The joy of good ministry partnerships

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Living with joy”

Our Bible verse for today: “I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” Philippians 1:3-5 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “The joy of good ministry partnerships”

For most of the rest of this month, as we focus on our theme of living with joy, we will be doing a deep-dive into Paul’s letter to the Philippian Christians. Philippians is known as “the letter of joy.” I’m also teaching through this letter on Wednesday nights at Oak Hill Baptist. I’m teaching a Bible study about it, and I’m writing devotional messages about it at the same time, because there’s such a need for an extra shot of joy in our world today. We live in a very troubled world. Also, here in the USA we’re going through yet another mean-spirited election cycle and the rhetoric is hot. Small wonder there seems to be so little joy out there these days. We all need a double-shot of joy, and Paul’s letter to the Philippians is exactly that.

In 1:5 (above) Paul notes yet another source of joy for him as he sat there in a prison cell. In addition to the joy he received from thinking about and praying for his good friends the Philippian Christians, their partnership in his ministry also brought him great joy. Good ministry partnerships do that – they’re a source of joy.

One of the reasons I so love the Acts 1:8 model of ministry that we employ at Oak Hill Baptist Church is because it has resulted in deep relationships with a wide variety of ministry partners. The Bread of Life Rescue Mission; The Lighthouse Christian Camp for disadvantaged children; New Beginnings Church in Hi Hat, KY; El Arca Children’s Home in the Amazon Jungle of Peru; Grace International Orphanage in Haiti; Liberty Baptist Church and Women’s Medical Clinic in Liberia, Africa; and the Gayhart Family who serve as Southern Baptist missionaries in Southeast Asia. They are all our ministry partners and they are each a source of joy for us.

We are a source of joy and encouragement for them, and they’re a source of joy and encouragement for us. We stay in touch with each other; we share news and words of encouragement; and we lift each other up. Also, sometimes we go to visit them, and sometimes they come to visit us. These are deep and rich ministry partnerships that have been intentionally and carefully developed and nurtured over many years, and those partnerships are a source of great joy for all of us.

I encourage you to be involved in good ministry partnerships in your own church, in your community, and with partners in places further away. You will be a source of joy for them, and they will be a source of joy for you.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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