“Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me” (Philippians 1:24-25).

Yesterday, Pastor Michael reflected on Paul’s indifference, even hope in anticipation of his death, but also of his commitment to life for the sake of the church. In today’s verses, Paul dives further into why he is committed to remaining an active part of the church that God is forming among the Gentiles.

Paul’s reasons for staying include the church’s “progress and joy in the faith” as well as giving them reason to “boast in Christ Jesus.” Now, if you’re like me, growing up reading this passage and others in Paul’s corpus of letters where he makes similar statements, you might be asking yourself, “Doesn’t Paul sound a bit arrogant? Does the church really live or die by Paul’s presence?” Perhaps you’re willing to concede that Paul, significant character that he is in the story of Scripture, may be justified in such a claim. He started a lot of churches, had a pretty compelling way of talking about Jesus, and certainly was used by God in some remarkable ways.

However, Paul’s confidence in the importance of his presence with the church is not rooted in his particular talents. He is not confident merely in his own gifts for the church, but the necessity of his role as part of the body of Christ as a whole. This means that the claims he makes about the progress and joy of the church, and the fact that believers can boast on account of him are words that can and should apply to any member of a church.

We are likely familiar with Paul’s teaching on this subject in a different letter, his letter to the Corinthian church, where in chapter 12 he speaks of the necessity of all members of the body of Christ: “Suppose,” Paul says, “the foot says, ‘I am not a hand. So I don’t belong to the body.’ By saying this, it cannot stop being part of the body. And suppose the ear says, ‘I am not an eye. So I don’t belong to the body.’ By saying this, it cannot stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, how could it hear? If the whole body were an ear, how could it smell? God has placed each part in the body just as he wanted it to be . . . You are the body of Christ. Each one of you is a part of it.”

The reason that Paul is convinced that he must stay with the church to encourage its progress and joy, to give it a reason to boast in Christ, is because this is true of every single member of the body. Each member of Christ’s church becomes an essential part of what God is doing in the world.

Are you as convicted as Paul is that you are necessary to the body of Christ? Do you go to church on Sunday morning, provide leadership as an office bearer, on a ministry team, leading youth of various ages, or volunteering in any other capacity within Immanuel or beyond its walls in the assurance that your presence makes a tangible difference–that it will lead to others’ progress and joy in the faith, a reason to boast in Christ Jesus?

If your answer to this is “no,” read Paul’s words again. They are as true of you, no matter who you are and what your role is in Christ’s body, as they were of Paul, transformative leader that he was. If your answer to this question is “yes,” what are you doing to make sure that others around you are convinced of the same truth? We are Christ’s body, and we have reason to remain members of one another and remind one another of why that is significant–for the sake of mutual joy and progress in the faith. For the sake of Christ and his kingdom.

So as you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.