God's Holy People

Think back to a season when you experienced real spiritual growth. What made that time different? For many of us, those breakthrough moments didn't happen in isolation. They came through the care of someone further along in the faith—a youth pastor, a mentor, an older friend, or even a grandparent who invested in our journey. There's something powerful about being shepherded, about having someone come alongside us with patience and intentionality.

This is the pattern God has woven into the fabric of His church. Spiritual growth doesn't happen accidentally, nor does it happen alone. It requires both organic life and intentional structure—like a vine growing on a trellis.

The Garden Illustration
Consider how tomatoes grow. Left to sprawl along the ground, tomato plants become vulnerable. Weeds invade easily. Fruit touches the soil and fails to ripen properly. The harvest remains limited. But when a gardener provides a trellis—a framework for the plant to climb—everything changes. The vine reaches upward, fruit ripens in the sunlight, and the harvest multiplies dramatically.

A trellis without a plant is useless. A plant without support is unfruitful. Together, they create the conditions for abundance.

The same principle applies to spiritual life. We need both the organic reality of life in Christ and the organizational structure He provides through His church. Some communities have all structure but no spiritual vitality—impressive programs but empty hearts. Others have passionate faith but lack the framework that helps people grow consistently over time. God's design brings both together.

The Biblical Framework
The church at Philippi offers a beautiful picture of this balance. This ragtag congregation included a businesswoman, a formerly demon-possessed young woman, and a suicidal jailer who found salvation. An eclectic group, to say the least. Yet Paul's letter to them reveals God's blueprint for healthy spiritual community.

Notice how Paul addresses them: "To all God's holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons." Right from the opening, we see structure—leadership roles established by Christ Himself. But notice the language: "together with." Not "ruled by" or "under the authority of," but "together with." The trellis exists for the vine, not the other way around.

This matters tremendously. Church leadership isn't about creating hierarchies or building empires. It's about equipping. As Ephesians 4 reminds us, Christ gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers "to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up."

The goal isn't for leaders to do all the ministry while everyone else watches. The goal is for leaders to prepare God's people to serve—in their jobs, neighborhoods, schools, and families. Ministry happens everywhere believers go, not just within church walls.

Partnership in the Gospel
Paul's gratitude for the Philippians reveals another crucial element: partnership. He writes, "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now."

Partnership. Fellowship. The Greek word is koinonia—a deep, embedded working together. Paul doesn't view the Philippians as spectators or as notches on his ministerial belt. They share in God's grace together. They advance the gospel together.

This challenges our consumer approach to church. We don't simply attend services, pay tithes, and leave ministry to the professionals. Every believer is gifted by the Holy Spirit. Every believer has purpose and calling. The structure God provides through leadership exists to help each person discover and live out that calling.

Remember Moses holding up his staff while Israel battled the Amalekites? As long as the staff remained raised, God gave His people victory. But Moses grew tired. So Aaron and Hur came alongside him, literally holding up his arms. Who was the leader in that moment? God was. The others simply supported the work He was doing.

That's the picture of healthy church life—people holding each other up, supporting one another in the work God has called us to do.

The Goal: Fruitfulness
Paul's prayer for the Philippians captures the ultimate aim: "that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God."

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control—this is the fruit God desires to cultivate in our lives. Not just for our own benefit, but so that fruit becomes nourishment for those around us. For neighbors who need to see authentic faith lived out. For coworkers whose lives are running away from God. For family members who need to taste the goodness of Christ.

The trellis of structure—regular worship, small groups, daily devotions, accountability relationships—helps this fruit develop. Without it, we sprawl along the ground, vulnerable to the weeds of distraction and the soil of complacency.

Confidence in God's Work
Perhaps the most encouraging truth in all this is found in Paul's words: "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

God is the gardener. He plants. He provides the trellis. He tends the vine. He brings the harvest. Our role is to remain connected, to make use of the structures of grace He provides, and to trust that He will complete what He has started.

Whether you're in middle school or middle age, whether you're a new believer or have walked with Christ for decades, the invitation remains the same: grow together, serve together, and watch as God produces fruit that brings Him glory.

The trellis and the vine need each other. And together, they create something beautiful.