Daily Worship (Jan 25)

Philippians 1:3–11, NIV
“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, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer: 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.”

Devotional Thought
In Philippians 1, Paul does something surprising. He does not begin by correcting problems or giving instructions. Instead, he gives thanks. He thanks God for the church because of their partnership in the gospel. That word “partnership” means more than friendship. It means shared work, shared purpose, and shared responsibility. The church in Philippi was not just listening to Paul’s ministry. They were participating in it.

This matters because it reshapes how we think about church. Church is not a place where a few leaders do all the work while everyone else watches. It is a body where every believer shares in the grace of God and in the mission of God. Paul even says that the Philippians share in grace with him while he suffers for the gospel. Their partnership includes both joy and cost.

Paul also reminds them that God is the one who started this work—and God will finish it. That means the success of the church does not depend on human strength alone. Christ is at work in his people, shaping them over time. Leaders help guide and protect that work, but the whole church is involved.

This passage calls us to see ourselves as active partners. We support leaders, pray for the work of the gospel, use our gifts, and stay faithful together. When the church lives this way, love grows, wisdom increases, and God is glorified. The gospel moves forward through a people who are united in Christ and committed to one another.

COMMA Questions

• Context: How does Paul’s opening thanksgiving shape the tone of the entire letter to the Philippians?
• Observation: What words or phrases show that the whole church is involved in gospel ministry, not just Paul?
• Meaning: What does “partnership in the gospel” tell us about how Christians relate to one another?
• Main Idea: What does this passage teach about how God works through the whole church to advance the gospel?
• Application: What is one way you can live more intentionally as a partner in the gospel this week?

Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for calling us into your work together. Help us to see the church not as a service we attend, but as a mission we share. Grow our love, deepen our wisdom, and use us for your glory as you finish the good work you have begun. Amen.

Ephesians 4:11–16, NIV
“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”

Devotional Thought
In Ephesians 4, Paul explains why Christ gives leaders to the church. He does not say leaders are given to do all the ministry. Instead, leaders are given to equip God’s people for works of service. That means ministry belongs to the whole church, not just pastors, elders, or deacons.

This passage helps us understand how the church grows. Growth does not come from one strong leader or a few talented people. It comes when the whole body is working together. Every believer has a role to play, and every role matters. When leaders equip and the people serve, the church becomes healthy and mature.

Paul also warns that without this shared ministry, the church can become unstable—pulled in different directions by false teaching or strong personalities. But when believers grow in truth and love together, they become rooted and strong. Christ is the head, and the body grows as each part does its work.

This reminds us that church leadership is not about control, and church membership is not about comfort. Both exist for the same purpose: building up the body in love. When you serve, encourage, give, pray, and speak truth in love, you are participating in Christ’s work. The church becomes a place where faith grows and the gospel is made visible.

COMMA Questions

• Context: How does Ephesians 4 connect unity in Christ with growth in the church?
• Observation: What does the passage say leaders are supposed to do for God’s people?
• Meaning: What does it mean for the body to build itself up in love?
• Main Idea: How does Christ use both leaders and members to grow his church?
• Application: What gift or ability might God be calling you to use more actively in the church?

Prayer
Jesus, you are the head of the church. Thank you for giving leaders to guide us and for calling each of us to serve. Help us grow in truth and love, and use our gifts to build up your body for your glory. Amen.

1 Corinthians 12:12–14, NIV
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” (1 Corinthians 12:4–7, NIV)

“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.”

Devotional Thought
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul uses the image of a body to describe the church. A body has many parts, and each part has a different role. Some parts are seen, and others are hidden, but all are necessary. In the same way, the church is made up of many people with different gifts, and every gift is given for the common good.

This passage teaches us that no one is unnecessary in Christ’s church. You do not have to be a leader or have a public role to matter. The Spirit gives gifts to everyone, and those gifts are meant to serve others. When one part of the body suffers, the whole body feels it. When one part is honored, the whole body rejoices.

Paul also shows us that comparison and pride damage the church. When we think we are not important, we stop serving. When we think we are more important than others, we stop loving. The gospel frees us from both. Jesus gave his life for the whole body, and he brings us together as one.

This passage calls us to value one another and to use what God has given us. The church works best when we depend on each other, support our leaders, and serve side by side. When every member plays their part, Christ’s love becomes visible in the world.

COMMA Questions

• Context: What problems in the Corinthian church make this teaching about the body important?
• Observation: What does Paul say about how gifts are given and why they are given?
• Meaning: What does the body image teach us about unity and difference in the church?
• Main Idea: Why does God give different gifts to different people in the church?
• Application: How can you honor and support the gifts of others in your church this week?

Prayer
Father, thank you for making us one body in Christ. Help us value every person and every gift you have given. Teach us to serve with humility and joy, so that your church reflects your grace and love to the world. Amen.