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9 Letters to churches then 4 letters to individuals. How about HEBREWS???

Philippians The Book of When Paul came to Philippi, the message he preached is the same message that must be preached today. Examples like Lydia and the jailer realized their need and obeyed and became a part of the Lord’s body.

Real Brotherly Love

Key verses, in the Book of Philippians! For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Philippians 1:29 For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,

Philippians 2:5-11 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, [6] who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, [7] but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. [8] And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. [9] Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, [10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, [11] and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,

Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Where do find the establishment of Philippians in the New Testament? The church at Philippi. Where do find the establishment of Philippians in the New Testament?

Acts 16:9-12 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them. 11 Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days.

The History! Paul first came to Philippi during his second preaching trip after being forbidden by the Spirit to preach in Asia. He responded to the appeal of a vision to preach instead in Macedonia and came to Philippi, the “chief city” of that region (Acts 16:6-12).

The History! He found Lydia, a seller of purple, and her household at a place of prayer and converted them with gospel preaching (Acts 16:13-15).

The History! A short while later, Paul and his companion Silas were thrown into prison upon false accusations made against them by men who felt threatened by the message of Jesus. On the same night of their confinement, God shook the prison with a great earthquake, and their jailor and his house obeyed the gospel after hearing the “word of the Lord” (Acts 16:16-34).

The History! The preachers were offered their freedom by city officials who became frightened at having allowed a Roman citizen to be bound and beaten without a trial (Acts 16:35-40). Upon their release from jail, Paul and Silas visited briefly in Lydia’s house and soon thereafter left Philippi for Thessalonica (Acts 16:40-17:1). Having completed his second missionary journey, Paul set out again to strengthen all the disciples in Galatia and Phrygia. Subsequently, he came to Ephesus, Greece, and Macedonia. There he apparently had his last personal contact with the Philippians as he sailed from their city toward Jerusalem, where he hoped to arrive by Pentecost (Acts 18:23; 19:1).

First church on European soil

Who wrote? Although Timothy and Paul are both included in the salutation of this letter, it is clear from the language in the letter that Paul is its author. (1:1) The pronouns “I,” “me,” and “my” appear consistently throughout the epistle, beginning from verse three, and signify that this is a personal communication from the heart of the apostle Paul.

The Recipients! The “saints” in the city of Philippi were not addressed as individuals but rather as a collective, the church in Philippi. Most of the remarks and precepts in the letter were, of course, to be applied to individual lives, but the behavior specified for the saints was attached to their membership in the church universal and in the local church at Philippi in particular. This is suggested by “saints” being addressed “with” the bishops and deacons, who filled offices in local congregations. Webster defines “with” in twelve different ways, all connected with “associations.” Perhaps “association in respect of sphere of activity” best suits the “association” established by Paul in his greeting. The statements that “you have done well that you shared” [in Paul’s distress] and “no church shared with me...but you only” together demonstrate that the local congregation at Philippi was the target audience of this letter (Phil. 4:14,15).

Time and Place of Writing. Philippians is one of Paul’s “prison epistles.” References to his “chains” (1:7, 13, 16), “the palace guard” (1:13), and “Caesar’s household” (4:22), establish that he was being held by the Roman government at the time the book was written. We remember that Paul was imprisoned at least three time by the Romans, twice in Rome (Acts 28:16; 2Tim. 4:6), and once in Caesarea (Acts 23:35). The Caesarean imprisonment lasted a minimum of two years (Acts 24:27), and the first Roman confinement followed for another “two whole years” (Acts 28:30).

The City. The ancient city of Philippi was founded by Philip, father of Alexander the Great, after he had conquered Thrace. He gave it his own name. After Macedonia was subdued by Rome, Philippi became a Roman colony, a settlement of citizens whose mission was to duplicate Roman society and its lifestyle in a distant land. As a Roman colony, the city early enjoyed numerous advantages over many other settlements. Latin was the official language of the people. Although the original settlers of Philippi were of Italian origin, by the time of Paul’s arrival other nations were well represented in its population.

The Church In many respects, the church at Philippi was unique. No other church ever gave Paul more joy and satisfaction. In no other part of the empire were there Christians in whom he found such comfort in visiting, or to whom he had more delight in writing. The Philippians had evidently noble qualities before they became Christians...From first to last they seem never to have given Paul an anxious thought. No wonder he called them “my joy and crown.”

Now that we have an idea and background of the Letter, let’s get ready to study the ‘sacred test’ next week.