Would Paul Zoom?
By Jenny Sung, Executive Coordinator & Campus Pastor to The Vine
God used the apostle Paul to plant and expand the landscape of the early church, planting fledgling congregations in many of the cities across the Mediterranean. No matter what he was going through, Paul communicated his love for God’s people and wrote many letters to encourage, embolden, and remind people to persevere in the midst of persecution, pressures, false teaching, and conflict.
In his letter to the church in Philippi, Paul communicates his heart of gratitude and fervency in prayer for the people. “In all my prayers for all of you, I pray with joy…” Paul says that they are in his heart, and that he praises God as he prays for them. There is such care and joy embedded in the letter, and I have no doubt that Paul would have used any means necessary to communicate with the people of God. Yes, Paul would have used Zoom and any other resource to exhort, encourage and spread the love and hope of Jesus Christ.
In this advent season, as we remember our Savior Jesus Christ and why He came to us, let us exhort and encourage one another in prayer and thanks. Let us become a community that gathers around prayer and thanks, spreading the hope and love of Jesus in our Christmas letters, our Zoom meetings, phone calls, and in-person gatherings. May we thank God each time we think of each other as we partner in the good work of the gospel until the day of our Lord's return.
Paul prays this beautiful prayer in our verses for today…and it is my prayer for you:
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. - Philippians 1:3-11 (NIV)
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