Chapter 2
Thanksgiving: It’s More than a Holiday!
Philippians 1:3-8
At
the time I am writing this chapter, one of my favorite holidays that I look
forward to every year is fast approaching: Thanksgiving! I suppose that a large
part of that is due to the fact that I love a good meal. There’s just nothing
quite like a slow-roasted turkey basted with butter, savory dressing, green
bean casserole with French fried onions on top, potatoes—the real kind, lumps
and all—smothered in gravy, crescent rolls, cranberry sauce, and, of course, pies
for dessert. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! Having lived most of
my life in Michigan, you can add to that the delight of sitting back and
groaning through a Detroit Lions football game as they get basted all
afternoon. Then there’s that moment, oh around 4:00 in the afternoon. The game
is all but out of hand; the turkey’s tryptophan
begins to kick in; and I gradually nod off for a soothing nap. Later in the
evening, our troop usually enjoys a few board games around the table, and then
we settle in for a family movie together and, you guessed it, leftovers from
our turkey dinner.
But as one of
God’s children, there is more to this holiday for me than just food and
football. I am encouraged and stirred by the emphasis on remembering the things
for which we are thankful, and taking time to express that thankfulness to God.
Traditionally, our church sets aside that Wednesday night for a Thanksgiving
Eve Service. We sing hymns and songs and share testimonies that express our
thanks to God for His work in our lives and in His church. We take time to read
thanksgiving passages from Scripture, such as Psalms 96, 103, 107, and 138,
just to name a few. One of the great challenges for me that comes from this
time is that I often don’t thank the Lord for His small, everyday gifts: family,
church, friends, a warm home, carpet to set my feet on when I get out of bed,
daily provision of food, the beauty of God’s creation, even the very next
breath that I take. Truly, for the Christian, every day ought to be
Thanksgiving Day!
Such
a practice of thankfulness can readily be seen in Paul’s life and writings. It
was his custom to begin each of his letters with a thank you note. In fact, he opened
all but one of his epistles by thanking God for his readers—for their spiritual
growth and their involvement in carrying out the gospel mission.[1] So
Paul also began his letter to the Philippians by thanking God for his readers.
Paul Expressed Thankfulness to God
“I thank my God upon every memory of you, always, in each prayer of mine for you all, offering prayer with joy,” (1:3-4)
Now
I am quite certain that Paul was quick to thank other individuals and groups
for their assistance and expressions of kindness, but usually his thanksgiving
was specifically directed towards God Himself—the Source of all blessings. Being
thankful was a key part of Paul’s life and ministry. It should also be noted
that his gratitude usually found expression, that is, he took time to say
thanks to God in prayer. Genuine gratitude in the heart will also find
expression on the lips! In these verses, the reason for his gratitude is the
work of God in the hearts of the Philippian believers. When he thought of them,
he was reminded of the powerful ministry that the Holy Spirit has in
transforming Christians into the likeness of Jesus Christ and empowering them
to be involved in the work of the gospel.
In
verse four, we find two characteristics of Paul’s thankful spirit that model
what thanksgiving ought to look like in our lives. First, he offered thanks to
God regularly and frequently (“always, in each prayer of
mine for you all”). I wonder if this really describes our prayers today. When I
think of the word prayer, I usually think of “prayer requests”: What do I need
today? Who do I need to pray for? Where’s my prayer list? Certainly, “asking”
is a crucial part of prayer; we are commanded to do so (Matthew 7:7-8; James
4:2-3). But let’s be honest: Isn’t it safe to say that for most of us the
majority of our time praying is spent asking for things? Don’t we usually find
ourselves slavishly checking off the requests on our prayer list? How often are
we more concerned about what we want instead of what God wants? Unfortunately,
our prayers often treat God as some sort of divine vending machine: 1) Insert
prayer; 2) Make your selection; 3) Pick up your answer below. It does not seem
that Paul spent the bulk of his prayer time asking God for things. Rather, he
spent his time thanking God for His work in the lives of believers. When is the
last time you thanked God for His work in your own life? In the lives of your
children or family? In the lives of your brothers and sisters in Christ? Have
you ever really stood back and wondered at God’s amazing, transforming work in
the lives of His people?
Secondly,
we find that Paul’s thankfulness was characterized by a joyful mood. As noted in the previous chapter, this joyful
atmosphere shapes this whole letter. But we really need to understand what true
joy is. “Joy,” in Scripture is not just a happy feeling which is easily changed
by our circumstances. Biblical “joy” is not the feeling I get when everything
in my life seems to be going my way: I have the job I want, I’m financially
secure, or my children are well-behaved. Rather, true joy is a fruit of the
Holy Spirit’s control (“filling”) in my life (Galatians 5:22-23). Therefore, it
does not depend on my situation. I can be joyful when I don’t have the job I
want, when my finances are a virtual shipwreck, and my children…well, let’s
just say their behavior is less than praiseworthy.
Joy is an
understanding of existence that encompasses both elation and depression, that
can accept with creative submission events which bring delight or dismay
because joy allows one to see beyond any particular event to the sovereign Lord
who stands above all events and ultimately has control over them.[2]
So for Paul, thanking God for
other Christians was not a chore. It brought him great joy and delight!
Paul Expressed Thankfulness for the Philippians
“because of your
participation in the gospel from the first day until now, having been persuaded
of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will accomplish it
until the day of Christ Jesus” (1:5-6).
The reason that Paul was so deeply satisfied with the
Philippians was their help in the gospel ministry. In verse five, Paul spoke of
their “participation” in the gospel—a Greek word that is commonly translated “fellowship”
in the NT.[3] The
Philippians did more than just help Paul out in gospel ministry; they were
coworkers—partners with him. They worked right alongside Paul in the trenches
of gospel ministry. Certainly this partnership included the financial gift that
they sent to him. But there is evidence that they co-labored with him in other
ways too: proclaiming the gospel themselves (1:27), suffering with Paul for the
sake of the gospel (1:29-30; 4:14), and praying for Paul’s ministry of the
gospel (1:19). This partnership apparently extended all the way back to Paul’s
initial work in Philippi (“from the first
day until now”). Their testimony in partnering with Paul in the gospel is
an example for all Christians to follow! I wonder how many of us are prepared
to put in the effort and get our hands dirty in the trenches of the gospel. Are
you prepared to sacrifice time, money, family, and effort, in order to partner
together with your pastor in advancing the gospel? We might also note the
consistency of their participation in the gospel. They didn’t just jump on and
off the “gospel bandwagon” whenever it was convenient for them. Paul viewed
this partnership as having existed from the point he first started his ministry
in Philippi! Some may face death for the sake of the gospel; but are you
willing to give up your life for the sake of the gospel?
The next couple of verses provide the basis for Paul’s
thankfulness for the Philippians’ partnership. His confidence was first of all
based in the Person who was overseeing their participation: Jesus Christ. Their
partnership ultimately did not rest on their own abilities, nor could they
really take the credit for it. Rather, Paul’s confidence was in God’s sovereign
work in the lives of the Philippian believers. This is why his thanksgiving is
expressed to God. This confidence is further inspired by the apostle’s
understanding that God’s work cannot be frustrated. Paul had founded the church
in Philippi, and therefore saw God’s saving grace at work in the conversion of
many of the believers there. As time went on, he saw their personal involvement
in the expansion of the gospel in their city and the founding of that church. Paul
was absolutely certain that this “good work” which God had begun would someday
be completed on the day when Jesus Christ comes again (“until the day of Christ Jesus”). In Paul’s mind, there was no such
thing as a salvation that did not include the transformed life that was seen in
the Philippian believers (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:17), a metamorphosis that would
ultimately be manifested when Christ returns. There is a sense in which the
Philippians—and you and I today—are already citizens of Christ’s future kingdom,
living lives that anticipate the Lord’s return.
Believers in Christ are people of the future, a sure future that has
already begun in the present. They are “citizens of heaven” (3:20), who live
the life of heaven, the life of the future, in the present in whatever
circumstances they find themselves. To lose this future orientation, and
especially to lose the sense of “straining toward what is ahead, toward the goal
to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward” (3:13-14), is to lose
too much.”[4]
“just as it is right for me to think this
concerning you all since I have you in my heart, for both in my bonds and in
the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you are all partakers of grace with
me” (1:7).
Secondly, Paul based his confidence on the proof of their
participation which he had witnessed. There was clear, solid evidence of their
involvement in the gospel ministry. So for Paul, it was right for him to think
this way about them. Their faithfulness outwardly demonstrated that God was at
work in their lives. In the first century, it would have been dangerous to
identify openly with Paul. But the Philippians had treated his difficulties as
their own and had helped him with monetary gifts, both while he was in prison
and whenever he was defending the gospel. They lived in a world that was openly
and blatantly hostile towards Christianity—a fact evidenced by Paul’s
imprisonment in Rome. Take a moment to read again about Paul’s arrival in
Philippi (Acts 16). He and Silas were beaten and imprisoned for their
proclamation of the gospel. Surely those events still haunted the memories of
the Philippian church, and they almost certainly still faced opposition from
the people of the city. Nevertheless, despite the local opposition and widespread
persecution that surrounded them, they continued to be faithful coworkers with
Paul in advancing the gospel.
We too live in a day in which the gospel is on trial. It
is on trial in our government. It is on trial in our public schools. It is on
trial even among those who would call themselves Christians. It is on trial in
the moral values of our society. It is on trial in our world because of the
influences of humanism, evolutionism, liberalism, and modernism. The gospel is
under attack! It is not popular to be a narrow-minded, Bible-believing
Christian in our world. Yes, the gospel is on trial, and we must see ourselves
as on trial with it! Are you prepared to stand up and defend the gospel in the
face of such opposition? Or are you content to go through life like everyone
else as sort of an “undercover Christian?”
For God is my witness how I long for you all
with the affection of Christ Jesus” (1:8).
Paul’s thankfulness to God for the Philippians stirred
his longings to see them again. He emphasized his intense emotional affection
for his readers by appealing to God’s knowledge of his heart (“God is my witness”). He then used the
strongest of terms to express the depth of his love for them. The word affection
in this verse literally means, “bowels” (cf. KJV).[5] It
was used to describe the inner organs (“yuck!”), but came to mean the inner
person or the seat of one’s emotions—what we would call the “heart.” It is not difficult
to see where this meaning came from. Have you ever experienced a deep longing
for someone you loved, so much so, that you could feel it in the pit of your
stomach? That’s the kind of love that Paul had for his friends at Philippi. It
is significant, though, that these affections of the heart were not Paul’s own,
but Christ’s. In other words, his love for the Philippians was actually a
manifestation of Christ’s love for them.
We
should take note of the intensity of Paul’s love for other believers. Too
often, this love for our Christian brethren is lacking in churches today (cf. 1
Peter 1:22 – “love each other deeply—with
all your heart”). Paul called God as witness to his love for God’s people.
Could we do the same? It’s very easy to say, “I love my Christian brothers and
sisters.” It’s very easy to pretend—to put forth a show that we love other
believers. But could we say like Paul did, “God
is my witness”? Could the God who sees your heart and knows your true motives
testify to your love for fellow Christians?
In a Nutshell…
If
you have ever found yourself struggling to be thankful, especially for other
believers, Paul sets for you a prime example in these verses. Have you ever
thought, “I don’t know what to thank God for?” How about thanking Him for the
spiritual growth that you see in your own life and in that of other Christians?
You could thank Him for the absolute surety that He will finish that work. Look
around at how the gospel is advancing through the ministry of your church…and
thank God for that. Who do you see that is standing firm for the gospel, even
in the face of opposition? Thank God for them.
It’s high time that we made every day, Thanksgiving Day!
[1]Galatians
is the only letter in which Paul does not begin with thankfulness for his
readers. This was probably because of the serious nature of the false teaching
at Galatia. Paul may have wanted to get right down to business with them.
[3]
Greek: koinonia
[4]
Gordon D. Fee, Paul’s Letter to the
Philippians, NICNT (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1995), p. 88.
[5] Greek: splagknois
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