The Epistle of Paul to the Philippians.
The book of Philippians is actually a letter, written by Paul to the Christian Church in the city of Philippi. The letter, or epistle, was written while Paul was imprisoned in a cell, most likely in Rome.
A little history about Philippi: the city of the Philippians
The city of Philippi was known for being the gateway to Europe much like a miniature Rome. The city of Philippi was named after Philip of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great, also known as Alexander III or Alexander of Macedonia is known as one of the greatest generals in all history. Alexander was born in 356 B.C.E. in Pella, Macedonia, to King Philip II. As a young boy, Alexander was taught to read, write, and play the lyre. He developed a life-long love of reading and music.
According to my NASB, Open Study Bible, "Philippians is the most personal of Paul's writings. It breathes of confidence and strong, personal attachment. There is a marked absence of formal doctrine. The dominant note of the letter is JOY. It reveals the Apostle Paul as "radiant amid the storms and stress of life."
In chapter one, Paul addresses an issue of how the gospel is preached: some proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition and some out of good will. The latter preach out of love. Vs. 17- "the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, rather than with pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment."
Paul states in 1:18-20, "What then? Only that in every way whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice, yes, and I will rejoice."
"For I know that this shall turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I shall not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ shall even now, as always, be exalted in my body whether by life or death."
Paul, who previously persecuted and killed Christians, is the same man who had a life-changing event on the road to Damascus where he came face to face God. He became a believer in Christ, is now (as we read Philippians) in prison for preaching the gospel. His conversion was real. His service to God was real. He was filled with the Holy Spirit which was exemplified by his works and writings. He had so much fortitude and courage. He was passionate about the gospel, so much so, that he was imprisoned for the sake of the gospel.
Imagine being as dedicated as Paul was in sharing the gospel. How far does our passion for Christ or our courage get us when sharing our faith?
Another question: Imagine marketing a particular message or business strategy. While some people on your team may be promoting your message for you via social media, there may be others who are purposely using your message to benefit themselves in a variety of ways, including financially. Wouldn't you be upset?
Of course, these comparisons aren't equal. But let's look at Paul's heart and compare it to ours.
Unreputable people were taking his message (stealing) and twisting it (manipulation). The message they were giving was not Paul's intended message (misrepresentation). Paul was sitting in prison (that must have been horrible), with an unknown fate (talk about stress) and the enemy was hijacking his gospel message and preventing him from physically spreading the gospel or even leading his own life. Talk about a horrible situation. How difficult it must have been to, not only have a good attitude, but to have a Godly attitude and perspective.
And, by the way, the message is not so much Paul's message as it is actually God's message. What an outrage to be misrepresented or misunderstood for doing the right thing- for sharing the gospel, for representing God himself! And more so, what an outrage for these other people to preach the gospel from selfish ambition. God will have something to say to them about that, on judgement day, no doubt. But what did God do right then? How could sharing the gospel and caring about the salvation of others have gone so sideways for Paul? How did Paul cope? Why did this all have to happen?
Well, because we have an enemy. Paul had a big enemy. We have a big enemy. That enemy is the same enemy today as it was then. He doesn't want the true gospel reaching people; they might get saved.
But... we have an even BIGGER GOD. He is Almighty. Omnipotent. Omnipresent. Omniscient.
He is The Alpha. The Omega. The I AM. Yahweh. Adonai. Jehovah-Rafa. Jehovah-Gira. Jehovah-Nissi. There are many names for our God.
"...that I shall not be put to shame in anything,
but that with all boldness,
Christ shall even now, as always, be exalted in my body whether by life or death."
I categorize Paul's thinking here as "next level thinking." He didn't get upset and complain. He didn't accept any false shame. He kept his Godly perspective of himself and the situation. He didn't get stuck in all of the details...he didn't get stuck in the 'weeds' as they say. He took the high road. In that terrible situation, with his life at stake, with so many people against him, he took the high road.
Phil 1:18-20 ESV
"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, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 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."
Do we take the high road? Can we even see the high road? Do we know how to get on it and stay on it? Are we able to see past the weeds?
Are we letting others define us by...putting false shame on us or... do we accept other false labels people put on us?
I don't know what you're going through today but, I know what I'm going through. I know what my challenges are.
I know that sometimes...
I can be misunderstood
I can be misrepresented
I can be doing the right thing and the situation doesn't always work out the way I thought it would.
I also know that...
I can make mistakes
I can get offended
I can sense distrust and put up too many barriers
What weeds do you get stuck in? Are you accepting false shame or false labels?
Do you take the high road?
Can you even see the high road? Sometimes, those weeds are tall and we can't see how to get to the high road.
Does your life glorify Christ, regardless of what's going on around you? That is what we really must ask ourselves.
And finally, can you find joy in the storms of life? Can you praise God in the middle of the storm? If you can't or don't or don't know how, just start singing praises to God. Pray, sing, read scripture outloud to yourself...It's not easy. Give it some effort! There is a satisfying peace and joy that the Lord gives to us. If you have lost it, FIND it.
Paul writes this entire book from a prison cell. As you read through these chapters, keep that in mind as we seek to emulate God and Paul, who is a human example of Godliness.
My sisters, our lives and situations and locations may all vary but our God does not. He is dependable. He is our rock, our fortress, our hiding place, our comforter, our banner, our deliverer, our provider. He is I AM. He is what you need and He will meet your need.
It is my prayer that we, as women of God growing in the Lord, will encourage and uplift and pray for each other. Let's help each other up onto the high roads of life. Let's help each other stay there. And let's give each other a hand when we fall off or fall down or stumble...or go the wrong direction.
Reading Philippians will change you because reading God's word will change you.
Imagine who you will be at the end of March. =)
Blessings,
Julianne
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