Day 516: Philippians 1- Gospel Partnership

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
The Advance of the Gospel
12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard[f] and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
To Live Is Christ
Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

​Meditation
The gospel of Jesus Christ gives us our primary identity and our primary purpose.
 
From prison Paul wrote the church in Philippi (7), a church “dear to his heart” and planted on Paul’s second missionary journey (Acts 16).  Opening the letter with a prayer of thanksgiving (3-8), Paul celebrates their intimate relationship resulting from their gospel partnership, mutual identification in Christ, propelling a mutual purpose to advance the Gospel. The church as “fellow partakers of grace” is the basis of prayers for God to give more Gospel fruit (9-11).
 
Paul’s imprisonment furthered Gospel proclamation (12). Paul encourages the church to rejoice in the proclamation of Christ (15-19), have courage to honor Christ in all of life (20-26), and live life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ (27-30). Paul’s imprisonment serves as a paradigm for the Philippians, highlighting how the purposes of Christ will be displayed not only in believing but also suffering for the sake of Christ.
 
This chapter is dripping with power, rooted in the reality of Christ being our primary identity and the gospel being our primary purpose: He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion (6)… for me to live is Christ and to die is gain (21)… The compelling call is for the Church to “stand firm in one spirit, with one mind, striving side by side for the faith of the gospel (27).
 
The message could not be clearer: The gospel of Jesus Christ is the Christian’s primary identity and primary purpose.
 
Richly Dwelling
- What do you consider your primary identity and primary purpose? Do you find Paul’s invitation to consider the gospel of Jesus to be your primary identity and purpose compelling?
 
-Do you see suffering as a vehicle to both deepen our identification with Christ and a vehicle to further His purposes? Why or why not?
 
-The unity of the Church in the gospel is highlighted through this chapter. Do you seek the unity of the Church through faithful participation in the work of the church?
 
Key Verse
5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.