Philippians 4:15-23 Supporting Missionaries CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
Paul was a missionary Acts 13. We talk about his missionary journeys. At this point in his letter to the Philippians, he is thanking them for money and in doing so, shows why and how we should support missionaries.
How:
- Through the church (v. 15) – in Acts 13, the church sent them out
- Regularly (v. 16) – Monthly or more often
- Sacrificially (v. 18b) – above the tithe – Christians who don’t tithe are in a mess – Abe tithed before the law – by definition the tithe is the Lord’s [Lev 27:30] – in II Cor 8 the Macedonian church gave sacrificially – in Acts 2 & 4, folks were selling homes, land, and possessions – unfortunately today People who tell you to give like that are getting fatter by the week
Why:
- Produces fruit (v. 17) – Jn 15
- Provides abundance for missionaries (v. 18) – Money with prayer is sufficient – we’ve seen orphanages constructed in various countries, hospitals in the Gobi desert, souls saved in a tent in Ukraine, Letterboxing tracts in New Zealand, a house converted to a church in Romania, a girls home bought and paid for in Florida, etc.
- Assures you that God will supply your need (v. 19) in Matt 6 and Phil 4 both passages on God taking care of you are in the context of giving – in I Ki 17, the widow gave her last meal to Elijah and God took care of her until the famine broke
- Brings glory to God (v. 20) – I Cor10:31
- Expands the family of God (v. 21-22) – when you see pictures of them and their converts, you know those are my brothers and sisters in Christ
- Adds the grace of God to you (v. 23) – II Cor 8:1 – Heb 4:16 – II Cor 9:6-8