Philippians 1:1-2
Philippi was a leading city in the district of Macedonia, in modern day Greece. In 42 BC there were two major battles between Cassius and Brutus (who had assassinated Caesar) and Octavian (who later became the emperor Augustus) and Mark Anthony. After Octavian and Mark Anthony won the battles, they honored Philippi by making it a Roman military colony which gave its population Roman citizenship. Veterans of the battles moved to Philippi making it a city loyal to Rome.
One hundred years later when Paul came to Philippi, its population was both Greek and Roman. Of the four people we know from the early Christian community established in Philippi, three had Greek names (Lydia, Euodia, Syntyche) and one a Roman name (Clement).
Paul, with his companions – Silas, Timothy, and Luke who wrote the gospel and Acts – came to Philippi because of a vision Paul had.
9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
We know Luke was with Paul because Luke writes, “we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia.”
When they arrived in Philippi, because there was no Jewish synagogue, Luke writes: (Acts 16:13)
On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.
This is where the church in Philippi started. Lydia was a wealthy businesswoman, a dealer in purple cloth. She and the members of her household were baptized and she invited Paul and his companions to stay in her home.
In Greek Macedonia women had a much more significant role in public life than other parts of the Greco-Roman world, so it is not surprising that women played such a large part in the church that was established.
Some time after this Paul and his companions were heading to a place of prayer when they encountered
a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.
This was good news for the female slave but bad news for her owners. They made money from her and now their source of income was lost. So they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them to the marketplace to face the authorities. As in Ephesus where the silversmiths rose up against Paul, the problem was not theological but financial.
This is a a sad story that has been constantly repeated in every country of the world. Throughout the ages men have used women to make money for themselves, without regard for the welfare of the women. The rich have used and abused the poor to maintain their wealth.
I am not going to dwell on this, but it is interesting to note that Paul did not cast out the spirit that controlled her because he had compassion on her. He cast out the spirit because he was annoyed. If this had been Jesus, instead of Paul, how would the story have been different?
As we read the gospels, what we observe is that Jesus saw, he looked and understood the situation, he had compassion, and then he acted. When he healed and cast out demons, he acted out of compassion. Here it is Paul’s irritation that led to the woman’s deliverance. This is an example of how Paul was not like Jesus.
But God used Paul’s irritation to bring life to this woman. This is comforting to me. God can use me, even with my sinful human nature, to bring life to others.
The magistrates heard the complaint of the owners of this female slave and observed the crowd joining in the attack against Paul and Silas. They did not want a revolt so they ordered Paul and Silas to be stripped and beaten with rods.
After they were flogged they were thrown into prison with their feet put in stocks. Let me read from the account in Acts.
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”
29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.
35 When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” 36 The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”
It is curious to me that Paul used his Roman citizenship card now, after he and Silas had been beaten. It was illegal to beat a Roman citizen without a trial and Philippi took their Roman citizenship seriously. Why didn’t Paul use this card before he was beaten? This is another question I have for Paul. Perhaps he was led by God to suffer and this way the jailer and his household were brought into the kingdom of God. I don’t know.
At any rate, the magistrates came to Paul and Silas to appease them and escort them from the prison. They asked them to leave the city and after meeting with the believers in Lydia’s house, they left.
There is no indication of how long Paul and his companions stayed in Philippi, but they stayed long enough to establish a deep and affectionate friendship that made Philippi stand out among all the churches Paul established.
On the basis of statements in 1 and 2 Corinthians, Paul paid at least two visits to Philippi that are not recorded in Acts.
His affection for Philippi is revealed in how extravagantly he speaks about them in 2 Corinthians 8:1-5. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, encouraging them to follow the example of the church in Macedonia – Philippi – that was generous in raising money to be sent to the church in Jerusalem.
And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. 5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.
Paul loved the people in the church at Philippi and so this is a letter that oozes love and joy from the beginning in 1:4
In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy
to the end in 4:1
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!
Evidence for the deeply affectionate relationship Paul had with the church in Philippi is seen in the financial relationship between Paul and the Philippians. Among all the churches Paul started, he accepted money only from the church in Philippi.
It was a strategic principle for Paul not to take money from the churches he established. And when his authority in a church was attacked, he made it clear that he had not taken money from them. There were what Paul calls “super apostles” in the church in Corinth who were challenging Paul’s authority over the church and teaching false doctrine. In 2 Corinthians Paul defends himself against them. (2 Corinthians 11:7–9)
Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so.
Paul sewed tent cloth to make a living in the places where he traveled, which is where the term “tent-making” comes from. He wrote to the church in Thessalonica, where he traveled after leaving Philippi, (1 Thessalonians 2:9)
Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.
(2 Thessalonians 3:7–8)
For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you.
In contrast to all the other churches Paul started, he accepted financial support from the church in Philippi and this letter, in part, is sent to thank them for their support. (Philippians 4:14–21)
14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. 15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. 17 Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. 18 I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
Elliot and I are excited about preaching through this book of the Bible. We encourage you to take time to read through Philippians as we preach over the next month and a half. This will take us up to mid June and then we will return to Philippians next year after Easter.
Paul wrote this letter from his prison in Rome sometime between 60 and 62 CE and he begins his letter in the way that almost all letters of the Greco-Roman world began. First, he tells them who is writing the letter. Second, he addresses who the letter is being sent to. Third, he sends a blessing for their well-being.
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
When we read Philippians or any other letter in the Bible, we tend to read this opening and move on to find something meaningful for us to contemplate. But let me open up the truths in these first two verses.
First of all, it was rare for someone to write a letter and include the name of another person as a writer of the letter. But Paul did this often, including Timothy, Sosthenes, and Silvanus as co-writers of the letter. In this case, it is likely that Timothy was the scribe who wrote as Paul dictated the letter.
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
In his other letters Paul asserts his authority as an apostle of Jesus. (Titus 1:1)
Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness—
And when he includes Timothy as a co-writer, he separates himself as an apostle and Timothy who is not an apostle. (Colossians 1:1)
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
But here alone, of all his letters, he writes “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus.” He does not stand apart from Timothy, but side-by-side as servants of Christ Jesus. He does not need to assert his authority over the Philippians and remind them he is an apostle of Jesus Christ. And so he is able to call both he and Timothy servants of Christ Jesus.
The fact that he does not feel the need to assert his authority as an apostle of Christ Jesus speaks of his special relationship to the church in Philippi. It also speaks of how Paul viewed himself – and Timothy, as well as the others members of his ministry team. They were servants of Christ Jesus.
When Paul confronted the church in Corinth with the divisions that had arisen, he reminded them, (1 Corinthians 3:5–6)
What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.
To emphasize this point, Paul concluded (1 Corinthians 4:1)
This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed.
Leaders of the church are servants of Christ. They are not masters of their own kingdom. They are not rulers who amass wealth to themselves. They live for their master. They serve their master. They act on behalf of their master. They serve the interests of their master.
This is what allowed Paul to say a bit later in this first chapter, (Philippians 1:15–18)
It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But 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,
Paul was not building up his own kingdom, his own denomination. He was a servant of Christ Jesus and when Jesus was preached, he rejoiced.
If this is how Paul regarded himself, how much more should any of us who take on leadership positions in the church regard ourselves. Whether we preach or teach, lead worship or a Bible study, evangelize or pray for the sick, we are servants of our Lord and master, Jesus. We serve to make him known. We serve to bring glory to God, not ourselves. We are servants of Christ Jesus.
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:
To all
As we move through the letter, we will see that one of the concerns Paul had was disunity among the leadership of the church. At the end of his letter he writes: (Philippians 4:2–3)
I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.
Paul’s heart is broken to see these two women, who are leaders in the church, at odds with each other. He does not take sides. He urges them “to be of the same mind in the Lord.” He writes at the beginning to all God’s holy people.
He writes to all God’s holy people. To make something holy is to set it aside for God’s purposes. Bread was made to be eaten by everyone, but bread was also made to offer to God in the Temple. This bread was placed each morning on the altar. It was set aside, made holy.
We are God’s holy people. We have been made holy and are called to follow Jesus.
When Paul concluded the magnificent theology in his letter to the church in Rome, he began in Romans 12:1–2
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
We no longer live for ourselves. We have been set aside, made holy, for service to Jesus. We worship God by offering our bodies as a living sacrifice. This is our true and proper worship. We no longer live for the world, conforming to the standards of the world. We are being transformed to live in accordance with the perfect will of God.
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:
We are all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus in the place where God has led us.
Where is your home? This is a difficult question for people who have lived all over the world. But we will answer, the Philippines, or South Sudan, or South Korea, or Mexico. This is our answer to where home is.
But where is our real home?
At some point in our life we come to an awareness of God and his call on our lives. We turn from our selfish pursuit of what seems right in our own eyes to follow Jesus. We set out on pilgrimage as we come to the understanding that we are aliens in this world. As pilgrims, we turn from our focus on the world and all it has to offer and turn our sights toward our heavenly destination.
We come to realize that, in the words of Randy Alcorn, “[We] are made for a person and a place. Jesus is the person. Heaven is the place.” We are no longer at home in the world.
In The Message, Eugene Peterson translates 1 Peter 2:11 this way.
Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it.
Our home is in heaven and that is where we are heading. We will pass from place to place on earth, move from country to country, but our home is not in this world.
As we move from place to place, we are called to be God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at wherever we live at the moment. There is a place where we know the language and culture better than other places, but we are called to be God’s holy people, set apart for his use, wherever we live.
God has called you to live in Rabat and here is where you are God’s holy people. God has you here for a reason. Because he loves you, he has purposes for you here in this city, in this country. You have been set apart for Christ Jesus in Rabat. What are God’s purposes for you in Rabat for the time you will live here?
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is the same prayer and blessing Paul wrote in his letters of 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Romans, Philemon, and Ephesians.
The traditional greeting in the Hellenistic world was chairein, meaning “to rejoice” but in salutations meant, “Greetings!” Paul changed this traditional greeting to charis, “grace.”
This is the gospel of Jesus, grace. God has given us what we do not deserve, what we cannot earn, what we can never repay. (Ephesians 2:4–5)
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
Philip Yancy writes, “Grace means there is nothing I can do to make God love me more, and nothing I can do to make God love me less. It means that I, even I who deserve the opposite, am invited to take my place at the table in God’s family.”
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
In the Greek, Paul writes “grace to you – and peace.” Paul blesses us with grace that brings to us the peace of Christ.
At the end of this letter, Paul urges us to pray. (Philippians 4:7)
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Grace and peace, is it any wonder Paul used this blessing so many times in his letters?
When I send an email, I end with, “God be with you.” This phrase, “God be with ye,” shortened over time and in the 1600s became “Goodbye.” I choose this as an ending to emails I send because it expresses my best wish for the person I am writing to. The presence of God is an amazing gift and if I never see the person I am emailing, if that person dies or if I die, this is my last wish for that person, “God be with you.”
Paul chose to bless followers of Jesus with,
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
As we make our way through this beautiful letter, Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
God be with you.
Amen.
