The Way - Day 143 (Philippians 1)

Pastor Tom's Journal on Today's Reading:
Introduction to Philippians
Written by Paul from a Roman prison around AD 61, the book of Philippians was intended for the church at Philippi, which was the first church he established in Macedonia. Philippi was a Greek city and became famous when Antony and Octavian defeated Brutus and Cassius making Philippi a Roman colony in 42 BC. This instance in history brought Roman law and citizenship to the residents of Philippi and provided many benefits. The church at Philippi was founded by Paul on his second missionary journey (Acts 16:12-40) and probably began in the home of Lydia who became a believer under Paul's preaching. The preaching of the gospel brought trials for this young church when Paul cast a demon out of girl who was also a fortune teller. This angered the girl's bosses because her service in the city was a means of profit for them. Paul and Silas were immediately indicted for this threat to Roman rule and resulted in them being beat and thrown in prison (Acts 16:20-24). The first night in prison brought a miracle from God when He sent an earthquake releasing them from bondage. The next day, Roman officials commanded Paul to leave because they were fearful of the ramifications of the events the previous day. Paul visited Philippi during his third missionary journey and even in his absence they had supported his ministry. So, why did Paul write this letter? Paul wanted to keep them updated on his Roman imprisonment as well as thank them for their generous support. On a spiritual level Paul challenged them to stand for their faith remembering the example of Jesus Christ and to be faithful to Him in their daily walk. Although persecution would come because of their distinctive way of life, Paul encouraged them to look beyond their current circumstances to the life which is awaiting them.

Philippians 1:1-11
From the very beginning of this book it is very evident that Paul has a great love for the people to whom he is writing. In verses 1-2 he opens up with a standard greeting of grace and peace to the believers at Philippi, but in the third verse he begins to open up his heart about his feelings for his readers. Paul writes "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now...." The church at Philippi had generously given to Paul so that he could spread the gospel to many other places and he was grateful for their faithful participation. Without their financial help and prayers, Paul would not have been able to accomplish as much as he had done. Paul was also confident that God was greatly using them to fulfill His purposes in getting the gospel to other groups of people; in fact, Paul states that "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." Salvation is granted at the moment a person places their faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ, but final salvation and glorification is not fully accomplished until the return of Jesus Christ (1:6). Paul wanted them to look forward to the day when their salvation would be complete. Until that time, Paul wanted the church to know he had a great love for them and their efforts to assist in Paul's ministry (1:7-8). Paul also challenged them not to lose their love but that it may "abound more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ." His ultimate desire for the believers at Philippi was that they would be "filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." Good works are accomplished through Jesus Christ and always point people's attention to God the Father. We must learn from the church at Philippi about supporting those who are spreading the gospel and how our participation points other people to God. When you give money, look at it as an opportunity for someone to hear about the salvation which is freely given through Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:12-26
Whenever something bad happens to us we oftentimes look for explanations or reasons, but Paul wanted his readers to understand that adverse circumstances do not always have explanations attached. As he began writing this letter to the church at Philippi he wanted them to know "that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel...." Although Paul did not understand all of God's purposes for his being imprisoned, he did know that God could use him to spread the gospel even when he was in prison. Some people allow bad circumstances to silence their witness for Jesus Christ; however, Paul challenged his readers to look past the circumstances to see how good can result from bad. Paul seems to indicate that the people around him (palace guard, all the rest) knew God was using this circumstance as a tool to reach more people with the gospel (1:13-14). His witness actually encouraged others to preach the gospel and become bolder in sharing their faith. Paul mentions two groups of people who were preaching the gospel: those who preach from envy and strife and those who preach from goodwill. There were those people who were jealous of Paul's giftedness and looked at his imprisonment as God's punishment upon some hidden sin in his life, but many others were sincerely preaching Christ crucified (1:15-17). Regardless of who was preaching, Paul was just happy that the gospel was continuing to be proclaimed, even if it were by his accusers (1:18). Paul had confidence that he would be delivered from his current circumstances through the prayers of the church and the power of the Holy Spirit (1:19-20). If he was released from prison one day, Paul would continue to bear fruit for the glory of God; however, if he died in prison he would rejoice in being with the Lord (1:21-26). Paul proclaims "for me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Living would enable him to carry on his earthly ministry, but death would enable him to spend eternity with God!

Dear God, help me to look at bad circumstances from Your perspective and to make the most of glorifying You while on earth knowing that one day I'll be with You forever!