Before he became a coach, Steve Kerr (1988-2003) had a long and successful playing career in the National Basketball Association. Though he was never considered anything close to one of the top players on his team, he won multiple championships while playing a key role as the highly accurate long-distance shooter who could alleviate pressure on the stars with whom he played. He complimented Hall of Fame players such as Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson, and Tim Duncan, playing out his career in the shadows of these giants. Even though he played sparingly, he made a big impact when on the court, and the star players and coaches of his teams all praised him for his contributions to their teams.

The book of Philippians is the Steve Kerr of the Pauline epistles. Never the doctrinal star Romans or Galatians is, Philippians plays a vital role in the letters of the New Testament. It might not give us the lengthy teaching found in 1 Corinthians or the ministry heart of Paul in 2 Corinthians; it might not give us directives for the church like the pastoral epistles do; it might not combat false teaching with high Christology like Colossians does; but Philippians is a hearty book ready to play its role in the modern life of the church. It is not merely a nice little thank you note filled with some sentimental comments about joy. It is not merely an exhortation to church unity with one impressive view of the incarnation plopped in for good measure. It is not merely an insight into the impressive quality of Paul’s faith and pursuit of Christ. Philippians is all these things and more—a powerful epistle that the church of our modern time needs to get to Christ’s desired destination.

For this study of Philippians, I have chosen the theme, An Advancing Gospel Community. From a prison cell, Paul the Apostle penned this letter. He remembered with complete fondness the beginnings of the beloved church of Philippi, and now, ten years later, he wanted them to keep on going. It is clear throughout the whole letter that Paul’s driving passion is gospel expansion. Not only did he celebrate the Philippian church’s partnership in the gospel, but the entire letter is full of allusions to the advancement of the gospel. He wanted them to know that his chains “really served to advance the gospel” (1:12). He knew he had been put in prison “for the defense of the gospel” (1:16). He praised Timothy for serving with him in the gospel, and then Epaphroditus for “risking his life” and “nearly (dying) for the work of Christ” (1:22, 30). He celebrated their financial gift to him because it would help him continue the gospel work that had begun in Macedonia (4:14). On top of all these statements regarding gospel work and partnership, Paul deposited the Christ hymn that, in a way unparalleled in Scripture, celebrated the gospel itself (2:5-11).

So Paul's main emphasis in this letter is a desire to keep the Philippians on track, advancing as the only community on earth charged with living and promoting the gospel. Paul's letter is not a major corrective or doctrinal treatise, but an exhortation designed to keep them in the gospel partnership lane. All his exhortations to unity, all his pleadings regarding progress, and all his cries for increased Christlikeness are steeped in gospel hope. He wanted Christ to complete the work he started and felt the evangelization of the world was that work.

Contrary to many Bible studies on Philippians, the book is not primarily about joy. Joy is all over the book but as a mere result of living as a unified and advancing gospel community. Being part of something like that brings one great joy. If the Philippians continued to progress toward Christ, just as Paul was committed to progress toward Christ, they would each see gospel expansion. If Christ’s gospel creates a community, then Christ’s community must radiate the gospel throughout the world, which leads to great joy.

To me, this view lifts Philippians from syrupy talks about joy totally disconnected from Christ and his mission to a radical adoption of our heavenly citizenship where we enlist in the mission of gospel advancement by forming unified churches that constantly pursue Christ. If a church is growing in holiness, developing unity, and working out its salvation with fear and trembling, the power of God will meet that church, and gospel advancement will occur. And because the Philippian church was void of major issues or doctrinal questions, Paul could develop this vision for an effective church.

Since this is such a great need in our time, Philippians serves as a wonderful vision for modern believers and pastors and their churches. In our age of distraction with the empires and “saviors” of our day, in our time of disunity and infighting in the body of Christ, in our era of unholiness in the pulpit and pew, Philippians shows us the price we will pay if we don’t get our act together. The gospel will not advance.

So let’s study Philippians, apply Philippians, and become the advancing gospel community Christ envisioned when he formed us. Though it would be a joy to move slowly through Philippians, I have chosen a brisk pace through the letter, starting today with the first eleven verses, where we learn that an advancing gospel community partners together.

1. Serve Together (1-5)

1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 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.

According to Paul, an advancing gospel community partner by serving together. At the heart of his introduction, Paul said he joyfully prayed for the Philippians because of their partnership in the gospel from the first day until now (1:5). Paul loved this church, not just because he was a loving man who had surrendered his life to Christ, but because the Philippians had behaved in lovely ways. The word for "partnership" is the word from which we derive our word "fellowship." To Paul, Christian partnership or fellowship was more than merely staying for coffee on the church patio after services. By using this word, Paul called to mind business partners who are in their industry together for the advancement of the corporate cause. And since the Philippian church had financially invested and spiritually supported Paul from the jump, he considered them partners in gospel work. But what do gospel partners look like, according to Paul?

Even his introduction hints that they were all partners together in the work. He included Timothy in his greeting, not because Timothy wrote anything in this letter, but because he was known by and cared for the Philippians and would eventually visit them again. Paul declared that he and Timothy were servants (or slaves) of Christ Jesus (1:1) who were serving with the overseers (elders or pastors: spiritual people caring for the spiritual matters of the church) and deacons (spiritual people caring for the physical matters of the church) of Philippi (1:1). Throughout this whole letter, it's clear that Paul thought of the Philippian church as his co-laborers for the gospel. He looked at the Philippian church as a group he had gone into battle with, and the bonds they had forged on the battlefront had remained strong even ten years later and 800 miles away—they had served together.

Healthy churches, advancing gospel communities, know how to serve together. They join forces and finances for the cause of Christ. They support gospel-oriented missionaries at home and abroad. They roll up their sleeves and offer up their time and treasure to their local congregation. They realize that it takes an army to accomplish the work. In churches like these, many engage in the work to advance the kingdom. Each individual hears Paul's call to the Roman church: “I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” (Romans 12:1, NIV).

2. Progress Together (1:6-7)

6 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. 7 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.

Second, gospel partners progress together. It was their adoption of the gospel mission that made Paul feel confident that Christ had begun a good work in them and would bring it to completion one day (1:6). Paul saw everything they had done over the previous ten years as evidence that Christ had planted a seed in them that would mature to a full harvest of righteousness. Paul had seen the same thing happening in his life, he had felt Christ's continued work on his soul, so he was confident God was doing the same thing for these Philippians.

Healthy churches, advancing gospel communities, grow in Christ together. They open their lives up to each other because they know how important the sanctification of individuals is to the group at large. They don't hide in shadows, privately allowing sin to fester, knowing that it will kill them and damage the body. They live in the realm of the book of Joshua, advancing and gaining territory in Christ, rather than the book of Judges, where everyone did what was right in their own eyes and, therefore, lost ground. Each one of us must understand that the very best gift we can give every relationship we're in is the personal growth that comes from a consistent walk with God.

I want to specifically exhort the men today. Many of you are accomplished in life but also under enormous pressures, and that combination can tempt you to coast in your relationship with God. But this will lead to your downfall. As Hebrews exhorts us, "We must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it” (Heb. 2:1, NLT). Drift is a real problem, and we must do everything in our power to resist its decaying impact.

Part of progressing (or growing) together is suffering together. As Paul held this church in his heart, he sensed they were partakers with him of God's grace (1:7). In both his imprisonment and in the defense of the gospel, it was as if the Philippians were right there with Paul. It is here we first learn of Paul's condition: he is suffering for the gospel in a Roman prison, but he felt the Philippian church was standing with him, suffering along with their beloved apostle. They were used to this—their beloved apostle was imprisoned on his initial visit to Philippi, and now he is imprisoned in Rome—so they decided to support and stand with Paul from afar.

Healthy churches, advancing gospel communities, recognize that suffering is required equipment for the job. We cannot worship a suffering savior who died for a suffering world without expecting to suffer to advance his cause in that world. The mere presence of the cross, not to mention Paul's chains, causes us to reject a version of Christianity that is all positivity, prosperity, and peace. As believers, we know we still live in a fallen world broken by sin and under the domain of darkness, so we suffer right along with everyone else on this planet. But we also know that to truly advance the gospel, we must choose to suffer—take up our cross, deny ourselves, and follow Jesus. No missionary, no evangelist, no pastor, no servant of Christ has ever become fruitful without choosing to extend themselves in painful ways, and advancing gospel communities know this.

3. Grow Together (8-11)

8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:8–11, ESV)

Third, partnering together means we grow together. Here, Paul revealed more about what he thought Christ would do in them by detailing the contents of his prayers for the Philippians—in his prayer, he declared that he wanted them to abound more and more (1:9). He looked for them to excel and grow, but in what areas?

First, in their love. Paul loved them intensely—he held them in his heart (1:7) and yearned for them all with the affection of Christ Jesus (1:8). The term for "affection" literally refers to the inward gut and conveys a deep, emotional love similar to what Jesus has for his people. Because of this Christ-fueled love, Paul prayed for them that their love would abound more and more (1:8). He wanted them to reciprocate the love he felt for them, but he also wanted them to display the love of Christ to Philippi and extend the love of Christ to each other. Later in the letter, we will discover that a little bit of disunity had crept into their church—nothing too major, but enough for Paul to offer this prayer for their love to increase to God.

How is your love for Christ, his messengers, and his people doing? How is your love for your community doing? Is your love growing and expanding? Are you stretching out in love? Love is considered the ultimate mark of Christlikeness and, therefore, Christian maturity (see 1 Cor. 13).

“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.” (Colossians 3:12–14, NLT)

The second area Paul prayed for them to grow was in their knowledge and discernment (1:9). As love increases, so must our wisdom and insight. Love exposes you to a myriad of issues and problems in the lives of others, but knowledge and discernment show you what to do to actually help them. Love is more than a feeling to Paul; it is a practical insight that produces wise steps and helps those our love targets. And, of course, knowledge and insight come chiefly from the revelation of God's word. As we meditate upon it, we discover God, his plans, and his will for our lives—it makes us wise.

How is your knowledge doing? Are you growing in an understanding of God's word, or have you become stagnant? Can you back up what you think the Bible teaches with actual passages from the Bible? Are you still learning, or are you coasting on past information? A love for the word, stemming from a healthy fear of God, will produce wisdom in our lives, as Psalm 119 proclaims:

“Oh, how I love your instructions! I think about them all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are my constant guide. Yes, I have more insight than my teachers, for I am always thinking of your laws. I am even wiser than my elders, for I have kept your commandments.” (Psalm 119:97–100, NLT)

Finally, Paul also prayed for them to grow in moral excellence (1:10-11). He wanted them to become able to approve what is excellent because understanding what is of moral goodness and what isn't helps us live pure and blameless lives in preparation for the day of Christ (1:10). If we don't grow in our love for the good and excellent we won't bear the fruit of righteousness we otherwise could have, and God will not receive as much glory from our lives (1:11).

Are you growing in your morality? Sometimes, Christians talk about morality in a negative way. We've had to because too many for too long stripped the Bible of the gospel and made it into a moral lawbook. But if the gospel is intact in our thinking, we should celebrate that the Scripture declares to us what lives of moral quality look like.

Perhaps you feel a bit overwhelmed by the different value system God wants you to live by. Perhaps you struggle with what will happen to you if you stand out for your obedience to him. For this concern, I give you Daniel and his friends when they were carted off to Babylon. Brought into King Nebuchadnezzar's courts to be trained in the Babylonian educational system, Daniel and his friends stuck to their (Jewish) Scriptural mandate and refused to eat unclean foods. And though this was challenged and ridiculed for a time, they eventually grew to become healthier and wiser than their contemporaries (see Dan. 1). And as you devote yourself to the moral excellence God asks of you, trust that he will give you wisdom and health as a result.

It is easy to see how important growing in love, wisdom, and moral excellence would be to an advancing gospel community. No love would mean there is no driving force among us to propel us forward with the gospel. No wisdom would mean we cannot point ourselves in the right direction as we try to advance the gospel. And no moral excellence means we would have no distinctiveness from the society at large, plus we would constantly hurt one another by behaving in ungodly ways towards each other.

Conclusion

There are a thousand ways to be a church, but to be a church that is an advancing gospel community partners together in service, congregational progress, and personal growth. And this opening passage of Philippians presents us a vivid picture of how an advancing gospel community is quick to partner together. As they do, they serve together, advance together, and grow together. Together, focused, this type of church, for all its faults and imperfections, will do great things and be used mightily by God.

The story of Nehemiah comes to mind. He lived in a time when God's temple was neglected because the city that housed it, Jerusalem, was in shambles, so Nehemiah set out to rebuild that city. But the enormity of the task required cooperation from the congregation, cooperation they eventually gave. And, as they cooperated and embraced the collective mission, God began to work in power in their midst, and soon, in large part because of their efforts, a revival broke out in that place. I think Paul wanted the same from the Philippian church and would want the same from us—that we would be a people partnered around the mission of gospel expansion as an advancing gospel community.

Study Questions

Head (Knowledge, Facts, Understanding)

​ 1. What does Paul mean by “partnership in the gospel” in Philippians 1:5, and why is this partnership so important to him?

​ 2. According to Philippians 1:6, what does Paul mean when he says that God will “bring [the good work] to completion”? How does this promise relate to the believers’ sanctification?

​ 3. In Philippians 1:9-11, Paul prays for the Philippians to grow in love, knowledge, and discernment. What are the purposes and outcomes Paul desires from this growth?

Heart (Feelings, Impressions, Desires)

​ 4. How does Paul’s affection for the Philippians (Philippians 1:7-8) make you feel about your relationships within your own Christian community? Do you share this deep love for others?

​ 5. Reflect on Paul’s confidence that Christ will complete the work He began in the Philippians (Philippians 1:6). How does this truth affect your own sense of security and peace in your faith journey?

​ 6. When Paul prays for the Philippians to grow in their love and discernment, what desire for spiritual growth does this stir in your own heart?

Hands (Actions, Commitments, Decisions, Beliefs)

​ 7. How can you actively contribute to the “partnership in the gospel” within your local church, similar to how the Philippians partnered with Paul?

​ 8. Paul calls for the Philippians to abound in love, knowledge, and discernment (Philippians 1:9-11). What practical steps will you take to grow in these areas this week?

​ 9. Paul emphasizes advancing the gospel even through suffering (Philippians 1:7). How can you choose to embrace suffering for Christ and support others who are enduring hardship for the sake of the gospel?