Dave spoke this morning from Phil 1:3-6. Paul wrote many letters to specific churches such as this one, but the letters were probably also widely circulated to other churches and have relevance to us all nowadays. The letter to the Philippians, written while Paul was in jail, is a letter of joy and delight and carries with it the assurance that God who has begun a good work in us will carry it on to completion!
The author of this good work is God Himself. God uses people, but He is the one who has begun a good work in us. No church is a club run by people; it is the creation of God who gathers people together, fills them with His Spirit and moves in their midst. God was the one who began the work in Philippi; He is the one who has begun a good work in Goldthorpe too!
We needn’t be afraid that God will start a good work and then give it up. Unlike us, God has perseverance and stickability! He is in sovereign control and will carry on to completion the work He has started. This work is in us. He works within people to bring about regeneration. He’s not interested in surface improvements, but works on us from the inside out (see 2 Cor 5:17). He gives us a new nature and new interests and chips away at all that is not of Him until we are re-created in His image.
The work of salvation is ongoing, to be completed when Jesus Christ returns again to restore all that was lost through sin’s curse. We can be sure that God is still at work in our midst and therefore do not need to be downhearted and depressed. God has promised to do many wonderful things in our area and we long to see the fulfilment of His promises. Zech 4:10 reminds us not to despise the day of small things. As we celebrate 10 years of being in the building at Market Street, as we celebrate the many ways we are working together with other local churches, we can see that God is continuing to do a good work in our area. We can thank God as Paul did, praying with joy and thanksgiving as we look towards the ongoing good work of God in our lives.
