Day Two: Being Partners in the Gospel
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. –Philippians 1:3-5
Have you ever participated in a three-legged race? It’s hard enough when the two people are headed toward the same goal. Can you imagine how impossible it’d be if the two people tied together were competing against one another and moving towards different goals?
The word Paul uses for partnership is the Greek word koinonia. D.A. Carson helpfully defines that as “a self-sacrificing conformity to a shared-vision”. That’s just another way to say that two people in a three-legged race are pooling all their resources together to get to the same goal.
Paul was ecstatic because he realized that the Philippians had the same goal as he did—to see the gospel spread to the nations. Though they were in great poverty they shared what little they had to help Paul accomplish the mission. Our marriages must have a similar self-sacrificing conformity to a shared vision. And what better thing to partner in than the gospel of Jesus Christ? Our marriage could be centered on many different things, let’s pray today that we would be partners in the gospel.
Lord, thank you for partnering us together. We confess that at times we move towards different goals, or even work together towards the wrong goal. Help us to learn what it means to truly be partners in the gospel. If there are things we need to sacrifice for the sake of your gospel, give us the boldness to obey. Give us a unified picture of the purpose of our marriage so that we are together passionately striving for the same goal.
