Philippians 1:1-30
1Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:
2Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3I thank my God every time I remember you. 4In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
7It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. 8God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
Paul's Chains Advance the Gospel
12Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. 13As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
15It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. 20I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.
27Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel 28without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, 30since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
St. Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, mentions Timothy in his greeting...As you read through all of Paul's letters, he mentions many people...It seems that Timothy was like a son to Paul...The other one that Paul mentions many times is Titus, in his epistles....St. Paul mentions that the Philippians have set up overseers or bishops, and deacons in their church...St. Paul mentions bishops, deacons, and overseers in the churches he helps start, in his letters to Timothy and Titus...
St. Paul thanks God for his time and years with the Philippians...From the first day, he was with the Philippians, to now has been a blessing...The Philippians have been taught the message of Jesus by His servants, Paul and Timothy...It is an honor to a minister or a preacher to be a servant of Christ...
St. Paul prays that the Philippians love and knowledge grow and abound...As one gets more knowledge of Jesus and the Scripture, he wants more knowledge...As one falls in love and love's others. love must not stop growing...God gives us the gifts of knowledge and love...The knowledge and love, He gives us are dynamic, and not stagnant things...As we grow in life, and as we age, we should want to continue to learn and love...It is part of what makes one's life, a happy one...As our depth of insight toward our Christ, becomes more and more, is a good thing...It is good that as we go through our lives we should pray that our knowledge and love grow...
Whether St. Paul was free on in a jail, his faith continued....St. Paul is in chains in jail...He would be uncomfortable in jail...Yet, he continues to minister and spread the word by writing the Philippians...Paul is in jail for advancing the gospel...He says he will speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly, because he is in jail...
We think of death as something to grieve...St. Paul had a different view of his death...The tent of his body kept him away from the thing Paul cherished the most, his Savior...He knew he would be born again, and would be with Jesus...He understood to get to the light and to get to perfection, and perfect love he must change...His sufferings were part of this process in getting to Him...
St. Paul was strengthened not only by the prayers of the Philippians, but also was given help by the Spirit of Jesus Christ that helps him keep going each day...The Spirit has kept him alive despite his many hardships...The Holy Spirit kept him going during the times he suffered in jail...Jesus chooses Paul as His instrument to carry His name before the Gentiles, their kings and the people of Israel... I (Jesus) will show him (that is Paul) how much he must suffer for My name (Acts 9:15-16)...Paul perseveres, he continues his mission of spreading the word to the Gentiles and others...For Paul to live would mean he was teaching the good news of Christ...When he dies, it will be even far better, for he will be with the very one he is teaching others about, our LORD, Jesus Christ...But for now, it is more important, and he is convinced that he must continue to spread the word about the Messiah, until he departs from this earth...St. Paul still remembers that words of Jesus when he was converted on the road to Damascus...He was to suffer for Him...
Whether free or in jail, whether comfortable or uncomfortable, whether having a lot or having nothing, whether by life of death, Paul knew he would be with Christ, our Savior...God has given us a life of hope and expectation...This is part of God's light that He sends us...This is how He made us...Each morning is a new day...God was holding Paul's hand...He didn't see Him, but his faith knew He was there...When we are happy we have a great expectation for this new day and for all the new days to come...St. Paul had been beaten many times for Jesus, yet he continues with this hope of the Holy Spirit and continues to do what got him beaten and in jail...Because Paul was in jail for Jesus, the brothers would be encouraged by him to speak the good news...So even though he was suffering and uncomfortable during these times, he saw his suffering, and this his being uncomfortable, as well as his weaknesses as an opportunity to serve Christ...