I attend a Bible study on Thursday evenings, and the focus of that meeting is sharing our faith with others. That is a core responsibility of believers.
Paul began with his standard salutation in his letter to Philemon, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,” and then he immediately made note of his prayers for Philemon. “I always thank my God when I mention you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and faith toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints.”
Bub Paul didn’t stop there. He goes on to show Philemon his continual prayers for him. “I pray that your participation in the faith may become effective through knowing every good thing that is in us for the glory of Christ.” [v4-6 HCSB]
What an interesting prayer! Paul reminds Philemon that it is in actively participating (or sharing) the faith that we gain a fuller understanding (knowledge) of every good thing we have in Christ Jesus. Then because we gain a fuller knowledge of every good thing that is ours in Christ, we want to participate in sharing that faith even more.
Simply put, the more I know of God, the more I want others to know. And the more I share with others, the more knowledge of God I gain, especially as I see Him at work in their lives.
Our faith is not static. It is to be ever growing. Our knowledge of God is to be ever expanding and deepening. We are never satisfied with where we are or what we know but should have a hunger to know more of God and to grow exponentially in faith as the knowledge of Him increases.
And as faith grows and knowledge increases, our passion to share the good things we have in Christ Jesus with others should become greater. Amen&Amen