Are You A Saint? Philippians 1:1-6

Today we begin my favorite New Testament letter, Paul's letter to the Philippians.

Philippi was located in Macedonia, which was also home to ancient Greece.  Paul's 

letter to them was written near the end of his imprisonment in Rome.  Most of the other 

New Testament letters are addressing different issues in the early church, whereas 

Philippians is a thank you letter to the Philippians for their generous gifts for the work

of the church.  Paul also writes several epic verses for their encouragement while he is 

still in prison.  Many of these are more than worth us memorizing today. They have 

served me well!

1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,  To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons.  The church was founded by Paul on his second missionary journey.  Paul identifies he and Timothy as servants (literally bond-servants or slaves) of Christ Jesus.   Paul had no reason to identify himself as an apostle because that was not an issue to the Philippians.   The letter is addressed to all God's holy people, usually called "saints".  A saint is anyone who is a Christian in the bible.  Notice Paul doesn't point to particular saints, but to all the Christians in the church.  We are saints, or made holy, by the Spirit as we come to faith in Jesus.  There is nothing we do that makes us holier than anybody else.  He also mentions two other groups.  1.) Overseers, which are also called a bishops or presbyters.  It was generally used to refer to the leaders in the congregation that oversaw the entire congregation and also in regard to their spiritual needs.  2.) Deacons - "The biblical role of deacons is to take care of the physical and logistical needs of the church so that the elders can concentrate on their primary calling." (Merkle)

2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This was Paul's favorite way to address the recipients of his letters.  He had received grace and peace from God through Christ and he wants to give them this in all he does and says. 

Thanksgiving and Prayer

3 I thank my God every time I remember you. Paul is grateful to them for their support of him and his ministry.  He thanks God because he knows that it is God who provided the Philippians to him.  When people help us out in our journey, it is God who appointed them to do so.  It is one of the ways we see God providing all that we need as we serve him.

4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy. Paul prays for them on a consistent basis.  Paul doesn't just pray for himself, but others God puts on his heart.  It is obvious that Paul prayed for the Philippians quite a bit.  This is part of the reason he was so excited to see them.  When we see someone we are praying for, it increases the fellowship we share with them.  Though Paul was in prison, he could still experience joy through prayer, and specifically in praying for others.  This is one of the MANY benefits of a good prayer life. 

5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, Paul knew that he could never do the missionary work God had called him to do without many partners.  The Philippians supported Paul from the "first day".  They didn't wait to test him or scrutinize his credentials, they trusted and supported him from the "get go".  The partnership was not for a business venture but for the GOSPEL, the greatest entreprise on earth, and as such worthy of our utmost support. 

6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.  This is a key verse when we look at what happens in our lives after we have been saved.  The good work God does in us starts when we come to saving faith and receive the Holy Spirit and continues until the day of Jesus' return.  While we will never be perfect in this life, God continues to do His work in us.  Though God is the one who is faithful to complete it, he needs our partnership and commitment to follow him each day of our lives.  

Do you consider yourself a saint?  Why or why not? Who are the people you pray for?  Who are the people you count on for support in your Christian life?  Do you ever tell them that you do?  Where do you think God might be calling you to financially support the work of the gospel?  How do you decide where you use the resources God has given you?  What is the lithmus test?


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