THE BLUEPRINT
1. The joy in suffering ... (Ch. 1:1 - 30) > Each chapter in this letter deals with a different aspect of Godly joy. Paul shares a wonderfully edifying prayer for the Philippian church members in Ch. 1:9-11) “I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.”
2. The joy in serving ... (Ch. 2:1-30) > In verses 3-5 in the beginning of chapter 2, Paul tells them they must have the same attitude as Christ. “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” An integral part of his attitude comes with serving others.
3. The joy in believing ... (Ch. 3:1-4:1) > Believing in Christ is a simple statement that actually means something a little more complex, though not unreachable. It is not just believing in his existence. The demons in hell believe in him as well. Our belief should spark the desire to strive every day to be just a little more like Jesus in his attitude toward others, and his behavior. “What Would Jesus Do?” *, the catch phrase that took the Christianity community by storm in the 1990’s, is actually a very valid question that we should ask ourselves every time we are confronted with a decision or difficult situation. A key verse is a part of verse 3, which says, “We rely on what Christ Jesus has one for us. We put mno confidence in human effort.”
4. The joy of giving ... (Ch. 4:2-23) > Chapter 4 is full of sound advice. Read on ...
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”
What a wonderful letter filled with encouragement and blessing. Paul obviously thought very highly of their walk with God and felt very close to them. There were no schisms or false teaching present. By all accounts it was a doctrinally solid fellowship with strong leadership.
Up next are the Mega Themes from this correspondence. Until then, walk with the King and be a blessing.
In His Name & for His Glory,
Richard Keller
Bread of Life Ministries
Resource: The Life Application Study Bible
* The phrase "What would Jesus do?", often abbreviated to WWJD, became popular particularly in the United States in the early 1900s after the widely read book In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do? by Charles Sheldon. The phrase had a resurgence in the 1990s as a personal motto for adherents of Christianity, who used it as a reminder of their belief in a moral imperative to act in a manner demonstrating the love of Jesus through their actions.
No comments:
Post a Comment