“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God.”

Philippians 1:9-11

Earlier this spring we launched this online exploration of the book of Philippians in the expectation that we would travel together, line by line, through all 104 verses. After the first few weeks I chuckled, thinking, “At the rate we’re going this means I’ll be on staff at ZPC for at least two more years!”

God of course had other ideas. He opened a door for a new call that I didn’t see coming. While I am grateful for his incredible kindness, leaving behind this journey through Philippians is one of a hundred things I will truly miss at ZPC.

We can appreciate God’s exquisite timing, however. Next up are verses 9-11 of chapter one, which just happen to represent the essence of what Paul the pastor / apostle prayed regularly for his flock – and the very things that I am praying for you as the McDonalds step away from ZPC.

Paul wasn’t praying for the success of the Philippians’ capital fund drive, if such a thing were even possible. He wasn’t talking to God about teacher recruitment, or local missions, or faith-sharing in the public square. Instead he was pleading with God that the fundamentals would prevail in the Philippians’ spiritual lives. What fundamentals?

That your love may abound more and more. I am absolutely convinced that if this is the only thing that a local church does well, everything else that we think “ought to happen” in the kingdom of God will come about all by itself. Love is the key. Jesus said so. If we excel at love, the world will come crawling to our door and beg for the privilege of joining us.

In knowledge and depth of insight. When Jesus says, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free,” we tend to applaud the promise of freedom and overlook the job he has assigned to us: We must seek spiritual knowledge. We must teach our children with passion and clarity. We must master the basics.

So that you may be able to discern what is best. Spiritual discernment frequently follows the words “so that” in the Bible. Of what value is knowledge and depth of insight? We seek truth so that we will know how to live. And know how to solve problems. And make wise decisions. And download God’s plans for our future.

And may be pure and blameless. We can’t read more than a paragraph or two in the New Testament before we come to a phrase like this. Behavior always matters. It is scandalous that American churches have become self-congratulating repositories of creative Bible studies and Scripture memory contests – but so few lives are actually different because of it! To know God is to crave the kind of purity that imitates his holiness.

Filled with the fruit of righteousness. What I love about this prayer is its inherent balance. Knowledge and behavior. Depth of insight and love. Discernment and righteousness – that is, right-living that springs from right-standing with God. We learn about the things of God so that the things of God might become part and parcel of who we are. Healthy vines grow fruit. Period.

To the glory and praise of God. Not to the glory and praise of ZPC. Or any of its leaders. It’s not about our survival, our protection, or our reputation. It’s always about multiplying God’s glory.

It is my heartfelt prayer that this fruit, this knowledge, this love, and this God-glorifying way of life will be part of ZPC today, tomorrow, and every day to come. What a joy it is to pray this prayer for you, and to continue to hold you up in the future as one who has had the privilege of loving you!