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It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God\u2019s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:7-8)

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Does Paul feel that he needs to defend his joyful, thankful attitude in prayer for the Philippians?\xa0 This next verse starts off as if he feels he does.\xa0 \u201cIt is right for me to feel this way\u201d he begins.

Always giving thanks when he remembers this church, always praying with joy\u2014it does sound a little too good to be true.\xa0 I mean, come on: have you ever met The Church?\xa0 Have you met each other?\xa0 Could you say of all your fellow church members: \u201cI thank God every time I remember you.\u201d \u201cIn all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy.\u201d\xa0 \u201cI have you in my heart.\u201d \u201cI long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.\u201d\xa0 Even if you think you could truthfully say those things in absolute terms about everyone within our church\u2014could you say them about everyone in our denomination?\xa0 Or, in the wider Church of Jesus Christ?

If you said yes\u2014either you\u2019re a Christian on par with Paul, or you\u2019ve forgotten something.\xa0 Like, for instance: the way that that one person cut you off in the parking lot or told you to move out of their pew; or the time when someone made light of your pain or avoided you all together when you were going through it; or the way that someone acted toward you or people you care about online or in public forums.\xa0 The church is full of sinful, broken people (just like you and me) and it\u2019s nigh near impossible to walk through a place like this and not find yourself frustrated, angry, or hurt by someone.

And why would you want to partner in the gospel with people like that?\xa0 With judgmental hypocrites and insensitive administrators, bleeding hearts and short-sighted enthusiasts, culture warriors and political partisans?\xa0 It\u2019s often easier to strike out on your own: to another church, to another denomination\u2014to be spiritual, but not religious somewhere off on your own.

I\u2019m sure it was the same with the Philippian church.\xa0 It was full of sinful, broken people too.\xa0 Paul will allude to some of those realities later on in this letter.\xa0 And yet, despite who they were, Pastor Paul still writes these words of thanks and joy in response.\xa0 Knowing these statements might be hard to believe though, Paul also gives rationale.

\u201cIt is right for me to feel this way about all of you.\u201d\xa0 Why?\xa0 \u201cBecause all of you share in God\u2019s grace with me.\u201d

In other words, Paul says: \u201cwhen I look at you\u2014when I remember you\u2014I don\u2019t think of all the wrinkles and stains.\xa0 I know they\u2019re there.\xa0 But that\u2019s not the most important thing about you.\xa0 When I look at you\u2014I see the good work of God.\xa0 I see the saints\u2014the holy people of God in Christ Jesus who have believed in Him and so have received His grace to cover all their failures and faults.\xa0 And, we share in that grace together.\xa0 We share in that Koinonia, that fellowship and partnership in the Gospel, together.\xa0 We share in the bonds of Christian love, together.\xa0 And because of that\u2014because you and I are in the heart of God and he in ours\u2014you are in my heart as well.\u201d

It is only with this fundamental recognition of Christ and his grace in the other that we can come to love this unlovely person before us as we ourselves have been loved.\xa0 Only then, in recognition of and sharing in the grace of God can we always given thanks in joy for all our fellow church members.\xa0 Only then can we truly and Christianly hold them in our hearts.\xa0 So: may your eyes be open to see the grace and face of Christ in your fellow Christians and in the church this week.\xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0

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