, what he does, they do. What he does, they participate in, they are partners with him in this gospel ministry to take the gospel to all the world, and as they are with him, what does he identify that they what what does he reveal identifies their partnership? Let me give you three things. Here's the first three-part takeaways for this. Here's the first one. They are personally engaged. Would you take your, but I go to a lot of passages, but I only got a few minutes. So would you go to chapter two with me? And would you go to verse 25? They were personally engaged. Go down to chapter two and verse twenty five. I have thought it necessary to send to you. Epaphroditus. Who is Epaphroditus? One, he's my brother. Two, he is a fellow worker. Three, he is a fellow soldier. Four, he is your messenger and minister to my need, for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. Now, let me stop there. What is he telling you? He's telling you Epaphroditus has been with him as a fellow soldier, a fellow missionary, a fellow servant. He has worked right alongside of him. But the reason Epaphroditus was with him for this short term mission trip. And now he's going to go home, where? Philippi. Philippi had sent one of their own persons who engaged in this short term mission trip and joined the apostle Paul in his mission and in his ministry, so much that he's now Paul owns him like they own him. But it's time to send him home and he's going back home. How did he get to Paul? Here's a person. who was sent by persons in that church to be engaged with Paul short term. Yes, but engage and then sent back to be with him. But let me show you that's not the only there are other evidences. I'll just show you one more. Go with me to Philippians, chapter four, Philippians, chapter four. Take a look at verse two, Philippians, chapter four, in verse two. I entreat Yodia and I entreat Sentaiki to agree in the Lord. In other words, will you quit? Would y'all solve that issue? I know I know y'all don't believe this, but sometimes people in church kind of get a little disagreement with each other. I know it's hard to believe, but it does happen from time to time. And so he says, would y'all get this thing settled? And by the way, he really wants them to get it settled because they have had a marvelous impact. Look at what all else he says. I entreat Yodia and I entreat Sentaiki to agree in the Lord. Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women. Who are these women who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers whose names are in the book of life? He says, here are two women who had been sent from that church to assist the team, and they had engaged in ministry. Now they had gone. Now they got a little problem they need to deal with. I don't know what happened, but now. But notice what they have done. Here are here's more an example. Here's another example of personal engagement that Paul reveals to us happen, that Paul affirms and Paul declares his appreciation for it. First of all, you all, all of you are engaged in the partnership. Secondly, there were particular people from all of you who were even sent to him for short term mission support of him in ministry. Let me give you a second, a second identifying mark of partnership. The second one is not only personally engaged, but prayerfully engaged. that we are called to be prayerfully engaged. Now, this is all over the book of Philippians. But again, for the sake of time, I'm just going to take you to one text. Go with me to to Philippians chapter one. Go back to chapter one with me. Take a look at verse 18. Here in verse 18, he says this. He says, what then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or truth, Christ is proclaimed. In other words, there are some people who out of integrity were proclaiming Christ. There were some people with ill motives proclaiming. He said, listen, while I care, Jesus gets preached. And when Jesus gets preached, I'll rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice for. I know that through your prayers and the help of the spirit of Jesus Christ, this will turn out for my deliverance as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage. Now, as always, Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death, for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. So here he says, I'm in prison. There's a possibility this could end up in a death sentence, that I will be put to death because I am committed to telling people that Jesus loves them and died for their sins and they can have eternal life if they will come to Christ. But even if I have to die, it is my earnest expectation, whether by life or by death, Christ will not be put to shame. Positive, Christ will be exalted in his life and in his death. He said, here's what I want you to do. I want you to keep praying because I can't do this without the power of the Holy Spirit. And God has entwined the presence and power of his Holy Spirit upon his people with the prayers of his people for one another. God has entwined those two together. Now, God is not dependent upon my praying, but God has designed his work of the spirit of God to be engaged with my praying that I would be engaged. So personal engagement, there was the first one we looked at. Folks, I really want you to pray about this. How can you be personally engaged? Let me tell you one way you can all be personally engaged. We're all missionaries. Now, not all of us are called to be cross-cultural missionaries, and if you're not called to be a cross-cultural missionary, don't go out of guilt. This is a calling, but we're all called to be missionaries where we are. As the father sent me, so send I you. There's probably nothing more encouraging to missionaries than to know the people that are praying and supporting them are doing what they're doing where they are. Secondly, another way you can be personally engaged, think about this, did you know if God blesses our faith promise giving, there's going to be an open door for us to do 25 short term mission trips this year. Just read through your guide, 25 short term mission trips. By the way, one of the reasons our faith promise is needed, go check and see how many of those are going to be students. That are being introduced. Not only to serving Christ, but to serving Christ in the lives of others in other cultures. So you can be engaged in short term mission, can I give you another one? It's what I just spent some time talking about. I praise God for all of those that keep growing our global missions team. And it's broken into subcommittees, Europe and Africa and the Middle East and South Pacific and Oceania and all of these places that have these teams that are praying, betting, filtering, supporting, encouraging. That is that that may be a place that I mean, not all of us are to be sent cross culturally, but perhaps God has gifted you to be a sender. God has gifted you to oversee the sending of it. That he's got you for the infrastructure of what's going to be done out on the field and what you and how God is going to use you in their lives. But not only personally engaged, be prayerfully engaged, and I don't know how you're going to be prayer. I've had people come to me from these missions. Pastor, I'll tell you what I do. I pray through. I just pray. I keep the guide, the prayer guide, and I use it all year and I just pray through them. Some say to me, you know, pastor, there's one particular area. I pray. I take one of our subcommittees. Maybe it's Africa. Maybe it's the Middle East. Maybe it is Europe. Maybe it is Oceania. I don't know where Asia. I don't know where it is, but something they'll say this year I'm praying for the missionaries in that area. That's their plan. Some, as you know, every week over here will be one. Now we've got all these flags from all the places that we're going, but every week you're going to see a flag over here and in your midweek and in your bulletin will be that missionary. That's in that place that we're focused upon in praying that week. And maybe that's the play. You're just going to play. You're just going to work with the plan. That's there every week. But get engaged personally, get engaged prayerfully and how so that we can be a partnership church, a true partnership church as a missionary supporting church. And the third and the final one is that we are financially engaged. Now, here's my time. I can't tell you how much again, Cindy and I talked about this, and so I can't tell you how important it was for me. in October of 1972, to not only get the tides straight, and we'll quit robbing God, and I'm going to bring that in worship, but then to start praying about offerings, mercy offerings, and faith promise offerings. I'll tell you, I confess to you, I only, I got started, I had, can I just, can I defend myself just a little bit? I'm in a private college with a wife and a kid and three, and three part-time jobs. So, and I mean, budget wise, I know, but I said, Ty, there's a Lord, you're not going to rob him. And I said, okay, 25 cents a week for missions. I know you're looking at that and saying, Harry, that's not, I believe me. If you'd been sitting in my shoes, that was a big deal for me right at that moment. And but then God just burst loose with us. God changed everything for us so that not only those amounts went up, but those percentages. And that's what I love about faith promise, is that you have this time as individuals, as families to pray, God, what are you going to bring to us that we promise to give to you? Faith promise. Now, people say to me, Harry, do you believe if how do you do that? Let me tell you how I do it. Let me tell you how Cindy and I do it. And I'm doing this pastorally. And I know some of you have already discipling relationship with you talked about it. So please forgive me. But let me just share with you. I looked at the Old Testament when God did something. There was freewill offerings, love offerings. There was supernatural provision and there was sacrifice. So that's what Cindy and I do every week, every year when we pray through this. What were we planning on doing this year that we can sacrifice to give to the Lord? Number two, what can we do systematically on a percentage basis to get beyond the tithe and keep adding? And we found you can't out give God and God will not be a debtor to any man, because now I'm giving. I mean, tithe, I'm being obedient. Faith promise, now I'm giving. Sacrificial, systematic. And then the last one is supernatural. God, how are you going to plunder the Egyptians to send me something this year? You remember when Israel went out, they're going to build a tabernacle in the wilderness with gold, silver, and purple. Where did that come from? Well, on their way out, the Egyptians just threw stuff in there. Here, would y'all go on? Here it is. So God, how are you going to plunder the Egyptians? And what are you going to bring me this year? And I promise you, if you get it to me, then it'll get through me. That's what faith promises all about. And I love it. I love it. So folks, y'all, all y'all. Can get in on this thing so that we're a partnership church that prayerful at financially what can let me show you where there's all kind of passages again, but then in closing, let me ask you to just go to Philippians chapter one with me. I mean, I'm sorry, not Philippians one. Go with me to Philippians chapter four. I'll just give you these two. Philippians chapter four. Slip down, if you would, to verse 10. Slip down to verse 10, Aristarchus, Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greet you and mark the cousin of Barnabas concerning whom you receive instruction. If he comes to you, welcome him and Jesus and et cetera, et cetera. I'm sorry. Chapter four and slip on down, go down to verse 10. Yeah, first 10. Know what? I just. Lost my place. Let's see. Oh, no wonder that's Colossians. Oh, here we go. Yeah, this I was right. Look at look at verse 10, I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You have indeed. You have indeed. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I'm speaking of being in need, for I have learned that in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low and I know how to abound in any and every circumstance. I've learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Christ, through him who strengthens me. Yet it was kind of you to share partner my troubles, my challenge and and you Philippians. yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving except you only. Even in Thessalonica, you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment and more. I'm well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering and a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches and glory. In other words, it is amazing what God will send to you if he knows he gets through you. And so that but that's what it does, it doesn't get sent to us for us, it gets sent to us to go through us. And that God then entrust these things to us that we commit to him. But they were they started out as a missionary supporting church. They continued. They revived and renewed their commitment. And they would give the gifts to the Apostle Paul, even while he's in prison. And they are supporting him as he is engaging in it. Well, there's so much more I could say on that. And I won't say any more, but I will say this, folks, there's a world out there that needs to hear about Jesus. And we got people that are ready to go do the right message and the right mission and the right ministries. And I'd love for all of us to participate. In being a gospel partnership church. Perhaps one of the best ways I can say it is. Is the the account I was reading recently of Andrew Fuller. who started at the conclusion of the first great awakening in anticipation of the great of the second great awakening 1792. He began a missionary sending agency, and he called pastors of gospel churches who would want to be committed to the Great Commission to take the gospel to all the nations. Jesus is not the tribal God of America. Jesus is Lord of Lords, King of Kings. He is Lord of all the nations. To all the nations we send the very glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. And Andrew Fuller couldn't get many churches to agree to it, but there was a small group and they sent a young man on what today we would call a vision trip. He went to India and when he saw what paganism was doing to their lives and the fact that they were perishing and headed for a Christless eternity, he came back and Andrew Fuller said, why don't you go back and stay? I almost feel this hymn was written for that moment. Rescue the perishing, care for the dying, snatch them in pity from sin and the grave, weep for the erring one, lift up the fallen, tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save. Sung that hymn I don't know how many times growing up in my local church. Rescue the perishing, care for the dying, Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save. Go back, Carrie. And Kerry said to Fuller, I will go down. If you'll hold the rope. Now, ropes got two ends. Missionaries got to know the power of the gospel of grace to hold on that end. And tie it around others that they can be rescued with the gospel. The sending churches. We hold the rope. We hold the rope by being personally engaged, being prayerfully engaged, and being financially engaged. And our God shall supply all that we need to serve him. That's what God has called us to do. Hold the rope. To rescue the perishing. Jesus will say, let's pray. Would you just take a few moments in silent prayer? I'm going to ask Daniel just to simply play, pray, I'm sorry, to play for us and to sing. Just to lead us while we consecrate our gifts, now you've likely already got your gift that you prayed through and it's there. I just ask you simply lay hands on it and ask God to multiply it. Perhaps some of you are wanting to revisit that card. Fill out that card. Just take these moments and consecrate it, commit it. You'll notice there's a place for your prayer strategy. There's a place for you to indicate your personal engagement. Then there's a place for you to indicate what you have prayed about and are praying about. that God would get to you to get through you. And he'll supply that as you give it to him, not to gain from him, but that others may gain his son, Jesus. That's our heart. That's our only that's all we want to hear back, giving and receiving. All we want to do is receive back the message from those to whom we support and pray and engage with people who need the Lord come to the Lord. So just place your hands on it and commit it. Just a few moments, I'll give you the opportunity for. A singles for the singles or representatives from families and individuals to come and bring it to the feet of the sent ones, the missionaries who will have up here on the stage. But right now, you consecrated. You have been listening to a message by Harry Reeder, Senior Pastor of Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama. For more information on the resources available through Briarwood Presbyterian Church, or for more information on the teaching ministry of Pastor Reeder, visit us at briarwood.org or call 205-776-5200. you