Partners in the Gospel - The Praying Rope-Holders

Philippians 1:3-6
Pastor Conrad Mbewe
SBFYC 2007 Session 5 - Thursday AM

We come this morning to the final message in our mini-series entitled "Partners in the Gospel." We have seen the common heritage we have together as believers in Christ and His glorious gospel. What could be more glorious than that?

We have also seen that we need ministers of this gospel, men to give their time, talents, energies, their everything to preach this gospel.

We have seen the need for co-laborers to surround the primary workers, particularly a believing wife and then a team of co-workers who take a role in the work of the mission effort, whether it be in the local church or on the mission field.

Today we come to the final group of partners in the gospel, the praying rope-holders. This phrase is taken from the biography of William Carey. It is a term taken from the mining industry, picturing a man going down into a deep, dark, cold hole to mine ore. He is dependent solely on those at the top who hold the rope for supplies. He tugs the rope and the materials he needs to continue the work are passed down to him. Both are committed to the work, one to go down into the hole, and the others who are called to supply for him.

Are you faithful in doing your part as rope-holders so that those who are called to the work can do so with assurance?

1. Desperately needs regular supply of prayer and material necessities.

No doubt, the worker will pray for himself and his ministry and will use his own materials for the sake of the cause. Similarly, his co-workers with him in the field will spend time praying for the great and impossible task that is on their hands and will also use their own personal means, their transport, their finances, their computers, etc. in the work of the ministry.

But what a difference it makes to know that there is a large army of prayers out there equally committed to the work even though they are not there with them. We see this from Paul. Look at prayer. He begs the churches to pray for him. Why? Because as gifted as he was, he relied on the prayers of others (see Romans 15:30-33). This is the spirit that is true of any true minister of the gospel.

My greatest concern for the church today is the empty prayer time. The least attended meeting in the church today is the prayer meeting. Powerful prayer time explains the successful ministry of C. H. Spurgeon. He had a group that passionately prayed for the services and his preaching.

Our workers desperately need our prayers for strength and protection. But not only do workers need our prayers, they also need our physical provision of supplies. Paul appreciated the physical provisions that came in from the Philippian church (see 4:14-15).

I beg you, play your part, whether it be in the area of prayer or of physical supplies. What I want to say to you is simply this: the ground team needs you! The man who is the primary worker and his co-laborers need your prayers and your provisions. What can you do today?

2. Desperately needs appropriate help at specific times.

What do I mean by that? Let's look at prayer. It is not enough to pray, "Bless our pastor" or "Bless our missionary." We must be able to pray for specific needs. Let's look at physical needs. It is not enough to simply send your check. Ask yourself, "What are the needs today over there? What can I do, what can we do, to help with this obstacle?"

The Philippians were sensitive to Paul's immediate needs. For instance, when he wrote this letter he was in jail. What did they do? They sent men, one-by-one, to minister to Paul in prison in a personal way (see 2:25-30). What does Paul mean by "the help you could not give me"? It is obvious that the entire church could not go visit him in prison. So they sent Epaphroditus to carry the provisions for them - and he almost died in the process. Paul sends back word of Epaphroditus' health. That is missions dynamics. The church communicates and supports the team on the field and vice versa.

If God sent His Son into this world and He was rushed to a horrible death, why should we be so careful to protect ourselves from spilling one drop of blood for the gospel? It is too dangerous? It is too uncomfortable? How can we say that? It is worth every bit of joy to see the joy of the ground workers because of prayers and provisions. So I plead with you, be sensitive to the specific needs of the workers. Ask, "What can we do for you now?"

3. Desperately needs enduring partnerships.

God-honoring ministry is about relationships. We see it from God Himself. He did not write His gospel in the blue sky but He sent His only Son to enter into relationships with us.

One reason why Paul rejoiced in the partnership he had with the Philippians in the gospel is found in v. 5. From the very first day they had partnered with him. It all started in Philippi. A church was first birthed there in Europe and then he moved on from there to plant other churches, a period of about ten years on that journey. They supported him through that time (see 4:10, 15-18). Ten solid years of commitment!

Think for a moment. Paul had just experienced two relationship breakdowns. The first with John Mark at the end of the first missionary journey. The second was a difficult conversation with Barnabas about John Mark just prior to entering Europe on the second journey. He longed for relationship - and the Philippians provided it. Even now he is in prison and Epaphroditus shows up - sent by the Philippians!

If there is one problem I have with missions it is the lack of relationships. There is a lack of long-lasting relationships. The first negative story about the pastor or the missionary, we don't even ask questions, it is a quick goodbye and off we go. God-honoring ministry involves long-lasting relationships. Our commitment should be an enduring partnership so there is dependability coupled with stickability.



Friends, I want to say decisively to you as I close, your partnership in the gospel is a necessity. All of us are important in this work. Let's join hands, putting them to the plow, praying and plowing for the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.