Phm 1:6 and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. (ESV)
"Sharing of your faith" is commonly understood in our day to mean evangelism, but that's not what Paul has in mind here. Other translations say "fellowship of your faith," or "communication of your faith." It is the Greek word koinonia which we often think of as Christian fellowship.
What is interesting in this verse is what this Christian fellowship is supposed to accomplish: "the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ." When we think of fellowship we often think of people eating together and talking about ... well, talking about just about everything except "every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ." We talk about fishing and hunting, work and vacations. We talk about babies and grandchildren, getting old and losing weight. We talk about old friends, irritating people and fond memories. What we don't usually talk about are the good things in us for the sake of Christ.
Perhaps, as believers, we need to be a bit more vulnerable. Maybe sharing our struggles and our victories helps us communicate all that we have in Christ. Maybe walking through life together helps us discover all that is in us for the sake of Christ. Maybe it's not so much about deep "spiritual" conversations, although there ought to be those, but about doing life together because we are the body of Christ. Maybe the biggest problem with our American lifestyle isn't our materialism or our immorality, but our adamant independence.
Father, teach me what you mean by this verse. I sense that I have a lot to learn.
By His grace,
Rick Weinert
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