Transcript

If the apostle Paul and his missionary partner Silas had gotten their wish, they would never have planted a church on the coast of Greece. And that is because they wanted to travel east. But God’s Spirit kept impressing on them to change their plans.

Following a vision from God, Paul was invited to Macedonia, according to Acts 16. And with that divine redirection, the gospel movement began moving westward, into what we now call Europe.

Ten years later, Paul wrote a letter, or epistle, to the very first church that was planted in Europe. It was a thriving, healthy church located in the city of Philippi.

As we sail into the opening chapter of this letter, Paul describes himself and his young colleague Timothy as “servants of Christ Jesus.” The word he uses for a servant is doulos, which refers to a slave.

This was not exactly a typical way to introduce yourself. Slaves were owned by their masters and had no personal rights. But who your master is makes all the difference in life. Paul says that he and Timothy are slaves of Jesus Christ. Beloved, the only true freedom is found when your master is Jesus Christ.

Now you might think that after Paul’s opening introduction, he would deliver the details of his difficulties. But instead, from verse 3 through verse 7, Paul thanks God for this little church.

He writes in verse 3, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you.” Why? Well for one reason: “because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now” (verse 5).

From what we can gather in the New Testament, the Philippian church was the only one that financially supported the apostle Paul’s missionary efforts. In fact, Paul writes at the end of this letter in Philippians 4:15, “No church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only.” Can you imagine that? No other church saw the missionary potential of Paul like this church in Philippi.

And Paul was convinced that this church would stay faithful. He promises them here in verse 6, “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

In verses 9-11, we get a closer look at Paul’s prayer journal. Most missionaries today send out prayer letters so their supporters will know how to pray for them. And Paul will do that too, but first, he tells them how he is praying for them.

Here is what he writes:

It is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (verses 9-11)

What a prayer! He is effectively telling them, “I am praying that you will live this kind of life for Christ. In fact, this is why you exist, and it is the only way to live a fulfilling life.”

A rather famous atheist from the world of science once stated, “If we find the answer to [why we exist], it would be the ultimate triumph.”[1] Well, the answer is right here in verse 11: we exist for “the glory and praise of God.”

Then Paul finally gets around to sharing some news about himself. But note that rather than deliver a list of problems, Paul wants his readers to know that his difficult circumstances have helped advance the gospel in two different, and unexpected, ways.

First, he is writing this letter from Rome, where he is under house arrest, guarded by members of the elite imperial guard. And because of his testimony before them, they all came to know that he was imprisoned for the gospel. His guards then spread the news of the gospel to the entire imperial guard (verse 13).

Paul did not see Roman soldiers. He saw potential disciples of Christ.

Second, when other believers learned of Paul’s imprisonment, they became even more courageous in their witness. God often works that way. If you read Fox’s Book of Martyrs, you do not end up discouraged; you end up inspired.

In verses 15-18, though, Paul admits that not everybody was representing Christ with pure motives—and that made his ministry more difficult. He writes in verse 17, “[Some] proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.” But instead of becoming bitter over others criticizing him out of selfish competition, Paul writes in verse 18, “Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.”  

Paul then speaks to his faithful supporters in Philippi, telling them he is not sure what will happen when his court case comes up before Nero, the emperor. But he does know this—verses 20-21:

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. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Frankly, Paul is torn between the two. He knows there is fruitful ministry for him if he lives, but he is also willing to die and go to be with the Lord in heaven.

This takes us back to Paul’s opening introduction. He is a slave of Christ’s; he belongs to Christ—Christ is his Master. Freedom in life is not doing what he wants to do; it is doing what God wants him to do, whether it is living for Him or dying for Him.

I remember reading an interview in World Magazine with Joni Erickson Tada, who had lived as a quadriplegic for forty-five years. As an older woman, she reflected on the diving accident that changed her life. She had accepted Christ as a young girl and had mapped out her life as a teenager. Her plan was to get good grades, go to college, marry a wonderful man who made a lot of money, and have a family.

However, she continued:

“[My boyfriend and I] were doing some things together that were wrong. . . . In April 1967, I came home from a [sinful] Friday night date, threw myself onto my pillow, and cried, “Oh God . . . I’m staining your reputation by saying I’m a Christian, yet doing one thing Friday night and another Sunday morning. I’m a hypocrite . . . I want you to change my life . . . do something in my life . . . because I’m making a mess of the Christian faith . . . I want to glorify you.”

Three months later, she had that life-changing accident. Joni went on to say that for quite some time after the accident that paralyzed her, she told God she would never trust Him again with another prayer. She was angry and afraid. But after struggling for some time, hating her condition and wanting to die, Joni said that one day she prayed a short prayer that changed her life; she prayed, ‘Oh God, if I can’t die, show me how to live.” Joni said in this interview, “That was probably the most powerful prayer I ever prayed.”

Well, that is Paul’s attitude here, while under arrest and imprisoned by imperial guards. This is his prayer for the Christians living in Philippi; and beloved, this would be his prayer for you and me today. “Lord, if it is Your will that we do not die, show us how to live.”

And as we continue our Wisdom Journey through this little letter, the Lord will show us how to live.