Many people look at missionaries as super-Christians, something to which they could never attain, no matter how hard they tried. We think of our local ministry as bland and boring compared to the exotic life of a missionary serving overseas, and we assume that their ministry is just inherently better than anything we could do. But Paul thought differently. In Philippians 1:5, Paul writes of his thanksgiving to God when he prayed for the Philippian church, because they were partners in the gospel with him. The Philippians had faithfully supported and encouraged Paul while he was ministering throughout Macedonia and Achaia (Phil 4:10-11), and they had proven themselves supremely generous in supporting other churches in their gospel work (2 Cor 8:1-2). And because of this support, Paul considered their church a partner in his ministry. That means that Paul’s preaching, church planting, and evangelism weren’t just his work; it all belonged just as much to his ministry partners in Philippi. You may never travel overseas to preach or evangelize. You may never learn a foreign language with fluency. But as you faithfully invest your financial resources in ministry at Liberty Baptist Church, you can rest assured that you are a partner in gospel work all over the world. When the gospel is preached in Cochin and Mumbai, India, it’s like you’re there. When pastors and ministry leaders are trained at CABU, Zambia, you’re a partner. You’ve had a part in planting churches and building a fellowship of churches in Mwanza, Tanzania. Your work has contributed to church planting in Spain at least twice over. It’s cooperated with the gospel expanding in Durazno, Uruguay; São Paulo, Brazil; and Trujillo, Peru. You’ve helped train your pastors at Central and helped the gospel penetrate the hearts of young women in the north metro. The work at Family Baptist and training of PEP pastors is your work beside Dave Mumford. And you’ll soon be able to directly impact the people of a nation that restricts access to missionaries. This is the beauty of gospel partnership. It overcomes barriers that most of us could never hurdle to do ministry on our behalf. It is good for us to have these partnerships; it is our privilege for God to use us exponentially in His service. May God keep us faithful in investing the resources He’s given to advance the work He’s commissioned. – Pastor Rory Martin
Sunday at Liberty
9AM: Tim Barr–Paul’s Lasting Legacy
10AM: Roberto Coelho–Acts 16:1-40–When Adversity Leads to Salvation (sermon notes)
11:30AM: Missions Banquet
1PM: Colleen Tronson & Rochelle Lunde–God’s Impact Through Metro Women’s Center
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