Philippians 1
February Memory Verse: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)
Read: Philippians 1
As we start the book of Philippians, it’s important that we set the stage for some of the context surrounding this amazing book. You might be asking, “why does context and facts matter?” I’m so glad you asked that question! Context is king! Without understanding the context surrounding when and where and why a book was written, it can be easy to read our 21st century, Americanized view of the world into the text of Scripture. Paul is the author of this letter.
The overall context of Philippians is one of encouragement. The church in Philippi was the first church planted in Europe. (For some further study, head over to Acts 16 to read about the conversion of Lydia, Paul and Silas’ imprisonment, and where they proclaimed the gospel to the jailer.) This letter is written to this church as a father and pastor. He has great love for them and takes great care that they are living out the faith that the gospel that he proclaimed should result in.
There are a few things we see in the chapter:
GREETING (1-2) In his greeting, notice that Paul calls himself a servant of Jesus Christ. We often think of Paul as this great hero of the faith, but he thinks himself a servant. How do we think of ourselves? Is a servant of Christ your primary identity? He is also writing to the saints, including the church leadership—He is writing to Christians.
THANKSGIVING AND PRAYER (3-11) Notice again Pauls love and encouragement of this church. He is proud of their faith and maturity in Christ, and also thankful for how they care for him in his imprisonment. He is confident that God is at work, bringing their salvation and sanctification to completion in verse 6. And you see the prayer of a pastor for people he loves in verses 9-11, that the church’s love would abound more and more, with knowledge and discernment, bearing fruit in Christ.
THE PROCLAMATION OF THE GOSPEL (12-18) In these verses, we see Paul’s mindset: he was more concerned with the advance of the gospel than his own good. This is what allowed him to have joy and confidence in a difficult situation. He actually saw this opportunity as a greater witness for the gospel. We have brothers and sisters all over the world who are suffering for the advance of the gospel. Will you take a few minutes today to pray that the gospel would advance through them? And for us, that we would have boldness to share the gospel no matter the consequences?
A LIFE LIVED FOR CHRIST (19-30) In verse 21, we see a kind of life verse for Paul: “for me to live is Christ, to die is gain.” If Paul would continue to live, it would mean that he would spend his life on mission for the gospel. If he died, it would be great, because he would see him whom he proclaims face to face! In light of this, Paul says in verse 27, “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.” He wants this church to have a similar mindset: to live for Christ while on earth, and desire to be with him, even if it means death. We need to ask ourselves: is that my mindset? Is that your mindset?
Take some time today to examine areas of your life that do not reflect the gospels impact on them. What do you need to put off? What do you need to start doing to begin reflecting the gospel on a daily basis?
Allow the book of Philippians and the gospel passion of Paul to encourage you today. Our staff and Leadership Team talk all the time about what a healthy, spiritually vibrant church Center Point is. This is obviously attributed first and foremost to God and his grace toward us, but also in your commitment to loving God’s Word and the gospel. Strengthen that love and commitment today, just like Paul.
In the comments, share how God used his Word today to encourage you or convict you, so that we can all be encouraged to live a life that is worthy of the gospel.
By: Graham Withers
Read: Philippians 1
As we start the book of Philippians, it’s important that we set the stage for some of the context surrounding this amazing book. You might be asking, “why does context and facts matter?” I’m so glad you asked that question! Context is king! Without understanding the context surrounding when and where and why a book was written, it can be easy to read our 21st century, Americanized view of the world into the text of Scripture. Paul is the author of this letter.
The overall context of Philippians is one of encouragement. The church in Philippi was the first church planted in Europe. (For some further study, head over to Acts 16 to read about the conversion of Lydia, Paul and Silas’ imprisonment, and where they proclaimed the gospel to the jailer.) This letter is written to this church as a father and pastor. He has great love for them and takes great care that they are living out the faith that the gospel that he proclaimed should result in.
There are a few things we see in the chapter:
GREETING (1-2) In his greeting, notice that Paul calls himself a servant of Jesus Christ. We often think of Paul as this great hero of the faith, but he thinks himself a servant. How do we think of ourselves? Is a servant of Christ your primary identity? He is also writing to the saints, including the church leadership—He is writing to Christians.
THANKSGIVING AND PRAYER (3-11) Notice again Pauls love and encouragement of this church. He is proud of their faith and maturity in Christ, and also thankful for how they care for him in his imprisonment. He is confident that God is at work, bringing their salvation and sanctification to completion in verse 6. And you see the prayer of a pastor for people he loves in verses 9-11, that the church’s love would abound more and more, with knowledge and discernment, bearing fruit in Christ.
THE PROCLAMATION OF THE GOSPEL (12-18) In these verses, we see Paul’s mindset: he was more concerned with the advance of the gospel than his own good. This is what allowed him to have joy and confidence in a difficult situation. He actually saw this opportunity as a greater witness for the gospel. We have brothers and sisters all over the world who are suffering for the advance of the gospel. Will you take a few minutes today to pray that the gospel would advance through them? And for us, that we would have boldness to share the gospel no matter the consequences?
A LIFE LIVED FOR CHRIST (19-30) In verse 21, we see a kind of life verse for Paul: “for me to live is Christ, to die is gain.” If Paul would continue to live, it would mean that he would spend his life on mission for the gospel. If he died, it would be great, because he would see him whom he proclaims face to face! In light of this, Paul says in verse 27, “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.” He wants this church to have a similar mindset: to live for Christ while on earth, and desire to be with him, even if it means death. We need to ask ourselves: is that my mindset? Is that your mindset?
Take some time today to examine areas of your life that do not reflect the gospels impact on them. What do you need to put off? What do you need to start doing to begin reflecting the gospel on a daily basis?
Allow the book of Philippians and the gospel passion of Paul to encourage you today. Our staff and Leadership Team talk all the time about what a healthy, spiritually vibrant church Center Point is. This is obviously attributed first and foremost to God and his grace toward us, but also in your commitment to loving God’s Word and the gospel. Strengthen that love and commitment today, just like Paul.
In the comments, share how God used his Word today to encourage you or convict you, so that we can all be encouraged to live a life that is worthy of the gospel.
By: Graham Withers
8 Comments
I love the encouragement Paul gives in his letters. He is always talking about how he loves the people and is praying for them and is thankful for them. What does that look like in today’s culture? We don’t write letters much, but we text all the time! We can use the technology God gives to be an encouragement to others. We can send a simple text, or even an email telling others how we appreciate them, and then encourage them in the faith. I think Paul modeled this for a reason. Let’s be encouraging to one another!
Great idea Scottie!
I love the book of Philippians and am excited to dig deeper into it the next few days through Jumpstart.
Today, the “Greeting” section of scripture and this post has me thinking and reflecting. We do always think of Paul as a faith hero, but he sees himself as a servant. The questions asked in this section were good for a little heart exam.
Really interesting how he identifies himself like that!
“everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News.”
This part of verse 12 really called out to me today. Paul talks frequently about the privilege of suffering for Christ. If I’m really honest my gut reaction to suffering is belly aching and complaining. What if God allows the job loss, disease, loss of a close friend or relative so that a lost person can observe your suffering and how you trust Christ through the pain? As I grow and mature in my faith I desire to look at periods of suffering as building my faith and character so that I can better reflect Jesus to a lost world. Thanks for the good word today GW.
He Who began a good work in you, will bring it to completion. No matter what we do all the mistakes we make, the good work of Christ will be completed in us. This gives us hope and renewed strength
Amen Rasheed!
I way struggling on Tuesday, but God reminded me on Wednesday and put verses in my head to fight the temptation. And I called a great friend from center point and he helped me to get my mind right(which is loving Jesus with my whole heart and knowing that Jesus is better). I also read a passage in the Bible that helped me fight the temptation.