Long Distance Ministry

I can't imagine many things worse than being in jail. My liberty taken away, my plans all made for me. It doesn't look like much fun in the 21st century (not that it should be) but it would have been even worse when Paul was there. It would have been hard knowing his friends were risking their lives to feed him, it would have been wearing on those old wounds to always be cold and uncomfortable, but i wonder if what weighed on Paul the most was not being able to see the churches that he loves so much.

Philippians 1:27 seems to come out of that feeling. Paul wants, more than anything, to know that the people he loves are standing firm in the things he's taught them. This was his long distance ministry. Not only a distance of many miles, but of many years. And all ministry, in this sense, is a long distance ministry. All ministry looks five, ten, thirty years into the future, praying that the seeds sown today are still bearing fruit then.

How does a youth pastor think about his effectiveness? Well, not really by how many people come to teen church or sunday school but whether those teens are bring their teens to church in twenty years. What was the fruit of Paul's ministry, not (just) Christians in Philippi, but generations of Christians at Philippi. Not just his readers standing firm as they held his letter in their hands, but standing firm years later.

What does it look like to stand firm? To live a life 'worthy of the Gospel of Christ.' Well thats all of us out right? Well maybe not. What is a life lived worthy of the Gospel? A life with Gospel priorities, Gospel dreams and Gospel hopes. It means the church is strong as people stand shoulder to shoulder in the faith that Paul delivered. It means that the church is striving to reach out to people that don't know Jesus is Lord yet. It means that the faith of the Philippians doesn't depend on Paul who may or may not see them again, but on Jesus. And what joy will fill Paul's heart when he hears of their faithfulness in his absence.

And this is the case whether or not Paul sees them. He doesn't write for his own benefit, he doesn't write to make himself feel good, but he writes so that if he doesn't come, the faith of the church os strong. And we preach, not to draw a crowd, not to build our own name, but so that in years, and generations to come, the church is standing firm.