From beatings to imprisonments, Paul had endured much suffering for the cause of Christ. These trials had taught Paul to be content in all circumstances, an ability that Paul encouraged the Philippians to cultivate. In fact, his letter to the Philippians is a testimony to this attitude. Even though he was in prison, facing an uncertain future, Paul wrote this thank-you letter to the Philippians, a letter that expressed Paul’s abundant joy in what God was accomplishing through them. ~ from NKJV Study Bible
The author
1. The letter to the Philippians is one of the four prison epistles, along with Ephesians, Colossians and Philemon. The writer is Paul, and the greeting tells us that Timothy was with Paul at the time of this writing. In the other 3 prison epistles, Paul refers to himself as an apostle, but in Philippians, he calls himself, as well as Timothy, a bondservant.
a. What is a bondservant?
b. What might Paul have been expressing about himself using this description?
c. Paul also refers to Jesus as a bondservant in Phil. 2:7. What does this verse tell us about
Jesus?
2. What do we learn about Timothy from these verses? Acts 16:1-5, Phil. 2:19-22
The Recipients
1. “To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi” refers to all believers in Philippi.
a. What does “saints” mean?
b. “In Christ Jesus” indicates what?
c. Locate Philippi on a map. What do we learn about Philippi from Acts 16:12?
2. “With the bishops and deacons”
a. Bishops refers to those who watched over the spiritual welfare of the local church (synonymous with “elders” in other New Testament passages). They were the main administrators of the church. (from NKJV Study Bible) What might their responsibilities look like in the church today?
b. Deacons refers to those who served the congregation in special service capacities. They were charged with handling the physical and material concerns of the church. (from NKJV Study Bible) What might their responsibilities look like in the church today?
The Circumstances of the writing
Paul wrote this letter while under house arrest, under guard at all times. Imagine the influence on the life of a person guarding Paul for hours on end! He was under house arrest for 2 years (see Acts 28:30-31) while awaiting his court appearance before Caesar, around the years a.d. 60-62. Paul was allowed visitors and provision from friends. His imprisonment gave Paul the opportunity to write this letter of encouragement and thanks, not only to the church at Philippi, but to us as well. How does this fit into Romans 8:28?
The Church at Philippi
1. We read of the founding of the church at Philippi in Acts 16. It was founded during Paul’s second missionary journey, approximately 11 years prior to the writing of this letter. It was the first church planted in Europe,
a. Summarize Paul’s call to Philippi. (Acts 16:6-12)
b. Describe the first convert in Philippi. How and where did this take place? (Acts 16:13-15)
2. Paul and Silas faced persecution while in Philippi. Summarize this from Acts 16:16-24.
3. God used this situation for His purposes. Summarize this from Acts 16:25-34.
Philippians is a short letter of only 4 chapters. Make every effort to read through the entire letter this week. Having an overview will help us as we dig into this letter.