Nothing gave the apostle Paul greater joy than to see believers continuing to actively live out the Gospel in their lives and in the churches he helped establish. John expressed a similar sentiment when he wrote: 'I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth' (3 Jn. 1:4).
One of the greatest joys that a pastor can have is to observe the active participation in the Gospel by the people of his congregation. The word translated, 'participation' in Phil. 1:5, comes from the Gk word, koinonia, which means 'to hold or share something in common.'
Christian participation, therefore, is a collective effort -- an effort in concert -- to advance a commonly held possession. In this case, the Gospel of Christ and the advancement of the kingdom of God. Alexander Maclaren reminds us that 'the Church is a workshop, not a dormitory, and every Christian man and woman is bound to help in the common cause.'
Sin separates and because it does man perceives himself as alone. Moreover, he prefers it that way. Being a 'rugged individualist' is considered an admirable quality in our culture today. Sin divides and seeks its own; and man has sought after and fought for his personal autonomy ever since--even those identifying themselves as Christians. That is antithetical to the biblical concept of koinonia.
Join us in this lesson on what it means to have been brought into the collective Body of Christ to achieve the purposes of God through Christian participation in the Gospel.
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