‘This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus. I am writing to all of God’s holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the church leaders and deacons. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer
Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.’ Philippians 1:1-6(NLT)
‘We boarded a boat at Troas and sailed straight across to the island of Samothrace, and the next day we landed at Neapolis. From there we reached Philippi, a major city of that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. And we stayed there several days. On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city to a riverbank, where we thought people would be meeting for prayer, and we sat down to speak with some women who had gathered there. One of them was Lydia from Thyatira, a merchant of expensive purple cloth, who worshiped God. As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying. She and her household were baptized, and she asked us to be her guests. “If you agree that I am a true believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my home.” And she urged us until we agreed.
Paul and Silas in Prison
One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future. She earned a lot of money for her masters by telling fortunes. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.” This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her. Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. “The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials. A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. “They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.” They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!” The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household. Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God. The next morning the city officials sent the police to tell the jailer, “Let those men go!” So the jailer told Paul, “The city officials have said you and Silas are free to leave. Go in peace.” But Paul replied, “They have publicly beaten us without a trial and put us in prison—and we are Roman citizens. So now they want us to leave secretly? Certainly not! Let them come themselves to release us!” When the police reported this, the city officials were alarmed to learn that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. So they came to the jail and apologized to them. Then they brought them out and begged them to leave the city. When Paul and Silas left the prison, they returned to the home of Lydia. There they met with the believers and encouraged them once more. Then they left town.’ Acts of the Apostles 16:11-40(NLT)
Host: Welcome to Through the Word, leading you on a journey through the entire Bible, one chapter at a time. Today Kris Langham guides us through the New Testament book of Philippians. Now to Pastor Kris.
Hello friends, welcome to Through the Word. We begin a new book today: Philippians, and I love this book. Philippians is a mission letter – from a missionary in chains, sent to his mission support team. It has updates on the mission, gratitude for support, and most importantly, fellowship in the mission itself. That word fellowship is right at the heart of this letter. Think of your own close friends. How did you get that way? A lot of things make friends close: shared interests, shared laughs, shared troubles. But for me, my best friends come from shared mission. Paul calls it the “fellowship of the gospel.” It’s a powerful bond.
Now who is Paul anyway? Well, he wrote this letter. To the Philippians, Paul is the missionary who gave them hope. The story is in Acts 16, and you may want to read that chapter today as a great introduction to Philippians. Now by the time of this letter the Philippians are a thriving church and a core part of Paul’s mission team. They know Paul, he introduced them to Jesus. They believe in Paul’s mission and they support it financially. Paul meanwhile is in Rome, in jail. He is awaiting trial for doing exactly what he did in Philippi, sharing the gospel and changing lives. Paul is waiting to see Caesar Nero, and it might mean death.
Imagine getting a missionary update written from jail. Paul writes to tell his support team that he’s chained up and the mission is still on! Chain me to a guard and I’ll reach the guard. And amazingly, this letter written in chains is full of joy. Now the commentaries all say that joy is a main theme here in Philippians. But it’s not really about joy. It’s just a joyous letter because of what Paul is writing about and who he is writing to. That’s how joy works. You don’t analyze it and figure it out; you get it along the journey – on the mission together. Speaking of which, verse 3:
“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now” (Philippians 1:3-5).
I love how this letter starts. I think it’s just about the best compliment you can give, “I thank God for you. And when I do, it’s joy in my heart and a smile on my face.” Why? Your fellowship in the gospel. I think the word fellowship has kind of lost it’s meaning. In church we share some coffee and call it fellowship. And it sort of is, at least a start. But Paul is talking about more than caffeine and a few laughs. He’s talking about the kind of fellowship you find on a mission – together. Shared goals, shared hardships, shared stories and prayers and laughter and tears. There’s just a handful of people who have really walked through it for years of ministry with me. Those are my best friends.
When God sets you on the same mission, and sets His love in your hearts for the same people – that’s fellowship.
Paul’s fellowship with his old friends in Philippi had depth. Paul had reached them with the gospel – brought them hope. And together they reached more. Shared sacrifice, shared love, shared mission. Never underestimate the importance of the missionary’s support team. That brings us to verse 6:
“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (1:6).
Man Philippians has some good verses. This one is key. This work – this mission that we share together – it’s not just our work. It’s God’s work in you, and through you. And God does not leave unfinished projects. He carries it on. He completes it. I like the word confident here because man this verse gives me confidence. Not self-confidence, God-confidence. My life is God’s work and God’s story.
So that’s what we have ahead of us in Philippians. God’s work – our fellowship. And above all, Philippians is about Jesus. Do a search in Philippians for verses with the word Christ, and you’ll get almost the whole book. From Christ, for Christ, like Christ, and in Christ – this book is about Jesus. He is the heart of our fellowship and He is the one at work in us. Jesus is the author and the finisher of our faith story. And His work is good.
Host: Thanks for joining us for today’s quick audio guide. You can find the full audio guide for this chapter and hundreds more on the Through the Word app and website. Our apps are free and free to share, so tell your friends and take the journey together. And remember, faith comes by hearing, and hearing Through the Word (Romans 10:17).
Bible quotes in NIV unless otherwise stated.
from Philippians Explained | I Can Do All Things Through Christ