Philippians 2:12-13
12 So then, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God who is working in you, [enabling you] both to will and to act for His good purpose.
Church technology ministry provides bountiful opportunities for evidence of our salvation in Christ to surface. The constant fast pace and pressure inherent in what we do exposes our sinfulness and lack of faith. In fact it is directly within the context of the life of the local church that Paul interjects the instruction to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling". Some have historically wrestled with this passage as an apparent contradiction to Paul's many discussions of salvation as being not of works, but by grace alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). However, that is surely not the point of this passage; rather, Paul is both agreeing with James's assertion that the evidence of genuine faith is in how we live (James 2), and helping us to understand that this evidence will come forth within the context of our life and together as the church.
Verse 12 begins by pushing us back to Paul's previous teachings on humility and the church - especially as modeled by Christ. He reminds the church at Philippi of his personal love for them and of the obedience they have exhibited to Christ in since their having been saved into the body. But then we have this imperative - to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling". Gordon Fee expresses the idea of this phrase helpfully: "Salvation is not only something they receive; it is something they do." Often we in the church take the mentality that the gospel and salvation are for non-believers. However the primary meaning of Paul is exactly the opposite - we are to be growing in and expressing the gospel every moment of every day! Even as we set-up the stage for third time this week due to the wedding and children's event, or deal with another leader or volunteer who seems to push every button we have, or find that we must deal with more budget cuts; God is instructing us to apply the gospel to these situations and respond as one who has been redeemed - purchased - from sin and death into newness of life as part of the church.
He goes on in Verse 13 to remind us that it is in fact God who empowers us to live out the teaching of the previous verse: it is not in our own strength that we will see our salvation "worked out". God makes it possible for us to follow Him both initially and daily. This can come only from pursuing God through time investment; time in God's Word, time spent still before Him, time given to prayer, and time sown in the life of the church. The God-honoring ministry of any person is merely to be an overflow of our walk with Him. Over the long haul, our love of Christ will show itself as He is completing the work that He has begun in us (Chapter 1:6). We must be careful not to think too individually about Paul's words here: he is still speaking, as he has been for several verses, about the implications of the gospel for our life together as the church.
Application Questions
1) What are some ways that evidence of our salvation individually can be seen in technology ministry?
2) How can we as church tech servants work to encourage the application of the gospel into the flavor of our ministries?
3) Are their any attitudes in your heart that do not reflect the fact that you have been redeemed from your sin?
Discussion Questions
1) What are some ways that we as a team handle difficult situations so as to reflect the gospel well?
2) Are there any outstanding issues within our team that are holding us back from accurately reflecting our nature as the redeemed church?
