Philippians part 1
A Community of Gospel Faith
This week we begin a new series on the book Philippians. Paul’s letter to the Philippians is the most optimistic and positive of Paul’s letters. The Philippian Church has left us a legacy of health that we can examine today, so that we too can be found faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Background on Philippians
Paul established the Church at Philippi in 50 AD (or very close to it) on his second missionary journey, and event chronicled in Acts 16. The Philippian Church was probably the healthiest of the churches represented by a New Testament letter. Apparent from the letter, the church experienced a bout of disunity, but Paul addresses this issue in a much different manner than the disunity of Corinth. Whereas the tone of 1 Corinthians is more “Sit down, this is going to take a while,” Paul’s letter to the Philippians is more “You are doing well, so don’t let this become a major issue.”
Philippi sits on the Ignatius Road which was a major trade route for the first century Empire. It was occupied by three major ethnic groups representing the three groups who occupied the land in its history—Thracians, Greeks, and Romans. By the first century, Romans were certainly the dominant group, but archaeologists have discovered large traces of Thracian culture. With these major cultures comes their religious practices, and so, it is no surprise that Philippi was filled with a number of cultic groups and practices. The three major Thracian gods had their Greco-Roman counterparts which helped keep their veneration alive into the Roman period. It is worth noting these gods represented the harvest, wine, and hunting. You can imagine what types of worship were involved to celebrate harvest, wine, and hunting. Additionally, these fields would encompass religious, civic, and familial aspects of life. Many country folk would find themselves fitting right in with the cults at Philippi. In addition, the imperial cult dominated the city thanks in large part to the number of Roman soldiers who retired in the city, especially after the Roman Civil War.
For those of you keeping track, Philippi was a city filled with the worship and celebration of farming, alcohol, hunting, and it was saturated with civic pride and patriotism. Does this not sound like many American towns today?
As we begin reading Paul’s letter to Philippi, keep in mind this first century Roman city was not unlike our own culture today. We are bombarded with a plethora of religious and cultural practices in our world today, especially when we consider the virtual connections we have thanks to the Internet. Our culture is so saturated with cultural celebrations and civic pride, it can be difficult sometimes to draw a distinction between the religious and the secular.
Paul will address how the Philippians can live in such a culture while maintaining allegiance to Christ and be a faithful to witness to their neighbors. Though we will examine a variety of themes in our study,
The overarching theme throughout Paul’s letter is his desire to see the church remain unified in mind and mission to Jesus Christ.
A Prayer from Prison | Philippians 1:1-11
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so 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.
Philippians 1:1-11
As we start reading, Paul begins with his typical greeting of “Grace and Peace.” This phrase has a bit of a dual meaning. On the surface, it appears to be just a greeting, and it just so happens, the words charis and eirené happen to be typical greetings in Greek and Hebrew respectively (though a Hebrew would say shalom). Yet, if we dig a bit deeper, these are the same words which describe the gifts of God, and so it is fitting Paul adds “from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” We receive grace from God our Father and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Next, Paul gives thanks for all the church has accomplished, not just for Paul himself, but for everything they have done in their service to Jesus Christ. They have been partners in the gospel with Paul even as Paul is imprisoned. And what has been the outcome? Is Paul free as was the case in Acts 16 when Paul first preached to them? No, but he still receives joy in their work.
Then, Paul offers a prayer their love and knowledge grows even more so they can stand before Christ pure and blameless “filled with the fruit of righteousness”. Paul has witnessed this church grow in their gospel work, but he knows they will grow even more which will result in even more fruit of righteousness, or to use the phrase in Galatians, fruit of the Spirit.
Faithful service to Jesus yields knowledge, righteousness, and joy despite the circumstances of life.
The Gospel Advances | Philippians 1:12-17
I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
Philippians 1:12-17
Paul’s imprisonment should have halted the gospel, and yet, it presses onward. Paul’s missionary zeal wouldn’t allow him to keep silent, and so he preached to whomever was in front of him. He is in prison, so the fellow prisoners and the guards will hear the gospel. And even more so, others have been emboldened to preach because of Paul’s persistence.
Our boldness to proclaim Christ encourages other Christians to speak up, also.
In verse 15, Paul mentions that some have preached Christ “from envy and rivalry.” He gives us no further clues to what their problems with Paul were, but for whatever reason, their preaching was to inflict pain on Paul (v. 17). Some commentators speculate these may be jealous members of the church that did not appreciate the commotion Paul stirred up in town. Or perhaps they preached the gospel in hopes of subverting Paul’s leadership since they were out of prison. Regardless the reason, Paul does not treat them as outsiders or false teachers. Their motives may be skewed, but their message is the same. And so, whether the Philippians are preaching Christ out of love of Christ and Paul, or they preach in hopes to gain some credibility in the church, Paul is just happy Christ is proclaimed.
Here lies a lesson for us as we consider our evangelism and ministry in light of the many forms of church that exist in the world. We may not always like the method, or even the motives, of some Christians. But if they are in Christ, proclaiming Christ, and God is using them to bring people to Christ, then we can hardly get too upset about it. People are being saved! What more could we ask?!?
It takes all kinds of Christians and all kinds of churches to reach all kinds of lost, and so it does not good to get upset about differing methods of evangelism.
Periodically I will hear from a well-meaning Christian about some church or pastor they saw online. And yes, there are plenty of false teachers that we must be wary of. But sometimes they aren’t necessarily false teachers, just teachers with a style the well-meaning Christian does not enjoy. Either way, my response is usually the same. I have very little influence on online pastors. I can send them a message, but there is a small chance they see it, and even smaller chance I change their mind. What I can do is focus on the people in my own vicinity. I can teach those God has put in my path. Dear Christian, focus on the people God has put in your local life. Allow Him to take care of the people in the wider world.
To Stay or Go? | Philippians 1:18-26
Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 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. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
Philippians 1:18-26
Paul chooses to rejoice despite the conflicting attitudes of the Philippian evangelists because even the ones who wish harm on Paul are still used by God to bring his deliverance. “Deliverance,” here, is the same word for “salvation.” It can be either physical saving or spiritual, and its use here is something to ponder.
He could mean “release from prison,” and yet the very next line Paul says Christ will be honored in his body “whether by life or by death.” Paul is not naive to fail to understand he could be put to death because of the gospel message. Keep in mind, the gospel is the Good News of the Kingdom of God. This kind of religious political rhetoric is not looked upon fondly by those in the imperial cult. Paul could be tried and executed for insurrection—and tradition holds that is exactly what happened.
He could also mean spiritual salvation, but he’s already saved, right? He has already met the Risen Lord on the road to Damascus and been transformed from death to life. True, and yet there is still more salvation to come. This passing phrase in Philippians reminds us salvation is not a one-time event.
Salvation encompasses the process of moving from condemned sinner to glorified saint.
Salvation begins the moment we turn from our sin and surrender to Christ, but it does not end there. We grow in our salvation throughout our lives, and even times of affliction are used by God to shape us into the new creation we will be when our salvation is completed. How do we know when we are “fully saved”? We will know when our faith is made sight, and we abide with our Savior in the new creation for eternity.
And this reality is what drives Paul to say he is conflicted between his two options. If he is delivered from the hands of Caesar, then he can continue the work of the Gospel. He will be able to continue serving the Philippians, as well as the other churches he planted and those he may plant in the future. But if he is put to death for his preaching, then he will enter eternity and be with Christ. His faith will be made sight and the fulness of salvation will be granted to him. What should he choose?
Notice, he chooses to remain. The Philippians still need him, and they will be enriched with his return to their midsts. Though the glory of heaven surpasses anything any of us can imagine, Paul knows his work here on earth is incomplete. As we consider this in our day, it reminds us:
As long as God keeps us here on earth, we will have people we can minister to and service for the kingdom to accomplish.
As long as we have breath, we can continue to work for the Lord. The work may look different than when we were younger, but there is still work nonetheless. Even ‘retirement’ is really just the next chapter in our lives. Today, the retirement age is 67. The average lifespan is 76. That means, chances are, you will have 9 years of life after you retire. Many of us know people that are living well beyond 76 though. Financial experts suggest plan on living into your 90s simply because of medical and technological achievements in the last couple of decades. Additionally, every health expert agrees, and my own experience has shown this as well, people who stay active, mentally and physically, into their retirement years will live far longer, with a better quality of life, than those who choose to check out early spending their retirement in front of the tv.
Whether you are young or old, the church needs your experience and service in order to reach more people with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
With that in mind, let’s read the rest of the chapter.
A Worthy Life | Philippians 1:27-30
Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 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, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
Philippians 1:27-30
How do we respond to persecution? How do we respond to the needs around us? How do we respond to the Lord who calls us to salvation?
We live our lives in a manner “worthy of the gospel of Christ.” It is not that we try to earn our salvation. That can never happen. But we do acknowledge the price paid for us, the God who loves us enough to pay that price, and the mission He gives us so that others can be saved, too. Notice for Paul, a worthy life is primarily a life lived in unity with other Christians. He asks the Philippians to live standing firm in one spirit and one mind. If we truly believe Paul’s letter is also the Holy Spirit’s message for us today, then we must accept that we are called to live in unity of mind and mission, also. And Paul gives us the key to church unity in verse 27.
A unified church is one in which the members stand together striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.
How can we strive together? Here are 3 ways Paul mentions.
Be of one mind.
Strive side by side.
Be not frightened by opponents.
“Be of one mind” means study together and teach each other. Have gospel conversations over dinner. Join a small group. If you are gifted in a particular area of ministry, train others on how they can help.
“Strive side by side” means find your job in the church. Too many Christians believe their work begins and ends when they sit in a pew. What happens in the sanctuary is just the pep rally. The game happens outside the church doors. Did you know the people who complain the most about how a church operates or the ones who have theological debates are the ones not doing anything? Christians active in missions are far too busy to argue about trivial matters. The only complaints you will hear from active church members have to do with wondering when other people will step up, too.
“Be not frightened by opponents” means encourage one another. We cannot let outsiders get us down with such a mission and with such a powerful God. The work can feel daunting at times, but we serve a big God who can supply every need. And do you know the number one way God supplies our need? It is through each other. Yes, there are times when God may miraculously drop supplies in our lap, but much more often, God will place another Christian in our life that has just what we need. But in order for that to happen, we need to engage and encourage one another, so that we can be ready to supply someone with whatever they need. We can be strengthened in spite of the opposition against us when we stand together and encourage one another.
Last, look one more time at verse 28. How will the lost know the Gospel is real? How will they know that what we preach is true? The strongest evidence will be our unity. Our ability to remain united in mind and mission is a “clear sign” of our salvation and their destruction.
A unified, active church is a testimony to the truth and power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
People want to be a part of a community where needs are met, people are loved, and they can find their purpose in this world. Church, we have the answer to all of these needs in Jesus Christ. As we let the truth of the gospel transform us, and in turn we are able to meet the needs of each other, building one another up, the lost in our community will be amazed at what God is doing. And when they ask how we are able to do great things for God and each other, we can tell them, “If you repent, you can get in on this, too!”