JEAN'S BIBLE STUDY COM

KJV    NAS

1-5 Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, 5 in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.

Phi 1-1,2

(12j) Servant >> Bond servant >> Salutations – Paul prayed grace upon the Philippians and upon all the churches that he founded; all the letters he wrote to them began with a greeting of grace and peace. Peace was the third fruit in the list of nine fruits of the Spirit, yet in Paul’s greetings it was first to follow the grace of God. The fruits of the Spirit in Galatians chapter five are a list of prerequisites: love comes first, then joy, peace, etc. Paul didn’t greet them with joy but with peace. He prayed for their peace above all else, for it was the one most needed in the days of the early Church with persecution mounting. Through his greeting he was saying that the people of God had already received an introduction into His grace and have come to know His love, which brought them great joy; now he wanted his letter to give them peace, and its message to lead them further down the list of spiritual fruits into patience, kindness, faithfulness, etc.

Phi 1-1

(7d) Responsibility >> Protecting the gospel >> Defend the word by preaching it -- This verse goes with verses 14-18. Timothy was more than a gopher, more than a messenger, more than a helper; he was Paul’s right-hand man, an itinerate pastor. After Paul established churches having evangelized the area and attracted people to the faith, Timothy taught them what to believe and how to run a church, and many of these same doctrines are taught to this day, but there are some that have fallen to the wayside, some that were critical to the Church in establishing unity. Timothy was there to make sure the Church walked in these teachings from the very beginning, and for hundreds of years they did, but slowly some of these doctrines began to change both in significance and meaning, and so now we have a church that doesn’t know how to establish unity among its members. It is still all there in the Bible, and many read it every day, but they just can’t see through the haze of preconceived notions and ideas and religious beliefs and doctrines that have been handed down for centuries. No one knows what to believe about the Bible anymore, and this is where we are as a church today, lost as it were in a forest of ideas.

(12g) Servant >> Bond servant >> Their relationship with God

(72i) Authority >> Hierarchy of authority >> More Authority The More Responsibility >> Closer we get to Jesus the more power

Phi 1,3-5

(82h) Thy kingdom come >> Prayer >> Thankfulness >> Giving thanks for His mercy

Phi 1-4

(81j) Thy kingdom come >> Pray without ceasing >> For the Church -- This verse goes with verse 19&20

(125d) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Joy >> Joy is the result of investing in the kingdom >> Investing in a life of service -- This verse goes with verse 18

(189b) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Holy sacrifice >> Holy offering

Phi 1,5-8

(155h) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Witness of the believer >> The Father bears witness of the believer

Phi 1,5-7

(230c) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Partaking >> What we must do to partake of the kingdom >> Partaking which requires no participation

Phi 1-5

(206d) Salvation >> God makes promises on His terms >> Conditions to promises >> Conditions to receiving in the natural >> Conditions to participating in the natural realm – The Philippians were not passive spectators but active participants in the grace of God. That is, they wanted to apply everything they knew about God to their lives. They were quick to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts” (Rom 13-14). The Philippians were a very obedient church; they wanted to participate in everything they learned and knew about God. They were not interested in being theologians; they were interested in being Christians and living out their faith and seeing how God was willing to work through their obedience. Everything Paul taught they applied, and as a result Paul had very little negative to say about them in his letter, and for that reason the Philippian epistle was relatively short, compared to Corinthians of which we have two letters, both the largest that he wrote. So it seems the shorter the letter the more faithful the Church, because they were already obeying the Lord, and Paul just wanted to commend them in all the things they were doing. Another understanding of the word “participation” is that they were cheerful givers. When there was a need they were right on it, along with the Thessalonians; they sought to be a blessing to their fellow brethren. When there was a need, when there was poverty and people were going without their most essential needs, the Philippians came alongside and helped them, and in this way they participated in the ministry of the Spirit and the advancement of the gospel of Christ. The more they gave, the more people saw the gospel at work not just as a theological belief system, but as a way of life that sought everyone’s benefit.

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Phi 1-6

(28a) Gift of God >> God is our advocate >> The protector of our faith

(30c) Gift of God >> God knows our needs >> He is the source of our obedience

(31j) Gift of God >> Gift of His grace >> Being responsible with it -- This verse goes with verse 22

(43i) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Perfected by God – Paul uses a couple of interesting words in His descriptions, one being “perfect.” Paul’s prayer is that God would perfect the good work that God had begun in them, “perfect” meaning “complete,” so there would be no good thing missing in their faith or conduct. These are the same words James uses in His first chapter saying, “And let endurance have it perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

(44e) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Transformed >> Completed by God

(45a) Judgment >> God judges us for not judging ourselves >> Preparing for believer’s judgment -- This verse goes with verse 10

(99a) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Enduring the will of God >> Enduring the word of God >> Endure obeying the word of God -- This verse goes with verse 10. Would God ever complete His work in us against our will? If we resisted, He would honor our request and retreat. For this reason we see so many people in the Church with unfinished spiritual business. Most Christians don’t want to cross the line to religious fanatic because they know they would be persecuted for it, but the world draws that line of fanaticism for us, so any amount of faith in Jesus is fanatical to the world. Paul was a religious fanatic by anybody’s standards, but in reality he was God’s right-hand man and our example of faith. Those who love God do not resist the Holy Spirit, but do everything to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

(103k) Thy kingdom come >> Purifying process >> God purifies His church >> Jesus purifies His people

(122c) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Confidence in God to keep

(124m) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love is the action of faith >> Love is the motive of faith

(128b) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Goodness >> Doing good in the presence of God

(137j) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Maturity >> Stages of maturity are levels of accountability >> Maturity is working with God

(227e) God Working in You (Key verse)

(227j) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> Depending on Jesus to fulfill His purpose in us – This verse gives great hope. There are hardships that come upon us that force our attention off the gospel and onto our problems. We face daunting circumstances; we cannot devote ourselves to our faith the way we want. We would love to dedicate our entire lives to the purpose of God that He has in mind for us, but our problems will not allow it. We must work long hours, then come home to many chores to keep the house running, the children healthy, clothed and fed, and the duties pile-up until the day is spent, and we wake up the next day and do it all over again. Before long it’s been months since we’ve read the Bible; we really want to get back to our faith and to our church, and all we can do is depend on God to get us through this life with our faith intact. Sometimes we have to commit our faith to God and cry out to Him for help that He will not allow what we have believed to slip. Another day will come when the circumstances are not as severe, and we can finally read our Bible and begin to develop a relationship with God that we have always wanted.

(228f) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> God is working in you to place you in His will >> To place you on the trail of good works -- This verse goes with verse 9. This is one of the most popular verses in the Bible. It is very encouraging to know that God is working in us, yet He works in us only to the degree that we allow Him. We are the ones who moderate how much God is able to accomplish in our lives. Paul was not saying he was confident in God; he was saying he was confident in the Philippians that they would let God perfect them. Jesus’ warned, “Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap” (Lk 21-34). We cry out for God’s grace and say what Paul said in 2Tim 1-12, “I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.” We do what we can until we can do no more, when all that’s left is to throw ourselves on the mercies of God and pray for strength to somehow endure to the end. We must protect our faith as Paul said in 2Tim 1-14, “Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you,” but at times all we can do is Phi 1-6, “I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Sometimes we must rely on Him to do what He commanded of us. We must trust God to protect our faith during hard times when we can’t do it ourselves, times when the circumstances are so severe that after Jesus has died for our sins, we must ask for His help just to believe in Him. Everyone goes through times like these when they can’t sustain their own faith, but have to entrust it to God for a period. These are times when God performs miracles in our lives without our knowing it, when we believe in Him without knowing how; He does it all for us, feeding our faith with His subtle presence in our hearts, giving us reminders every day about His goodness and patience, that He is waiting for us to return to our faith and make a new commitment to pursue the truth that we might understand Christ in ways we always knew possible, in ways that defy comprehension.

(236l) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom >> The Rapture >> The day of the Lord -- This verse goes with verses 9&10. An interesting phrase in this verse is “The day of Christ.” What day? In my view this is referring to the rapture, which is the day that all His people who have died throughout the centuries will receive their spiritual bodies, and we who are alive and remain will be caught-up together with the Lord, where we too will receive our spiritual bodies, “and thus we will always be with the Lord. Therefore, comfort one anther with these words” 1The 4-17,18. Lets compare these words with 1The 5,1-11, "For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape." Essentially, that passage of scripture teaches that the children of light will experience the day of the Lord as their day of salvation, but that the children of darkness will experience it as a day of destruction and misery. It is actually describing the day of the rapture, suggesting that those who are left behind will experience hell on earth, starting on that very day, for when it says that Jesus is coming on the clouds, I believe it is referring to the ash plume of a giant asteroid that is scheduled to hit the earth on the day of the rapture!

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

7&8 For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me. 8 For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

Phi 1,7-10

(95f) Thy kingdom come >> Attitude >> Having a cooperative attitude >> Cooperating with each other – The Philippians were on the same spiritual level as Paul; he was no greater person than anyone else; they all believed in Jesus together on the same level; he was not above them in any way. If anything he was below them in a position of rendering service to their faith. Although they were required to obey the words Paul spoke to them, it was only because he was speaking the word of God, and to obey his word was to obey Christ Himself. Paul felt this way about the Philippians while he was in prison, because they eagerly desired to minister to him in his situation, and they provided whatever he needed under the scrutiny of the jailhouse. Paul often found favor with the guards and on occasion led them to salvation. When first incarcerated they treated him poorly, but later he usually gained their respect, trust and favor, and they often granted him leniency. His fellow brethren from Philippi and elsewhere were allowed to enter with provisions for his daily needs and writing supplies and whatever else he needed. This was why Paul had so much confidence in the Philippians, because he saw their faith in action.

(74h) Thy kingdom come >> Heart is central value system >> The heart is what drives man’s desire

(123b) Spiritual Affection (Key verse)

(123l) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love >> Spiritual affection >> Being in love with the body of Christ >> Affection of Christ – Jesus’ ministry was a crash-course on discipleship; He was always busy preparing His disciples to one day blossom into His apostles. We don’t often think about the affection of Christ; we think of Him dying on the cross for our sins in obedience to His Father, and we think of the words He spoke, which have been recorded for our sake that we read in the gospels, teaching regarding His Father and how we ought to live, but very little has actually been written about the affection of Christ. Instead, we have statements like this, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you?” (Mat 17-17). So where is this affection of Christ? One example occurred after His resurrection; He came to his disciples not so much as a teacher but as a brother seeking fellowship with His friends. This regularly happened during their furloughs between ministries when everybody was getting tired and they retreated to the mountains to take time for themselves and relax. This is probably where the disciples discovered their great love for Him and deeply enjoyed His company; He wasn’t always rebuking them. If all He ever did was rebuke them, they wouldn’t have felt the way they did about Him. Spiritual affection is emotion that results from our faith. There are emotions tied to our spiritual lives; i.e., we can get very emotional in our spirit about our love for God, and about His love for us, and about our love for each other. These emotions originate from faith, so our affection is indeed spiritual. The Church is the bride of Christ, and so the affection of Christ goes very deep. In our own relationship with the Holy Spirit dwelling in us we feel the affection of Christ every day.

Phi 1-7

(7a) Responsibility >> Protecting the Gospel >> Contend earnestly for the faith -- This verse goes with verses 14-18

(89b) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom >> Wisdom corresponds with logical reasoning

(148i) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Obligation to preach the gospel >> Ambassador in chains

(216g) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> Compelled by the Spirit >> God forces us by His love

(242c) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Persecuting the kingdom >> Persecuting God >> Persecuting the word of God

Phi 1-8

(76k) Thy kingdom come >> Desires of your heart >> Desiring to be among the people of God

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 

Phi 1,9-11

(69h) Authority >> Righteous judgment >> Meditate on discernment >> Judging what is pure

(80d) Thy kingdom come >> Know the word to learn the ways of God >> Leading to the truth

(86m) Thy kingdom come >> Obedience >> Be doers of the word from the heart >> Internalize the word of God -- These verses go with verse 27

(124d) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love >> Acts of love >> Love is one of the fruits of the Spirit – Our love from God is not the kind of human love that we have for our families and that the world understands. It is not a love that originates from our flesh, which itself is paradoxical. Since our love and affection from God is spiritual, it is connected to knowledge and discernment and all things that pertain to our faith, for faith is based on knowledge. The core basis of our faith is the knowledge of Scripture, whereas the faith of God that He imparts in us transcends the letter on the page and becomes spiritual in nature. We also love one another by the same Spirit and through the same faith that we have come to know God.

(127e) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Goodness >> Rewards for doing good >> Sow the seeds of goodness >> goodness yields a harvest of righteousness

(128l) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Bearing fruit >> Living a fruitful life >> It is a way of thriving

(252j) Trinity >> You shall put no other gods before Me >> Worship God >> Worship God by your lifestyle

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

Phi 1-9,10

(69ba) Authority >> Discernment >> Discerning the knowledge of God >> Discerning true motives

(78c) Thy kingdom come >> Sincerity of heart >> Being honest >> Free from inconsistency

(236l) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom >> The Rapture >> The day of the Lord -- These verses go with verse 6. Paul uses the phrase “Day of Christ” again, referring to God coming for His saints on the day of the rapture. That’s the day that most directly applies to Christians who are alive and remain in the body. This is our great hope, but it comes at the cost of the world’s destruction.

(248i) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Values >> Valuing God >> Do not value things that will devalue God – It is important to approve the things that are excellent. This has to do with renewing the mind. What we approve makes a huge impact on our faith and walk with God. To approve something is to assign it a high value and to place it in high priority, like putting our stamp of approval on it. Whatever we approve is what we are willing to incorporate into our lives. We may do things that we do not approve, but it doesn’t matter; the things we do will integrate into our lives whether we approve of them or not if we act upon them. Paul is telling us not to do anything that we don’t approve, and to only approve those things that are excellent, so that our lifestyle and conduct might ebb closer to the life of Christ. We should not incorporate things into our lives that God does not approve. This is all about discerning what is true and false, what is righteous and what is unrighteous. It is discerning what is of the flesh, of the world and of the devil from what is of God and of the truth. We need to discern what belongs to us as Christians in this world from what does not belong to us. For example, if a teenage girl approves of wearing short skirts, eventually she will buy one and wear it, and she will attract all the wrong boys into her life and before long she will be pregnant. All these things will act as a domino effect of circumstance in her life that stemmed from what she approved.

Phi 1-9 

(34f) Gift of God >> Believer owns everything >> True knowledge belongs to us – This term “real knowledge” is the same as what Peter spoke regarding “true knowledge”. It distinguishes the truth from all other forms of knowledge. There are mountains of factually accurate knowledge, such as in the field of science that does not correspond with the truth, because Truth comes from God; He is the sole-owner of Truth, and man has no truth apart from God. “Truth” is a word that is reserved for the knowledge of God, though there is some knowledge of God that is not true but mere religious pontifications and the precepts of men. The knowledge of God that is true comes from the Spirit of God, who  imparts His truth in us, which becomes the most valuable possession in His children. It may not seem as valuable as some knowledge in the world, but it will outlast all other forms of knowledge, which are all inherently temporary and will all become obsolete, but God’s Truth will remain true forever, and this defines its value: its ability to lead His people to eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. We come to know God’s Truth through discernment in our spirit, who dwells in us. The Spirit speaks in our hearts with a small, still voice, and when we train our ear to hear Him, we discern His truth.

(83c) Thy kingdom come >> Results of prayer >> Prayer unites the body

(109g) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Revelation of God's word >> Revelation of the truth

(228f) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God is working in you to place you in His will >> To place you on the trail of good works -- This verse goes with verse 11

(229g) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Kingdom grows by itself >> Kingdom assumes the mind of Christ >> Kingdom grows through knowledge

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

10-13 so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; 11 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. 12 Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, 13 so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else,

Phi 1-10,11

(156a) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Evidence of salvation >> You will know them by their fruits >> You will know them by their productivity

Phi 1-10

(42a) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Be like Jesus >> Blameless before God >> Prepare for His return – We use the truth to approve the things that are excellent by the Spirit who strengthens us to remain sincere and blameless until the day of Christ. Note that the Bible is constantly waiting for Christ’s return and expecting Him at any time, even in the first century. It would seem a lie that Jesus did not tell His disciples that they were not even in the ballpark in hoping for His return in their lifetime, but He wanted people to anticipate His return throughout the ages. It acts as a buffer against sin; we’re all afraid to turn our lives into one big party, forget about God and meet His return unprepared. It also acts as an encouragement to us throughout the ages, when our lives are falling apart and nothing is going right, when all the things we loved and treasured are destroyed, we always have the hope of Jesus’ return to take us away from all this futility. The world doesn’t see this life as futile but as the only life they will ever enjoy.

(45a) Judgment >> God judges us for not judging ourselves >> Preparing for believer’s judgment -- This verse goes with verse 6

(99a) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Enduring the will of God >> Enduring the word of God >> Endure obeying the word of God -- This verse goes with verse 6

Phi 1-11

(113j) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> The anointing >> Filled with the Holy Spirit

(115b) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Working God’s grace through Christ >> We receive the anointing through Christ

(228f) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> God is working in you to place you in His will >> To place you on the trail of good works -- This verse goes with verse 6. The fruit of righteousness is in reference to Mat 5-6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” There is no shortage of righteousness that we can do for Christ. He will lead us into as much righteousness as we want; the more we hunger and thirst for it, the more He will give us, and the fruit of righteousness is in reference to what our righteousness produces, such as evangelism, feeding the poor, helping the saints, being willing to take the last place for a better opportunity to serve, helping those in need, such as giving disaster relief. There are so many things we could be doing in the world, so many suffering people who need our help. The fruit of righteousness is the benefit that others enjoy through our relationship with Jesus as He empowers us to do His will. What many don’t know is that it takes no effort on our part to serve, because it is a longing and a desire that we are seeking to quench.

(247b) Priorities >> God’s priorities >> God’s interests >> God is interested in His people >> God is interested in our spiritual health

Phi 1,12-20

(228m) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> God causes all things to work together

Phi 1,12-18

(150a) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Invitation to the Kingdom of God

Phi 1,12-14

(246b) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestations >> Literal bondage to Christ

Phi 1-12,13

(242l) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Persecuting the kingdom >> Responding to persecution – Paul's imprisonment has benefited the Philippians, his example not only giving them courage to speak the word of God without fear, but also encouraged by his accomplishments. Speaking the word of God back then could easily land a person in jail or be tortured, whipped, beaten or perhaps even killed, but now we preach the gospel at the risk of getting our feelings hurt. Someday that may change again, and we may be at risk as the early church in the last days when the world no longer tolerates the truth of God. People take their faith far more seriously during times of persecution, when they realize that the unbelief in the world has a similar power to faith in Christ. Unbelief is just as effective as faith in spreading the gospel in that it is the inverse of faith; it is what the reprobate believes about God. Indifference is perhaps the only reaction that resists spreading the gospel, but it is when people react in unbelief that helps those who believe in the gospel to believe in Jesus all the more. They say, ‘It must be true because this guy really doesn’t believe it.’ To have a vehement hatred of the gospel does something to validate it, because if it weren’t true then why would they have so many strong feels against it? It pricks the conscience and they’re trying to get rid of it, for what invariably speaks against the conscience is the truth.

Phi 1-13

(91e) Thy kingdom come >> The called >> Purpose (of God’s calling) >> God has a reason for the things that happen to us

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

14-18 and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. 15 Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; 16 the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; 17 the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,

Phi 1,14-18

(7d) Responsibility >> Protecting the gospel >> Defend the word by preaching it -- These verses go with verse 1. Paul is speaking about the gospel as a fledgling institution, a brand-new concept in the world. The one thing Paul wanted was for the gospel to be etched into social consciousness. In other words, he was all for advertising. Corporations today spend millions of dollars on advertisement with the hope that their product becomes a household name. Paul felt no different about the gospel; he wanted everyone to hear about Jesus. The last thing he wanted after his life was spent was for the gospel to pass into obscurity and die with him. Whether the gospel was preached in truth or in pretense in Paul’s mind made no difference, for either way people heard about the gospel. They may not have always heard the truth about Jesus, but at least they heard His name. Paul’s goal was for every ear to hear the name of Jesus, so when the gospel did come to them in truth, rather than starting from scratch and trying to break rocky ground, the seed had already been dropped hopefully in good soil. Things were different in the Churches; people couldn’t preach Jesus any old which-way they wanted in the house of God. The people of faith heard the gospel in truth when they went to church, but in public at that juvenile stage of the gospel Paul would rather they heard a distorted rendition of Christ than to not hear about Him at all. At least this way, if they wanted to investigate the matter further, they could go to church to get the real scoop, but today people can’t do that, because every church is preaching Jesus differently. People today have probably all heard about Jesus, but it is unlikely they have heard an accurate version of the gospel of Christ, which is a sad commentary on the contemporary church.

(182j) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Deception >> Being deceptive with people >> Telling the truth with an evil motive – Paul was referring to shady people who were making money at preaching the gospel in false pretence like snake-oil salesmen, but Paul was not angry with them. He said, “whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice.” He was glad that even the snake-oil salesmen were helping with the effort in publicizing the gospel. Paul’s reaction to this is explained by the needs of the early church, when the fledgling gospel was just getting a foothold, when many people never even heard the name of Jesus. These snake-oil salesmen were actually introducing the concept to the world, maybe for the wrong reasons, but He was proclaimed just the same. They were inadvertently sowing the seeds of evangelism, so when a real preacher came and preached the gospel, the ground will have already been broken and the people will have already heard about the Lord. Paul wanted the world to know about Jesus no matter what motives people had for preaching Him, and now the world does know about Jesus for the most part, so the snake-oil salesmen of our time are not performing a meaningful service anymore, but are rather hurting the gospel by preaching it in pretence. 

(243d) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Persecuting the kingdom >> Sources of persecution >> Persecution from within the body

Phi 1-14

(122h) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Confidence in yourself as you die to sin >> Confidence in the Church through your ministry

(150j) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness of Jesus >> Speak the word >> Preaching the word to the Church

Phi 1,15-18

(24k) Sin >> Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Anger >> Unforgiveness

(76a) Thy kingdom come >> Hidden motives >> Based on selfish ambition

Phi 1,15-17

(21i) Sin >> Premeditated sin >> Intending to abuse the grace of God

(96n) Thy kingdom come >> Having a negative attitude about sin >> Having a rebellious attitude – There were people preaching false doctrine even in the first century, and Paul said it didn’t bother him. Back then the gospel was bran new; the world had not yet heard the name of Jesus, and so for false prophets and lying deceivers to preach Jesus was actually better than not hearing about Him at all. They had received an introduction to this name, thus breaking the ground, so when the gospel came in truth by the feet of holy men, they could iron out the wrinkles and hasten people to the faith. It is easier to preach Jesus to a people who have already heard His name than to be the one to first introduce Him, starting from scratch. It is like trying to teach somebody mathematics who have not yet mastered the number line. If they don’t know that three comes after two, they must learn this first, and so it is a long way to hoe. It would be an absolute miracle if everybody came together in agreement with the truth. Man has often agreed together on a falsehood, such as war, in that people live like the devil because they believe in his doctrines, but God prefers that we all come into agreement with the truth, and this is what He will get one day, for at the advent of Jesus’ return, it says that He will come for a Church, “having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless” (Eph 5-27). The more we believe in the truth, the more we will practice it, and the more we will resemble Ephesians chapter five.

(173j) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Catholicism >> Unholy sacrifice >> Penance of lip service

(174k) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Form of godliness >> Lip service

(185a) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Abusing the grace of God >> Dragging God’s Grace Through The Mud >> Operating His grace through religion – Paul had the perspective in the first century that it was better if people heard a false version of Jesus than to have never heard about Him at all, but compare that with some of the things he said in Galatians; he became very angry with legalists who were trying to dissuade people from believing the truth, teaching that circumcision was a requirement of salvation. Paul said about them that he wished they “would even mutilate themselves” (Gal 5-12). This incensed Paul; so what’s the difference between this passage and the comments he made in Galatians? In Philippians he was talking about people who had never heard the name of Jesus, but in Galatians he was protecting the ones who had already come to believe in His name. Now compare this with the gospel in today’s world with so many variations, so many denominations, so many religious offshoots of Christianity, some being cultic while others merely borrowing the name of Jesus in a religion that doesn’t even resemble Christianity. There are some religious ideas that are benign, but there are others that are malignant and have a negative effect on the body of Christ. We should have Paul’s attitude in Galatians, not that in Philippians; we should be incensed with those who are dissuading Christians from believing the truth. Nevertheless, according to man all the variations of Christianity act like favors, some like raspberry while others prefer strawberry, and so they get to choose their brand of Christianity. The name of Jesus is an aspect of every religion known to man, and it is not a good thing.

(198d) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Ordained by man >> Men place themselves in positions of authority >> Men who have no business in the ministry

(202k) Denying Christ >> Running from God >> Wicked men cannot approach the throne of God >> Goats are unsaved church attendants

Phi 1-16

(124c) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love >> Acts of love >> Love is the proper motive for all you do

Phi 1-17,18

(17i) Sin >> Unrighteous judgment >> Ignorance >> Speaking truth without knowing it

Phi 1-18

(96c) Thy kingdom come >> Positive attitude toward God >> Good attitude about the word of God -- This verse goes with verses 21-26

(107i) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Hearing from God >> Church is of the truth >> God’s people speak the truth

(125d) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Joy >> Joy is the result of investing in the kingdom >> Investing in a life of service -- This verse goes with verse 4

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

19&20 for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20 according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

Phi 1-19,20

(29d) Gift of God >> God is our advocate >> Delivered from adversity

(32j) Gift of God >> Father will honor your devotion to Him >> Honor your prayers

(35g) Gift of God >> God gives Himself to us >> Jesus sends the Holy Spirit – Someone might say the Holy Spirit is impotent on the earth, whereas the presence of Jesus was very powerful when He lived in His day. This is simply not true. Rather, we have emasculated the Holy Spirit through our disobedience and unbelief. The Church has distorted the truth over the centuries to the point that He cannot interact with us. We have effectively tied His hands. Jesus was powerful in His day because He not only brought the Holy Spirit but also created an environment of truth for the Holy Spirit. Remember, Jesus called Him the Spirit of truth. Now we are the ones responsible for creating an environment of truth in order for the Holy Spirit to do His work in us. This is why the Holy Spirit seems impotent in our day and age – He can only work according to our knowledge of the truth and we have somehow misplaced it.

(81j) Thy kingdom come >> Pray without ceasing >> For the Church -- This verse goes with verse 4

(82c) Thy kingdom come >> Three elements of prayer >> Direction (Attitude) >> Who to pray for

(96g) Thy kingdom come >> Attitude >> Positive attitude about yourself

(121c) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Hope >> Expectation >> Hope is the expectation to receive >> Expectation based on hope

(122b) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Confidence in God >> Through prayer

(134f) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Composition of our bodies is from the earth >> Worship unlocks the spirit realm to us

(234c) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the glory of God >> Seeking the glory of His Spirit – God would never approve the things we believe about Him that are false or sacrifice the truth in order to help us. He expects us to know the truth, to seek it and find it, to walk in it and live by it, so the Holy Spirit can work in our lives. The moment the truth is reinstated in the Church the Holy Spirit will once again reign mightily among us. That day is coming; the endtime revival is coming; the truth will be restored in the Church, and the Holy Spirit will become strong and powerful again as in the days of the early church, only greater, because now there are more of us, and the stakes will be even greater, and so will the persecution. We will see great and awesome miracles in days ahead, because the Holy Spirit and God’s truth will be reunited in the heart of man. So, this phrase, “Spirit of Jesus,” is very powerful, for it implies the Spirit and the word united. It can change lives and circumstances. It has the power to change the whole world. Someday these things will happen. God has a plan and nothing can stop Him. His plan is due to unfold right around the corner from us. 

Phi 1-19

(254k) Trinity >> Holy Spirit’s relationship between Father and Son >> Jesus is equal with the Holy Spirit >> Power of Jesus’ Spirit – What did Paul mean by the Spirit of Jesus Christ? Is that just a fancy way of saying something else or did he really mean that? Is there a distinction between the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus Christ? No, the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus are one and the same! For Jesus to send the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was equivalent to Jesus Himself making His debut on the earth in Spirit form. We have all heard the phrase: ‘body, soul and spirit.’ We obviously have a body, and we also have a soul, and God has given us of His Spirit. However, God’s Spirit has mixed with our spirit to become one, so we are really only body and Spirit, and so is Christ, only His soul is the Spirit of God.  

Phi 1,20-25

(189g) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Martyr >> Martyrs witness to the life of God

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

21-26 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. 23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; 24 yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.

Phi 1,21-27

(235k) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >> All things are for your sake >> We are fighting for you >> Our effort is for your sake – Paul begins speaking about whether he should continue living in the flesh or whether he should go be with Christ in heaven. He intends to use his body to exalt the Lord in his body either way, but if he dies, God will exalt and glorify Himself through Paul’s life in all that he did for the Kingdom of God. “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Those were his two options, and it was a no-lose situation for him. If he lived on in the flesh, it was opportunity for him to continue glorifying God in his flesh and assisting the Church in their faith, opportunities for fruitful labor. On the one hand he wanted to stay here and help the Church spread the gospel, but on the other hand he just wanted to go to heaven and be with the Lord. He determined that it would be better if he remained with the Philippians; wishing for heaven was selfish on His part in that it would be only to his personal benefit if he died and went to heaven, whereas if he stayed, it would benefit many.

Phi 1,21-26

(7l) Responsibility >> Use time wisely >> Get ready >> Use this time to gather

(96c) Thy kingdom come >> Positive attitude toward God >> Good attitude about the word of God -- These verses go with verse 18

(187i) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >> Spirit versus the flesh >> Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak

(236k) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >> Invest in the treasures of the kingdom >> Invest in the fruit of the kingdom – It was always very encouraging for Paul to see the Church following Christ. The Philippians were a faithful church, and for that reason Paul was very encouraged by them, but a faltering church was discouraging in that his life investment was in God's people, so if the Church wasn’t going to follow the Lord, then if would affect his retirement package in heaven. As it was though, there were many in the Philippian Church who were faithful in Christ, and Paul was extremely grateful for this, not just for his own sake, but also for also for theirs. Paul suffered greatly in his ministry through many beatings, whippings and imprisonments, insults, exposure to the elements; he made sacrifices of every kind; he suffered starvation; he was even shipwrecked at sea. He didn’t want to go through all that for nothing, as we would expect. Jesus said in Mat 6-20, "Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal." Some say that it was selfish on Paul’s part to want to benefit from the saint’s service to God, but what nobler investment is there than the people of God?

Phi 1,21-25

(24b) Sin >> Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Anxiety >> Fear of losing the fruits of your labors

(94c) Thy kingdom come >> Perspective on this life >> This life is temporary

(101l) Thy kingdom come >> Ambitious to promote the Kingdom of God >> Preaching the gospel

(129d) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Bearing the fruit of evangelism >> Bearing the fruit of the gospel

(129l) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Being in one accord >> Single minded >> Going to any limit to fulfill God’s will

(248k) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Values >> The Highest Values >> Some things take precedence over others

(251a) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> Making plans >> Making plans according to the will of God >> Making plans within the boundaries of God’s will

Phi 1,21-24

(148l) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Obligation to preach the gospel >> Slave laborers

Phi 1,21-23

(57f) Paradox >> Opposites >> To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord

(224h) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Description of heaven >> The joyful kingdom >> Heaven is better than earth – Some make the assertion that Paul actually had a choice to go on living or else die whenever he wanted, but that would be a misinterpretation of this passage. Paul meant he didn’t know which to choose that he wished more. Sometimes he was happy to live longer and other times he wished he could just die. He knew that living was the better choice in light of the rewards he would amass for eternity. Had his life been cut short, what he had done would be the only rewards he would find waiting for Him in heaven, so he determined to continue living and racking up more rewards and seeing more people saved and established in the faith, and the Church more steadfast and better prepared for the future. Then hard times would return, and Paul would again wish for death. The point of death marks the end of our opportunity to gather heavenly rewards. The Lord makes simple requests of us to give ourselves to others that they might be saved and blessed and glorified; if we can’t do that, then we might as well be dead. Apart from obedience to Christ and service to others, this life offers nothing but futility and striving after wind. Why would anyone want to live apart from Christ? Paul had renewed his mind to the point that he thought like those who live and dwell in Heaven. The world doesn’t understand why anyone would want to believe in Jesus, and Paul didn’t understand why anybody would want to live without Christ, and so there was a stark contrast between the world and Paul, and that same contrast should also be in us.

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

Phi 1-21

(91d) Thy kingdom come >> The called >> His purpose answers "Why" – Paul said, “to live is Christ.” What is your reason to live? What is the reason for some people to commit suicide? Paul had a reason to live; it was to serve Christ by serving others; this should be every person’s reason to live. Being a servant is the most fulfilling role of all, though outwardly it may not seem like it. When the economy takes a nosedive and people commit suicide, the ones most likely to do so are wealthy CEOs at the top of corporations and heads of financial systems with people serving them. People who are dedicated to their role as a servant never consider suicide, because they are happy and content. They are blessed because they bless others; that is the road to true fulfillment in life, not for others to serve us. Paul also said, “to die is gain.” Those who die from suicide don’t gain from their death, but Paul knew he would gain heaven from his death; it would launch him directly to the place he wanted to go: into the presence of Christ. Being with Jesus and having peace with God is the very definition of paradise. Whenever we talk about paradise, the first thing that comes to mind is a utopian environment, a beautiful blue, balmy sky, perfect temperature with white cottony clouds floating overhead, birds chirping, butterflies swooping. That sounds like paradise, but we have that here on earth on some days, yet we don’t always feel we are in paradise, because of the environment of our hearts, anxious thoughts chewing at our mind concerning our circumstances. Any Christian who loves God would rather be with Jesus under the worst circumstances than to live in paradise without Him. Jesus was the ultimate servant; He is serving us even now, seated at the right-hand of God and interceding for the saints as our Great High Priest. How much more will He serve us when we finally meet Him face-to-face and live in His presence?

(192a) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Result of putting off the old man >> Gain by losing >> Life for life >> Losing your life to gain God’s life – Every born-again Christian is in a no-lose situation—if we live, we live for Christ; and if we die, we begin our eternal happiness with Christ; either way we can’t lose. In life we benefit by benefiting others, and in death we benefit by ridding this aging body of the flesh that continually fails and suffers and that continually tries to lead us in the opposite direction of God’s will. On many occasions Paul talked about suffering to the point of despairing even of life (2Cor 1-8), meaning he was tired of living, but there was one thing that kept him going, the fruitful labor ahead of him. If he could survive in hard times, he could proceed to more fruitful days of preaching the gospel and saving souls, encouraging the brethren, establishing other churches and racking up more rewards for the Kingdom of Heaven before it was finally his time to go.

Phi 1-22

(31j) Gift of God >> Gift of His grace >> Being responsible with it -- This verse goes with verse 6

(100f) Thy kingdom come >> Diligence >> Diligence in working the grace of God

Phi 1-23

(76i) Thy kingdom come >> Desires of your heart >> Your interests

(226e) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of the Kingdom of Heaven >> Reserved in heaven >> Our life is reserved for us in heaven – Paul was hard-pressed from both directions; he weighed both alternatives and determined that remaining in the flesh was better than dying, not because life is better than death, but because racking up rewards for Heaven, strengthening the brethren and being fruitful for the Kingdom of God is more important than his desire to live in paradise. He would eventually get there, and so there was no point in wishing it any sooner than the day that was appointed for him to die, especially when there are so many things to do in this life to glorify heaven and please God through faith in Jesus.

Phi 1-25

(125h) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Joy >> Joy is the result of obedience

Phi 1,26-28

(122d) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Confidence in God to keep you

Phi 1-26,27

(142d) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >> Having a good reputation >> A reputation of good works -- These verses go with verse 30

27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

Phi 1,27-30

(95g) Thy kingdom come >> Attitude >> Having a cooperative attitude >> An attitude that fosters unity

(103l) Thy kingdom come >> Purifying process >> Purified by circumstances >> Purified Through hardship

(209h) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Righteous saved with difficulty >> Fulfill your calling with difficulty

(243f) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Persecuting the kingdom >> Persecuting the Church of God – Boldness conveys to our enemies that they are powerless against us. If our opponents make us afraid, they will say we are part of the same kingdom and world to which they belong, but our absence of fear signifies that we belong to a kingdom that is different from theirs, opposite, for if someone did to them what they did to us, they would be fearful. In the absence of fear, we will be able to portray the Kingdom of God in all its other attributes, namely the fruit of the spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, etc. Through the weakness of our flesh, we can preach the gospel to them in light of our expression of God’s holy kingdom and give them insight into a spiritual kingdom that they have never known. We have experiences that they have never had. To experience a revelation of knowledge can only come from God. A person can go to school and study a field of science, and none of that knowledge will come as a revelation to them, but God reveals His truth by the Spirit, and in that revelation we come to know Him on a level that the world cannot comprehend. These are things we can show our enemies who would persecute us: as big buffoons they see in us is bigger buffoons heaven sees in them.

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

Phi 1-27,28

(97k) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Rooted deeply >> Standing firm together in the faith – This is Christianity according to the Bible; it is all about sacrifice and service; if we are not giving, then neither are we believing. The things God gives in our hearts are like an artesian well that continually runs and the resource is endless. If we run out of things to give in the natural realm, we always have things to give in the spirit. The spiritual things we give are more valuable than natural things. Having one mind refers to unity; it is the result of giving our inner self to others. If all are giving and receiving, we will edify one another, enabling us to come to a single conclusion about the truth, and this singleness of mind will establish our faith, as opposed to having many theories and doctrines and denominations from which to choose. That only fosters doubt, since we might pick the wrong one or perhaps none of them are right. When we constantly share our inner self with each other and hear the similarities between us, we can then hear the dissimilarity in others who come to deceive us. When their teaching does not jive with that which we have heard, we know it is false and by this we can expose the false teachers. If we keep our nose in the Scriptures and follow the Holy Spirit, we will not come to the wrong conclusions. A person who is a dreamer, who seeks to amend the truth without bathing his mind in the Scriptures, we will immediately discover the error through the unity of the saints.

(129n) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Being in one accord >> Having one mind – It is very likely that the theme of Philippians is unity, which suggests that the Philippian Church was a mature people, since the premise of unity is maturity. Spiritual maturity is linked to the fruits of the Spirit, which are tools we use to edify the body of Christ. The root word for “edify” is edifice, which refers to a house or shelter; therefore, unity is like a shelter, consisting of individual people, each one representing a brick of the temple. God puts the bricks of the Church together through a state of maturity with mortar between each brick that represents the anointing. Paul reiterates the word “one;” he wants to see the Philippians standing firm in one Spirit. When a person is born-again there are two spirits involved, the spirit of the man and the Spirit of God who meshes with our spirit to become one Spirit in Him (1Cor 6-17). So it is with unity, though there are many people, there is only one Spirit, who makes them all one in Christ. Unity is similar to being born-again in the sense that multiple spirits are coming together to become one. Paul wanted the Philippians to become one Spirit, and the only way to do that is to have one mind, for the mind is linked to the spirit of man. We find the freedom of Christ through unity, and the freedom we achieve in Christ is for the purpose of faith. We receive faith from God through unity, which is a substance that comes from heaven that resembles mortar between the bricks. In this way, His anointing transforms a pile of bricks into a church.

Phi 1-27

(71e) Authority >> Ordained by God >> Worthiness of man >> Perfecting the worthiness He has given us – “Standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,” is as good a definition of unity that we will ever find, and what did Paul say was the basis of this unity? He said we must conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel. So our conduct is involved. In contrast, Christianity today thinks God has allowed us to separate our conduct from our faith; we believe in Jesus through a set of doctrines instead. Jesus said in Mat 23-2, “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them.” This is a fair description of the Church today, and the person who would quibble about this should remember that unity is the first casualty of fictitious faith. We cannot separate faith from faithfulness without our faith withering. 

(86m) Thy kingdom come >> Obedience >> Be doers of the word from the heart >> Internalize the word of God -- This verse goes with verses 9-11

(93d) Thy kingdom come >> The narrow way >> Walk in a manner worthy of your calling

(100e) Thy kingdom come >> Diligence in the sight of God – There is only one faith and one truth, and we do not control it; rather, it should control us. Unity that exists in the Church is a measure of faith we have in the truth, and in today’s church that doesn’t account for much. The only way we will ever come to know the truth is through unity. However, we are all so deeply affected by the world that unity is remote, hence the truth is remote. The world is turning into an isolationist society, and it is infecting the Church, which has integrated into the world to avoid persecution, and freedom from persecution has come at a huge price. We have essentially given up the faith of the gospel! All we have now is an assortment of handpicked doctrines that we believe, but most of us don’t even know what those doctrines mean. We believe that Jesus died for our sins; that’s a good doctrine to believe. The problem is most of the world has heard these things too and many of them believe it, but the fact that the world believes it is proof that this is not the faith of the gospel, since the Bible teaches that only Christians believe the truth. Jesus said in Jn 8-32, “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free,” suggesting that we are able to comprehend the truth in a state of freedom only. That is, we understand “the faith of the gospel” as a revelation from God through the unity of the saints as we all strive together to understand it. A pastor standing behind a pulpit every week preaching the gospel can never affect unity among the saints. Rather, unity is effected by everyone working together, interconnected for the purpose of spiritual fellowship, which lends itself to communicating spiritual knowledge to the brethren that we have received from God that builds up the body of Christ, which in turn establishes us all in the true faith of the gospel.

(139f) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Encouragement >> Encouraging one another

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

28-30 in no way alarmed by your opponents -which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. 29 For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, 30 experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

Phi 1,28-30

(122j) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Boldness in adverse circumstances >> Do the will of God in the face of adversity – We are not to be afraid of our enemies. They sometimes interpret our lack of fear as arrogance, because they don’t believe we are fearless. They think we are merely masking over our fear with a false confidence, but if we are genuinely fearless, our enemies cannot create an environment of darkness in which they do their shameful deeds. Boldness cannot be expressed without an opponent. True boldness occurs when our faith is challenged and we rise to the occasion against those who would attempt to silence us. They try to invoke fear in us, and if they succeed, they can operate through that fear, but if we don’t show any fear, they have nothing to use against us. If they continue their persecutions without invoking fear in us, it exposes them as cruel. So boldness proves that our enemies are cruel, and for that reason they do not possess the truth, because the truth is not cruel. Christians are trying to convey to the world that God is not cruel; rather, He came and died for our sins to release us from condemnation and bondage and from His judgment through forgiveness of sin and acceptance that heaven might receive us and that we might become members of His kingdom. There is no cruelty in this, so our opponents who witness our gospel based on faith and love are put to shame, effectively showing them their need of salvation.

(156e) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Evidence of salvation >> You will know them by their endurance

Phi 1-28,29

(46e) Judgment >> Spiritual warfare >> Subjecting your flesh >> Being fearless in battle – To stand with confidence and boldness and to defy those who despise our faith is proof in itself that our critics are wrong. It carries the message that if they don’t repent of their unbelief, one day they will meet God and He will send them to hell for resisting His witness of the Church who proved to them through their boldness that they possessed something from God. That same confidence is also proof to ourselves of our faith, for the boldness we demonstrate is not our own, but is a divinely inspired confidence. For us to be absent of fear invokes fear in our enemies, because they expect to see fear in our eyes and in our behavior and hear it in our voices, and its absence is evidence that God is in us. It proves that what we believe is true. The lack of fear is a spiritual manifestation. For this reason we must stand firm in our faith when we are opposed by the unbelief that is in the world, not to dread it or panic, but to look it square in the eye without being ashamed of our faith in Jesus Christ. They may put on a show as though unaffected, but when they go to bed they will remember, for these are the ways of God and His ways are not without affect!

Phi 1-28

(28b) Gift of God >> God is our advocate >> God protects us through our faith

(157c) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Evidence of being hell-bound >> Rejecting God >> Rejecting God’s people

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

Phi 1-29,30

(7b) Responsibility >> Protecting the Gospel >> Defend the word of God by obeying it – It was imperative for Paul to suffer for a ministry that he loved; that same suffering also applies to us. Just as Paul was more zealous than his opponents (false apostles) for the purpose of hindering them from the practice of wolf-like behavior among the brethren, so the brethren ought to be more zealous than those who would imitate Christianity for the purpose of sneaking in and disrupting the lives of the people.

(36b) Gift of God >> Gifts from the Holy Spirit >> The gift of repentance

(136b) Temple >> Your spirit is the temple of God >> The body of Christ >> Similarity in the body >> The body suffers together

(188f) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Suffering righteousness – It’s not just Paul who suffered, but all who believe will suffer in this world for believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. God has granted us the ability to believe in Him in concert with the opportunity to suffer for His sake, for the two of them go together like peas and carrots. The decision we made to believe in Christ led to the gift of the Holy Spirit, and that gift gives us the faith to believe in Him along with the ability to endure our suffering that results from our faith. This may be God’s earth, but it is the devil’s world. The majority of the people on earth will never believe in God; that will always be true. Therefore, we who are the minority who believe will be persecuted. We will be made to feel less than welcome in this world. The right-wing republican Christian group may feel they are very much a part of this world, and they may have a say about what happens in the political arena. They may be a viable segment of society and have nobility about themselves no different from other groups, but those who truly believe in Jesus Christ will not experience a sense of nobility in this world. Rather, their experience will be that of persecution and rejection, of scoffing, accusations and mocking that may lead to physical persecution, cloaked in other reasons for their physical assaults.

Phi 1-30

(142d) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >> Having a good reputation >> A reputation of good works -- This verse goes with verses 26&27

See next page