Sharing our faith for our own gain

I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a fuller understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. -Philemon vs. 6

When I read Philemon this week, something in that verse stood out to me as curious: Paul wasn’t praying that others would gain a fuller understanding because of Philemon’s sharing… he was praying that Philemon would gain a fuller understanding through being active in sharing his own faith.

Relevance: our tendency to:

1. think we must work out our own faith before we share it;
2. not share, because we don’t think we have things worked out;
3. focus exclusively on the benefit our sharing might be to others, and neglect the benefit that the practice of sharing has on our understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.

Application:

-continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Philippians 2:12-13