Philippians 1
by Pastor David Groendyk

The letter from Paul to the church in Philippi was written during the first of Paul’s imprisonments in Rome sometime around 61 AD. You can read about the history of Paul founding this church and his experiences in this city in Acts 16:11–40. The very same themes you read about in Acts 16 are the same themes Paul emphasizes in his letter. The major themes are justification (how we’re made right with God), sanctification (growing in our Christlikeness), and suffering (a hallmark of the Christian life).

Verses 1–11 give us a window into Paul’s relationship with the believers at this church. He calls them partners in the gospel and fellow partakers of grace (vv. 5, 7). What does that partnership look like? Prayer is the first aspect that stands out (vv. 3–4). It’s clear that Paul is praying for this church often. What does he pray for? Although he doesn’t use the word exactly, he’s praying for their sanctification (vv. 9–11). In this case, sanctification looks like growing in love for God and others, growing in knowledge and wisdom, and becoming more pure and righteous. The purpose of this fellowship is so that God would be glorified (v. 11). Is this what marks your relationships with other believers—prayer and helping each other grow in sanctification? Is this your goal and purpose for all of your relationships with other believers—God’s glory? If we’re being honest, the answer is likely ‘no’. Certainly we have a little bit of these aspects in our friendships, but many of our friendships are centered around other things like fishing, football, traveling, or cooking. What would it look like to transform our relationships with fellow believers to look like Paul’s and the Philippians’?

Verses 12–26 are bookended by the word ‘advance’. In verse 12, Paul says that the gospel is advancing out to other people. In verse 25, Paul says that he is laboring among the church so that they would make ‘progress’ in their faith (‘progress’ and ‘advance’ are the same word in Greek). The gospel is advancing wider in the world and deeper into the hearts of believers. This really shows what Paul’s mission is in life: he wants the gospel to advance wider and deeper. What does Paul say about the gospel advancing wider? Even though he has to be imprisoned, and even though certain preachers are preaching Christ out of envy and rivalry with Paul, the only thing he cares about is that the gospel is going out. He doesn’t care what sacrifices he has to make, whether it’s his life or his reputation. Do we rejoice whenever and wherever the gospel is preached, even if it’s coming at our own personal expense? Or even when it’s our “enemies” doing it? Are we willing to sacrifice anything if it means the gospel is going out to more people?

What does Paul say about the gospel advancing deeper in other people’s hearts? Look at some of the ways Paul describes his life: Christ is honored in his body (v. 20), to live is Christ (v. 21), fruitful labor (v. 22), necessary for him to live for the sake of others (v. 24), dedicated to helping other believers make progress in faith and joy (v. 25), causing others to glory in Christ (v. 26). Is this how you would describe your life? Again, I think if we would measure ourselves up to Paul’s example, we would feel ashamed. But Paul is not a super-Christian. In fact, he frequently tells us how weak he is. What’s Paul’s special secret? The help of the Holy Spirit and the prayers of the church (v. 19). Paul had no special gifting or equipping that’s not also available to you. Is this sort of self-sacrificial, Christ-exalting labor what marks your life? Maybe an even more fundamental question would be, Is this what you want to mark your life? As Paul reminds us, there’s great power in prayer. Pray today that you would be able to honestly confess and follow through on the phrase: “To live is Christ!”