Philippians 1:19-25 expresses Paul’s sense of celebration, identifies his source of strength, and his reason for confidence.
Philippians 1:19-25 surpasses a positive attitude to one of celebration
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy. (ESV, Psalm 5:11)
Throughout the Bible, Christ-followers are encouraged to rejoice and express joy. Why? Because a relationship with Jesus Christ releases you from the bondage of sin and grants you eternal life with him. And that should cause an ongoing celebration.
V. 19 I will rejoice…
So Paul ends v.18 and begins v.19 by repeating the same word…rejoice. Just in case you missed it the first time. Rejoice is the Greek word chairo and the Greek word chara is translated joy.
James, the half brother of Jesus, goes more extreme with the idea. He instructs Christ-followers to express joy even in the midst of difficult circumstances.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (ESV, James 1:2)
REFLECT AND RECORD
Consider a difficult circumstance you’ve experienced. How would you rate your level of joy as you navigated it? What factors contributed to how it went? What might you have done differently?
Philippians 1:19-25 identifies Paul’s source of strength
V. 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance
Christianity doesn’t pretend you can summon a power from within. Instead, it recognizes that we are weak. Vulnerable. And gain our strength and support from a community of believers and the power of God.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (ESV, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
Paul readily and unashamedly identifies his source of strength: the prayers of the Philippian church and the presence of the Holy Spirit. We don’t understand how prayer works. But know that it does. And Paul regularly asked for prayer support in his ministry. Jesus too, regularly prayed and encouraged the same from his followers. And he told several parables about the impact prayer has in the life of believers.
Furthermore, Christ-followers lean on the Holy Spirit for help. In fact the Holy Spirit is often identified by the Greek word paráklētos, which means advocate and helper.
REFLECT AND RECORD
Take a moment to reflect on and describe times when you sensed the prayer of others. What about when you felt weak and the power of the Holy Spirit sustained you. What did you learn about Christian community and the power of God from those times?
Philippians 1:19-25 explains the reason for Paul’s confidence
V. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Paul is unsure of his future. The Greek word for deliverance in V.19 is soteria, which means salvation. Does Paul mean salvation from prison and physical freedom or spiritual salvation if he’s martyred?
It’s not clear. But he’s good either way.
V. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me…
If he lives, Paul will faithfully serve God. He doesn’t plan to retire, kick back, and enjoy the good life. That comes in heaven.
V. 25 I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith,
Rather, Paul feels responsible as a spiritual mentor to the Philippian church. He wants to support and encourage them on a path of discipleship that is characterized by joy. And demonstrate a Christian life that serves as an example. One still worth following today.
In what ways do you encourage others in the Christian faith? Would you describe your witness as someone who cowers or stands courageously for Christ? How well do you exemplify what discipleship looks like?
Join me next week in a look at Philippians 1:26-30. Also, check out my Christian detective novel Soul Pursuit, and Finding Grace, the next one in the series.
Background on the book of Philippians begins with its author–the Apostle Paul. He wrote it as a letter to the church while he was imprisoned in Rome. Here are other elements that form the background on the book of Philippians.
Background on the book of Philippians involves the city of Philippi
The city of Philippi was named after Philip of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great. It was a Roman colony where many Roman soldiers retired and its inhabitants enjoyed the privileges of Roman citizenship.
These colonies, located on the outskirts of the Roman empire, and populated with former soldiers, effectively secured the empire borders.
The book of Philippians is commonly called one of Paul’s prison epistles. Paul wrote two other epistles during his prison stay. The New Testament books of Ephesians and Colossians.
Background on the book of Philippians involves a call by God
God uses Christ-followers to carry out his will. And God initially called Paul while traveling to the city of Damascus. At the time, Paul actively persecuted the Christian church. But on the road to Damascus, God appeared to him in a blinding light.
Because of the encounter, Paul commits his life to Christ and makes a course correction. Ok actually, a complete change in direction. And what the Bible calls repentance.
Has God ever affected a course correction in your life? Take a moment to reflect and write down what it involved. How did it impact your life today?
Then Paul dreamed about a man from Macedonia who asked for his help. And he concluded God was calling him to go there and preach the gospel.
Background on the book of Philippians involves a woman entreprenuer
So Paul ends up in the city of Phillip and on the Sabbath, he looks for a group of Jewish worshipers to join. And he meets Lydia, a business woman who sells purple cloth.
She’s described as a “worshiper of God” which probably means she practiced the Jewish faith. But when Paul shares the gospel with her, she opens her heart to faith in Jesus and is baptized. And immediately offers her home as a meeting place for other followers of Jesus.
Background on the book of Philippians involves a fortune teller
Next Paul encounters a young, demon possessed slave girl. And the demon gives her the power of fortune telling, which is highly profitable for her owners.
As Paul and Silas share the gospel around the city, she follows them for several days announcing, These men are servants of the Most High God who proclaim to you the way of salvation.
It’s easy to imagine her mocking tone of voice. As if to say, these guys are complete losers. Take them seriously and you’re a loser too. Similar to the way many skeptics view Christ-followers today.
But after several days of this verbal onslaught, Paul had enough. He commanded the evil spirit to leave her.
It obeys Paul’s command and with the vacating spirit went the slave girl’s fortune telling abilities. Her lucrative income. Which left her owners very unhappy.
So they dragged Paul and Silas before the city rulers and complained. And the rulers–seeking to please the citizenship–had Paul and Silas beaten and thrown in jail.
Background on the book of Philippians involves a suicidal jailer
That evening around midnight, with bruised bodies and feet lock in stocks, Paul and Silas do just what you expect after a hard beating…pray and sing hymns to God.
Suddenly, an earthquake occurs, prison doors fly open, chains fall off, and the jailer behaves with a clear head. He draws his sword to kill himself. An impulsive, act first, think later, knee jerk reaction that accomplishes half your goal.
He stops, however, when Paul assures him no one has escaped. And he falls before them and asks how to be saved.
They share the gospel with him, he believes in Jesus, and then takes them into his house and treats their wounds.
The next day, the city rulers told the Jailer to let Paul and Silas go. But Paul tells him to inform those leaders that he and Silas are Roman citizens who were denied due process. And demands the city rulers to personally escort them from jail.
Which they do. Afterwards, Paul and Silas encourage their new group of believers and leave.
And so you get a glimpse into the beginning of the Philippian church.
Join me next week as I dive into Philippians 1:1-5.
The fiction novel Finding Grace is a Christian Detective novel. It is the second book in my series that began with Soul Pursuit. The main character is Jack Sterling, a former Navy SEAL, who works as a private detective for Glenn Howard, a retired Brigadier General. The story takes place in Dayton, Ohio.
The fiction novel Finding Grace involves a plot to find a missing person
In Soul Pursuit, Jack confronts Christianity for the first time. He resists it at first, but eventually faces a spiritual crises and makes the decision to follow Jesus Christ. In Finding Grace, Jack begins to learn how to live out his new faith in daily life.
Jack is hired to find Grace Miller, a freshman at the University of Dayton who is missing. And judging by the leads he uncovers, her journey follows a degrading path of moral decline.
Can he find her? And if so, in what condition?
The fiction novel Finding Grace follows the theme of God’s grace
We all mess up. The Bible calls it sin. And clearly communicates God’s grace as the solution to sin. So talking about God’s grace offers people hope. But experiencing God’s grace is transformational.
And this theme of grace is explored throughout the novel through characters and dialogue.
It appears Grace is in trouble. Will she experience that transformational grace or is Jack too late?
The fiction novel Finding Grace involves a sub-plot about Paxco, LLC.
Soul Pursuit also introduces the mysterious Paxco, LLC. It is buying up all the property on his street and Jack wants to know why. But the novel ends with that mystery unsolved. However, in Finding Grace, Jack is determined to find out.
Because now, only two neighbors remain on his street. And one of them is receiving foreclosure notices from the bank.
But learning who the owners are turns out to be harder than expected. And a greater threat than to just his neighborhood.
About Chip Tudor:
Chip Tudor is an author, blogger and freelance copywriter. He publishes humorous Christian drama, books, and thought provoking blogs from a Christian worldview.
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Lessons from Jonah and the whale.The Bible story presents an amazing miracle. And it’s not about the whale. In fact, we’re not certain it was a whale. But that’s another story. Here are four things the Bible story teaches us today.
Lessons from Jonah and the whale. It teaches the importance of obedience.
Obedience to God is consistently taught throughout the Bible. Scripture tells us to trust God. Exercise faith. And obey his commands. Usually presented as a choice we can follow or reject.
But the Bible story of Jonah and the whale is different.
God tells Jonah to go and preach to the city of Nineveh. Warn them to repent from their wicked ways. But Jonah doesn’t want to. And he tries to run away…or in this case sail away on a ship.
Typically when we choose not to speak up for God, that’s all there is to it. God finds someone else or other means to achieve his will. But in this story, God is insistent. He’s really serious about Jonah delivering his message to the people of Nineveh.
So God gently persuades Jonah to change his mind by sending a violent storm. And the sailors on the ship throw him overboard to save themselves.
Lessons from Jonah and the whale. It teaches that God often takes unexpected measures.
Enter the whale. The big fish. Massive, life form, ocean transport. Who saves Jonah from drowning by swallowing him and spitting him up on land three days later.
It’s a good reminder there is no place beyond God’s reach. Whether you’re running from him. Or feel lost and forgotten.
There’s no pit too deep. No place too remote. Sin too horrible.
And God will take unexpected measures to spread this news. He’ll use unlikely people, unusual circumstances, and unconventional methods. The whale, I’m sure you’ll agree, was pretty unconventional. And surprised both Jonah and the whale.
The point is, God is sovereign. He doesn’t have to use us in serving his purpose. He wants to. And we don’t have to obey. We get to.
It was an important lesson for Jonah. One we should learn too.
Lessons from Jonah and the whale. It teaches about God’s mercy.
Jonah finally obeys. Goes to Nineveh, travels through the city and preaches. Although it’s not a message of love and forgiveness. But of doom. Turn to God or face his wrath!
Not a message that would go over well today. And yet, the people of Nineveh repented and turned to God. Even the king who issued a proclamation for everyone to turn to God.
Therefore, God relented on sending a disaster on the city
And this makes Jonah mad! He even admits it’s why he didn’t want to go in the first place. Because he knew God was merciful and would forgive the people of Nineveh if they repented.
Seriously? Aren’t we supposed to celebrate when sinners repent? Welcome them into the kingdom of God?
And yet, perhaps there’s a little bit of Jonah in all of us. A tiny bit of satisfaction to see others get what’s coming to them. But thanks be to God he is not like us. Slow to anger and quick to forgive. His compassion never fails. And his mercies are new every day.
Lessons from Jonah and the whale. It teaches that people are God’s priority.
The amazing miracle in the story is not that a whale swallowed Jonah. That he survived it for three days. Or even that Jonah’s message pierced the hearts of a city’s entire population.
Rather, it’s the grace, mercy and love of an almighty God. Who takes extreme measures to reach a lost world with the gospel message. That all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
And changed forever.
About Chip Tudor:
Chip Tudor is an author, blogger and professional writer. He publishes books, humorous Christian drama, and thought provoking blogs from a Christian worldview.This blog is originally published here.
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Queen Esther saves the day. Queen Esther was an ancient, woman hero. As the Jewish queen of the Persian King Ahasuerus, she demonstrated courage and risked her life to save her people. Here are lessons for us today.
Queen Esther saves the day. God uses our influence to advance his kingdom.
Esther was a beautiful young Jewish woman. So beautiful that she was chosen as queen to King Ahasuerus, who ruled the Persian empire around 480 B.C.
In other words, she made it to the top. The pinnacle of privilege. And could now kick back and enjoy the ease and comfort of royal life in the palace.
Until her Jewish uncle Mordecai informed her that Haman, a top royal official had written a decree to kill all the Jews on the 13th day of the 12th month. Mordecai implored Esther to use her position of influence with the king to intervene on behalf of her people.
What would she do?
You and I have influence too. Because of a certain position or relationship. And God equips all of us with something–a gift, talent, skill or resource–that can be used to advance his Kingdom. The question is… will we?
Queen Esther saves the day. And teaches us the importance of wise counsel.
Mordecai doesn’t just rely on Esther’s good heart. He gives her good advice in the way of a caution.
Don’t assume that living in the palace is an automatic free pass from the same fate as your people. Also, remember that God is sovereign and can replace you to accomplish his will. But perhaps, God has put you in this position to serve his purpose.
Good advice for us too. God doesn’t need anything we have to offer. He can make things happen with the snap of his fingers. Or enlist someone else to serve his purpose.
But instead, he gives us the opportunity to participate in his kingdom work. And enjoy his blessing when we do.
Of course, this might require humility. A willingness to put aside our agenda. Admit our limited perspective. And seek Godly wisdom from other Christ-followers.
Queen Esther saves the day. And teaches that faith involves courage.
Esther, however, faced another risk. One that required courage. Because to enter the king’s inner court without being summoned by the king carried the penalty of death. If you did so, you were only spared if the king held out his golden scepter.
Could Esther count on that? The king had already cast aside one former queen. There was no assurance she might not be the next. And the same is true for us.
Really? I’m supposed to offer my gifts to God AND accept the possibility I might face the consequences of certain risks? And that’s supposed to bless me?
The answer is yes, but with a caveat. God never promises a happy ending in this life. And Esther accepted that possibility. The good news is the end of this life is the start of a better one. Where God always comes through. And the happy is forever after.
Queen Esther saves the day. And teaches that faith requires action.
Queen Esther decided to courageously, thoughtfully and carefully act. Using her influence to intervene for her people.
The king held up his golden scepter when she appeared in the inner court without permission. Granted her plea to spare her people. Went on to execute Haman. And elevated her uncle Mordecia to second in command of the empire.
A happy ending story.
Sure. It would be nice to have a roadmap of God’s will. Receive a sign from God on every decision. But God doesn’t work that way. You can pray. Seek wise council. Search the scriptures. But eventually you must trust God and act on faith. In fact, James says your actions actually show your faith. While Jesus simply says to follow him.
Where he guides you in the right direction.
About Chip Tudor:
Chip Tudor is an author, blogger and professional writer. He publishes books, humorous Christian drama, and thought provoking blogs from a Christian worldview.This blog is originally published here.
Looking for a Bible Study for yourself or small group?
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