“As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once. I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness. At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God. And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Now all glory to God our Father forever and ever! Amen. Give my greetings to each of God’s holy people—all who belong to Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send you their greetings. And all the rest of God’s people send you greetings, too, especially those in Caesar’s household. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”
What do you want to be known for? If you are part of a church, what do you hope your church is known for? I would personally love to be known for my kindness and generosity, and I believe that my church is known for those things as well. As Paul closes his letter to the Philippians, he thanks them and reminds them that their generosity will be eternally rewarded.
Missionaries share the Gospel all around the world, and individual and corporate generosity makes this possible. If you haven’t been a part of giving to support missions, I’d encourage you to start. Find out what missionaries your local church supports and start giving an extra offering to help support them. You can also give to individual missionaries that you may know or give to larger organizations that share the Gospel, often as they offer humanitarian relief. Paul’s work impacted not just the Philippian church or the other early churches — he had a role to play in our journey to salvation as well!
You might not think that you have much money. Or you might think that your little bit extra isn’t going to make that much of a difference. Think outside yourself for just one minute. If you connect to the corporate body of believers, together our little becomes a whole lot. Not only that, but God has a funny way of supernaturally multiplying gifts that come out of a sacrifice — the widow’s tiny offering or the oil that kept on overflowing. Generosity will bring freedom to your life, and in that freedom you can have a global impact!