Philippians 1:27 - 30

From the very outset of his letter to the Philippians, Paul has maintained a focus on the church as a whole, with an attempt to promote unity. In his opening address in 1:1 he addresses the whole church and not just those who are living right. He says, “to all the saints in Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons.” He regards them all as saints. Further, he attempts to promote humility and unity through his own example in the introduction when he includes both himself and Timothy together under the title “servants of Christ Jesus.”

It is only after addressing them as a unified whole (1:1-2), praying for them to this end (1:3-11), and giving his own life as a model (1:12-26), that Paul turns in 1:27-30 to urge them to lives worthy of the gospel of Christ; they are to stand firm by contending for the faith as one man and by not being frightened in any way by those who persecute them. The emphasis in 1:27-30 is on unity in the face of pressure from without.

Philippians 1:27 – 30 (ESV)
27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,
28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.
29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,
30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

27 – (Verses 27-30 are one long sentence in the Greek with politeuesthe as the main verb.)The only command that appears in this section is conduct yourselves (here in the ESV “manner of life”)(politeuesthe)—an unusual term for Paul. Generally, the apostle uses another term to describe living the Christian life, namely, “walking” (peripateo; Rom 13:13; Eph 4:1; Col 1:10; 1 Thess 2:12). But here he chooses a term which originally carried the idea of taking a personal, active role in the political affairs of the “state” (polis). It concerned the actions of those who were citizens of Rome and who also had certain responsibilities as well. The fact that the church was composed of Roman citizens may well indicate a play on words where Paul uses their Roman citizenship as a picture of their heavenly citizenship and responsibilities in the church and to the gospel.

Worthy - (axios is the word “worthy” in Greek, and means “having the same weight as another thing”.) He is exhorting them to live their lives like what they are citizens of heaven, so their conduct in a sense "weighs as much as" the gospel they preach. In other words, they are to practice what they preach. Warren Wiersbe tells the following story illustrating a worthy walk... “We have some neighbors who believe a false gospel,” a church member told his pastor. Do you have some literature I can give them?” The pastor opened his Bible to 2 Corinthians 3:2, You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men. He said, “The best literature in the world is no substitute for your own life. Let them see Christ in your behavior and this will open up opportunities to share Christ’s Gospel with them.”

Standing fast - conveys the ideas of firmness or uprightness & means “to stand firm and hold one’s ground." The word indicates the determination of a soldier who stands his ground not budging one inch from his post.

Mind (psuche) is the Greek word translated elsewhere as "soul". One "soul" indicates that unity must extend down to the soul. They were to maintain a single "souled" (minded) focus in the face of opposition. Christians face a common foe & should not fight each other but should unite against the enemy.

The word Paul uses for "strive" is sunathleo. The word athleo is where we get our word athlete. It's the word used in 2 Timothy 2:5 where Paul says, "An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules." It's also used in Philippians 4:3 where Paul tries to get Euodia and Syntyche to be reconciled with each other after their dispute, "I ask you, true yokefellow, help these women, for they have labored side by side with me [that's the same word] in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life."

The image is of people engaged in spiritual warfare (imagery that will hardly be lost on those who live in a military colony!), standing their ground firmly by the power of the Holy Spirit, who as the one Spirit is also the source of their unity.

28 – Frightened (pturo) pictures a frightened horse shying away on the battlefield and about to stampede. Do not be fearful as the result of being intimidated. Don't be afraid, scared, frightened or terrified like a horse shying in battle.

But what kind of opposition would possibly intimidate the Philippian believers? Although we cannot be certain, the best guess is related to the fact that Philippi was a Roman military colony, whose populace was devoted to the emperor. The cult of the emperor, whose "divine" titles were "lord" and "savior," apparently flourished in Philippi, so that every public event also served as an opportunity to proclaim "Caesar is lord"--in very much the same way as "The Star-Spangled Banner" is sung before public events in the United States. If a believer attended an event such as this (or if they didn’t attend, that may raise suspicion), and not proclaim Caesar’s divines title, that would be like staying seated during the national anthem. Additionally, their Lord had been crucified by the Roman "lord," thus branding him forever as an enemy of the state, of the insurrectionist type. Thus believers in Christ could scarcely be more out of touch with the sympathies of the local populace than in a place like Philippi.

Sign - First, the sign shows that the enemies of God and His people are under His judgment (everlasting suffering in hell, eternal punishment, not annihilation). Secondly, opposition to the gospel gives evidence of the salvation of those who suffer hostility. In other words, persecution for the sake of Christ proves believers belong to Him. Therefore persecution that tends to be discouraging to believers should in fact be a source of confidence and joy because it shows they are saved.

29 – “Granted” in Greek it is the same root word as “grace”. Suffering in behalf of Christ is one of God's gifts to us. John 15:18-21

Thomas à Kempis said – “Jesus has many who love his kingdom in heaven, but few who bear his cross. He has many who desire comfort, but few who desire suffering. He finds many to share his feast, but few his fasting. All desire to rejoice with him, but few are willing to suffer for his sake. Many follow Jesus to the breaking of bread, but few to the drinking of the cup of his passion. Many admire his miracles, but few follow him in the humiliation of the cross.”

30 – Phillips translation render this verse as follows: “It is now your turn to take part in that battle you once saw me engaged in, and which, in point of fact, I am still fighting.”

Conflict (agon - our English "agony") was a familiar term in Paul's day which pictured the well-known struggle of athletes in Greek Olympiad(boxing, running, wrestling).
“The conflict which you saw in me” refers to the hostile opposition and persecution he and Silas faced when they were imprisoned in Philippi (Acts 16:16–40). “And now hear to be in me” refers to Paul's present imprisonment in Rome mentioned in (Phil 1:12–18).

27 – 29 Summation: One who professes salvation from sin and who has received imputed righteousness should live in a godly life style. Paul wants the saints to live as citizens of another kingdom & to do this, believers are called to STAND (v27), STRIVE (v27) & SUFFER (v29) all for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. Gordon Fee writes “One of the reasons most of us in the West do not know more about the content of Philippians 1:29-30 is that we have so poorly heeded the threefold exhortation that precedes (Phil 1:27)"

Questions and Applications:
1. If you are not suffering, what does it mean for you to walk worthy of Christ? (Col 1:10-11).
2. How do we respond to people who oppose us or our message? What would it look like for us to stand firm in our faith? (1 Pet 3:15)
3. What positive results did Paul expect from the Philippian believers who stood firm and worked together? What is the goal of this way of living?
4. When Paul mentions suffering, the idea is that is that in His grace God grants believers the privilege of suffering for His sake. How can suffering be a gracious gift?
5. How committed are you (we) to sharing the gospel and advancing the kingdom of God? When was the last time you shared your faith?
6. Paul was deeply committed to the gospel and those who came to trust in Christ. He agonized over new believers’ growth in the Lord and used all his available energy (which he received from the Lord), to help those Christians. Each of the letters he wrote can in some way be deemed a “follow-up” letter, written in order to bless, direct, encourage, and in short, “to mature,” those Christians. Are we willing to undergo stress to help other believers in the faith?

Philippians 1:12 - 26

Having thanked God for the Philippians’ long term support and participation in the gospel with him (1:3-8)—as well as having prayed for their love and fruitfulness (1:9-11)—the apostle now moves on to relate what the effects of his imprisonment are (1:12-26). Contrary to what the Philippians may have thought, his “chains” have really served to advance the gospel. Should he be released—and this is what he expects to happen—he will continue to work with the Philippians for their progress and joy in the faith (1:25). He can think of no other course of action fitting for his life. Paul’s attitude can be summarized in eight words: “To know Christ (3:10-11) and to make him known (1:22)!

Philippians 1:12-18(NKJV)
12 But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel,
13 so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ;
14 and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
15 Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from good will:
16 The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains;
17 but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.
18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.

12 – Paul tells them that his situation is actually furthering the gospel. Do we look at something with out natural eyes, say to ourselves, “God is not in this situation.”, and then, “Surprise!”, God is glorified?

13 – The whole palace guard knew that Paul was in prison because of Jesus. Palace guard probably refers to members of the Imperial guard that guarded him day and night. And all the rest – everyone else who knew of Paul knew the reason he was in chains.(Acts 28:23-24, 30-31)
14 – Most of the brethren with Paul became bolder to speak of Christ. I would think that if we saw our leader in chains, we would shut up. Most of the believers jn Rome became more bold.

15 – Some people preach Jesus with less than pure motives. Some preach him with good motives. John MacArthur says here: “When afforded the opportunity to speak to pastors and church leaders I am often asked, "What has been the most discouraging thing in your ministry?" There are two issues that deeply distress me. One is seeing those who ought to be the most mature in the faith--who know the Word of God well, have experienced the blessings of spiritual growth and fellowship, and have seen God's power demonstrated time and again--turn their backs on the faith and walk into sin. That's much more discouraging than when a new and untrained Christian falls into sin through ignorance. The other thing that most distresses me is being falsely accused by fellow preachers of the gospel. For whatever reason, there are men who seem to desire to discredit the ministry of others. As a result they falsely accuse other ministers, not because those they attack are unbelievers, but simply to discredit them.”

16 – The former group preach out of selfish ambition, wanting to add affliction to Paul. Paul was not alone, but felt alone. "At my first defense [the first trial in Rome] no one supported me, but all deserted me (2 Tim. 4:16). When Paul wrote to the Philippians he was so lonely that he said of Timothy, "I have no one else of kindred spirit" (Phil 2:20). It was not enough for these people to have Paul in prison, they attacked him when he was there.

17 – The latter out of love, knowing that Paul was appointed for his role in the ministry. There are others who preach Christ out of love. The Greek word translated "appointed" (keimai) was used to describe a soldier's being placed on duty. Others saw Paul as appointed by God for His task. Which group are we going to be in, the detractors or the defenders?

18 – Christ is preached and Paul rejoices. No matter what is the motive, if Christ is preached, we should rejoice. At times, we may need to decide to rejoice, even when we do not feel like it.

A.W. Tozer wrote, "In this day of universal apprehension when men's hearts are failing then for fear of those things that are coming upon the earth, we Christians are strategically placed to display a happiness that is not of this world and to exhibit a tranquillity that will be a little bit of heaven here below"

Philippians 1:19-26(NKJV)

19 For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
20 according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.
21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
22 But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell.
23 For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.
24 Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.
25 And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith,
26 that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again.

19 – Paul is confident that God was going to work things out for His glory.
MacArthur says of deliverance “The Greek word translated "deliverance" (soteria) is the word for salvation. That's how the King James Version translates it, although soteria can also be translated "well-being" or "escape." … The key thought is that Paul knew his current distress was only temporary and that he would be delivered from it.”
Paul may have identified with Job’s sufferings, and had the same hope as Job "Though ... worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God" (Job 19:26, KJV).
He is confident in the prayers of the Philippians. Somehow God, who is sovereign, acts upon the prayers of the saints.
The Greek word translated "supply" (epichoregia) means "help," "bountiful supply," or "full resources." Paul was speaking of the resources of the Spirit, not of the Spirit Himself(Rom 8:26, Gal 5:22, Eph 3:20). He grants all that is necessary to sustain the righteous.

20 - The extent of Paul's confidence may be seen by his use of the Greek word apokaradokia, translated "earnest expectation." Seen only here and Rom 8:19. Thayer says this word has the meaning “to watch with head erect or outstretched, to wait in suspense.” No matter what happens, Christ will be magnified!

21 – Whether he lives or dies, he belongs to Christ. He wasn't merely saying that Christ was the source of his life, that Christ lived in him, or that Christ wanted Paul to submit to Him. Though all those statements are true in themselves, they are only parts of this great truth: life in its sum is Christ.

22 – If he lives, he will be fruitful, but he cannot tell if this will happen. If Paul lived on in the physical world, he fully expected that would result in "fruitful labor." He considered being alive in our world to be synonymous with fruitful labor for Christ.

23 – He is hard pressed to decide, wanting to be with Christ, which is better. “Hard-pressed" (Gk. sunecho) speaks of being hemmed in on both sides. It pictures a cattle squeeze, that pushing in on each side, forcing the cow into a position where it cannot move so the farmer can administer medication.
According to Paul, being in Christ's presence is "very much better”. More than "better" or "much better," to be with Christ so far surpasses anything in this life that it is "very much better." It's as though Paul could find no adequate words to express the comparison between being on earth and being with Christ in heaven.

24 – To remain alive is better for them. Even though he wishes to be in the presence of Christ, he will stay alive if it’s better for someone else.

25 - The Philippians needed Paul. Philippians 2:1-4 indicates they needed to learn humility. Chapter 3 implies they were imperiled by the Judaizers. In 4:1-3 Paul had to deal with contentious women in the Philippian church. And this was one of the better NT churches!
I know I will remain with you - Paul's personal conviction concerning his future--not a revelation that he was going to remain on earth.

26 - His point was not that the Philippians' confidence would overflow because of him, but because of Christ's working in him.

MacArthur asks “What happened to Paul? Most likely he was released shortly before the burning of Rome in A.D. 64. He was imprisoned again and beheaded sometime between A.D. 65-67. During the time of his freedom before his final imprisonment and execution, he helped many churches. Paul's assurance of release as expressed in Philippians 1:25-26 proved correct.

After his first imprisonment God gave Paul a few more years for fruitful ministry. He fully lived for Christ. That's all that ought to matter to us. It doesn't matter what trouble we're in or what detractors we have--even if we're facing death. What's important is that Christ is glorified and His kingdom advanced. Paul's example is a pattern for us as we grow in Christ and seek to honor Him.”

New Book for Me!!!

For my birthday this week my Mom-in-Law got me Martyn Lloyd-Jones' "Authentic Christainity". It's a series of sermons he preached from the book of Acts.

Its good stuff. I may have to see about getting the other 3 volumes in the series later...

Thanks Judy!

Philippians 1:1-11

Background -
On the Second Missionary Journey (between 49 and 52), Paul and Silas were "kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia" (Acts 16:6). They tried to go into Bithynia, "but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them" (Acts 16:7). They finally reached the coast at Troas, where Paul had a vision of a Macedonian begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us" (Acts 16:9).

Once in Philippi, Paul and Silas met some women praying on the Sabbath at the river, led by Lydia, "a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshipper of God" (Acts 16:14). She welcomed Paul's message, was baptized with her household, and invited the missionaries and a cluster of believers into her home, where the tiny church began to grow.

One day they were met by a slave girl who prophesied from an evil spirit. Finally Paul turned to her and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her." With their slave girl no longer able to prophecy, her owners had Paul and Silas flogged and thrown in prison for "throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice" (Acts 16:20-21).

At midnight an earthquake opened the prison doors and the jailer was converted and baptized with his household in the middle of the night. At daylight, Paul and Silas were thrown out of town, but not before a church had been established.
After Paul and Silas left, Luke may have stayed on in Philippi. Paul kept in touch with the Macedonian churches through Timothy (Acts 19:21-23; Philippians 2:19-20) and visited them twice more, probably during the autumn of 54-55 and again in the spring of 55-56 (Acts 20:1-3).

The church at Philippi provided financial and material support several times during Paul's journeys. He bragged to the Corinthians about their generosity:
"We want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability.... They gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will" (2 Corinthians 8:1-5).

They shared with Paul a "partnership in the gospel from the first day" (Philippians 1:5). Paul recalls, "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; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need" (4:15-16). The warm Letter to the Philippians is strong evidence to this deep love between the apostle and some of his dearest converts.

Four brief chapters, the theme of these chapters is joy, Paul mentions it at least 16 times in these four chapters. He also mentions Christ 50 times. And that is because his joy is found in Christ and so is our joy. John Macarthur said “This is the theme of this marvelous little letter...the believer's joy. It is the epistle of joy. Paul is writing it to the Philippians. He loves the Philippians and they love him. In fact, it's my personal conviction that the love bond between Paul and the Philippians exceeded the love bond between he and any other of the churches.”


(NKJV) Philippians 1:1 -11
1 Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1This is the only epistle that Paul does not claim his apostleship in the opening. Here, he claims his bondservant status. A bondservant was one who willingly submitted themselves to serve another. He and Timothy serve Jesus Christ.
He addresses this letter to all of the believers in Philippi, and calls them saints. You are a saint today!
In Christ Jesus – By nature of the union with Jesus, we are in Him.
There were multiple bishops(overseers) and deacons in a single church.
2 The greeting itself is identical to that found in 1 and 2 Corinthians, Romans, Ephesians and Philemon and has thus become a standard for Paul. Grace is the gift of God, peace is the result.

3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
4 always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy,
5 for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

3 – My God – Paul’s relationship with God is reflected here. Not our God, But my God.
The very thought of the Philippians brought Paul good memories. Can you think of someone that, when you think of them, you are thankful? Macarthur says “A key to joy in the Christian life is to be able to recall the goodness of people--to look past imperfections to capture broader and sweeter realities. A heart dominated by the joy of the Holy Spirit remembers the sweet things in life without dwelling on the distressing things. It savors thoughts of another's goodness, kindness, love, compassion, gentleness, sacrifice, and care. It forgives the rest.”
4 Paul seems to be praying for them with every prayer he makes.
Paul prays with joy for them. Not the prayers we sometimes pray, “Lord, get that guy..”, ‘Lord, change them..”.
5 The source of Paul’s joy was their fellowship. We have koinonia with each other through the gospel.
These believers were there from the start of the church in Philippi and had exhibited participation with Paul since then.
6 As verse 5 looks back on the work God has done through them in the past, verse 6 looks toward the work God will do through them in the future, culminating in the “day of Jesus Christ”.
Jesus is not done with me yet. I should also remember this for when I deal with other Christians – He is not done with them yet either.
John Piper said of this verse, “The fact that God is at work in his people, changing the thought patterns and preference of our sinful nature, so that we love what he loves, re-tooling the grooves in our brain, knitting together the complex strands of our emotional wounds with infinitely greater skill than the world's foremost micro-surgeon—there's no greater promise than this.”

7 just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.
8 For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.

7 During Paul’s imprisonment, the Philippians sent him money and sent Epaphroditus’ services to support him, thus sharing in Paul’s ministry. Do we realize that we are partakers in the gospel?
8 Paul calls for God to be a witness of his feelings for the Philippians. Affection lilterally means “bowels”, showing how deep his feelings are for them.

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,
10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ,
11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which [are] by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

9 He already told them that he prayed for them regularly, now he tells them the content of his prayer: that they would grow in love with knowledge and discernment.
10 - Sincere is a word meaning "without wax". When a bowl maker wanted to let people know that his bowls had not broken and then fixed with wax, he used the word "sincere".
11 – The purpose of Paul’s prayer for them was the glory of God.

Three points of application:
First we see that Paul lived as though his days were numbered. Psalm 90. Paul had learned to “number his days.” Paul wrote to and prayed for these saints, because he knew that sooner or later he would not be able to minister to them personally. I wonder how many of us have learned to “number our days.”
Second, notice that Paul did not use the sovereignty of God as an excuse for passivity in prayer. It was Paul’s assurance that God would finish the good work He started in the Philippians that motivated Paul to pray (and work) for their growth. God’s sovereignty is the incentive for effort, not our excuse for passivity.
Third, Paul’s words and actions in our text remind us that we don’t have to be physically present to minister.

Questions for Application/Discussion:
What does verse 6 reveal about God’s work in our lives?
Why do you think Paul prayers focused more for spiritual welfare of others, than their physical welfare?
How would you distinguish the difference between knowledge, insight, and discernment? What is one specific thing you could do to help another Christian(s) with their growth?