A JOYFUL PETITION

Join your Calvary Chapel family today (Sunday, October 26, at 10:00 a.m.) in the main sanctuary or online through our website (www.calvaryinv.com), Facebook, and YouTube (Calvary Inverness) as we gather to exalt Jesus, edify one another in love, and be equipped to evangelize a lost world by continuing our study in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians (1:9-11).

Paul, writing from a Roman prison—the notorious Mamertine dungeon—he composed a letter to be sent back to the Philippian church, which had continued to support him through their prayers, finances, and love.

He wanted them to know how deeply he appreciated and loved them. When others had stopped supporting him or turned away, they remained loyal. He knew it didn’t matter what others said; they believed he was a man sent by God to share the good news of what Jesus Christ had done for them.

Therefore, with a pastor’s heart, Paul told the church he hadn’t forgotten about their generosity or their love. Neither had he ceased to pray for them. When others would have been consumed by their miserable circumstances, Paul set an example for Christians for generations to come by putting others before himself.

Paul found joy in praying for the church. God had done so much for him; it was the least he could do. So, in the darkness of his prison cell, he prayed sincerely to God in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The more he prayed, the more his heart was filled with God’s love; the darkness faded, along with any thoughts of self-pity or despair. Minutes turned into hours, and hours into days, but he never stopped, whenever he could, to lift his friends and partners in ministry to the Lord.

He prayed with confidence and clarity. Paul knew that the same God who saved him was also the one who would fill the believers at Philippi with an indescribable joy, full of glory. A joy that would strengthen them to face any adversity as a result of living for Christ in a pagan culture. A joy that would sustain them until the day they meet Christ, whether

through the rapture or death—a joy in knowing that a great reward awaited them in heaven.

As we read this letter, my prayer is that we all experience the same joy and peace Paul did, so that no matter the challenges in ministry or life, we can glorify Christ with unwavering faith in Him.

In His Unfailing Love,

Pastor