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Fellowship in the Gospel
Philippians 1:3-7

The facts of their fellowship in the gospel.
  1. Equivalent Section: The result of their fellowship in the gospel.
    1. First Step: Paul's prayers because of their fellowship in the gospel.
      1. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
      2. Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,
      3. For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;
    2. Second Step: Paul's confidence  because of their fellowship in the gospel.
      1. Being confident of this very thing,
      2. that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
  2. Equivalent Section: Their testimony related to their fellowship in the gospel.
    1. First Step: Their testimony's effect upon their pastor.
      1. Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all,
      2. because I have you in my heart;
    2. Second Step: Their testimony's effect upon others.
      1. inasmuch as both in my bonds,
      2. and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel,
      3. ye all are partakers of my grace.

There is no doctrinal correction in this epistle.  It basically tells the spiritually mature saint to 'Keep on Keeping on!' and assures these spiritually mature gospel workers of their blessings and eternal rewards.  It wasn't that they were perfect or that they never sinned that God only encouraged them.  God gave only encouragement because of their fellowship in the gospel.  After his opening salutation that is in the first two verses, Paul uses the first sentence of the body of this epistle (our current sentence) to thank God for their fellowship in the Gospel.  We see this fact in this sentence outline.

Communism was popular in the late 1800.  It got into the doctrine of the church with beliefs that are still held today such as: 'no tears in Heaven' and 'We're all going to have a mansion' and the lie that the judgment seat of Christ  (Romans 14:10; 2Corinthians 5:10-11) is a 'bema seat' where we only receive or lose rewards but do not suffer punishment.  The people of this church understood the truth that the Bible teaches about Heaven and our rewards there.  That truth motivated then to have a fellowship in the Gospel.  People today don't have that fellowship in the Gospel  because they believe the lie that they are going to a Communistic Heaven where they will receive rewards for work which they refused to do.  The wise saved person will have a fellowship in the Gospel  like the people within this church did.  Their fellowship in the Gospel  kept God from criticizing them like we see God do to all other churches which were devoting their lives to something else.

Simply put: the Bible teaches that there is a hieratical structure in Heaven with God the Father on top, God the Son under Him, then the 24 elders,  12 for the Jews and 12 for the church.  Below them are more layers with increasing numbers as you go lower and less power, authority and rewards.  The bottom layer will have the greatest number of people in Heaven where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth  (See message on Pounds and Talents) until God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;  at the great white throne  judgment (Revelation 20:11), which is 1,000 yearss after the judgment seat of Christ.  The people of this church understood this Biblical truth and acted to make sure that they were not in the lowest level of Heaven's hierarchy.  They did this by actively participating in the fellowship in the Gospel.

They were blessed by God was because of their fellowship in the Gospel.  Their personal (ye)  involvement brought them the thanks  and the promise (he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ)  of this sentence.  God rewards His people for their participation in the gospel.

The fellowship in the Gospel  is more than just telling people how to be saved.  It includes Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you  (Matthew 28:20).

This church had the presence and power of the Lord Jesus Christ because of their fellowship in the gospel (of the Lord Jesus Christ) from the first day until now,  which included inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.  That is; they were willing willing to suffer all things in order to participate in all parts of the gospel including the parts which required people to grow up spiritually and take on the responsibilities of a worker within the gospel.

A simple dictionary definition of fellowship  is 'Companionship; society; consort; mutual association of persons on equal and friendly terms; familiar intercourse'.  A popular religious definition of fellowship  is 'two fellows in a ship'.  A more correct Bible definition of fellowship  is 'two fellows in a ship taking a long journey with both having the same goal and both in agreement on how to get there with each doing all that is his part of the work'.  With that in mind, we can say that this epistle tells us the following about their fellowship in the gospel:

Remember that they received no doctrinal correction because of their fellowship in the gospel.  Instead, they received an epistle which told them to 'Keep on Keeping on!'.

Returning to the details of our sentence, we know that the use of the word you  indicates the entire church.  The use of ye  is each of them personally.  The First Step of the First Segment is what the church did.  The Second Step of the First Segment is what Jesus Christ  did in response to what they did.  The First Step of the Second Segment is what Paul thought of the testimony of the church.  The Second Step of the Second Segment is what they each personally (ye)  received because of their personal fellowship in the gospel.

The Second Segment tells us what individuals did within the church.  The word even  means 'each side has equal weight'.  The work of the individuals within the church was as important to God as as what the church as a whole did.

The rewards that these people received for their fellowship in the gospel is participating in Paul's grace.  2Timothy 4:7-8 says I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. Thus we can see in the Bible what they will receive and what we can receive if we participate in the fellowship of the gospel.

In addition, to receiving grace,  we see that there was a cost.  Within our sentence, Paul says inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers.  They were partakers  of Paul's bonds  and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel.  Paul was in bonds  because of his defence and confirmation of the gospel.  He literally was arrested and sent on a journey which ended in his imprisonment and beheading because of his defence and confirmation of the gospel  against the saved people who preached the doctrinal error of 'sanctification by works'.  This is seen in Acts and elsewhere.  Thus, we see that what our sentence literally says was literally true.  Thus, we see that the threat to the members of this church was literal and physical.  Yet, they continued in the fellowship in the gospel.  These people can honestly say 'Been there! Done That! Going on for the prize that is set before me'.

Experience is the best teacher there is for many things.  Our sentence adds the defence and confirmation of of the gospel  to in my bonds.  The word defence  means: ' Any thing that opposes attack, violence, danger or injury; any thing that secures the person, the rights or the possessions of men; fortification; guard; protection; security'.  The word confirmation  means: 'To make firm, or more firm; to add strength to; to strengthen; To fix more firmly; to settle or establish; to give new assurance of truth or certainty; to put past doubt; To strengthen; to ratify'.  This means that we are to actively fight to retain the true Biblical gospel  and all of the details which are in it and to support others who are doing the same thing.  Aquila and Priscilla  corrected the doctrine of a world traveling preacher in Acts 18:26.  This level of knowledge in Bible doctrine, and other things, are required if someone truly wants to be in the top 10% of saved people and want to hear a well done  on the day of Jesus Christ.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego  did not have their claim of faith confirmed  until after they came out of thefiery furnace in Daniel 3.  Daniel did not have his claim of faith confirmed until after he came out of the den of lions in Daniel 6.  These people had their fellowship in the gospel  confirmed.

The 'Great Commission' is given to the church and we can not do it outside of the church.  The First Equivalent Section of this sentence is telling us what the church as a whole did.  Good  is defined as 'that which comes from God'.  The good work  is God working in and through our life.

Our sentence tells us thst he (God) which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.  The day of Jesus Christ  is the day that we personally meet Jesus Christ.  That is either at our death or in the 'Rapture'.  Thus, our sentence is telling us that we are expected to participate in the fellowship of the gospel  and to have God do a good work in  us so long as we are in this physical world.

The First Equivalent Segment of this sentence can be reworded as: 'Because of their fellowship in the gospel, Paul had a very firm belief that God had already started a work in their life which showed the results that only God can produce and that God would continue to do this good godly work in their life until the day that they personally faced Jesus Christ'.

Confidence  is not guaranteed but requires us to keep doing our part.  Our sentence tells us that we are to be confident  in what God is doing and that God will continue to do it in our life so long as we participate in the fellowship in the gospel.  God will not take away our free will.  He will provide all that we need to continue His good work,  but we must continue to prove our willingness for Him to do so.  We do this by our life and walk of faith even while faced with future trials and persecutions.

The results of having God work in and through our life are cumulative.

In summary:

  1. These people had the blessings and approval of God because of their fellowship in the gospel.
  2. Their fellowship in the gospel  was far more than just giving out the gospel.  They had to maintain their ongoing personal relationship with God, pass the test of persecution, learn enough Bible to defend  the gospel from any and all doctrinal error and live and walk by obedience to what the gospel said that their life confirmed  the gospel that they preached.
  3. They had to be faithful and consistent in their life of faith and continue to depend upon God's enabling.
  4. The good work  of God in their life had to cause joy and thanks to God by other godly people.

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