The *Church at
Philippi was the 1st Church Apostle Paul founded in Macedonia.
Philippi was a military city – not a commercial center – and the people of
Philippi were considered citizens of Rome, and given a number of special roman
privileges. One of those special privileges was that a roman citizen could not
be punished without a trial, as we read in Acts 16:37-40 when Paul claimed his
roman citizenship and openly condemned the local magistrates during his
ill-treatment at their hands. It was largely due this open rebuke by Apostle
Paul that future punishments towards **Christians in Philippi were limited.
The best estimates of when this epistle was drafted and
dispatched would be 55 A.D.; about five years after his first visit to
Philippi, and the founding of a small member Church Body (Acts 16). According
to this account, Paul’s first contact in Philippi was with a group of women
gathered together for prayer on Shabbat. #Lydia, a textile merchant, was the first Philippian convert,
and community leader: as highlighted in that recounting, a warm and mutual
friendship developed. And by the time Apostle Paul had written his Philippian =Epistle, the Philippian Church Body had grown
to a count of 30 – 50 people … small, but effective 😊
In Acts, we read about Lydia and other women who were the
earliest movers in the Philippian congregation: this community of Early
Believers had significant female leadership from the get-go … and says
something significant about Apostle Paul’s understanding of {gender roles} in
the Body of Christ.
The city of Philippi, located along the Mediterranean, is now
part of present-day Greece and just south of Bulgaria – but in Paul’s day, it
was an important roman colony in the region of ancient Macedonia, and the
citizens there would have lived with the awareness of imperial power
overshadowing every aspect of their lives. This Philippian letter from Paul
makes a few references to the opposition and persecutions experienced by those
early Believers, there.
The letter to the Philippians is about what it means to be
citizens in the kingdom of ***Yeshua Ha’Mashiach: Paul encourages Believers to stand firm
in their new identity in ****Christ over – and against – other allegiances and opponents
who demand conformity to earthly kingdoms, dominions, and regions. The
Believers primary allegiance is to Christ, and Him alone.
Philippians is referred to as the “Epistle of Joy”, and the
words joy, rejoice, and gladness are liberally sprinkled throughout … even
though Paul sits in chains, and the Philippian Church faces significant social
and political opposition.
**********
Philippians ~ Chapter 1/Thursday Bible Study
Salutation
“From Paul and Timothy, servants of Yeshua Ha’Mashiach, to
all the Christians at Philippi, including the pastors and deacons. Grace be to
you, and peace, from *****Elohim the
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! (vvs. 1 – 2)
Paul’s Love for the Saints
I thank my God for all my memories of you. It is always a joy
for me to pray for you because you have taken a full share in the ==Gospel work from the first day it came to you,
until now. And I am sure of this, that He Who began a good work in you will keep
on perfecting (improving = educating/cultivating, growing; refining
= upgrading/advancing, moving forward; honing = preparing, training,
coaching, teaching; sharpening = enhancing, boosting; put the finishing
touch on) it until the day of Jesus Christ.
I think that it is right for me to feel that way about all of
you, because I have you always in my heart and you have shared (combined,
mutual, joint, communal) Elohim’s grace with me – both when I have been in
chains, and also when I have been free to defend and vindicate (support,
prove, uphold, clearly define) the Gospel. And Elohim knows how I yearn for
you all with deep love of Christ Jesus Himself. (vvs. 3 – 8)
Paul’s Prayer for Them
My prayer for you is this, that your love may increase still
more and that you may get a greater knowledge and a deeper understanding. Thus
you will always be able to prize what is excellent, and to be pure and
blameless till the day when Christ shall return. And your lives will be filled
with the fruits of righteousness, all through Jesus Christ and all the glory
and praise of Elohim. (vvs. 9 – 11)
The Spread of the Gospel Due to Paul’s Imprisonment
Brethren, I want you to know that what has happened to me has
actually helped to spread the Gospel. It has now become common knowledge
throughout the ##emperor’s guard
and elsewhere that I am in prison for the sake of Christ.
Besides, most of the brethren, on account of my imprisonment,
have become more dependent on the Lord and have started to preach oftener and
more boldly than ever before. (vvs. 12 – 14)
The Progress in Preaching
It seems that some of them are preaching because of envy (jealousy,
greed, resentment) or partisanship (bias = favoritism, one-sidedness),
but there are some, too, who preach Christ because of good will (grace =
encouragement, cheer, boost, lift; helpfulness = value, benefit; care
= maintenance of-; support/backing, assistance). These last-named
do it out of love, for they know that I was poised (assured, confident, on
the verge = approach) to defend the Gospel.
The first-named, on the other hand, are preaching Christ –
not sincerely, but out of ill-will (animosity or bitterness) to me; that
they thereby may add to my pain (discomfort, sorrow, mistreatment =
oppression) in prison. What does it really matter? In one way or another …
Christ is now being preached. From false motives, and from honest motives: I
am, therefore glad that He is being made known; and I shall always be glad
because of it. (vvs. 15 – 18)
The Prayers of Intercession
Because of your prayers of intercession (easing,
assistance = help, support), and because of the bountiful (openhanded =
generous) resources (means, supplies) from the ******Ruach HaKo’desh, I realize
that all this will make for my own welfare (wellbeing, happiness, benefit).
It is my earnest expectation and hope that I may never disgrace (shame,
dishonor, tarnish = damage) myself, but that I shall now, as always
hitherto, bravely stand up for Christ; and honor Him with my body, no matter
whether that means to live for Him, or to die for Him; for to me … to live is
Christ and to die is gain!
But if to keep on living here in this body means that my
labor is bearing fruit, then I cannot decide which choice is the better. I am
hard pressed (burdened with urgency) between the two. I have had the
desire to leave this world and be with Christ, for obviously that would be far
better. But for your sakes, it seems more important that I go on living among
you. I am fully convinced of this, and therefore I feels sure that I will live
a while longer and thus continue to help all of you advance in Christian living
– as well as in the joy that comes from faith. So, when I come to you again you
will have a chance to rejoice more than ever with me in Christ Jesus. (vvs.
19 – 26)
Unity Through Faithful Christian Living
No matter what happens, you must live lives worthy (well-intentioned,
admirable, praiseworthy = credible) of the Gospel of Christ. Then, whether
I come to you or do not come, may I hear about you that you stand firm – united
in spirit, having one purpose, one faith – working together for the Gospel
cause! Never for a moment let your foes (enemies; rivals = challengers;
antagonists) frighten (alarm, upset, worry) you in any way. Your
fearlessness (courage = daring, resolution/resolve; boldness
= confidence/conviction; confidence = trust) will then be to
them a sign of their own coming defeat (setback, loss) – as well as your
salvation (recovery, liberation); and that all from Elohim Himself. Now,
you have been granted (approved, given, awarded) the grace (favor,
mercy, blessing, honor) not only to believe in Christ; but also to suffer
for Him. You are to fight (match, campaign = task, duty, mission – carry out)
the same fight in which you have seen me engaged (busy, take part), the
same struggle (effort, labor = make a great effort) you hear I still
have.” (vvs. 27 – 30)
*Church = Body of Believers: congregation of people gathering to
honor Yeshua (Savior, Son of God = God), and worship Elohim (the
Father = God).
**Christians = followers of Christ; Children of Almighty God.
#Lydia = a woman from Thyatira, was the first of
Paul’s converts in Europe. Lydia – a woman of means and standing, lived and
worked in Philippi; dealing in textiles colored with the purple dye for which
the region was famous. Her wealth allowed her to live independently in a
spacious house. She was also a religious seeker. She was among the gentile
women who gathered outside Philippi on each Sabbath to pray
to the God of the Jews. Lydia's attendance at the prayer gathering
demonstrated her willingness to respond to as much about God as she knew. Acts
16, tells Lydia's story. Following her baptism, she opened her household to
Paul, his co-workers, and the new Christian congregation. Lydia and her friends
were the nucleus of the congregation at Philippi. Paul and his companions made
Lydia’s house their headquarters before and after their stay in the Philippi
jail. Acts 16: 14 & 40.
Thyatira (also Thyatira)
(Ancient Greek: Θυάτειρα) was the name of an ancient Greek city in Asia Minor,
now the modern Turkish city of Akhisar. During the Roman era, it was famous
for its dyeing facilities and was a center of the purple cloth trade.
Among the ancient ruins of the city, inscriptions have been found relating to
the guild of dyers in the city.
=Epistle = (/ɪˈpɪsəl/; Greek: ἐπιστολή, epistolē,
"letter") is a writing directed or sent to a person or group
of people, usually an elegant and formal didactic letter: part of the
scribal-school writing curriculum.
***Yeshua
Ha’Mashiach: is Hebrew for “Jesus the Messiah”; the name
Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Yeshua.
****Christ (from the Hebrew
word, Ha’Mashiach ישוע המשיח & the Greek word, Christos/khris-tos) = The Anointed, Yeshua the Messiah, in both
languages.
*****Elohim (Hebrew: אֱלֹהִים,
romanized: ʾĚlōhīm: [(eloˈ(h)im]) is a Hebrew word meaning "Gods –
Father, Son, & Holy Spirit". Although the word is plural in form, in
the Hebrew Bible it usually refers to a single deity “Behold, the Lord – the
Lord is One”, particularly the at God of Israel.
==Gospel = teaching or revelation of
Christ.
##Emporer’s Guard = an
imperial guard or palace guard is a special group of troops, typically closely
associated directly with the Emperor. Usually, these troops represent a more
privileged status than other imperial forces, including the regular armed
forces; and maintain special rights, privileges and traditions.
******Ruach HaKo’desh: In Hebrew, the Holy Spirit
(רוח הקודש, Roo-ahk
hah-Koh-desh) refers to the divine force, quality, and influence
(aka, power) of God.
The Holy Spirit (Luke
3:16 & 11:13; 1 Corinthians 6:9; Ephesians 1:13 & 4:30; 1 Thessalonians
4:8; Titus 3:5; and Jude 1:20), is referred to more than 90 times in the
Brit Chadashah.
**Ephesians 6: https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2022/10/ephesians-chapter-6thursday-bible-study.html
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