The Philippians

After his missionary journeys through Philippi, it seems Paul kept a soft spot in his heart for the Christians living there. Later in his life, when he was imprisoned in Rome, he wrote them a very personal letter that made its way into the Bible’s New Testament. However, before we dig into the text of Paul’s letter, let’s spend a couple sessions investigating the history of ancient Philippi and how Paul even ended up there.

As we learned in our last episode, it was about 50 AD when Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke first crossed the Aegean Sea from Asia Minor and traveled to Philippi. That adventure was recorded by Luke in Acts, Chapter 16. The citizens of Philippi were mostly Macedonian, Greek, and Roman soldiers who settled the area as a Roman colony. Most were Gentiles. Since it appears there was no Jewish synagogue in Philippi for Paul to visit, he went to the river instead. There, Paul met Lydia, a Gentile who became Paul’s first Christian convert in Europe.

After Paul’s missionary journeys, it appears he kept a soft spot in his heart for the believers in Philippi. Later in his life, when he was imprisoned in Rome, he wrote them a very personal letter. Paul was facing some rough circumstances, yet he focused on encouraging themes such as triumph, joy, courage, and thanksgiving.

The primary themes in Chapter 1 of Philippians are thanksgiving, joy, and love, even during the toughest of times. In a nutshell, Paul teaches us that the joy of Jesus Christ should be the center of our life, regardless of our circumstances. As Paul often does, he starts his letter with a prayer.

What else makes joy possible in periods of affliction, pain, or difficulty? In Chapter 2 of his letter, Paul encouraged the Philippians to adopt a spirit of unity and mutual concern by having an attitude of humility.

In Philippians, we’ve learned that the key to Biblical humility is pursuing the mind of Christ. The mind of Christ requires sacrificial love and selfless service to others – an emptying of ourselves. In the Gospels, Jesus gave us three basic instructions — “Believe in Me” “Abide in Me,” and “Follow Me.” Since Jesus is the true picture of humility, we should also seek Christ-like modesty, service, and selflessness.