Reflecting on Philippians - Philippians 1:22-26

Paul is conflicted as to whether it would be right to be in Christ’s more immediate presence or whether he should struggle on with the mission to which God has called him as the current task of his earthly life. Both are attractive propositions. As Howard Marshall (The Epistle to the Philippians) says: “Paul feels like the rope in a tug o’ war contest.” He makes reference to being “hard pressed between the two”. However, in the end, it is all in God’s hands and he believes it right to continue the mission task of telling the good news about Jesus Christ. He feels that he has a responsibility to do that so long as he can, as it will, hopefully, be to the benefit of his listeners, those to whom he is writing. Marshall puts it like this: “if he had the power to decide, then he would have to say that present Christian service was more necessary than personal enjoyment of full communion with Christ in the world to come.” Paul is clear that being with Christ has to be better but, for the moment, he is called to something else, and retaining his earthly existence is, as he writes, more necessary. He has a task, and it is important that he stays with it. I wonder how we regard the present service to which God is calling us, and whether we are doing it full justice. Paul is concerned to see growing disciples. He wants those who are reading this letter to progress in the faith. That will cause him, and the whole church on earth and in heaven, joy. He talks about abundant boasting. Boasting tends to have negative connotations, but not so when we are boasting about the right things. Boasting about the love and grace of God is always good.

Reflecting on Philippians - Philippians 1:21

Paul is so committed to Jesus and to following the Jesus’ way that he identifies that as amounting to life itself. That is all that he wants. It is not only his priority; it is the totality of his engagement with life and the world. Nothing can get in the way. Death will take him to a deeper, closer experience of Christ, and so that, which would normally be seen in negative terms, is to be viewed positively. Paul, as we have noted, is in prison at the time of writing this letter. Prison will end either in freedom or in death. Paul here asserts that he is not concerned as to which. If he is freed, he will be in a better position to proclaim the gospel of Christ than is the case from the restrictions of imprisonment. However, should he be put to death, that will take him closer to Christ. For Paul it is a win-win situation. As Dennis Hamm (Philippians) puts it: “either by his continuing to live and then to carry out his ministry, or by his martyrdom for the sake of Christ, Paul’s faith enables him to understand the prospects of his imprisonment as a win-win situation.” Putting it another way, Paul is content that God has all things in hand. I wonder how easily and how often we place that kind of confidence in God. I wonder how central is following the Jesus way to how we live out our lives. What Paul sometimes calls ‘life in Christ’ has so transformed him that the thing that matters is his relationship with Jesus. Death will not terminate that relationship: it will just change it, and so Paul is able to utter the words of this verse: for to me life is Christ, and death is gain.

Reflecting on Philippians - Philippians 1:19-20

Paul here expresses confidence that God can and will work through him in a good way. Paul knows all too well how fallible and unreliable he is. However, through Christ, Paul is a transformed being. The key elements in the working of this change are prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit. There is a link with the early part of the chapter (verse 4) where Paul references his praying for the Philippian Christians. Here he mentions the value and power of their prayers for him. I wonder if we take the power of prayer sufficiently seriously. Paul is excited about the possibilities of God’s working through him. I wonder how excited we are about what we might see God doing in and through our lives. Paul is confident about the future and for someone in prison, as he is at this point, that is a big ask. However, the point is that his confidence lies in its being God’s future. Paul here contrasts hope and shame. His hope is in the gospel; and that gives him confidence that he will avoid any sense of shame. F.F. Bruce (Philippians) makes the point clearly: “Personal humiliation is not what Paul fears; he had endured plenty of that already in the service of Christ and was likely to endure more. But he knows that he will in no way be ashamed if Christ be exalted through him …. To proclaim the gospel courageously is the antithesis of being ashamed of it.” I wonder if there are things which bring us shame when that ought not to be the case. I wonder how we deal with being humiliated. I wonder – and this is different – if we are humble at times that call for that approach. Paul lived in a complicated world, as do we. For him, as for us, I am sure that it was frequently difficult to give Gospel priorities (the priorities of God’s Kingdom) the place that they deserved. But to that end he strived.

Reflecting on Philippians - Philippians 1:15-18

Paul is very sure that all that matters is the proclamation of Christ. That has become the very grounds of all that he does. Like Jesus himself before him, Paul is not over-concerned about motive, so long as the Good News of God’s Kingdom is getting out there and that can only be done by telling the story of Jesus. He rejoices even when folk are telling about Jesus for the wrong reasons. The clear implication is that God can work through even that. What Paul says here echoes the little incident recorded in Luke 9:49-50 (and also Mark 9:38-40). There the disciples complained to Jesus that someone was doing ‘stuff’ and attributing it to him, suggesting that this person should be stopped, but Jesus rebuts the suggestion. Do not try to stop him …. because whoever is not against you is for you. I wonder if there is something here to remind us of the value of unexpected allies, something to encourage us to work with all people of goodwill, even if we are not quite sure about the origin of their ideas and actions. As Fred B Craddock (Philippians) points out: “the power of the gospel is not contingent upon the motives or feelings of the one preaching. For all the dangers of opening the doors of ministry to charlatans, it must be affirmed that the gospel has its own life and efficacy whether or not there is visceral authentication in the preacher.” Paul thus recognises just how powerful the Gospel is and the fact that it is not dependent upon us, regardless as to how good (or bad) we are in working for God’s Kingdom. The awesome thing is that God chooses to use us, and manages to do so despite our faltering and failing. The crucial thing is simply that Jesus is proclaimed – and the Gospel message will find its way out, regardless of the limitations of the proclaimer.

Reflecting on Philippians - Philippians 1:12-14

It seems clear that there is a high level of mutual respect between Paul and the Philippian church. They are concerned about him, and vice versa. I wonder how that is reflected in relationships within churches today.

They knew that Paul was in custody awaiting trial. They were worried about what that might mean, and about how Paul was coping in this adverse situation.

 

In line with the proverb that ‘every cloud has a silver lining’ Paul is keen to reassure them that, not only is he surviving reasonably well, but that there are some significant benefits to be drawn from his circumstances. As F.F. Bruce (Philippians) comments: “when the gospel became a talking point because of Paul’s presence in Rome, the Christians exploited the situation and began to bear their public witness with greater confidence and vigour.” I wonder if there are situations which we ought to exploit, but where that is not happening.

 

There are three key words in verse 14 – confident, dare and boldness (NRSVA translation) – which demonstrate the positive way in which the Christian community is speaking the gospel, that speaking, no doubt, including both action and word. I wonder to what extent such words reflect our sharing of our faith.

 

One of the challenges for today’s church is that of being confident in the gospel. We excuse ourselves saying that things are not easy for people of faith in a secular society that is largely indifferent to religion. However, things were not easy for a Christian community, one of whose key leaders was in custody. We need to learn to be confident Christians.

 

We sometimes talk of daring someone to do something. I wonder what we dare do for God. We sometimes talk about encouraging each other. That is Biblical, and good. I wonder if we should dare each other to do gospel things.

Reflecting on Philippians - Philippians 1:9-11

Paul concludes his prayer for the Philippian Christians with expressions of abundance. His clear hope is that absolutely all will be well with them. He hopes that they will be overflowing with love, that they will be incredibly perceptive, and that they will do many good things for God and in God’s name. I wonder what impact that prayer had on them and then, through them, on the world around them. I wonder how great a difference we make in the circles in which we move because we are reflecting the love and light of Christ.

This passage, and prayer, reflects the generous abundance of God’s blessings. There is no holding back. It is not about good stuff, but about the best.

What is interesting in the context of the times is that Paul, who would undoubtedly be seen as leader, is here praying for those who are under his leadership. The expectation would be of that being the other way round. This is effectively, and subtly, an example of Jesus’ reversed approach. The last will be first, and the first will be last. Paul is giving them a real role. He prays that they will discern what is best. As Elsa Tamez (Philippians) points out, “Power relations leaned towards the leader. Members of a movement could pray among themselves for their leader, but it is doubtful that they could tell him directly what they thought he needed to do.”

The kind of relationship that is indicated here demonstrates the different approach of Christianity. Paul does not relinquish his God-given leadership, but he does see it in an unconventional way, recognising the contribution of those he leads and the ways in which they engage in partnership. If and where we are called to leadership, I wonder how we exercise that leadership. I wonder how we relate to those with whom we engage. I wonder what we pray for others. I wonder how we understand the models of leadership provided by Jesus and by Paul.

Reflecting on Philippians - Philippians 1:7-8

Paul warmly expresses the good relationship that he has with the Philippian Christians. In particular, he talks about sharing in God’s grace and about feeling compassion towards them. As Roji Thomas George (Philippians) expresses it: “Paul experiences such a strong emotion for them from his very inner being – his heart, liver and lungs – which in later Jewish writings is the source of deep emotions … in a sense, Paul claims to say: “God is my witness that I feel deep within me like dying for you if it is for your good.””

Grace and compassion are both strong Gospel words expressive of that deep level of relationship to be experienced when God is involved. Paul has a very special feeling towards the Philippians, not least because of his conviction that it is reciprocated. I wonder who it is that we might regard in a similar way? I wonder where we most feel the impact of God’s grace on our lives? I wonder who is compassionate towards us, and who it is for whom we feel compassion, and whether these are the same?

Does Paul’s reference to them sharing with him God’s grace mean that they are suffering the same kind of restrictions as those to which he is subject, perhaps also imprisoned? Or is this a reflection of their sending gifts to sustain him in his difficult situation? Whatever the detail, and we cannot be sure of that, this is surely an expression of partnership. These are reliable people with whom he has a deep emotional bond. The reference to his responding to them with the compassion of Christ indicates the level of commitment within the relationship. Jesus’ modelling of compassion is one that challenges us to look beyond the people and places with whom we might expect to be concerned. I wonder how often, and in what circumstances, we look to others with the compassion of Jesus?