What Characterizes Your Relationships? – Philippians

Brandon Werner   -   February 15, 2026

What Characterizes Your Relationships?

Together Church  |  Pastor Brandon Werner

February 15, 2026  |  Series: Philippians

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

In the first two weeks, we carefully examined the first five verses of Philippians and highlighted the central theme of partnership.

 

Already, we’ve learned how the right partnerships can be terribly wonderful, and the wrong partnerships can be, well, terrible.

 

Then we took time to consider a framework to help guide us as we go about the important work of choosing the right partners.

 

And critically, we’ve agreed there is not a more important cause for partnership than the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

 

It just makes sense!

  • The gospel is the only cause that determines whether people have a right relationship with God.
  • It’s the only cause that determines the eternal destination of the souls of people.
  • In a world so divided, it’s the only cause that can unite the church.

 

 

In our study, we’ve explored how damaging and divisive it is when disciples of Jesus and the local church make some other cause besides the gospel their linchpin for partnership.

 

And we’ve celebrated what happens when God’s people set aside the wrong causes and put the gospel linchpin in its proper place.

 

 

God’s Word is packed! And we love to unpack it.

 

Today, we’ll pick up the pace and examine Philippians 1:6-30. In this text, we’ll see how gospel partnerships are marked by certain characteristics.

 

A characteristic is a defining feature.

In criminal cases, characteristics such as evidence at a crime scene, associations, and criminal records are all used to help investigators identify suspects and determine reality.

 

In a similar way, gospel partnerships share defining characteristics.

 

It’s easy for someone to say, “I’m a partner in the gospel.” But the truthfulness of that statement isn’t ultimately determined by what they say, it is determined by what characterizes them.

 

Being able to identify the characteristics of gospel partnerships is valuable in at least two important ways…

 

When you know the characteristics of gospel partnership, you can:

  • Identify those who are truly partners in the gospel
  • Use those characteristics to evaluate yourself and identify ways you can grow in maturity as a partner in the gospel to others.

 

In today’s passage, Paul touches on several characteristics in this church that define their gospel partnership. The relationships he shared that were characterized by these things gave Paul so much joy!

 

Let’s identify the characteristics of gospel partnerships Paul celebrates in this text.

 

 

BODY

 

Gospel partnerships are characterized by…

  1. Confidence that God will finish the work of Christ in you (v6)

 

The word the Bible most frequently uses to describe the work God does to bring Christ’s work to completion in us is “sanctification”.

 

That word itself had a common meaning to the Greeks. Sanctification means to be set apart. They used that word to describe anything that was set apart for a specific purpose.

 

The apostles used “sanctification” to describe what God does in disciples of Jesus when they receive forgiveness of sin through Jesus.  We are set apart by God to be holy; to be like Jesus!

 

How does God accomplish this work?

Sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit. This work occurs in a disciple of Jesus when they are spiritually reborn and the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in them.

 

The presence of the Holy Spirit and this new birth is God’s deposit that guarantees that every disciple of Jesus will absolutely be conformed into the image of Christ. If you are in Christ, this is your undeniable destiny: your sanctification. God will bring this about.

 

When a person is saved, the Holy Spirit comes and gives them the mind of Christ. He then works in the believer by renewing their natural minds with truth.  This renewal of the mind is a process that continues until the process is complete.

 

If you are a born-again believer, sanctification is a work that God has done in your life and continues to do. It is His work that He already did to make you a new creation in Christ, but it is also the work He is still doing so that you grow in spiritual maturity and become more and more like Jesus.

 

Galatians 2:20 is very personal to me. I love how it captures the sanctification work God has done and is doing in every believer:

 

It begins with what God HAS DONE:

 

Galatians 2:20a

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

 

It ends with the work God is STILL DOING:

 

Galatians 2:20b

And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

 

This is sanctification. This is the work Paul is talking about when he says he knows that “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.”

 

Those who are united with God and others in gospel partnership are characterized by this new identity. This destiny defines them. The evidence of the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying work is visible in their life.

 

They aren’t perfect, but they are characterized by a continual pursuit of God and a constant growing in the renewal of their mind.

 

And if this is who you are, the Holy Spirit guarantees He will see this work through in you. Life is hard enough without resisting the Holy Spirit. But if you decide to resist God for some reason, He will overcome your resistance through various difficult circumstances.

 

God’s sanctifying work is brought to completion at the death of the believer when the believer is glorified. There are people in the Bible and that I’ve known personally where God ended their life because of ongoing sin and, in mercy, spared them further dishonor and suffering through deliverance in death.

 

Bottom line: God sanctifies! And He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus.

 

Sanctification is God’s work. Those who are living in gospel partnership are characterized by God’s sanctification at work in them.

 

 

And those in gospel partnership are characterized by…

  1. Radically generous support (v7)

 

The Holy Spirit produces in God’s people this eternal perspective that motivates them to invest their resources in eternal things.

 

Those resources are money and time.

Labor and effort.

 

Because of sanctification, disciples of Jesus will never be content with just investing their resources in temporary endeavors. They are far too aware of eternal realities for that.

 

The Holy Spirit is always prompting gospel partners…

  • To give more to what really matters
  • To find the best ways to invest eternally
  • To be radically generous and fuel Kingdom advancement

 

The typical investment advisor tells their clients to invest 10-15% of their gross income for retirement.

 

As an investment advisor, the Holy Spirit is always prompting disciples of Jesus to sacrifice their future in this world to invest in eternity.

 

And He guarantees disciples of Jesus that, not only will their investment be worth it, but He will personally supply every need they have as they practice radical generosity in this world.

 

Later in this same letter, Paul makes this point in an explicit statement about the generosity of the Philippian church…

 

Philippians 4:15-19

15 And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. 16 Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. 18 I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. 19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

 

God gives assurance to every disciple that if they seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, He will supply everything they need in this world, and He will reward them for what they have sacrificed in the world to come. This frees them to be radically generous.

 

A gospel partnership is characterized by radical generosity.

 

 

And a gospel partnership is characterized by…

  1. The affection of Jesus Christ (v8)

 

The Holy Spirit produces a deep affection in disciples of Jesus who share gospel partnership.

 

Here’s what’s amazing about this affection…

It exists even with disciples of Jesus that you meet for the first time. It’s not restricted by geographical, racial, or social boundaries.

 

  • I experienced this again when I returned to Africa with RSI this summer for the first time since my teenage years and partnered with national missionaries in Mwanza to share the gospel.

 

  • I experience it every time I gather with other churches in the Relational Discipleship Network for training and encouragement.

 

  • I experience it when I meet new followers of Jesus that God is adding to our church, or when new believers come to my group.

 

There is this supernatural common bond that exists between every disciple of Jesus who is your partner in the gospel.

 

 

It’s a supernatural affection that produces…

  • Love that is normally only found in the biological family
  • Bottom-of-the-heart compassion that moves us to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice; like we would with members of our own biological family
  • Willingness to sacrifice for other disciples of Jesus in ways that would normally be reserved for biological family

 

This affection can exist before you ever meet someone.

 

This affection moved Paul to respond to the Macedonian call.

 

And it is this affection that has caused so many to sacrifice everything, travel across oceans, and share the gospel with others.

 

To be clear, this kind of affection for other partners in the gospel originates in God and not in you. It is His love that has been shed abroad in our hearts through spiritual rebirth. You are now a vessel through whom God’s love and affection flows.

 

Because of His work, this affection characterizes those living in gospel partnership.

 

 

And so does…

  1. A desire to be blameless. (vv9-11)

 

In Greek, this word “blameless” means to not cause another to stumble into sin.

 

Why are those in gospel partnership characterized by a desire to be blameless?

 

Because the Holy Spirit produces a sensitivity in them to those things that could injure the faith of others for the sake of the gospel.

 

This desire to be blameless shouldn’t be confused with a “fear of man” that causes people to do things to be accepted by others.

 

This desire to be blameless is a desire to avoid becoming the stumbling block in the faith of someone who is lost or in the faith of a weaker brother or sister in Christ.

 

The stumbling block that trips up the faith of another could be something that is outright sinful; but it could also be participating in something that is not immoral but is not beneficial to other disciples of Jesus.

 

Being blameless requires discernment that only the Holy Spirit can give; and He gives it freely to those disciples who truly want it.

 

A gospel partnership is characterized by a desire to be blameless.

 

 

And by…

  1. A positive perspective on hardship (vv12-18)

 

Gospel partners don’t just see hardship as inconveniences or even as obstacles to the gospel: they view hardship as an opportunity for the gospel.

 

The gospel thrives in suffering.

The light shines brightest in the dark.

 

The Holy Spirit gives gospel partners the big picture.

He shows disciples of Jesus how the gospel can be advanced through what most people only see as hardship.

 

Gospel partners trust in the sovereignty of God.

Their faith doesn’t make hardships “not hard”. But they look past the immediate and to the eternal. In hardship, they see new things God is doing and new opportunities to proclaim the excellencies of God and share the gospel with others.

 

That’s why Paul could say that the suffering he was experiencing was “really happening to serve the advancement of the gospel…” and why he could rejoice even in his suffering.

 

In the first days of Paul’s relationship with this church, they saw a firsthand example of gospel advancement through suffering in Paul and Silas.

 

It was through the suffering, beating, and imprisonment of Paul and Silas that the Philippian jailer and his family came to know Christ.

 

And Paul knew this positive perspective on hardships characterized his relationship with the Philippian church. That’s why he could write…

 

Philippians 1:29-30

29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

 

Paul knew that there were members of this church suffering beatings and imprisonment, just like he had and was, for the sake of the gospel.

 

Willingness to suffer together like this for the gospel deepens relationships… and it characterizes gospel partners.

 

A gospel partnership is characterized by a positive perspective on hardship.

 

 

And also by…

  1. A heavenly anticipation (vv19-26)

 

Without a heavenly anticipation, many hardships in this world would be unbearable. But we never suffer without hope!

 

The Holy Spirit causes disciples of Jesus in gospel partnerships to view death as just a doorway to a much better life.

 

He creates an anticipation about death that dims the darkness of death and dying.  There is this longing in a disciple of Jesus to be with the Lord that begins when they are born again and then grows throughout their spiritual journey.

 

And it culminates as death approaches so that fear is swallowed up with hope, anticipation, and longing for Christ.

 

Paul had that anticipation. Listen to what he wrote…

 

Philippians 1:18b-26

Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.

 

For the sake of gospel partnership, Paul pressed on in the flesh… but he longed to be with Christ. He knew death was just a doorway – and his anticipation of being with Christ overwhelmed everything else.

 

A gospel partnership is characterized by a heavenly anticipation.

 

 

And, lastly, gospel partnerships are characterized by…

  1. A unity of the Spirit (vv27-30)

 

The Holy Spirit creates a kind of unity that can only exist among disciples of Jesus who are in gospel partnership.

 

Their unity is built on what God has done for them in Christ… the Holy Spirit Himself is the source of Christian unity.

 

This unity is not a social agreement, a personality match, or a shared preference. It’s rooted in shared identity, not shared opinions. This unity is produced in believers who are joined together by Christ’s Spirit.

 

Paul lists the foundations of this shared identity in Ephesians 4:4-6…

  • One body
  • One Spirit
  • One hope
  • One Lord
  • One faith
  • One baptism
  • One God and Father

 

These are doctrinal realities in the Spirit and are not rooted in emotion. Unity is built on these realities, not on avoiding conflict.

 

The Holy Spirit works in His people to maintain unity by producing:

  • Humility
  • Gentleness
  • Patience
  • And a love that bears with one another

 

These are relational virtues that protect unity.

Without them, even doctrinally sound churches fracture.

 

This unity characterizes gospel partnership and increases our witness to the world.

 

In John 17:20-23, twice in this short span of verses, Jesus says that the world will know He was sent by the Father by the unity of His disciples.

 

Sin is the greatest threat to our unity. Sin creates division.

 

Gossip and slander are two of the most poisonous, divisive sins.

These are, perhaps, the most widely accepted sins among believers and the ones that fracture gospel unity more than any other.

 

But all sins threaten unity because sinful behaviors are always out of alignment with God and with our witness for Christ.

 

That’s why those living in gospel partnership are characterized by unity! They are not perfect in all their behaviors at all times, but they are characterized by walking in the Spirit and not in the flesh. And when they do sin, they are quick to repent and make amends because they earnestly desire to protect the unity and bond of Christ.

 

Unity characterizes those in gospel partnerships – and our unity is used by God to make Christ known to the world.

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

Here they are!

In Philippians 1:6-30, in his writings to a church that shared a deep gospel partnership with him, Paul touches on at least seven characteristics of those living in gospel partnership together.

 

Is it any wonder Paul was so joyful about his gospel partnership with the Philippian church?! Look at what characterized their relationships!

 

If you are looking for something that will give your life that kind of joy, even if you are suffering, imprisoned, or dying, then you need to find gospel partnerships in the body of Christ like this.

 

 

But here’s the truth… This is a two-way street.

Gospel partnerships and relationships like these won’t just happen because you meet someone like this. To build relationships like this, these characteristics must characterize you.

 

I’ve known people who attended church for a long time but never felt they formed meaningful relationships. Do you know anyone like that? Maybe that’s how you feel this morning.

 

Anyone I’ve known who felt this way had this in common:

They had causes in their life that were more important to them than the gospel.

 

It might have been…

 

  • Their career
  • Their money
  • Their hobbies
  • Their home
  • Their business
  • Their political views
  • Their social causes
  • Their popularity
  • Their vacations
  • Their things
  • Their health
  • Or sports

 

 

Because they had causes more important to them than the gospel…

 

  • They viewed church as a service being provided to them instead of a team to belong to.

 

  • They were looking to have their needs met instead of being equipped to share the gospel and minister to the needs of others.

 

And they missed out on the joy and partnership that comes from relationships rooted in the gospel.

 

 

At the same time, I’ve known many others whose entire life has been defined – characterized – by being partners in the gospel.

 

Their relationships look different…

 

  • These found friendships that carried them through hard times.
  • They had unshakeable hope and joy that endures in every season.

 

  • And they found purpose in every situation because they were constantly looking for ways to use what they had to make Christ known.

 

Truth is, we’re all longing for relationships like this.

 

God’s Word lights the way.

These relationships are present in gospel partners.

 

Are you ready for this change in your relationships?

The first step towards this change is your decisions to make the gospel and partnerships in the gospel your top priority.

 

 

INVITATION

And, for some here today, that first step means believing and receiving the gospel right now.

 

Will you receive the gospel today?  (After prayer: tell someone!)

 

 

If you have already received the gospel, is being a gospel partner with God and with His Church your top priority?

 

If the gospel is your top priority, these characteristics of gospel partners will increasingly characterize you more and more.

 

Are they?

Pause with me a moment.

 

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you…

What has become more important to you than the gospel and being a partner with God and others in the gospel?

 

Let’s pray.

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