Posts: Philippians

Philippians

The theme of Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi is fellowship, that connection between faithful spirits who may or may not be in the same physical location. As with most of his letters, Paul opened by wishing for them to have the gracious nature of God and to be at peace with God, others, and themselves. He did not address them as an authority figure but as one who was connected to them. Their relationship serves as a model for Christians of all times, places, and cultures.

Paul expressed his fellowship (connectedness of spirit) with the faithful of Philippi by letting them know that he prayed for them often and related the subject matter of those prayers (1:3 – 11). Paul had a confident expectation that their love would abound, that their knowledge and understanding and wisdom would increase, and that their lives would be a parade of godly character traits that would in turn attract people to God. The faithful everywhere should mimic this behavior: praying for, writing to, and building up connected spirits far away.

Paul illustrated how to build a connection between spirits (fellowship). In addition to building up others, Paul was not afraid to expose the difficulties of his own life (Philippians 1:12 – 26). Despite being in prison, he had had the chance to talk to his guards. Despite being spoken against due to his incarceration, at least Christ was preached. What’s the “worst” that could happen? He would get an early out from this broken world. Paul did not minimize his difficulties. Rather, he found a positive outcome upon which to build a meaningful exchange.

In developing a connection (fellowship), Paul was not hesitant to express his expectations of fellow believers (Philippians 1:27 – 30): to be worthy of the gospel through the indwelling Spirit, to maintain unity, to have peace in the midst of suffering. Such atypical responses to life get noticed by outsiders. If the faithful can handle the recurring disasters inherent to this earth, the outsiders will want to know how that works and be open to hearing more. The worst of times provide the best opportunities for the gospel.

(Philippians 2:1 – 2). The encouragement the faithful derive from Christ drives away self-centeredness. The comfort derived from selfless concern and affection and compassion enables connection (fellowship) as an outgrowth of the character-repair work of the indwelling Spirit. Being the cause for joy in others is an incentive to unity. Positive emotions drive fellowship; focusing on shortcomings isolates. Giving joy begets joy.

Self-focused Christianity is the root of division. In contrast, the faithful are encouraged to adopt the attitude that prompted God to come to earth (Philippians 2:3 – 11), which develops connectedness (fellowship). An individual’s power, ability, or positive character does not make that person important; those traits just make one a better servant. All will not be lost if I am not in charge. Humility may result in physical difficulty, but it sends the right message.

Gifts from God are not like birthday presents, but are tools that allow the faithful to participate in God’s terminal objective, a big family that will last. God develops in the faithful not only the ability but also the desire to accomplish the humanly impossible (Philippians 2:12 – 18). Certainly, the world is broken, but the faithful are points of light demonstrating joy and peace despite adversity. Connectedness (fellowship) is developed by sharing this positive outlook among those of similar focus.

Paul expressed high praise for Timothy and Epaphroditus, both of whom were well known to the Christians of Philippi (Philippians 2:19 – 30). Timothy would visit them shortly for the purpose of reporting back to Paul, not because he did not trust them, but because he wanted to be encouraged by the anticipated good report. Epaphroditus was sent back for the purpose of comforting the Christians in his hometown because they had heard he was sick. The faithful take the time to encourage those far away and renew their connection.

Immediately before writing negatively about those who wanted to drag Jewish practices into the church, Paul repeated the simple objective, “Rejoice in the Lord.” (Philippians 3:1 – 7) Finding acceptance in adhering to certain practices and behaviors always turns negative because most cannot seem to achieve even their own benchmarks. Even for those who do well in such a system, as Paul characterized himself, that success pales in comparison to the extreme positivity found in the Good News. Paul goes on in the next paragraph to list some of its major appeals.

What aspects of Jesus generate the extreme positivity of the Good News? A short, representative list in in Philippians 3:8 – 11. Knowing and understanding the character of Jesus and how He thought allow the faithful to gain the perspective of a spirit, rather than that of an earth-bound mortal. Being adopted into the family of God based on Jesus’ faith rather than my own performance generates confidence. Our connection enables understanding of why He lived as He did, a walking celebration of forgiveness, confident of resurrection.

Managing the growth process of faith requires that the faithful find satisfaction in their development, not their accomplishment (Philippians 3:12 – 15). Paul acknowledged that he was not yet entirely consistent; he was content to keep reaching forward. The goal was the “upward call” itself. Failures are forgotten; deficiencies are transformed into learning opportunities. Such an attitude will encounter opposition from the immature faithful still stuck in the cyclic shortcomings of the achievement rubric. But God promises resolution of that conflict.

Managing the growth process requires that the faithful grant liberty to others to advance at their own rate. Unfortunately, those who remain focused on physical comfort will fail. The rest will find allegiance through their new citizenship in heaven and their confident and eager expectation of transformation to the likeness of Jesus and of His eventual return. (Philippians 3:16 – 21)

Paul described the faithful of Philippi as “my beloved and longed-for, my joy and crown.” Rather than paring down our relationships to those with whom we mesh well, Paul included getting involved in the messiness that is people (Philippians 4:1 – 3). The recipients were encouraged to get involved in some sort of dispute between two of the church ladies. Paul’s rationale was that they both had “labored with me in the gospel,” and “whose names are in the Book of Life.” The family is worth the potential hazards of interfering.

Fellowship (the connection between spirits) produces joy and reduces anxiety (Philippians 4:4 – 7). “Let your reputation for reasonableness be known to all men.” Build prayers upon a foundation of thankfulness, requesting resolution of the things that cause anxiety. The promised result is peace which develops from trusting that God will respond to the requests in the way that is best for all who are in the family of God, not necessarily in the way I thought. Confidence in the process resolves anxiety, which develops reasonableness and peace.

The key to fellowship (connectedness between spirits) is to focus on good stuff (Philippians 4:8 – 9). Certainly, this planet displays much more bad than good. But, focusing on the bad just brings anxiety, anticipation of more bad, and a negative outlook on life. Certainly, one should keep an eye on what is coming for the purpose of getting out of the way, but seeking out what is good, honorable, true, virtuous, and praiseworthy promotes relationships with those of similar outlook. Imitate those who have done it successfully.

In response to the gift sent by the faithful of Philippi to Paul who was in prison in Rome (Philippians 4:10 – 20), he rejoiced about their attitudes that prompted the gift, not the gift itself. A major source of joy in the New Testament arises from observing the success of faith in others. The faithful are so connected (in fellowship) that they think in terms of the spirits of others. Their gift was characterized as a celebration of forgiveness (sacrifice).

Philippians 1:7, “…you all are partakers with me of grace.” Paul was calling to the minds of the faithful of Philippi that they were “partakers of grace” in that they were experiencing the results of the grace of God (His collection of positive character traits with special emphasis on the way those traits are integrated and consistent) embodied in sending the Messiah and in His communications, as well as being transformed into the character of Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18), so grace was being built into them by the indwelling Spirit.

Philippians 1:21 – 24, “For to me, to live is Christ, to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I do not know. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.” Paul would rather be free of the constraints and disappointments of life on a broken planet. Yet, he was willing to stay if such was needful for the progress of the gospel, which should be the attitude of all the faithful.

Philippians 1:29, “To you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe into Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” An oft-repeated promise to the faithful is that they will be transformed “into” the character of Jesus. Paul parallels this with what he considers to be a similarly important gift, to suffer for His sake, that they may display to the outside world that they are able to handle the bad turns of life through the comfort and encouragement derived from each other, and the personal outlook that this is but a minor inconvenience.

In Philippians 2:1 – 8, Paul outlined the mindset that results in unity among the faithful. “If any encouragement in Christ.” Mutual encouragement build unity. Making a group of faithful people feel guilty or ineffective or unworthy or defective drives them into isolation and disunity. The times when the faithful gather should be full of encouragement. Jesus paid off the justice system, so no penalties lurk on the horizon. God has promised to trust the faithful again, despite repeated shortfalls. In Christ, the faithful are encouraged to learn from the past and do better, together.

Philippians 2:13, “For it is God who works in you, both to desire and to do according to His good pleasure.” The desire to tackle the activities which God finds pleasing is not a matter of superior self-control, but is apart of the work of the indwelling Spirit. However, the faithful understand that they have a part to play in that process, which is not to force oneself to do until it become a habit, but rather to work at developing the role of that Spirit through thanksgiving, singing, and submitting to one another (Ephesians 5:18 – 21).

Philippians 2:14 – 15, “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” The history of the church is a sad litany of grumbling and disputing. Paul’s point is that such behaviors defeat the purpose of the faithful remaining on earth: to be streetlights on the straight path. Instead of complaining, provide opportunities for growth. Instead of disputing, find common ground.

Philippians 3:3, “For we are the circumcision, those in the Spirit of God worshipping, rejoicing in Christ Jesus, and having no confidence in the flesh.” Paul used the descriptor, “the circumcision” as a challenge to those who claimed to be the people of God because they had undergone a physical rite. People do not tell God which ones are His; He tells us. Those “in the Spirit” see superhuman character development caused by the indwelling Spirit coming out of them. They will worship, rejoice, and trust God rather than depend on the powers on this earth.

Philippians 3:8, “I count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.” Everyone makes choices, and not all those choices are between good and evil. Often, making one choice makes another choice impossible, since we cannot be in two places at the same time. Many things on this earth are pleasant or useful or comforting. Paul noted that knowing Jesus had become far more valuable that the other available options. Pursuing that goal meant the loss of many other opportunities, yet he never considered his losses to be significant.

Philippians 3:9, “…that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a rightness of my own out of law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the rightness out of God upon faith.” Being “in” Christ implies a connectedness between His Spirit and one’s own. That merging of personalities arises from selflessness, which a relationship built on personal achievement lacks. Instead, the faithful immerse themselves in the character of Jesus, trusting that the merger will result in being what is right.

Philippians 3:10, “…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” Many people pursue power, but few embrace the suffering and death required to attain it. The character of Jesus enabled His resurrection. Acting out that character brought hardship, because anything worth having requires effort to obtain. The way Jesus handled suffering and overcame death without losing His mastery of life or His joy illustrate how real life works.

Philippians 3:12, “Not that I have already attained, or am already consistent; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” Paul did not consider himself as having attained complete understanding and consistency. Rather, he pressed on, always growing, because growth is expected of all those who desire to be part of God’s objective of a big family that will last.

Philippians 3:13 “..one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.” Because Jesus paid the debt to justice for all people, the faithful do not live in the past. Rather, they learn from the past and move forward, joyful at the promise of overcoming themselves in the future through the indwelling Spirit.

Philippians 3:15 – 16 “Therefore, let us, as many as are consistent, have this mind [of pressing onward]; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, to that we have already attained, let us walk by the same.” God promised, through His plan for the church and through the indwelling Spirit, that unity was not just possible but inevitable. Those who dwell on the past, refuse to grow beyond what they fervently believe at the present, and fail to trust the work of the Spirit will find division as their only option.

Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice!” In the New Testament, joy was derived from observing the actions of God, evangelism, building up the faithful, and observing successful faith in others. Certainly, this broken world produces many opportunities for disappointment. Stay focused on the parts that result in joy.

Philippians 4:5 “Let your reputation for reasonableness be known to all men.” In this world, fake news, generalizations without facts, and refusing to challenge common assumptions dominate the landscape, so people become skeptical of everything. The faithful are promised wisdom and are expected to find and assess evidence. The gentleness, patience, and discernment developed through the indwelling Spirit become evident. God designed this so that the mastery of life displayed by the faithful would become a draw to the gospel.

Philippians 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, upon thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” The foundation for defeating anxiety is thanksgiving. The faithful spend time reviewing the promises of God and reviewing the character development from the Spirit seen in themselves. Armed with the reality of superhuman change within themselves, the world’s cares are reduced to minor inconveniences.

Philippians 4:8 “Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any mastery of life and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.” Despite the fact that the world is broken, think about the good stuff and anxiety will be overruled.

Philippians 4:12 – 13 “I know how to live humbly and I know how to live in prosperity. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Many Americans cannot fathom living without the comforts of their country: clean indoor water, reliable electricity, good roads, and so much more. Most of the world know about such things, but never experience them. Being connected to God makes a lack of the physical things minor inconveniences.

Philippians 4:19 “And my God will fill up all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Glory is the collection of godly character traits with emphasis on the way they are integrated and consistent. God fills up the need of the faithful by giving them that same godly character through the transforming work of the indwelling Spirit who is given to all the faithful. We may think we need all sorts of physical things. What the faithful really need is that godly character.