The Apostle Paul’s Letter to the Philippians

October

October 1

Chapter 3, Verse 19, con’t, “Their end is destruction, their God is their belly, and they glory in their shame with minds set on earthly things.”

Two words stand in oppostion here: δόξα, doxa,”glory,” and αἰσχύνῃ, aischynē, “shame.” Why? Most importantly, glory, all glory is received for and to be given to God alone. In our world, however, glory is commonly give to celebrity. Shame, on the other hand, or what brings it to bear upon a person, i.e., their actions, attitudes, words spoken, and/or acquaintances, is supposed to cause a person to bury their face in their hands, as it were, with embarrassment. But Paul says people brag and focus proudly on what should be shameful. Nothing has changed. Just watch an NFL halftime show viewed and acclaimed by millions. Then you will know the meaning of this verse.

October 2

Chapter 3, Verse 19, con’t, “Their end is destruction, their God is their belly, and they glory in their shame with minds set on earthly things.”

It is not just that they have their min set on the world and its evil, they have an evil mindset. In other words, people without Christ in their lives generally are focused on themselves, the world around them, and what they can get from it. They completely ignore God at the peril of their soul. This is easy to see even in the lives of many “church” people who spend more time (and money) being away from church than in church. Almost 40 years ago, Charles Stanley wrote about casual christianity and how it destroys lives. The only way to confront it is with the truth of the bible and its gospel message.

October 3

Chapter 3, Verse 20, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

πολίτευμα, politeuma, “citizenship,” and its various forms, is used to describe being part of a particular governments civil affairs with all its rights and privileges. In this case, it is heaven. It blows my mind when I think about being a temporary citizen on earth, in America (which actually makes me a resident alien), and being a permanent citizen of God’s kingdom that I have never seen–except when I am surrounded by a body of believers we call the church. One day soon, I will live in the presence of God in heaven and eventually he will move me to a new home on a new earth in a new heaven where sin will not exist (2 Peter 2:10-13).

October 4

Chapter 3, Verse 20, con’t, and verse 21, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”

We patiently and anxiously wait, ἀπεκδεχόμεθα, apekdechometha, translated “we await,” for Jesus to invade this world from heaven to completely transform our sinful, inadequate bodies, μετασχηματίσει, metaschēmatisei, “transform,” into bodies like his. And he will accomplish miracles by the superhuman power reserved only for God, ἐνέργειαν, energeian, “working, power” which is the same power that enables, δύνασθαι, dynasthai, “enabling” him to subdue, ὑποτάξαι, hypotaxai, “to subdue,” all of creation to himself. In other words, Jesus is in charge and I am safe in him! To God be the glory.

October 5

Chapter 4, Verse 1, “Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm this in the Lord, my beloved.”

Anytime Paul inserts a “therefore,” turn back a “page.” The last paragraph of chapter three tells us not to be like the seff-serving world because, in Christ, heaven is our home and Jesus in in charge of everything–even when it appears otherwise. So, therefore. . .”Therefore, my brothers” brings to us yet again that beautiful word ἀδελφοί, adelphoi (with μου, mou, “of me”), reminding us that there is a close personal and spiritual connection between Paul and his friends in the church at Philippi–even though they were separated by more than 20 days travel in those days (ORBIS). The point? Time and space and circumstances cannot displace the love shared by our common faith in Christ.

October 6

Chapter 4, Verse 1, con’t, “Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm this in the Lord, my beloved.”

Most everyone knows I love my wife–50 years together and if you see one of us, the other one is usually nearby. I get asked frequently, “How have you stayed together for all these years?” Actually, that answer is easy. . .Jesus. The two of us are so different. The only glue that could stick us together is the love of God. Paul called the “brothers” ἀγαπητοὶ καὶ ἐπιπόθητοι, agapētoi kai epipothētoi, “beloved and longed for.” The first word describes a love that is real and divinely inspired, not some conjured lustful attraction. The second term just means “I miss them” and with deep affection. That is the sort of Christian love we all ned to be able to stay together for the long haul. That love has kept me and my wife together and it will continue to keep us together until God takes us home.

October 7

Chapter 4, Verse 1, con’t, “Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm this in the Lord, my beloved.”

Everyone likes to be happy, right? Of course they do unless they are some sort of pessimist. Happiness comes and goes, though, because it is based on what is happening right now. Happiness is easily threatened by a change in circumstances. It just wears off. That is not true with what Paul is talking about here. While both joy and crown are used metaphorically to represent people with faces and names, they also represent something much more important–the future. Paul calls them his joy because he is confident their faith in Christ is constantly changing them. And he calls them his crown because he knows both he and they will receive a reward from the throne of God when they all get to heaven.

October 8

Chapter 4, Verse 1, con’t, “Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm this in the Lord, my beloved.”

In familiar Pauline manner, the apostle tell these of which is profoundly fond (beloved) to stand firm in the Lord. στήκετε, stēkete, “stand firm,” primarily means to persevere. In this case, maintain a close relationship with Jesus. How? We do it just like with anyone else, fellowship. There is no substitute for spending actual face time with someone you love. And since we cannot gaze at Jesus in person, in this temporary abode we all life, we have one option–in two parts: being/staying in the word daily and, praying all the time (1 Thessalonians 5:17). These are most important things to do in our Christian lives.

October 9

Chapter 4, Verse 2, “I entreat Euodia and Syntyche to agree in the Lord.”

Every time I read this sentence, I am a little taken aback. Right in the middle of the extended treatise on the Christian life, Paul finds it necessary to call out two individuals–two women, it could have just as easily been two men, for some sort of disagreement. Paul said, “I entreat,” παρακαλῶ, parakalō, “exhort.” This is like a summons given to them both. It is not just a suggestion. Paul knew, as we all do, that when a disagreement is left to fester instead of being resolved, it causes hard feelings that can turn into bitterness and even bring hostility. Sadly, most of the time, squabbles are over nothing important. Here, though, Paul is seeking to protect their testimonies.

October 10

Chapter 4, Verse 2, “I entreat Euodia and Syntyche to agree in the Lord.”

What do we know about these two ladies? T with, they have been valuable members of Paul’s troupe during his gospel campaign. It is important not to travel alone, especially when you are doing the Lord’s work–sharing your faith, building up the church and meeting the needs of those in your community. Just like life in general, we need help along the way, encouragement, and accountability. Sometimes, our opinions or a lack of understanding impedes our growth, our ability to move forward, and often our words and actions either bring offense or adversely affect the attitude of those around we. We must be careful with our words. This is at least part of the issue with the women Paul is addressing.

October 11

Chapter 4, Verse 2, “I entreat Euodia and Syntyche to agree in the Lord.”

Life is sometimes very messy.While we are trying to navigate ourselves through the difficulties of relationships, we must learn the give and take of what some call compromise. I call it accommodation. Why the difference? I will not compromise what I believe based upon my understanding of the Bible in order to have a relationship with someone. A person may be a pleasant acquaintance, but they will not be close to me if they expect me to violate my deeply held beliefs. Paul told these ladies, τὸ αὐτὸ φρονεῖν, to auto phronein, “to be of the same mind,” in the Lord. They were to divert their thinking toward God in light of what they had learned from Scripture so that they could walk in harmony and continue to support the gospel work.

October 12

Chapter 4, Verse 3, “Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.”

Paul, one of the greatest teachers in the history of the church, was asking for help. That ought to scream out to us–it is OK to ask for help. I know the argument. Paul was in jail and could not personally attend to this. So what? He wrote it down, sent it in his letter, and ask a specific person, who he trusted, to step in on his behalf. I think that is pretty personal involvement. If we (I) are not willing to get our hands “dirty” when we are asked to help, we are never going to be much use in growing or protecting the church while we are here on earth. And the idea is not limited to intervention in personal matters. If we, who are saved, and hopefully are in the word daily, and part of a local church where we attend weekly, do not participate in getting things done for the benefit of our local assembly, what good are we really to cause of Christ?

October 13

Chapter 4, Verse 3, con’t, “Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.”

γνήσιε σύζυγε, gnēsie syzyge, properly “true yokefellow,” describes someone who is a faithful partner to Paul in his gospel quest. The companion/yokefellow word is thought by some to be a proper name. Whether or not that is accurate, I believe the more important term is “true.” The technical meaning of the terms is “lawfully begotten.” In it origin, it referred to children being born from a legitimate marriage or “lawfully” begotten–born in wedlock. So it came to mean real or authentic. And this exactly what a co-worker in God’s work should be–real, instead of one who shows up occasionally and puts on a happy face while inside they are miserable because they are unfaithful, not walking close to God at all. In fact, that sort of person doesn’t show up to serve, they arrive to receive instead of serve.

October 14

Everyone needs a little help sometimes, even if they do not realize it. Many reasons come to mind for resisting help. When the mind is hell-bent on being right, or anger is controlling thinking, or just being plain stubborn because you do not realize you need it, help is often rejected. And yet, Paul was aware that help was needed, so he reached out to find it. συλλαμβάνου, syllambanou, “help,” in this context means to seize the opportunity or take hold of someone’s hand to assist them—in this case, to make a good decision about each other and their continued participation in the work of God. We must be careful when help is offered. We may need it more than we know.

October 15

συνήθλησάν, synēthlēsan, “labored together,” describes the history of these two women who became at odds for some unknown reason. It only occurs here in Philippians. It is a compound with a root meaning “to wrestle in company with” and likely used to mean “cooperate vigorously with.” So what happened? Apparently, no one outside the camp knew. I can tell you this: it happens all the time. It has happened to me. Many years ago, a close, dear, personal friend who I saw every week and did things together in and out of church suddenly went cold, not a word. It was strange. After months passed, I confronted the situation and he said, “I don’t know what happened.” Regardless, we made things right together and continued to serve side by side. That is how Christian friendship is supposed to work. We do not give up on each other and we do whatever is necessary to keep our friendship alive.

October 16

During our lifetime, we all labor with something, maybe a job, a hobby, or even working at not working. Labor, putting for effort, is funning that way. But for a Christian, labor should be an everyday thing. Honest labor is one of the hallmarks of doing good–especially if you are a Christ follower. In this verse, the labor is very special. It is in the gospel. That means first that the gospel is in us. We have heard it, come to understand it, and it has changed our lives–when we accepted Jesus as our Savior. Then, as we grow in him and start to understand lordship, we know that our assignment is to take the gospel to others to get it in them. That is a true labor of love.

October 17

Years ago, when I first started reading about Paul and his many exploits, I reckoned that he usually traveled and worked alone, making his tents, or that he traveled with one or two companions. On his long treks, that may have been true. But, when he arrived at what would become a mission station, and later a local church, he had a troupe of fellow believers–many of whom he likely led to faith in Christ–who served along side him to advance the gospel. Nowadays, the hired help, pastor and staff, are expected to be the church evangelists. That is patently wrong. If you are part of a church family, it is your responsibility and privilege to share you faith with others just like Paul’s friends did.

October 18

Who are the “whose” and what is the book? Everyone who has trusted Jesus as Savior is indelibly listed in βίβλῳ ζωῆς, biblō zōēs, “(the) book of life.” According to Revelation 20, verse 15, in particular, a day of cataclysmic judgment is in store for humanity. The judge, Jesus, has a bunch of books. the book of life contains the names of saved people. The other books are full of the names of all who rejected him. Death and hell will give up the dead without Christ and the judgment passed will end with all those people being thrown into a lake of fire. This is why it is so important for the gospel to be preached. Without Christ Jesus in your life, eternity will be tragic.

October 19

Chapter 4, Verse 4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”

In modern speech and writing, I do not hear the word rejoice used much–never have, really. I hear “happy” a lot, but not rejoice–except in religious circles. Maybe that is because χαίρετε, chairete, “rejoice,” is a patently religious word. The form used in this verse and its root, χαίρω, chairó, are kin to both xará, chara, “joy,” and xáris, charis, “grace.” In this verse, it means “to delight” or “be exceedingly glad in” because of God’s grace. So I see the real connection. I surmise that rejoice is not used much outside Christian circles anymore because the world at large has not experienced God’s grace, resulting in little, if any, desire to rejoice. Like the song says, “Just be happy.” How sad.

October 20

Chapter 4, Verse 4, con’t, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”

Is there any other way to rejoice? I think not. There are many ways to find happiness–most of which last a little while and then fade away. It happens in church all the time. People attend an event or hear a good sermon and feel happy about it only to fall back into their nearly regular doldrums a few hours later. Rejoicing is not something you conjure nor is it something brought on by a happy circumstance. Rejoicing comes out of a keen personal relationship with God in Jesus Christ. In the middle of sadness, rejoicing is still possible. Psalm 30:5, “weeping may stay the night, but rejoicing (joy) comes in the morning.” [NIV]

October 21

Chapter 4, Verse 4, con’t, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”

πάντοτε, pantote, “always,” is a simple adverb (modifying rejoice) from two other Greek words, πᾶς, pas, “every,” and ὅτε, hote, “when.” Together, as attested by other ancient writers, it means at all times or, as in the ESV, always. How is that significant for me? Understanding my eternal relationship with God in Jesus Christ is an ongoing, ever-changing affair for me as I walk closer and dive deeper into his word. The more I learn and know, the easier it it for me to understand something. In this case, my ability to rejoice always, or at all times, is a reflection of God showing me that circumstances should not dictate my state of mind. Whether happy or sad, concerned or calm, I can and should rejoice because I know God and his goodness.

October 22

Chapter 4, Verse 4, con’t, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”

When I recount the many blessings I have received from God, it is easy to rejoice. When I think about those blessings repeatedly, over the course of my day, it becomes easy to have an attitude of rejoicing. So, at every meal, during my morning quiet time, while I am meandering through my sometimes busy day, and when God wakes me up in the middle of the night, I spend the bulk of my time praying–giving thanks for everything I can think of at the time. I certainly offer requests for needs in my life, my family, my church, and the world at large, But even then I know I can rejoice because I am certain God is listening to every word. So, rejoice!

October 23

Chapter 4, Verse 5, “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand.”

Some of the words used in 4:5 for reasonableness in other English translations include: forbearing spirit, graciousness, humility, modesty, kindness, and the most common, gentleness. the last one is the best way to translate ἐπιεικὲς, epieikes,. The general usage seems to indicate the idea of being equitable, hence, gentle in the sense of truly fair by not being too strict with standards in order to observe the “spirit of law” over letter of law. In other words, do not be overbearing with whay you believe–believe it, present it, but do it with kindness. A closely held belief that you brandish like a club likely will not be accepted even it it is the truth. That will only drive someone away from God and probably you, too.

October 24

Chapter 4, Verse 5, con’t, “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand.”

Paul admonishes us to live with a sense of gentleness. and he tells us to be “out” with it. γνωσθήτω, gnōsthētō, “let it be known,” and πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις, pasin anthrōpois, “to all men,” can sometimes make us (me) uncomfortable. Why? I am not exactly known for being gentile, more like harsh–and sometimes that makes me come across as uncaring. Nothing could be further from the truth, but perceptions are so even when they are not. This is where the Word becomes my sensitivity trainer. I am forced to consider this because the apostle tells me to be gentle to all men. I guess that includes the unkind and the inconsiderate. Maybe they are having a bad day and my gentleness might help right their course.

October 25

Chapter 4, Verse 5, con’t, “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand.”

ὁ Κύριος ἐγγύς, ho Kyrios engys, “the Lord (is) near,” can mean a couple of things. I believe it is both. God is near obviously means he is not far away. I am reminded of John 4:4, “Greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world.” So, not only is Jesus nearby, he is present in my very experience, guiding me in all I do. I also recall James 5:8, “You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand”–same Greek construct. While it sometimes seems a little odd, the second coming of Jesus is close. The odd part is that James, and others, believed Jesus was coming soon, and so do I. God’s timetable is beyond our understanding, but it is still true. He could come back any day now, without notice. If he does, in our lifetime, are we ready to meet him?

October 26

Chapter 4, Verse 6, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God.”

μεριμνᾶτε, merimnate, “be anxious about”, is something that plagues humanity more and more–regardless of geographic location or economic status. One researcher estimate that 1/4 billion people worldwide suffer from anxiety disorder, with almost constant debilitating effects. Why? People are worried about so many different life aspects all at once, the biggest now being a general feeling of being unsafe. The world is moving further away from God and in doing so has lost its real connection to permanency and security. Without Jesus, all is truly lost. But he is gracious to all who call on him.