Partnership In The Gospel: Part 2

My name is Matthew Capone, and I'm the assistant pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian

Church, and it's my joy to bring God's word to you today.

A special welcome if you are new with us or you're visiting.

We're glad you're here.

And we're glad you're here, as I say every week, not because we are trying to fill seats,

but because we are following Jesus together as one community.

And we're convinced that there is no one so good that they don't need God's grace, and

no one's so bad that they can't have it.

And so we're convinced that God has something to say to everyone, and that everyone needs

to hear what God has to say.

Whether you called yourself a Christian for 10 years or your whole life, or whether you

don't call yourself a Christian.

Maybe you have questions or doubts or objections about Christianity.

God, in his word, speaks so powerfully that he's willing to speak to all of those things.

He's willing to speak to our faith, but also to our doubts and our questions.

If you've been with us, you know that we're starting a series in the book of Philippians.

And if you remember from last week, Philippians is a letter.

It's a letter that's written to a church, and that church is much like our church.

Now, that church in Philippi, it's a Roman city in Macedonia, would have been abound for

about 10 years at the time that this letter was written.

We've been around a little over 20, so it's a little bit different.

But we're both still churches that are relatively young, still trying to unify and figure out

how exactly we're going to move forward together in our community for the gospel.

This church also had deacons and elders and saints, just like we do.

We saw that in the very first verse.

But this church also has struggles, and they're struggles like our struggles.

This church has living in a culture that worships the emperor as king rather than Jesus.

And so the congregants in it, these saints and deacons and elders, have to face opposition

because of that.

It's a church where, while everyone agrees about Jesus, they don't agree about how to pursue

him.

There's disagreement about the best way to do ministry, the best way to move forward.

We're going to see that especially in chapter 2.

And so this is a church like our church that's in difficult circumstances.

And if that weren't enough, this church happens to be in a city like our city.

Remember that Philippi was known for its military history, and it had a large number of military

retirees and military families because of the tremendous benefits that were offered to them

in that city that were not available in other parts of Macedonia.

And that is because it was granted status as a Roman colony where other cities were not.

And so Roman citizens and soldiers had special rights and privileges that they would not

have had access to in other areas.

And so in the midst of all these difficult circumstances, we saw last week that Paul places the accent

mark on partnership in the gospel.

That the gospel, which is the news about Christ's death and resurrection, not only in the past,

but the power that it brings now, has to be joined with our partnership as we pursue

it together.

And so that great treasure of the gospel is what binds us together as one community.

As we follow Jesus together as one community, that's the treasure that keeps us together.

If you remember from last week, I said that the beginning of Paul's letters often function

as a movie trailer.

They tell us everything that's going to come later in the letter.

And we're not done with the trailer.

We only watched the first half last week.

So we're going to be in the second half of the trailer this week in Philippians 1, verses

Philippians 1:7–11

7 through 11.

And if we saw last week the importance of what Paul tells us in verse 5, the importance of

partnership for the gospel, this next section is going to answer the question for us, if

that's so important, if a partnership in the gospel is so important, how do we know that

we have a true partnership in the gospel?

What does true partnership look like?

What are its characteristics?

Its results.

And so that's my question for you if you call yourself a Christian.

If you don't call yourself a Christian, then the question could be this, why is the gospel

true?

Why should I believe it?

Why is it something that I should seriously consider?

So we're going to ask that as we come now to Philippians chapter 1.

Philippians 1 · chapter mention

We're going to start in verse 7.

Remember that this is God's word.

And God tells us that his word is more precious than gold.

Even the finest gold.

And that it is sweeter than honey.

Even honey that comes straight from the honeycomb.

And so we're going to turn to it now.

We're in Philippians chapter 1 starting at verse 7.

Philippians 1 · chapter mention

Verse 9.

Please pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word.

Dear Father in heaven, we thank you that you, as Jesus tells us in the gospel of John, have

not left us as orphans in a merciless universe.

You haven't left us alone.

But you've formed us together as a partnership.

You've sent your son to pay the price for our sin.

But even more than that, you speak to us.

And you speak to us through your word in ways and words that we can actually understand.

And so we ask for that understanding this morning that you would help us.

That you would open our eyes and unstop our ears.

That you'd soften our hearts and you'd give us clear minds that we could hear and see and understand and believe.

Everything that is written about you in your word.

And we ask all of this in the name of your son.

Amen.

If you remember from last week, Paul is filled with lots of emotions.

He's filled with thankfulness in verse 3.

And then in verse 4, his thankfulness moves to joy.

And even more than that, in verse 6, we saw that he was sure.

He had this confidence.

He was sure that, as he says here,

And so he seems to have a tremendous amount of confidence, of sureness, of joy, of thanksgiving in this partnership that he sees in the gospel between him and the Philippians.

What is the basis of this joy for Paul?

Why is he so sure that this is something that he can give thanksgiving for?

Why is he convinced, in verse 6, that God is bringing this work to completion?

Why is he convinced that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead isn't just work in generally in Christians,

but it's work specifically in this congregation in Philippi?

Even as they're in the midst of conflict and disagreement.

Well, we find out in verse 7.

He says,

In other words, Paul is sure.

He's confident.

He's joyful.

He's thankful.

Because this congregation has stuck with him, both in the good times and in the bad times.

Both in his imprisonment.

Remember, Paul writes this letter from a Roman prison.

Philippi was a city where he was in prison back in Acts chapter 16.

Acts 16 · chapter mention

And that's where we have the famous story of him singing in prison with Silas.

The Philippian jailer is converted.

That jailer is probably one of the recipients of this letter.

They meet a woman named Lydia.

Her and her whole family are converted to follow after Jesus.

She's actually, Lydia's very wealthy, we find out.

And so when we leave the church in Philippi in Acts,

we find out that they're meeting in her house.

She probably has a house large enough to fit all of them.

And they stuck with him then.

They stuck with him when things were going really well.

Prison bars were being destroyed.

He could have left the prison if he'd wanted to because God was doing a miracle there.

He'd set them free.

People were coming to faith.

They had Paul, the great apostle, with them.

Everything seemed to be going well despite opposition.

Things were exciting.

Things were good.

And so, of course, it would make sense during that time that people would stick with Paul.

That they'd want to be with him.

Who wouldn't want to be with someone who wasn't such a powerful communicator?

Who wasn't clearly demonstrating the power of God at work in the city of Philippi?

It would make sense, right?

That these people would be with him during that time.

Ten years ago, they were his.

He had them in his hand.

And so, Paul gives thanks not because of that, but because they've still stuck with him even when he's in prison.

They've stayed with him even when things weren't going well.

Even when things weren't exciting.

When prison bars weren't being opened anymore, the church in Philippi stuck with him.

In fact, we'll find out later that they're so concerned about him that they've sent a man named Epaphroditus.

And they sent him to go check in on Paul to see how he's doing.

So the point is this.

People come to the church for all sorts of things.

Some people want to be a part of the partnership in the gospel because they want to be important.

They want influence.

They figured out that the church is a really good place to do that.

If you know enough theology, if you have enough money, people will pay attention to you.

And so it's a good place to feel like you're powerful.

You have something to offer.

Some people come to the church because they just want the partnership.

They realize the church is a great place to meet people.

It's a great place to find community.

It's a great place to make friends.

Some people come to the church because they love being right.

And if you have a book that's inspired by God and you know it really well,

it's a great place to tell other people what to believe.

It's a great place to have confidence, to say things strongly.

And so people come to the church for all sorts of things that have nothing really at heart to do with the gospel.

All sorts of reasons people come through our doors.

And so the real test comes when things are hard.

If someone comes to the church for power and influence, when they're told,

no, we're not going to follow your brilliant plan.

No, we're not going to promote you into leadership.

If that person's goal and motivation is power and influence, they're not going to stay.

They're going to leave.

If someone's goal in coming to the church is simply to find community,

but they're there for the partnership and not the gospel,

when things get hard in the culture for Christians, they're not going to stay either.

When their friends that they are so close to leave the church,

they may stop attending church as well.

Because they were there for the partnership and not for the gospel.

Some people come to church for a man.

They come for a preacher.

They're not interested in the partnership.

They believe they're interested in the gospel.

They are mesmerized by someone's speaking ability or their wit or their stories.

But when that preacher leaves, so do they.

And so Paul's thanksgiving, his confidence,

his sureness that God is at work in this congregation

is because they have done none of those things.

They have stuck with him, even when he's in prison.

Even when he's not performing miracles for them.

He's far away from them.

He's expensive to them.

Epaphroditus is bringing an offering that they've made.

And this is apparently not necessarily everyone in this congregation is rich,

but they've all given what they can to help Paul.

And so Paul sees that they have stuck with the gospel.

That their partnership is real.

That they've proven it.

They've proven it by staying even when things were hard.

And so how do we know that we have a true gospel partnership?

How do we know that's the basis of our partnership?

Well, one way that we know is that we stick with it when things are hard.

We're committed to the partnership even when things don't go well.

That we come for the gospel.

Next week we're going to see that God can use anything to advance the gospel.

He's going to use Paul's imprisonment.

He's going to use people who are selfish within the church.

He's going to use all of it for his glory.

That God does not need what we want.

And so as we are here at Cheyenne Mountain, you see in verse 8,

Paul says,

For God is my witness how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

That's the affection that we can have for one another.

Because we at this church are in difficult circumstances as well.

It was this Sunday, the second Sunday of September last year,

that our previous senior pastor announced that he was leaving to take another call.

And it was this summer that we thought we had another candidate, but we didn't.

And that we discovered that we had mold in our building.

But it's not just this past year.

If you're familiar with the history of our church,

the past 20 years, those of you who have been here know

that there have been good times and bad times.

There have been times that perhaps we got close to closing our doors,

times we were unsure of what God was doing.

And so we can say in verse 8 to each other,

For God is my witness how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

Because you are still here.

Those of you who have been here the past year,

and those of you who have been here the past couple decades,

the families who helped start this church,

Ken and Nancy O'Connell,

Paul and David Johnson,

we can have the affection of Christ Jesus for them

because they've proven their partnership in the gospel

by being here not just when things are going well,

but when they're going poorly.

Not just when the circumstances are good,

but when they're difficult.

And Paul is sticking with this as well,

and Paul is sticking with this even though he's in prison.

And so if you're not a Christian,

if you have doubts or questions or objections,

I'd ask you this question.

Why is it that Paul sticks with things when they're difficult?

Why is he willing to stay when he's in prison?

He had everything as a religious, a Jewish religious leader.

He was influential.

He was powerful.

He's going to tell us all about that in chapter 3.

And yet he gives all of it up and sits in a prison.

Why is he giving up everything?

Well, it's because Paul is convinced of the historical reality

that Jesus died, and then he was raised again from the dead.

Paul tells us in a different letter in 1 Corinthians 15

that there were over 500 people who saw Jesus

after he was raised from the dead,

including a man, he refers to a man named Cephas,

which is a reference to Peter.

So Paul knows, he has tremendous confidence,

not just that God is at work in this congregation,

but that Jesus really did rise from the dead.

And so the success of Christianity that it's had,

it's not because it's a good life philosophy.

The reason it's been able to make it through thick and thin

is because of Jesus.

Remember we talked last week that the gospel is the news

about Jesus' death and his resurrection.

And so we know our partnership is true

when we stick through thick and thin,

but we can also know that the gospel is true

because we look back to people who lived

when those events happened

and they stuck with it through thick and thin.

They suffered things that would have made no sense

did they not actually believe in Jesus' death

and his resurrection.

And so that's the kind of power

that we have with a gospel partnership.

Now if you had a friend

and they told you about their church,

it was in this place called Philippi,

and they were going through difficult circumstances.

There was some fighting going on in the church.

There were actually some teachers

who were teaching not because they loved Christ,

but because they loved themselves.

They loved to hear themselves talk.

And on top of that,

they were in a culture that didn't like them.

What would be your number one prayer request for them?

What would you pray for for them

more than anything else?

What does Paul choose to pray for

more than anything else?

For people who are trying to have partnership in the gospel.

Did you see verse nine?

And it is my prayer

that your love may abound more and more

with knowledge and all discernment,

so that you may approve what is excellent

and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

filled with the fruit of righteousness

that comes through Jesus Christ

to the glory and praise of God.

Paul does not pray for a change in their circumstances.

Paul doesn't pray that the Roman government

would suddenly have favor on them.

And Paul doesn't immediately pray

for the resolution of all their problems.

No, instead he prays that their love

would abound more and more.

That it's something that's there,

but it's also something that's growing.

And he speaks about it as fruit in verse 11.

Now, my housemates and I

made a decision this past summer

that we were going to

plant a little garden in our backyard,

and we haven't been the best garden caretakers,

so I'm not sure if it was a great idea.

But I bought several mint plants,

and I made a mistake,

so I bought,

this is my advice to you,

my pastoral advice,

don't buy your mint plants

from a grocery store.

Buy them from a place

that actually specializes in plants.

So I bought several mint plants,

and most of them died except for one.

But the one that didn't die,

if you know anything about mint plants,

you know that they abound more and more.

Because they're a weed.

I mean, it's a weed that you eat.

So this mint plant has just been growing and growing

all summer.

When I see it,

there's more and more fruit on it.

I haven't taken advantage of all of that,

but that is the idea here that Paul has,

that this love is just growing.

It's love that's already there,

so he's not saying you need to

do something that's not there,

but he wants it to be more and more.

This goes back to his vision

of the Christian life from verse 6,

that God who began a good work

will bring it to completion.

That the good things that are at work

in this congregation will grow more and more.

But this also raises a question for us,

because what in the world does Paul mean by love?

There are all sorts of definitions

for love in our world right now.

For some people,

I might say I really love pizza.

It could be I enjoy something.

For other people,

love means not questioning

someone else's choices in their life.

No matter what they do,

you approve of it because you love them.

For some people,

love is an emotion.

So what is it here

that's supposed to abound more and more?

What is Paul's definition of love?

I'm going to jump around a little bit here

between verses 9 and 11,

but we're going to cover it all.

Let's look first at the result.

The result of this love

is that it would be pure,

they would be pure and blameless

for the day of Christ.

So whatever this love is,

it has to result in being pure and blameless.

Now, we might think here

that Paul is talking about perfection,

that these people are somehow

going to reach perfection in this life.

That is not what he's saying.

We'll see that later in chapter 3.

He'll make it clear

that he has not reached perfection.

He doesn't think he's going to ever become perfect,

but he's working towards

the goal of growing,

of abounding more and more.

These words here,

they're less,

they're not the legal words

that we would expect

in other parts of Paul's letters.

These are more relational words.

And so this word pure,

one way we could translate it

is sincere.

Paul's going to speak

in the next chapter

about people who are not sincere.

They're preaching the gospel,

actually in the next section,

they're preaching the gospel

because they're selfish,

not because they're interested in Christ.

And so the purity here

is a purity in motive.

That you,

in what you do,

would be interested in other people,

not yourself.

Remember,

he's writing this to a church

that has division.

That you would be interested,

that your motives would be pure,

you'd be sincere in what you're doing.

And blameless here,

we could take it as

not causing other people to stumble.

In other words,

if there's been a conflict,

we're able to say,

that person had no part in it.

They didn't contribute to the conflict.

Parents, you know this,

if you have two children come to you

and one's complaining about the other,

often your first move is to ask,

well, what part did you play in it?

There's usually no one

who's blameless in these sorts of things.

There's usually no one who's pure.

I got to see this a lot

when I was teaching.

You know, students would,

Colin's laughing.

Students will come and complain

about another student

and you'll quickly find out

that they're not telling you

the whole story.

Oh, they hit you

after you kicked them in the leg.

Okay, I got it.

And so Paul is speaking about a love.

Not an emotion primarily,

but a selflessness.

He's asking these people

to grow as they're with one another

in a congregation,

that they grow in their selflessness,

that they would be pure,

that their greatest desire

would be for other people's good,

and that they would be blameless,

that nothing they would do

would cause other people to stumble,

that they would not be

the cause of division.

And how are they going to do this?

Well, this is a specific kind of love.

It's love with knowledge

and all discernment,

so that you may approve

what is excellent.

This knowledge here

is knowing the right way

and then the discernment

is being able to act on it.

And so this love

is something that's informed

by their knowledge of the gospel.

As they prioritize the gospel,

as they understand the gospel

and what it means for their lives,

they realize that the example of Christ

is their example as well.

And so they can continue

in this partnership

because they don't always

have to be right.

and they don't always

have to be in power and control.

That they're willing

to be in this church

that's not their perfect church

and still work

with the other people

beside them for the gospel.

They're willing

to keep pushing forward.

I've made jokes

with a few of you

a few times

about a church,

and this church is called

Matthew Presbyterian Church.

And at this church,

everything is done

exactly the way

I would like it to be done.

All my preferences are met.

All my convictions

about small things

that aren't important,

those are met to a T.

Matthew Presbyterian Church

is a really great place.

And it would also be

a really terrible place

because all of my

personality flaws,

all of my weaknesses,

all of my sin patterns

would be amplified

throughout that entire church.

church.

And you know,

I've been to

a lot of churches

in my life,

I've grown up in the church,

and I've never,

I've never actually

found a church

that's Matthew Presbyterian Church.

I don't understand.

But I would imagine

for many of us

that all of us

have a perfect church

in our minds.

a church where

everything's done

exactly the way

we want it to.

And what Paul

is telling us here

is that we push

not for our preferences,

but we push together

for the gospel.

That we would be

pure and blameless.

That we would be able

to know what is

actually important.

That's the knowledge

and discernment here.

We would approve

what's excellent.

That as we work together

for the gospel,

we'd be able to figure out

what matters

and what doesn't.

what we need to fight over

and what we don't need

to fight over.

By the way,

Paul is certainly

willing to fight.

In chapter 3,

he's going to refer

to certain people

as dogs and mutilators.

So if you think

that Paul is unafraid

of conflict,

that's certainly not true.

And if you think

he's not willing

to draw lines

over certain things,

that's not true as well.

He's going to start

throwing some names

around in chapter 3.

But he's saying here,

as you're moving

forward together,

as you love one another,

you would know

what's important,

what matters.

You would put it all

in light of the gospel,

in light of Jesus' death

and his resurrection,

but also in light

of the good work

that he's doing.

So that verse 11,

you would be filled

with the fruit

of righteousness

that comes through

Jesus Christ

to the glory

and praise of God.

So that they would be

these plants

that are growing

and abounding

more and more.

so that they would

stand on the day

of Christ.

Remember,

we talked about last week

that the day of Christ

is the day of Jesus'

second coming,

the day that he's going

to come with judgment

on the world.

His first judgment

focused on salvation,

his first coming

focused on salvation

but included judgment.

His second coming

will focus on judgment

but include salvation.

salvation.

And so,

these saints,

these saints

and elders

and deacons

are all in

God's garden.

And if they're

in God's garden,

they're producing

fruit together,

the kind of fruit

that he brings.

And that's how Paul

knows that there's

so much confidence.

That's how he has

this sureness,

this joy,

and this thanksgiving.

And so,

how do we know

that we have

a true gospel partnership?

First,

we saw that we know

we have a true

gospel partnership

if we stick through

things in thick and thin

and the hard

and the good times.

But we also know

we have a true

gospel partnership

if there's the fruit

of righteousness.

If we see that

we are abounding

in love more and more.

Remember,

I asked you last week,

I said we could

ask you how you

became a Christian

but we could also

ask you how you

are becoming a Christian.

How is God

not just bringing

theological truths

into your mind

but combining it

with knowledge

and discernment

that you're approving

what's excellent?

That you would have

love, joy, peace,

patience, goodness,

kindness, faithfulness,

gentleness,

and self-control.

And so,

we know that we're

a true partnership

as we see those things

springing up

in our church.

As we see those things

springing up

in our lives.

And so,

we should be asking,

how am I different

than when I became

a Christian?

how have I changed?

Maybe it's I,

I used to be

angry,

but now I lose

my temper less.

It used to be

that I hoarded money,

that my security

is more important

than anything else,

but now I realize

that God

is in charge

of my life

and so I can be

generous with those

around me.

Whatever it is,

we should be able

to look back

on our lives

and see God at work

bearing fruit.

If you're not

a Christian,

how do we know

the gospel is true?

Well,

I hope that as you

get to know us,

as you see us

in our lives,

not that you would

see perfect people,

but that you would

see people who have

the fruit of righteousness,

you wouldn't see

people who always

get it right,

but that you'd see

people who are growing.

And so if you're

a Christian,

ask yourself,

how am I growing?

If you're not a Christian,

you should feel free

to ask any one of us,

how have you changed

since you became

a Christian?

How are you

changing now?

Where do you see

the fruit of righteousness

in your life?

Now this fruit

isn't something

that we ourselves

generate or make,

we see that it is

through Jesus Christ

in verse 11.

I told you that we've

been planting a garden

in my backyard

and we have this

diagram,

this map

on our refrigerator

that my housemate

Rory drew

and it shows

where each plant

is in the garden

so we can remember

where we planted things.

But we don't really

need that map

anymore

because all the fruit

has come out.

I know whether

the mint plant

is a mint plant,

whether the diagram

says it or not

because it has mint leaves.

All I have to do

is break them

and smell them.

And I know

whether the tomato plant

is a tomato plant

because it has

tomatoes on it.

And so our partnership

is true

when the fruit

is produced

and yet it's not,

it's not something

the plant

makes itself.

That mint plant

produces mint leaves

because it's a mint plant.

And if it didn't

it's because it isn't.

But it doesn't

water itself.

Rory put in

this irrigation system,

kind of an entry level

irrigation system

but it's one of those

under the mulch

kind of hose tubes

that you put in.

And so he turns

on the water

and makes sure

the plants get

what they need.

And the son

comes and gives them

the energy

that they need.

And that is my prayer

for us every week

as I prepare to preach.

That God would send

his Holy Spirit

on us

to give us growth.

Because it's not growth

that we can do ourselves.

It's not something

we generate it

but it's something

that he does.

So our partnership

is true

when we stick

through the thick and thin

and it's true

when we produce

the fruit.

And it's fruit

that God is producing.

He is the great gardener.

He's tending his plants

and if we're in his garden

we'll see that growth.

We'll see it coming

and we'll see it

as we're working together.

And so last week

we saw that we're

in partnership

because we are pursuing

the treasure

of the gospel together.

That we're willing

to put up with differences

because we all agree

that that is the most

worthy thing.

But here it's a little

bit different.

It's not

it's a different angle.

We are

in partnership together

growing fruit together.

We're not just pursuing

the same goal

in the end

but we're pursuing

fruit together now

as we work

as a church

as a partnership.

filled with the fruit

of righteousness

that comes through

Jesus Christ

to the glory

and praise of God.

And so it's God

who is gardening

and feeding

and bringing out

this fruit in his people

in his garden.

And that

is not what earns

our salvation

but it's the fruit.

It shows that we belong

to God.

That Christians

produce fruit

just like mint plants

produce mint leaves.

because they're weeds

and that's what they do

when there's water

and sun.

And God's people

produce fruit

when they're in

his people

in his partnership

receiving

the food

of his word

working together

their love

abounding more

and more.

I read an article

this spring

there's been some

research

that's shown

what people suspected

for a long time.

And some people

who suspected

suspected this

others thought

they were crazy

but now there's proof.

And it's proof

of the fact

that plants

actually talk

to each other.

So it's been proven

that plants

can communicate

with each other

not just mechanically

not just when their

leaves touch each other

we all know

they're climbing plants

right

they can feel

the environment

around them

but they're actually

secretions

that they give out

sometimes through

their roots

to let each other

know how close

they are to each other

so that they can

adjust accordingly

whether they're

going to grow high

to get more sun

based on the plants

around them

or they'll grow out

plants have to make

these sorts of decisions

to produce fruit

and they're all

helping each other

they're sending out

signals to let each

other know

how close they are

so they can make

the right decision

to grow the right

amount of fruit

and even more

than that

they'll actually

communicate with each

other about predators

you can search this

on Google

if there's a

predatory insect

that's coming

at one plant

that plant will

send out signals

to all the other

plants to let them

know

that there's a

danger coming

and so if we're

tempted to believe

that we are

isolated Christians

growing our own

fruit just between

us and God

Paul is telling us

here no

that our fruit

is something that

abounds more and

more as we're

together in God's

garden

that we are plants

helping each other

communicating with

each other and

growing together

each for the other

giving each other

the information and

the help that we

need that we can

all grow

that we can all

bear fruit and so

that we can all

stand for the day

of Christ

and God is doing

that now

he's doing that

for all of his

children who are

in the partnership

of his gospel

everyone

who is here

following after

them

he's watering us

he's providing us

with sun

so that we can

grow

and he's doing

it with us

together because

he is the great

gardener

so would you pray

with me

dear father in

heaven

we thank you for

planting us in this

garden and this

church

we thank you that

you're the one who

produces the fruit

and the growth

we ask that you

would encourage us

with it

that you would

continue to sustain

us

not just in the

good times

but in the bad

times

and that you

would continue

to grow us

more and more

in love

for you

and for one

another

we ask all

these things

in the name

of your son

amen