Custom Search
|
To receive notice of each days Bible Study,
please go to my Twitter and Facebook pages and sign up.
Facebook -
| Daily Bible Study | |
 You can help people worldwide. Please make a small donation. Make a difference in someone elses life. |
Subscribe Daily Bible Study Mailing List 
Receive Daily Bible Studies directly into your email inbox. |
| Phil. 4:14-17 |
|
Lesson # Phil. 4:14-17 Study Material - Phil. 4:14-17 You must be in fellowship prior to your Bible study, so that the spiritual information you receive can become a source, of blessing to your soul and produce spiritual growth. Phil. 4:14-17 14 Notwithstanding [plen] ye have well [kalos] done [poieo], that ye did communicate with [sugkoinoneo] my [mou] affliction [thlipsis]. 15 Now [de] ye [humeis] Philippians [Philippesios] know [eido] also [kai], that [hoti] in [en] the beginning [arche] of the gospel [euaggelion], when [hote] I departed [exerchomai] from [apo] Macedonia [Makedonia], no [oudeis] church [ekklesia] communicated with [koinoneo] me [moi] as [eis] concerning [logos] giving [dosis] and [kai] receiving [lepsis], but [ei me] ye [humeis] only [monos]. 16 For [hoti] even [kai] in [en] Thessalonica [Thessalonike] ye sent [pempo] once [kai] [hapax] and [kai] again [dis] unto [eis] my [moi] necessity [chreia]. 17 Not [ou] because [hoti] I desire [epizeteo] a gift [doma]: but [alla] I desire [epizeteo] fruit [karpos] that may abound [pleonazo] to [eis] your [humon] account [logos]. KJV-Interlinear 14 Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction. 15 And you yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; 16 for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. 17 Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. NASB The Philippians gave to the cause of Paul. They covered his expenses, and needs. But more than that they gave to advance the teaching of the Word of God. Paul had felt the pain and satisfaction of both poverty and prosperity. Paul also relied on God regardless of his situation. And that is what we discussed yesterday. Now there is one more contrast declared, and that is Christian giving and support of the church. Here Paul uses the Philippians in comparison to the Thessalonians. Now before I continue in this topic, I have to make it clear that this Bible study neither requests not expects contributions of any kind. There should not be any feeling of obligation on anyone's part with respect to any kind of support, other than your own voluntary decision to study and grow up spiritually. I'll collect from you all in eternity!!! Little humor there. Ok, that out of the way, we continue. And I won't let anyone off easy either. As believers we all have a responsibility to support the teaching of the Word of God. You all live in communities where you attend a church, a study class, or something where you can support your local effort to teach Bible doctrine. That is where your responsibility exists. It is easy to look around the world and see the starving children, and then give money for their support. They are kind of far removed from you and there is no commitment to seeing someone eye to eye and then feeling guilty. The Thessalonians received Paul but did not support him, even while he was there. Paul received his support from a distant community. And that is the contrast and our example. As believers in this life and in this world we do not receive support from this world, our temporary home. In reality we receive support from God in heaven, a distant community, and our real home. While here we have a responsibility to help out the local efforts, just as the Thessalonians did not. But also we have a responsibility to help out any recognized foreign need for Bible teaching. As the Philippians did. Distinguish this from charity wherein you help out the physical needs of others. In charity you give money for goods needed. You give food, blankets, toys, whatever. This is charity and another responsibility of the believer. What God provides to you, He expects you to share with others, within reason. God will provide the means and the excesses for you to comply with this expectation. Just as the Philippians lacked opportunity as spelled out in verse 10, so you as a growing believer probably will lack opportunity but should still have the desire to want to help. If your spiritual growth is honest, then God will provide the means for you to participate. And you will see the opportunity to give as just that - an opportunity. If, however, you have the means but find excuses for not giving your share, then your spiritual life is definitely lacking. Your responsibility to give is seen as a burden, a drain on your resources. You have some learning to do. Time and study will take care of that assuming that you do not resist the obvious and reject what you know to be true. The reward? Verse 17. The profit credited to your account. Your spiritual account that is. By giving from the position of spiritual strength, from a position of being in fellowship, you are in effect applying the principle of charity and in this case church support. You are in effect building up gold, silver, and precious stones in your soul for future reward. This is the result of your doing good, divine good from your spiritual life. If an unbeliever were to do this same thing, or even a believer out of fellowship, they are doing human good from the source of their own energy - wood, hay, and stubble. And you should know by now that this will be destroyed in eternity by God. There is no place for mans efforts in Gods plan. Only Gods efforts count, and giving from the source of the spiritual life is what God desires and rewards. So we cannot simply sit back on our pillow and read our Bible each night and think that, that is all we need to do. Faith that is never applied, never tested, is useless. Strong faith will meet tests and situations head on and defeat them. And not through mans efforts, but by means of Bible doctrine resident in the soul.
Now is the time to post a prayer. End Of Lesson Study to show thyself approved (mature) unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (studying/discerning), the Word of truth. |
