(60) The Book of Philippians

The Giving Church.

Philippians is the most affectionate book written by Paul. Actually it was written with Timothy by his side in prison. Two words could describe what this book is about: Joy and Rejoice. It was written in 62 AD from Rome during Paul's first imprisonment, 6 years before his death.

Philippi was a military station for the Roman Empire. It was named after King Philip, the father of Alexander the Great ca. 400 BC. It was reestablished by Caesar Augustus and Marc Antony after they had defeated Brutus and Cassius ca. 40 BC. When Augustus and Antony decided to part ways Augustus allowed him and his men to retire here. The area was also known for its gold mines giving it a nice comfort zone for the retired soldiers. The church that Paul established here held on to their beliefs and remained consistent in their faith (1:4-5).

Some of the main points are:

1. God is always working with us and on us (1:3-6)
2. Even though we die physically, we have life because of Christ (1:18-21)
3. The importance of Christ, who He was and what He did, and what people will do in the end because of Him (2:6-11)
4. We are citizens of heaven and should not be concerned with things that fade (3:17-21)
5. No matter what happens we need to rejoice in the Lord (4:4-8)
6. No matter what the circumstance we can get through because of the strength He gives us (4:11-13)

It was written to thank the church of Philippi for their gift and to encourage them. He also wanted them to welcome Timothy as it seems like he would be released from prison before Paul would be. And the last reason was because he was sending back to them one of their own, Epaphroditus, who had apparently become ill and wanted to return home. But the main key words is what this book is all about; joy and rejoice. It stresses that we can still have joy in our life no matter what happens as along as we remain in Christ. We can get through any situation that this world makes us go through, and for that we need to rejoice in what has been given to us. The world does not understand that. We live in the moment. If the moment seems bad then that is how we treat others. Instead of living for the whole we live for the piece. Joy is not situational. But the world feels it is.