Sunday, August 30, 2009
From Jail with Joy
(Philippians 1:1-11)
Joy is the ever-present heartbeat of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Such is remarkable given Paul’s personal circumstances at the time of his writing: Paul was in prison. Rather than decry the injustice of his situation, Paul took advantage of his “down time” by writing to encourage his beloved Christian converts. The Philippian believers held a special place in Paul’s heart.
Paul preached the Gospel at Philippi during his second missionary journey. His two most notable converts during this journey were both from Philippi—Lydia, the famous “seller of purple,” and the Philippian jailer. These among others formed the first Christian church on the European continent—a church Paul came to deeply love (7, 8).
Of all the Christians of his day, Paul could have been the most discouraged. He was, at the time of his writing, confined to a prison cell in Rome. Paul’s focus, however, was not on his personal circumstances. Paul chose to rise above his trial and focus on encouraging others. In fact, he expressed confidence that the Lord would continue His work in the new Christians of Philippi (6). Paul also prayed—not for himself—but for his friends, desiring that they would grow in Christ and produce fruits of righteousness (9-11).
The letter to the Philippian believers is a prime example of selfless devotion to Christ and His cause, without reference to personal sacrifice and suffering. Paul’s example stands in stark contrast to the narcissism systemic in the contemporary church. May we, his spiritual heirs, model his example.
