SERIES: Philippians: Cheerful Sounds from a Jail Cell
A Joyful Servant of Christ
SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus
Introduction: For a number of months now I have been using a New International Version called The Student Bible. I have enjoyed the pithy notes and comments by Phil Yancey and Tim Stafford, the editors; they are quite different from the notes found in most study Bibles. I have borrowed their title for Philippians as the title for this summer series: “Cheerful Sounds from a Jail Cell.” I like that. I thought I’d read to you a few paragraphs from their introduction to the book. Listen:
“Joy. The word has a quick, poignant ring to it. Yet it, like other words, has been drained of meaning over the years, even tapped as a name for a dishwashing detergent. Nowadays “joy” is used most commonly for a sensation like “thrill.”
We think of joy as something you save up for months to experience and then splurge on in a moment of exhilaration: a trip to Disney World, a free-fall dive, a heart-stopping ride on the world’s meanest roller coaster, a hot-air balloon trip. Paul had a different understanding of the word, as this letter reveals.
Philippians uses the word “joy” or “rejoice” every few paragraphs, but the joy it describes doesn’t vanish after your heart starts beating normally again. Rejoice, says, Paul, when someone selfishly tries to steal the limelight from you. And when you meet persecution for your faith. And when you are facing death.
Even the normally depressing state of imprisonment didn’t bother Paul. As he wrote Philippians, he must have recalled his first visit to Philippi. Then, a most unusual jailbreak occurred: the jail broke, but the prisoners didn’t (Acts 16:22-28). Even when Paul stayed in jail for long periods, God used the experience to advance the Gospel. As he wrote Philippians, conversions were occurring among the Roman palace soldiers, forced by guard duty to overhear Paul’s daily ministry. Paul summarized his life philosophy in a famous “to be or not to be” soliloquy, concluding that “to live is Christ and to die is gain” (1:21). God is even stronger than death, and that makes a Christian’s joy indestructible.”
It’s very important, in my estimation, to understand the historical background of any piece of literature, and that’s certainly true of a letter that is nearly 2,000 years old. I don’t particularly enjoy preaching historical background, but it is important. So I’ve decided to write up the background of Philippians and put it in your hands in the form of a separate handout.[i]
I only want to refer to a couple of items on this sheet this morning. The church at Philippi was founded by the Apostle Paul on his second missionary journey, ironically as a result of Paul and his traveling companions being thrown in jail for casting a demon out of a young slave-girl. The first converts were a businesswoman from a neighboring city and the jailor who had flogged them.
Also, I want you to note that the book was written from prison in Rome, where Paul was chained to a Roman guard and faced imminent execution at the hands of Nero. Despite the dour circumstances of its author, Philippians is the most joyful book in the Bible. If we learn nothing else from our study, we should learn that our happiness is not dependent upon circumstances but upon perspective.
I have entitled the first section, verses 1-11, “A Joyful Servant of Christ.” In these verses Paul sets a tone which I think is helpful as a model for pastors with their congregations, as well as for all Christians in their relationships with other believers. The outline I have chosen is simple and comes from four statements, explicit or implied, in the text: “I greet you,” “I thank you,” “I love you,” “I pray for you.
Look for them as we read 1:1-11:
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
I greet you. (1-2)
The Apostle sets a spiritual tone for his letter from the opening words. Three times in two verses he mentions Jesus Christ, an emphasis that continues throughout the book, with Christ being mentioned 17 times in the first chapter alone and 40 times in the book. He wants to leave no doubt that the whole focal point of his life, and thus the reason for his joy, is Jesus.
There are two pairs of words in the greeting which I want us to look at with some care. The first is …
Servants and saints. Notice please that the pastors are the servants and the parishioners are the saints. This is opposite to the world’s way of thinking, and unfortunately, apparently opposite to the way of thinking of even many in the church. The world’s concept of leadership is tied up in such terms as authority, decision-making, charisma, efficiency, etc., but the biblical concept of leadership is wrapped around words like humility, meekness, servanthood, encouragement, etc. Leadership in the church demands a spirit of servanthood if it is to be valid and effective.
Paul and Timothy were above all else servants of Jesus Christ. That is, they considered His wish to be their command. Their purpose was not to build a monument to their own success or to leave their imprint on the city of Philippi. Rather their purpose was to be completely obedient to their master, to exalt Him, and to leave His imprint on the city.
It’s obvious from this letter, however, that Paul and Timothy were not only servants of Christ but also of the church. What are the marks of a servant in the church? Well, a servant is a worker. He’s not afraid to roll up his sleeves and sweat a little, whether in teaching children, or attending a workday at World Impact, or visiting the sick. Then too, a servant is one who prepares for an event and who cleans up afterwards.
What a difference a servant heart makes in a church like ours! Two families may arrive fifteen minutes before church. One will find their favorite chairs and wait to be served with the music, the teaching, and finally the donuts. The other arrives and begins to look around for ways to serve. Perhaps the hymnbooks need to be put out; maybe the literature hasn’t been spread out on the table. Perhaps there are new people that should be greeted. A servant is one who prepares for the guests.
He also cleans up after them. At the end of a Sunday, after the evening service, is where you find the real servants (at least in a church that rents someone else’s facilities, as we do). Everyone is full because of the spiritual food of the day, everyone is tired, everyone wants to go home or to their favorite ice cream parlor, but the servants stay around to put things away and leave the facilities ready for school the next day. Despite his importance in the Body of Christ, Paul was a servant.
The other descriptive term here is “saints,” and it’s obvious that he’s referring to the ordinary Christians at Philippi. Now, if ever a term has been distorted from its original meaning, it is this one. Most people assume that the word refers to personal holiness, but it does not in the NT. The one who is a saint in the biblical sense will strive to be holy, but his holiness, however little or great it may be, does not make him a saint. He is a saint because he has been set apart by God, consecrated by God for a special purpose. And that’s true of everyone whom God has saved from sin through personal faith in Jesus Christ
Dr. Harry Ironside was for many years the pastor of Moody Memorial Church in Chicago. During the early years of his ministry there were no commercial airplanes, so Dr. Ironside traveled thousands of miles by train. On one of these trips, a four-day ride from the West coast to his home in Chicago, he found himself in the company of a party of nuns. They liked him because of his kind manner and his expositions of the Bible. One day Dr. Ironside began a discussion by asking the nuns if any of them had ever seen a saint. They all said that they had never seen one. He then asked if they would like to see one. They all agreed they would like that very much. Then he surprised them greatly by saying, “I am a saint; I am Saint Harry.” They were shocked, but then he took them to a number of Bible verses like Phil. 1:1, which teach that ordinary believers are saints.[ii]
We’re all servants and we’re all saints if God is our Father and Jesus is our Lord. Now the second pair of words I want to note are …
Grace and peace. These are the normal greetings that a Greek and Hebrew person would give to anyone: charis and shalom. But Paul invested them with particular Christian significance. Grace speaks of God’s unmerited favor toward humanity in providing for our salvation, event though we were sinners and even enemies of God. Peace refers to that settled confidence that God is in control, that He makes provision for daily victory over sin, and that all our needs will be met by Him. Grace, of course, comes before peace. Salvation must precede spiritual blessing.
I thank you. (3-6)
Those of you who are sharp will notice, of course, that what Paul actually says is not, “I thank you,” but “I thank my God.” But that didn’t fit into the parallelism of my outline. Actually, I have a better reason for expressing it as “I thank you,” for I see in the entire tone of this passage an attitude of thanksgiving for these people rather than a spirit of criticism toward them. And believe me, it’s easy for a pastor to be critical.
I have some acquaintances in the ministry who constantly badmouth their elders, their deacons, and their parishioners. Terms like unfaithful, stubborn, greedy, stingy, etc. are constantly on their lips to describe their congregations. Some talk that way, not only to other pastors, but even to their own people. I hate to admit that there was a time when such sentiments were not unknown in my own ministry. I have always been a type-A personality with perfectionistic tendencies, and I struggled with people who didn’t share that.
I recall one day chiding my congregation in Wichita in a newsletter article, subtly rebuking them for their lack of faithfulness. I also remember very distinctly my dad saying to me (after reading that article), “Mike, you don’t own those people. They’re God’s people. Don’t try to run their lives; just feed them and lead them. They don’t need your criticism; they need your encouragement.” And I began to change my attitude and my perspective on the people God had given to me to shepherd. I believe that was a turning point in my ministry.
I haven’t conquered the tendency to be critical entirely, and, in fact, I believe there is definitely a place and a time for a pastor to rebuke. But I learned that people are generally far more motivated by encouragement than by criticism. Paul knew that too.
You see, he could have written, “I thank my lucky stars every time I remember you that I’m not in Philippi any longer. Some of you were lazy; others were bossy; still others went camping regularly down at the Aegean Sea instead of coming to church. Many of you didn’t tithe, and while I worked my fingers to the bone, some of you just watched.” I’m sure he could have said all that, for the Philippian church was made up of the same kind of people that compose the church today. But Paul would have none of that sort of perspective. He focused upon the good instead of the bad, upon what was accomplished rather than what was not. And a thankful heart was the result.
I see here both an immediate and an ultimate reason for thanksgiving.
The immediate reason for thanksgiving: perseverance in a partnership. “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now.” Some of your texts read, “fellowship of the Gospel.” The term “fellowship” is another one of those terms that has been severely watered down over the years. To many it just means getting together to talk and eat, but originally it meant “sharing life together, having things in common, being a partner in something bigger than oneself.”
Paul knew he was not alone in his effort in Philippi. Many others were right there with him, shouldering the load and being used mightily by God. And some of them had been there from the very beginning. This fact brought thanksgiving to Paul.
The ultimate reason for thanksgiving: preservation by God. “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Paul could be thankful because he had confidence that God would finish what He started in the lives of His children.
There are many Christians who want to water that down, by adding a thought or two. Like, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion unless you are unfaithful and start screwing up.” But it really doesn’t say that, does it? “He who began will carry it on to completion.” Men conduct experiments, but God carries out a plan. A character on the A-Team always says, “I love it when a plan comes together.” We don’t always live to see God’s plans come together, but this verse says they do.
The teaching of divine preservation of the true believer is in harmony with the entire Bible, which speaks of
a life that will never end (John 3:16)
a spring of water that will never cease to bubble up within the one who
drinks of it (John 4:14)
a gift that will never be lost (John 6:37,39)
a hand, out of which the sheep will never be snatched (John 10:28)
a chain that will never be broken (Romans 8:29,30)
a love from which we shall never be separated (Romans 8:39)
a calling that will never be revoked (Romans 11:29)
a foundation that will never be destroyed (2 Tim. 2:19)
an inheritance that will never fade out (1 Peter 1:4,5)
Now none of that denies the fact that there will be those who play the game and speak the language and even give outward evidence of being converted to Christ, who will fall away and be lost forever. What it says is that when the good work is begun by God, it will be completed because God will see to it. And because God does it, no one can boast in His presence. God will tolerate no man in Heaven boasting about how he got there. Everyone who gets there will get there because he was willing to trust God and accept what Jesus Christ did on the Cross.
I am told that the secret of climbing a telephone pole is to learn to lean back, allowing your weight to rest on the broad leather belt that encircles both you and the pole, allowing your spikes to dig into the pole at as wide an angle as possible. But if you fail to lean back and instead pull yourself toward the pole, your spikes will not dig in and you’ll slip. And it isn’t very pleasant to slip because the pole is covered with splinters. The only way is to learn that you cannot improve on the belt and to lean on it. When you learn that, you begin to climb. It is the same with the Christian life—it’s a matter of learning to lean on God. He will finish what He starts.
I love you. (7-8)
“It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the Gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.”
I have a confession to make here: I finished my outline before I finished my study of this text. I really misunderstood it and I want you to scratch the three points that are listen in your bulletin under Roman numeral III. Substitute these instead, if you will:
I love you because you were there when I suffered.
I love you because you were there when I served.
I don’t know why I tried to complicate it.
Paul has expressed great thanksgiving and joy for the Philippians, but for this he doesn’t take any special credit. In fact, he says, it is only right that he should have such an attitude. His love for them, bolstered by their love for him, demands that he respond in such a way.
Then he explains: it didn’t matter whether he was in prison or on the street corners preaching, for wherever he found himself, the Philippians were there too, sharing in God’s grace with him. When he was leading people to Christ they participated by virtue of their prayer and support. I know there are many Christians who feel guilt over the fact that they haven’t led many people to Christ. Perhaps some of that guilt is legitimate; certainly, it is when we have golden opportunities to share our faith and don’t. But we should not overlook the fact that we can participate in the grace of God through our missionaries, our pastors, our church through prayer and financial support. Oh, there’s a special joy that comes with being the one whom God uses directly to bring another person into the Kingdom. But few would be brought if it were not for those behind the scenes sharing in the grace.
Before leaving Paul’s affirmation of love for the Philippian believers, I want to point out the presence of the little word “all”, found three times in verse 7 & 8. Paul didn’t pick and choose whom he would love—he loved all of the believers. This was a new emphasis for his day. In the first century the world was filled with barriers, just as it is filled with barriers in our time—barriers of race, wealth, education, and culture. There was a barrier between the Jew and the Gentile, the Roman and the Greek, men and women, the free man and the slave, the patrician and the commoner. While all these barriers were possible in the church, the believers overlooked them. They confessed one Lord. They knew one salvation. They were family.
We have our own barriers today. We separate ourselves from other believers because we believe they are on the wrong track and we are on the right one. They belong to a denomination that is going astray. Or they do things that we regard as worldly. Or they interpret some biblical doctrine differently from the way we do. And we completely lose sight of the fact that we are part of the same family. We should not see them as those from whom to separate ourselves, lest we be contaminated, but as those from whom we can learn and whom we can help along in the Christian way.
Frankly, friends, I have become more and more ecumenical in my attitudes as I have grown older. Don’t misunderstand me. I have absolutely no interest in all the mergers going on in order to have one ecclesiastical organization representing all those who call themselves Christians. I’m not in the slightest embarrassed by the presence of different denominations, although I am embarrassed by the attitudes of some denominations toward other denominations. Our distinctives are fine so long as we recognize them as stylistic issues. But as soon as we see them as bases for ostracizing others, we are denying the love that is so much a part of Christianity.
I greet you, I thank you, I love you. Now, fourthly, …
I pray for you. (9-11)
Paul is responding here something like a human father with a large family. He is pleased to have the kids, but he is not satisfied just to have them. He is also concerned that they grow up to be good citizens, spiritually speaking. He wants productive children. So he prays for them.
I find something very curious about Paul’s prayer for his congregation, as found in verses 9-11. Nothing at all is said of their physical needs; nothing of their economic needs; nothing of the need for journey mercies; nothing about food, clothing, shelter, etc. Not that these are not legitimate matters of prayer, for they surely are. But in Paul’s mind, spiritual realities always came before physical ones. Four are mentioned specifically:
He prays that they will love more. “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.” They had demonstrated love; this was one of their strong points, but they couldn’t rest on their laurels, for love is one of those things that can easily devolve into warm fuzzies, and warm fuzzies won’t cut it over the long haul. Christian love was never intended to be a namby-pamby, undefined, sentimental love. All of us remember individuals in our lives who came in like March winds, sweeping us off our feet with their overwhelming concern and sensitivity, only to find that it was all froth and no substance.
Paul is concerned that our love be more and more grounded in knowledge (which, in turn, comes from the study of God’s Word) and depth of insight (which refers to the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit). In other words, he’s looking for an educated love, a mature love, a love that isn’t founded on the emotions but on the will.
Every young married couple wakes up one day shortly after the honeymoon, sometimes during it, realizing that emotions won’t carry the marriage. A commitment based on feelings is as ephemeral as a dandelion gone to seed. But a commitment based upon the will, which says, “I will meet your needs now and in the future, whether I want to or not, whether I feel warmly toward you or not.”
He prays for their discernment. The second thing Paul prays for is “that you may be able to discern what is best.” The word for “discern” here is the technical word for testing money to determine whether or not it is counterfeit. Most of us are reasonably good at discerning right from wrong. We know what is permissible and what is not, what is profitable as opposed to expedient. But Paul goes beyond this and prays that we might know what is best. That’s much more difficult. Knowing whether you should work extra hours for your boss or take your kids to the zoo. Both are good; which is best?
This past Thursday a man wrote the following letter to Ann Landers:
“I remember talking to my friend a number of years ago about our children. Mine were 5 and 7 then, just the ages when their daddy means everything to them. I wished that I could have spent more time with my kids, but I was too busy working. After all, I wanted to give them all the things I never had when I was growing up. I loved the idea of coming home and having them sit on my lap and tell me about their day. Unfortunately, most days I came home so late that I was only able to kiss them good night after they had gone to sleep.
It is amazing how fast kids grow. Before I knew it, they were 9 and 11. I missed seeing them in school plays. Everyone said they were terrific, but the plays always seemed to go on when I was traveling for business or tied up in a special conference. The kids never complained, but I could see the disappointment in their eyes. I kept promising that I would have more time “next year.” But the higher up the corporate ladder I climbed, the less time there seemed to be.
Suddenly they were no longer 9 and 11. They were 14 and 16. Teenagers. I didn’t see my daughter the night she went out on her first date or my son’s championship basketball game. Their mom made excuses and I managed to telephone and talk to them before they left the house. I could hear the disappointment in their voices, but I explained as best I could.
Don’t ask where the years have gone. those little kids are 19 and 21 now and in college. I can’t believe it. My job is less demanding and I finally have time for them. But they have their own interests and there is no time for me. To be perfectly honest, I’m a little hurt.
It seems like yesterday that they were 5 and 7. I’d give anything to live those years over. You can bet your life I’d do it differently.” [iii]
“This is my prayer, that you may discern what is best.”
He prays for their purity. “So that you may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ.” Purity is tough today, but when I see the word “blameless” I want to throw up my hands and say, “I’m hopeless!” But if God expects it, it’s not hopeless. The fact is that the terms used by Paul here refer to a life free of false motives rather than a life that is perfect. Our lives must be open before God and before men. There must be no hypocrisy.
The Greek word for “pure” means literally “sun-tested.” It is often translated “sincere,” which comes from two Latin words, sine cera, which translates literally, “without wax.” The ancient potter would sometimes break a vessel while firing it. If he lacked integrity, he might fill the crack with wax and paint over it. The unsuspecting customer could not tell unless he held the pot up to the bright sun and sun-tested it, or worse yet, until he boiled something in it and the wax melted.
Paul is saying that the flaws in the lives of believers must not be covered up with wax. God’s love will not flow through a Christian whose life is a sham.
He prays for their fruitfulness. “So that you may be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.” The fruit of righteousness is the fruit which righteousness produces—the innumerable acts of kindness and service to which every believer in Jesus Christ is called.
The source of that fruitfulness is clearly identified as Christ. In the fifteenth chapter of John’s Gospel Jesus talks about this in more detail: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener …. Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit; for without me you can do nothing.” Fruit-bearing is possible only as we live in dependence upon Christ.
Conclusion: Privileged people are responsible people. We are privileged to be called saints and we are responsible to be fruitful. But there will be no fruit in any person’s life unless the power of Christ’s life flows through him.
When Lawrence of Arabia was in Paris after World War I, with some of his Arab friends, he took some time to show them the sights of the city: the Louvre, the Arch of Triumph, Napoleon’s tomb, the Champs Elysees. But they found little of interest in these things. The thing that really interested them was the faucet in the bathtub of their hotel room. They spent much time there it one and off; they thought it was wonderful. All they had to do was turn the handle, and they could get all the water they wanted.
Sometime later, when they were ready to leave Paris and return to the East, Lawrence found them in the bathroom with wrenches trying to detach the faucet. “You see,” they said, “it is very dry in Arabia. What we need are faucets. If we have them, we will have all the water we want.” Lawrence had to explain that the effectiveness of the faucets did not lie in themselves but in the immense system of waterworks to which they were attached. And he pointed out that behind this lay the rain and the snowfall on the Alps.[iv]
Many people are living lives that are as dry as the deserts of Arabia. They have the faucets, but there is no connection to the pipeline. They must come to God through Christ. Other people are also parched, but for another reason. There are impurities that choke the lines. Oh, that the Holy Spirit would have free reign to produce fruit in our lives!
Isn’t it easy to receive instruction from a joyful servant? May God help us to be that to others.
DATE: June 5, 1988
Tags:
Joy
Saint
Thankful
Perseverance
Preservation
Love
Prayer
Discernment
Purity
Fruitfulness
[i] Background to Philippians
Introduction: The search for peace of mind and happiness is on, and in a big way! People are looking to drugs, leisure, materialism, sex, and books (Six Easy Steps to … ) to fill the negative voids in their lives. The NT book of Philippians offers “the peace of God that surpasses all understanding” by helping the Christian face reality, instead of trying to escape it.
This book reveals the secret to true happiness, the man who learned the secret, and the Christ who taught him the secret.
Historical background of the city of Philippi
Philip of Macedon and Alexander the Great
In 359 B.C. Philip II seized the territory known as Macedonia.
He annexed a heavy gold-producing region and renamed it Philippi, after
himself.
With armies and bribes he extended his rule.
His son, Alexander the Great, continued his father’s conquests to the East.
The Romans conquered Macedonia, and in 146 B. C. it became one of the six
Provinces governed by Rome.
In 42 B.C. the Battle of Philippi resulted in Philippi becoming a Roman colony.
In 31 B. C. the naval battle of Actium saw Octavian become the Roman Emperor
and adopt the title, Caesar Augustus.
As a Roman colony, Philippi took on the character of a miniature Rome. The
language was Latin; the dress was Roman; the coins bore the inscriptions of the Emperor. The inhabitants enjoyed wide economic privileges and political advantages.
Philippi had its imperial cult, which exerted heavy pressure upon Christians and
Jews to worship the Emperor. Resistance resulted in reproach and persecution.
The Church at Philippi
On his second missionary journey, Paul, accompanied by Silas and Timothy,
reached Troas, where the vision of the “Man of Macedonia” summoned them to Europe. Philippi was their first major stop, where they were joined by Luke (Acts 16).
The founding of the church at Philippi, interestingly, resulted from an encounter
with a slave-girl with a spirit of divination.
- Paul cast the spirit out of her.
- The owners of the girl stirred up a riot.
- Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into prison.
- God released them and, in the process, the Philippian jailer became a believer.
- Paul and Silas were released but refused to leave the jail until the city magistrates came down to the jail to apologize.
- She provided free “advertising” for Paul’s evangelistic effort and a church was established.
- Paul and Silas left Philippi and went to Thessalonica, where they received gifts from the Philippian believers.
- On his third missionary journey Paul stopped at Philippi both coming and going.
- Early church history makes it clear that two generations after Paul’s death, the church at Philipp was still standing firm.
Key members of the Church at Philippi were Lydia, Epaphroditus, and the
unnamed Philippian jailer.
The genesis of the book of Philippians
Paul was imprisoned in Rome following his third missionary journey. He
received a visitor from the church at Philippi named Epaphroditus, who was sent to minister to Paul. However, Epaphroditus worked so hard in ministry that he became deathly sick. Paul decided to send him home.
Among the reasons Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians are the following:
- To gratefully acknowledge their kindness in sending Epaphroditus.
- To respond to the report Epaphroditus had brought regarding conditions in the church.
- To answer their request for detailed information about Paul’s condition.
- To lay the groundwork for a proper reception of Epaphroditus back to Philippi.
- To fill the hearts of the Philippians with rejoicing because of God’s all-sufficiency.
The place and time of writing
Philippians is one of four Pauline letters designated “Prison Epistles.” These are
Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians, and Philippians. All were written during Paul’s first Roman imprisonment. (In Phil 1:13 he mentions the Praetorian guard).
The time of writing was about A. D. 61
[ii] James Montgomery Boice, Philippians, 24.
[iii] Ann Landers, St. Louis Post Dispatch, June 2, 1988.
[iv] Boice, 56-7.