Paul’s greeting to the church at Philippi warmly displays his godly affection for the fellow believers he was so invested in. Each expression of love in the greeting teaches us something about what it means to build one another up in Christ.
Let’s not gloss over this passage as a nicety.
Will you take it as an opportunity to examine yourself and your affection for fellow believers with me?
“Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi.”
–Ph 1:1
Point: Right away, Paul identifies himself and the recipients of the letter according to who they all are in Christ.
[bctt tweet=”Q: Do you think of others as ‘that busy, loud lady’, ‘the guy who never smiles’ or… ‘one of God’s people?'” username=”PatHolbrook”]
“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” –Ph 1:2
Point: We enter conversations with all sorts of intentions and baggage. Paul brings God’s good gifts right away instead of offloading his own stuff.
Q: Do you engage with others to extend God’s peace and grace first and foremost?
“I thank my God every time I remember you.” –Ph 1:3
Point: Every time we remember people is often a lot of times. And sometimes those remembrances are the result of grudges, suspicions, and other issues we haven’t let go of.
Q: Do you thank God for others when you think about them?
“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.” –Ph 1:4-5
Point: Joy accompanied Paul’s prayers for the Philippians. He was appreciative of their reaction to the Gospel and saw them as partners in faith.
Q: Do you rejoice about others’ faith, do you pray joyfully for others about their love for the Lord?
“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.” –Ph 1:6
[bctt tweet=”Point: It’s easy to prescribe our own ideas of the work that needs to be done in others’ lives, as well as to worry about their growth. Paul trusted Christ to do the work and complete it- and he made that clear to his loved ones.” username=”PatHolbrook”]
Q: Do you speak confidently about God’s work in others’ lives? Do you trust God to work in others?
“It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart” – Ph 1:7
Point: Paul felt joyful, appreciative, and confident about God’s work in these people because he was deeply invested in them.
Q: Do you carry others in your heart in such a way that you are deeply invested in their faith?
“Whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.” –Ph 1:7
Point: In every circumstance, Paul recognized others as sharing in God’s grace with him. It would have been easy to withdraw or assume they couldn’t understand, making comparisons. Instead of drawing lines, Paul drew a circle of God’s grace around himself and others.
Q: Do you see others as sharing in God’s grace through your circumstances?
“God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.” –Ph 1:8
Point: Paul’s longing was so sincere and so based in Christ, instead of being rooted in convenience, relational chemistry, or ancillary things held in common.
Q: Would you want God to testify about the way you have cared for others? Has that caring been Christlike?
“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may 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.” –Ph 1:9-11
Point: Paul’s prayers for these beloved people weren’t focused on circumstances, wishes, or even trials. His main concern was their relationship with Christ and their progress in the faith.
Q: Are your prayers for others about them growing in and glorifying God?
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[bctt tweet=”LINKUP PARTY is open! Today, my friend @BethanyMcIlrath challenged me. Do I carry others in my heart in such a way that I am deeply invested in their faith? JOIN us & share your blog ” username=”PatHolbrook”]
Such great questions this morning and what a challenge they pose as I consider each one.
“Do I want God to testify about how I treat others?”
This will sit with me awhile.
That question is sticking with me, too. Thank you for pondering with me!
Bethany, I love how you taken this passage apart for us. All good and convicting questions to ponder. I especially love this part: “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may 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.” I pray it often for family members.
What a great prayer for loved ones : ) Thanks, Christy!
Bethany, this is so good, and I’m certain that as a guy in ministry, Paul had lots of opportunities to see people at their worst and to feel the sharp edge of rejection and so many other hard interactions. And yet . . .
Thanks for this post on a morning when I’ve already had one ministry-related frustration to deal with (while I was trying to make breakfast!) and between you and Paul, I’m given words that tell me there’s a better way of handling it than what I’m currently using.
Michele, I’m glad the post may have helped you! I’m sure Paul had lots of opportunities, just as you pointed out. Praying we learn from his example.
“Do you engage with others to extend God’s peace and grace first and foremost?” This is a powerful question and post, Bethany. I hope to model both Pau’s affection for other believers and that of Christ Jesus. Thanks for your insight in causing me to reflect on my motives.
I hope to model those traits of Paul’s too! Thank you!
What a great example Paul is for all believers. laurensparks.net
Amen!
Whew, those are some heavy scriptures when we point them at ourselves. 🙂 Too often we skim over opening statements but there is a lot of value in those introductions. Thanks for bringing them to us in a fresh way, Bethany.
Happy to share, Lisa! Fresh looks at familiar words tend to really convict me. Glad you found value here, too!