For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1:24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.
Given that Paul has considered the resurrection of his own body, and the glory of being with Christ, he turns to the immediate need of others.
Is this not typical of One who follows after the Master. Taking personal desires, and subjugating them to the needs of others. Self sacrifice for the life of another is the hallmark of love that the Lord exhibited on the cross for each of us.
For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1:23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.
Paul now admits to being caged in, restricted, press together between these two option, that of living for the brethren and dying to be with Christ. Paul’s confession of his desire to be with Christ must surely have had a profound effect on his church in Philippi, for they knew of his love for them, and yet Christ was the priority, the lynchpin of Paul’s life, the very goal. This must have translated to the individuals of the tiny church he speaks to, for they must also focus on the Lord, as we in the modern church need to realize.
Paul’s desire is to depart (note that he doesn’t day die) and to be with Christ.
As the apostle often taught of resurrections, he must mean the departure from this existence, not necessarily from his body, for he surely expected a resurrected body to be granted to him. Resurrection day is approaching my friends.
For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1:22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.
If. What a huge word. The unknown “if”, of course, implies choice, options, possibilities. Some options are out of our reach, only to be completed by the One who has the power to direct our lives. Some options are open to us, and yet knowing the Lord’s will, may become untenable though possible.
Paul speaks of choosing in this passage, and it seems he is considering the desires of his heart, not the actual decision to live or die – No that is beyond him. Authorities above him will determine his time of death. I speak as a fool here, for we know the Authority Who determines our time of release.
It is the desire of living for Christ or dying that he is hashing out in his mind. He is looking at two options, both of which a good options in his mind. This is instructive to consider.
When you approach a fork in the road, do you consider one way to be wrong and one way to be right? Surely this may occur, yet I would suggest that forks in the road of your life may both be beneficial. The decision may be difficult only in that you seek God’s will, but that either path will be of good effect on your life.
This is the conundrum Paul faces. Are you in the midst of a conundrum? Work it out, looking to the Lord for resolution, or to find peace in the matter.
For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
One of my first memory verses, primarily due to its shortness. Yet it packs a tremendous truth.
Life and death. How does a Christian view death? Is it the enemy? Yes. Yet Jesus conquered the effects of death on our lives. We still have to pass through death’s door, and it is important to realize that the enemy (death) is not to be entered on a whim. It is a great reality!
What are you speaking of Carl?
Consider the Lord’s entrance to the experience of death. He sought the Father’s will, and yet asked for “this cup” to be removed from Him. Death was staring Him in the face, and He sought God’s will above succumbing to the very real presence and fear of death.
Paul was also looking death in the face, and realized that without Christ, He may succumb to fear and shame. Yet His hope was in Christ, who entered death and rose the victor.
Death will come knocking my friend, either through natural causes or other means. Look to the One who has supplied all your needs for the strength and courage to avoid a shameful death.
For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1:20 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.
From the previous verse Paul stated he expected deliverance. He now speaks of his expectations and hope of not being ashamed. Might the deliverance Paul speaks of in the previous verse be a deliverance from shame?
The next phrase seems to clear up the issue of Paul’s expectation of physical deliverance, since he is suggesting this deliverance may be accomplished by death.
Paul seeks to honor Christ in his body.
If I am reading this passage correctly, he is more concerned of experiencing shame than death. This is enlightening to me, since shame is not a topic we speak of in the modern church to often. Shame and courage are directly linked in this verse, and associated with the Messiah. To be courageous is to relegate shame to the rear. We all have areas of our lives that we have experienced shame, those times when we performed deeds we want no one to know of. Yet the Lord knows and forgives.
Paul is looking to avoid the need for forgiveness, through faith and courage. As death approaches Paul, he resolved to look to the Master for his strength.
For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1:19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,
Paul is here speaking of the divine human cooperative. The prayers of the saints, and the work of the Spirit of Jesus Christ will cooperate with each other in the deliverance of the apostle. Paul knows this will produce a deliverance for him, he is confident in this. He does allow for some leeway in the type of deliverance, allowing God’s will to be done. This is acceptable to Paul, since he seeks to be under the will of God, and realizes the promise of God, when saints join together in prayer, God listens and acts.
Paul ties these two parties (man and God) together in expecting his deliverance, although he has yet to define the deliverance. This generality in Paul describing his delieverance, especially in the next verse, allows freedom to recieve God’s will in his life.
I have often heard the statement, “Be specific in prayer, in order for God to specifically answer” Many times the Lord has answered specific prayers in our lives, and yet there is wisdom in allowing God’s will to play a part of the answer.
Paul was general in his expectation, and yet had confidence in the working of both the prayers of the saints and of the Spirit of Jesus.
For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1:18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,
Paul comes to a conclusion, that admittedly, I do not understand. It must be a deliberate decision on his part, that given the circumstances, he has concluded he has nothing he can do at this time but to rely on the Lord for working in the brothers of rivalry, and to give thanks for those who are preaching Christ out of good will.
In both cases, he rejoices in that Christ is proclaimed. The name of Christ is published amongst folk that need to hear of Him, and Paul realizes this is God’s work, and God’s will is being accomplished, even in the midst of bad relations and wrong motivations.
This is somewhat relieving/encouraging for myself, for this exhibition of the greatness of God in working with the less than perfect seems to fit in with my situation. In case you may not know, I am less (far less) than perfect. And although I do not knowingly harbor any rivalry with Paul, I am sure my motivations are not always of the highest good will. Nevertheless, God is good and he works with both donkeys and prophets.
How about you? Do you seek to take another’s place in the kingdom, seek to have power over someone, or simply an ambitious Christian, looking for status amongst the brothers and sisters of the Lord?
For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1:17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.
Paul returns to the brothers who were preaching out of envy and rivalry (vs 15). As mentioned earlier, these brothers were fueled by selfish ambition.
In our modern church, I fear we are witness to the same two types of brothers. Those that preach out of good will include many godly, humble men who serve silently and without fanfare. Thiers is a life of servanthood and quiet periods of prayer, visiting with those who are hurting, and seeking to encourage those who are downtrodden.
There also are those who, by Paul’s own description, see the ministry as a career, an opportunity to have influence over others, to chase after the larger congregation, the larger church, a TV / Internet ministry, to be n the spotlight, and to draw attention to themselves, (for the sake of Christ of course!)
At this point in my Christian walk, I am somewhat jaded toward these so called ministers. I understand that the prevailing winds of Christianity almost require this conformity to seeing the church as a corporation, a business venture, or a organization. I get that, but I can’t seem to give up on the idea that the church is a living organism, and that those who preach for selfish ambition are not the highest example of Christianity.
I need some of Paul’s vision, (see vs 18) in understanding the will of God, even amongst brothers who base thier ministry on rivalry with their brothers, even seeking to afflict their leader for their own benefit.
To afflict the apostle? What is going on with these guys?
For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1:16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.
The brothers who found confidence in the life of Paul during his imprisonment, preaching Christ with boldness and of good will, were doing this service out of love. Love was the root of this service, and the fruit of righteousness was developing in these brothers!
As we have spoken of love in this epistle, note the number of times this topic repeats itself, over and over again as Paul shares his heart with the Philippians. These brothers were preaching Christ, in part due to the life of Paul in prison and their devotion to him and the Savior.
Paul could not have been happier, or to put it in the language Paul preferred, he could not have had greater joy.
For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1:15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will.
Some of these brother’s, those that had become confident due to Paul’s example, these brothers reacted to Pauls example in two ways.
Envy and Rivalry
To envy is different than to be jealous. See Love like Jesus – Without Envy for further details. To envy is to want what someone else has or is. Some of these brothers saw personal opportunity since Paul was off the circuit, to rise in the ranks of importance within the fledgling church. With Paul out of the way, these brothers might gain influence and personal power over others. If I appear to be a bit harsh in my estimation of these brothers, consider verse 17. I will not comment at this time.
These brothers also preached out of rivaly. Strife, contention or debate seems to be the idea here, and though this is not the highest goal for the preacher, at this time, Pauls was looking for victories, and the name of Christ was being published. For this, he was thankful.
Good Will
A portion of the brothers were preaching of good will. For this Paul was much, much, more thankful. They were mimicking the apostle, not seeking him harm. But either way, the name of Christ was being published abroad and the gospel was advancing.
For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1:14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
In our last verse we considered the effect Paul had on the imperial guards, while in this verse we are considering Paul’s impact on the brothers, at least on most of them. Seeing Paul react to his imprisonment with joy and focused on the advancement of the gospel, lit the brothers up also.
I was in a class this morning where a brother spoke passionately, and with great volume and force, of our responsibility to evangelize, that it is incumbent on all believers to evangelize, and if you don’t shame on you (to be fair, he didn’t say it – I just felt it!)
While I wholeheartedly agree, I don’t remember a time when he brought someone to church, asked for prayer for someone he shared Christ with, or exhibited any burden to reach out in a ministry to the lost. Granted, I am guilty in many ways also. In my past, I used to do bunches of neighborhood evangelism, and occasionally share the gospel with others I rub shoulders with, but my passion has dwindled. I have grown cold and need to straighten up.
With all that being said, my point in speaking of this is to share that Paul may have never taught the brothers the Romans road, or provided the four spiritual laws tract to distribute. But the brothers caught a glimpse of Jesus in Paul, realized that the imprisonment of Paul was beneficial, and caught a wiff of the joy exuding from Paul. It was contagious, not due to teaching, but to the focus of Paul’s life.
The brothers “caught” what couldn’t be taught. Paul’s example led the way.
For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1:13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.
Paul’s imprisonment was common knowledge. Nothing was hidden from those who were in his vicinity. Of course, some of the imperial guard would know of Paul’s imprisonment through their direct orders to guard him. The remaining imperial guard depended on gossip through the ranks.
Yet, it is hard to imagine (and this is my imagination!) the soldiers in the imperial guard, hardened disciplined men of the highest caliber of soldier, would be susceptible to common gossip. Paul’s imprisonment caused a major stir that rippled through the ranks, primarily due to the conversions of those guarding him. Those who had no contact with Paul, were in contact with guards that had become believers.
This, if understood by the leadership of the Romans, would give reason for concern, for the Caesar was to be considered god, and the guards were changing their allegiance.
For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1:12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel,
With this verse we listen in on the apostle Paul’s interpretation of the trials he has entered into, through his travels and the current imprisonment he was experiencing. It is important to understand that Paul wants to encourage his friends with progress in the midst of trials, and not simply for the sake of his friends, but to see through the eyes of Jesus, what is actually happening for the sake of the gospel.
Paul is not going to dwell on his personal sufferings, other than to inform his friends that he is in prison. He does not describe the condition of the prison, the lack of food or clothing, the loneliness or any other aspect that he may be experiencing, since this is not the focus of his message.
Paul is so focused on advancing the gospel, that he does not accept his current condition as a set back, but actually understands the benefit of his imprisonment for the sake of the gospel.
His imprisonment is advancing the gospel.
How crazy is that? How upside down is the kingdom of God in comparison to our modern way of thinking. It is too much for me at times.
In your own life, has there been a set back? A seeming defeat? Consider a refocus.
Story Time
Years back, a brother spoke of the reason the Dead sea is dead. You see, the dead sea receives water from the Jordan, but has no natural outlet and is unable to provide water to any other body of water. There is no outlet from the dead sea, other than by evaporation, which causes all the salts carried by the Jordan to remain in the Dead Sea, making it useless for life.
Life requires expression, an outlet to give to others in order to maintain, even expand our life. Receiving, or focusing only on ourselves, is a great way to die!
Paul looked for an outlet in his circumstances. May we also take on this attitude, and find life in the giving.
For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1:11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Fruit of Righteousness. It is interesting that Paul speaks of righteousness as a living, growing fruit and not some deed or act or work that is to be dutifully, religiously, ceremonially performed.
This fruit, to carry the metaphor Paul began, finds it sustenance from the root, the Lord Jesus. All nourishment the fruit requires for maturity is from the root alone. Paul desires his church, his friends to be filled with this fruit, to bring glory to God.
Remember, we began this portion of Philippians in verse 9, speaking of Pauls desire for the Philippians love to abound more and more. This fruit of righteousness, in my thinking, is synonymous with a loving sacrificial giving life. This is the nature of our Savior, for He gave all to deliver us.
Paul will return to this teaching over and over again in this letter to his friends. It would be wise for us to mimic the Lord Jesus, through His strength and nourishment and give of ourselves for the sake of others.
In doing so, the fruit will increase. And we will have joy.
For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1:10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
Remember from our last verse that the topic is to abound in love more and more. In increasing our knowledge and exercising discernment, Paul open up the option for each believer to approve what is excellent. Paul was not a micro-manager. He trusted that those in Philippi would come to godly conclusions from their walk with the Lord, and that when various decisions would be required, this knowledge and discernment would serve the young church in testing the facts and finding the best route for this church.
The intent of exercising this knowledge and discernment was for love to abound, and in this effort, these Philippians would be pure and blameless in the day of Christ
Pure.
To be “pure” here is synonymous to sincerity. An element of genuineness is included in this Greek word.
Blameless
To be blameless is to be without offence. This term always troubled me until I understood the concept of keeping all my known sins confessed both to God and to those I have wronged. To err is human, and we all fall into times when we may offend God or a fellow man or woman, but to let this fester and remain unresolved is to be blameworthy. To request forgiveness is to remove this blameworthiness. Offenses may be removed through the power of forgiveness, which is exercised through love.
For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1:9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,
Abounding Love.
Paul consistently emphasizes one Christian characteristic over all others in his writings. If he speaks of knowledge, it was to increase love. If he speaks of discernment, it was to increase love.
To seek knowledge and discernment is a godly exercise, and yet if it gets derailed, or becomes an end game of its own, it is short sighted and misses the mark. Each endeavor of the Christian is to focus on love towards the Lord Jesus and to His people. Love is so primary in the Christian life that it would be accurate to state it is to consume the saint.
Each saint may find differing ways of expressing this love, either through service, or administration, teaching or acts of mercy, but each act of the Christian is to be motivated by love. A self sacrificing, joy filled love that reflects the Lord’s nature and character.
For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1:8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.
Paul is calling upon God as his witness, the One who is the observer of an action, any action, as a matter of fact, of all actions. Paul is calling on God as a witness of his emotions for the Philippians, of his great longing for his friends in Philippi.
Human witnesses observe physical actions and happenings. God is a witness of emotional truths, of the inner heart and mind, of the heart of the apostle. Those inner yearnings of the apostle towards the Philippians are sourced of the Christ, and this Greek word speaks of tenderness, compassion, kindness and compassion. Paul described his emotions using a word that speaks of mercy and affection.
Have you considered that the affection of Jesus is such for you?
For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1:7 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.
Unity
Paul speaks of this church, this group of people as being in his heart, that he feels a certain way toward them, and that they all are partakers with him of grace. Again, he uses this term Koinōnia, but with a prefix, that speaks of these folks as being with him in the participation of preaching and imprisonment.
Their partnership in providing gifts brought them into a poverty, and both Paul and the Philippians suffered in their efforts for the furtherance of the gospel. And in that suffering, all partook of grace.
In this unity of suffering and advancement of the gospel, grace was provided to all.
Enter into someone’s suffering today, even if only with a listening ear, willing to give some of your time for someone else. Be one with that soul who may be struggling, and watch for the Lord in it.
For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1:6 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.
After considering my last post, you will understand I believe this good work Paul refers to as the Philippians giving gifts of love to their apostle. (In other words, I do not see any context here that drives an eternal security teaching.) See the post Conditional Security – Philippians 1:3-11 for supporting nformation for this statement.
Nevertheless, Paul was confident because they had already proven themselves to be faithful to their calling of supporting their beloved apostle. He had no doubt this body of believers would continue. God was at work in these believers in supporting thier missionay apostle. No documentation was necessary, no promissory notes were signed, no contractural commitments negotiated.
They loved him and gave gifts every chance they had. And Paul was so thankful.
A sharing with someone else. I believe this verse hints at Paul’s thankfulness for a very specific partnership the Philippians participated with Paul in. I think he is broaching the topic of dirty mammon, filthy lucre, cold hard cash. (For my reasons for thinking this way, consider the post Conditional Security – Philippians 1:3-11)
If my thinking is correct, Paul is speaking of a very real world need in a beautifully wrapped phrase which the Philippians would understand without him having to blurt it out. Classy. Subdued. Humble and gracious.
This verse speaks of the Apostle using a specific word with intent meant for the audience. Only after getting involved with the book, and Paul’s intimate history with this church, do we understand what the Philippians understood.
Grace in our speech. A message to his loved ones, expressing gratitude for their real world gifts.
For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1:4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,
Prayer
Paul prayed for his church. No, that statement is not true, if I understand Paul.
He prayed for his friends. He prayed for individuals that were on his heart. I do not understand Paul as thinking of the church in Philippi as an organization that needed to meet some arbitrary budget, or that his authority in the church needed to be stengthened, or that the expansion plans were not hitting goals.
Nope. He prayed for people. And in those prayers, the predominant theme he naturally expressed was that of joy. Joy is the theme of this letter and I find it interesting, even revealing that it is associated with prayer at it first occurrence.
Pray for people, and remember the joy of loving those you pray for.
For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1:3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,
Thankfulness.
I was sitting with my favorite the other night and began to tell her how thankful I was for the many things she does for me, and for her strength and love. I didn’t let her reciprocate, since it was naturally coming from my heart. It was a very enjoyable chat for me, but after a while I sensed she became a bit uncomfortable.
Many reasons are possible for her discomfort, but I think primarily that she is one who gives without thinking of receiving. Maybe I just haven’t been the thankful husband she deserves.
Either way, it was a bit surprising to me that she became uncomfortable, and it made me think of believers thanking God. I do not think God is ever uncomfortable in receiving thanksgiving, for He truly is the source of all good things.
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. It is an enjoyable experience to give thanks!
For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1:2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
As mentioned earlier, Paul is writing to a church that has planted itself into his own heart, and that he wants to establish in grace and peace. Throughout Paul’s writings, he emphasizes grace and peace to the churches, (and adds mercy when writing to preachers like Timothy and Titus)
Paul’s emphasis on grace and peace would do us well to be remembered, for we may often think of how we disappoint, frustrate or displease the Lord of Glory, while all the time, the grace of God is there to encourage, strengthen and admonish us to be His people, and do better things for Him.
Grace and peace. Grace is unmerited favor, favor of the Lord that we do not deserve, that we cannot earn, and that is dependent on the character of Jesus and not own frail efforts.
I often consider peace to be somewhat equivalent with wholeness, or balance, or restfulness. A sense that God is taking care of those things that are beyond our strength. As we get older and hopefully wiser, we begin to realize that our strength is a weakness, and that God has been in the midst of it all. With this realization, the peace we experience becomes a settled condition.
For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1:1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:
Paul loved this church and knew each of the founding members, along with those who joined as the church grew and he visited. He was there in the beginning, like so many of the churches he writes to in the New Testament, and I dare say, this may have been the church that settled in his heart the deepest.
He sends this letter of joy to the saints in Christ Jesus, along with the church leadership. I find this challenging, since my background would expect a church planter and apostle to send directions directly to the leadership, and allow them to disseminate the instructions to the laity.
It seems this structure is not at play in Paul’s mind.
Should a hierarchy be accepted in our mind? What thinkest thou?
Considering the Bible 