Intro to Philippians
Notes from Pastor Ky's message on Philippians 1:1-7.
As we begin our journey through another new book of the Bible, it can be helpful to first stop and get some background information on it before we dive in.
Philippians is a letter that the apostle Paul wrote from prison to a church he had planted in Philippi, which was a Roman colony. Philippi was populated mainly by retired Roman military personnel. As citizens of Rome, these people would have enjoyed more political rights than their Jewish neighbors, and likely were somewhat affluent. As Christians, we know that Earth is not our home and thus our treasure should not be in our earthly possessions, so part of Paul’s purpose in writing to them was to remind them that even though they enjoyed the benefits of being citizens of Rome, their true citizenship was to the kingdom of Heaven.
Paul founded the church in Philippi along with Silas on his second missionary journey. Previously, Paul had chosen his ministry route according to wherever he thought made the most sense to go, but we know from the book of Acts that this journey was different. God had shut many other doors for ministry that Paul had tried to walk through and had specifically called him to this new place. There was no synagogue in the city when Paul and Silas arrived, so instead they went to the riverbank, where they met a woman named Lydia, who became their first convert and original host of the new church plant. While in the city, Paul cast a demon out of a slave girl, who had been earning a great deal of money for her masters by telling fortunes. Because her owners were enraged by this, they had Paul and Silas thrown into jail. We see here the famous story where Paul and Silas, while imprisoned, worship God in song, and God causes a great earthquake that opens their cell doors and loosens their chains. They are set free but remain in their cells so as not to cause trouble for the jailer imprisoning them, who then turns to them and asks, “What must I do to be saved?”. Paul answers him simply: “Believe in the Lord Jesus”.
There are several indications from this letter that the church of Philippi may have been Paul’s “favorite church”. The letter is overwhelmingly positive and is free of the typical corrections or condemnations that are often the cause of Paul’s letters to other churches we see in the New Testament. He refers to the Philippian church as “my joy and crown”, and says also that “I hold you in my heart” and “I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus”.
The centerpiece of the book of Philippians is in chapter 2, verses 5 through 11. Here Paul summarizes the gospel by restating what Christ did to secure our salvation. This leads into the main theme of the letter, which is joy. Just like Jesus is at the center of Paul’s letter, Jesus is at the center of Paul’s joy.
In Philippians 1:1-7, we see three different encouragements Paul gives to the Philippian church that can be an encouragement to us as well today.
The first is to maintain plural leadership. This means that the Philippian church had not one single pastor or leader, but rather a group of pastors/elders who collectively led the people together. This is something that Crosspoint values and has seen the benefits of since its inception. When you have a single leader, it can be easy to fall into the trap of putting that person on a pedestal. This can lead to that pastor feeling alone with no one to share struggles with, as well as to people becoming attached to that specific person rather than to the teaching of the Word that is being preached. It is never good for one’s faith to be dependent upon any one pastor, and a plurality of leadership helps circumvent that issue. When pastors and elders work together to shepherd a flock, they can lean on each other and use their gifts to the benefit of all. This is the model we see consistently throughout the New Testament in the early Church.
The next encouragement we see from Paul in this passage is to be thankful for faithful brothers and sisters. We should ask ourselves, am I walking in a manner such that the overseers in my life are able to lead me in joy and gladness?
Hebrews 13:17 says, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you”.
The church of Philippi was that kind of congregation to Paul, and he praised God for them. Paul also told the church exactly what his prayer was for them, which was that they would abound in love and grow in knowledge and discernment. It can be such an encouragement to be told exactly how someone is praying for you!
The final encouragement that Paul offered the Philippian church was that they trust God for their perseverance. It is not uncommon for Christians to wonder if they will be able to “make it” to the end of the race God has called us to run. In His wisdom, God has given us many assurances that act as evidence of our faith. One such assurance is the fruit of the Spirit. Just as plants yield fruit based on their kinds (i.e. an apple tree will never produce oranges, only apples), so we can see the proverbial fruit of the Holy Spirit’s regenerative work inside of ourselves in the form of love, joy, peace, patience, etc. We also have faith alone as our assurance that we will be able to persevere through to the end. Just as the Philippian jailer asked Paul, “What must I do to be saved?” and Paul answered him, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ”, we too can know that our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior is what will maintain us until the end.
We may also find ourselves worrying not only about our own faith but that of those we love. But Paul addresses that fear both here in Philippians and in multiple other letters. In Galatians 3:3 he says, “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”, and in Romans 8:30, “And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified”. There is no point in that plan that God outlines for us where we can fall through the cracks and be lost because of any misstep or lapse in faith. In Philippians 1:6, Paul writes, “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”. Paul was not confident that the people of Philippi could persevere, but that God was faithful to persevere for them!
Whenever you purchase something, you take responsibility for maintaining and protecting your investment. If we as people guard our temporal, Earthly possessions that are bought with mere money so well, how much better will God steward and protect us who were bought with the blood of His precious Son? When we are born again, we are given brand new life from the Holy Spirit. The One Who is powerful enough to achieve that faith is strong enough to sustain us to glorification.
Let us trust God for the perseverance of our faith, just as we have trusted Him for its inception.
