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Philippians 1:1-2 (NKJV)
1 Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ,
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the [a]bishops and deacons:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Background:
Philippi was the first city in which the gospel of Jesus Christ was preached on the continent of Europe. Acts 16 informs us of the vision that Paul had in the night. He saw a man of Macedonia in Europe. Then we read how Paul & Silas went. In Philippi, they
found a group of women who had met together for prayer by the river. This is where Lydia opened her heart and accepted the Lord. It was here where the devil possessed girl followed them and shouted loud. It is where Paul rebuked the evil spirit and the girl was set free. After that Paul & Silas went to prison because of the people who were making money through the demon-possessed girl. While in prison there was an earthquake and the chains of all prisoners were loosed.
It was then that the jailer wanted to kill himself because he thought all prisoners would have escaped. However instead found out that everyone was still there and gave his life to the Lord. This is how the church in Philippi started. It is funny as Paul is writing this letter… again he is a prisoner, however, this time in Rome. Paul was writing this letter in response to a gift that was sent by the church through Epaphroditus.
The theme of the epistle of Philippians is one of JOY — Joy in the Lord. This letter teaches us in a practical way how to have and experience joy. Please remember when Paul was writing this letter he was in a dungeon in Rome … not a very pleasant place to be, however, again and again, we will be instructed how to have joy and experience joy while facing hard times.
As we go through this epistle we will be facing and dealing with the following questions:
What is life? What is death? Meaning of justification by faith, the doctrine of the resurrection, what does it mean to be glorified, the meaning of real prayer. This book is full of central Christian doctrines and yet very practical. Looking forward to exploring it together and learn from it so our lives may be changed and transformed … so we may experience JOY IN THE LORD AT ALL TIMES.
To view the notes for this message, please click the link Introduction to Philippians– Notes in pdf
