What can we learn from Philippians chapter 4? Here is a personal commentary on the Bible and a life app for what is called “The Letter of Joy.”
Philippians chapter four
Philippians 4: 1 “Wherefore, my brethren whom I love and wait for, my joy and my crown, so stand firm in the Lord my beloved. “
Paul calls these brothers and sisters in Christ his “joy and crown,” which means that he must have planted this church and brought them into the faith and considers himself their spiritual father as he did Timothy (1 Timothy). 1: 2) and tells them to stand firm in what they know to be the truth.
Philippians 4: 3 “I also ask you, true companion, to help these women, who have worked alongside me in the gospel with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. “
This church was perhaps Paul’s favorite church and that is because they brought him so much joy. They worked in the gospel like Clement and other “fellow workers” and Paul reassures them that their names are written “in [God’s] book of life ”and God has no eraser for those in that book.
Philippians 4: 4-6 “Rejoice in the Lord always; I repeat, rejoice. Let everyone know your reasonableness. The Lord is at hand; do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. “
Anxiety is a problem for most Christians, but Paul gives the order “not to worry about anything.” [instead] in all by prayer and supplication (prayer requests) with thanksgiving ”, we must“ leave our [prayer] that requests be made known to God ”, so to be anxious is not to be grateful for what we have because we just have to ask and trust God to meet all of our needs, but not all of our wants. .
Philippians 4: 7 “The peace of God, which is beyond all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. “
The peace of God is beyond human understanding, but this peace given by God is a gift and allows our hearts and minds to be protected from our anxieties because we are “in Jesus Christ”.
Philippians 4: 7 “All that is true, all that is honorable, all that is righteous, all that is pure, all that is beautiful, all that is laudable, if there is any excellence, s ‘there is something worthy of praise, think of these things. “
How do we protect our hearts and minds? Think about things that are “true (such as the permanence of your salvation), that are honorable (giving respect to others and honoring all, the saved and the unsaved), that are righteous (so that your life reflects divine values in always doing what is right and lawful), which is pure (what better way to have pure thoughts than to be daily in the Word of God), which is beautiful (what is more beautiful that Christ being in you?), and praiseworthy (for we are saved for the good works that God has assigned to us in advance; for example Eph 2:10), in all excellence (in all that you find to do , do it with all your might or as best you can; for example Eccl 9:10; Col 3:23), and think of things that are “worthy of praise” for the great salvation that God has brought us ( Heb 2: 3) by the Great King and Savior.
Philippians 4: 11-13 “It is not that I am talking about being in need, for I have learned, no matter what the situation, to be content. I know how to be lowered, and I know how to abound. In all circumstances, I have learned the secret to dealing with abundance and hunger, abundance and want. I can do anything through him who strengthens me.
If we have shelter, food, and a job, we have enough, and godliness is found in contentment, for if a person is satisfied with what they have, they show that they are grateful to God. If anyone knew how to abound in hunger and want, it was Paul. We can do anything, in poverty, want and want, but only in “Him (Christ) who strengthens us”. The opposite of this is on our own, we cannot do anything (John 15: 5).
Philippians 4:15 “And you Philippians know yourselves that at the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me to give and to receive except you alone. “
The church in Philippi was one of the poorest of all the churches, but they gave the most proportionately. This is what the polls indicate; those who give the most to charities are those who have the least and those who have the most give the least. When we support those who share the gospel, we have “partnered” with them and with God to save those who are lost.
Philippians 4:19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to his riches, with glory in Christ Jesus.
This is one of the most quoted and perhaps mis-cited Bible verses, alongside “we can do anything through Christ who strengthens us” (Phil 4:13) because we sometimes confuse the scriptures that say “God will provide for all the needs of yours ”and these riches are unfathomable because they are“ according to his riches ”. Who has pockets deeper than God, yet He says He will meet all of our needs, not all of our greed. It is easy to seek riches, but the true riches are found “in Jesus Christ” and not in the riches of the world. Our treasures are not in this world but in the world to come where rust, moths or rot cannot touch them (Matthew 6: 19-20).
Conclusion
The book of the Philippians has been called the Book of Joy because this church made Paul so joyful. This church gave out of their poverty, they gave when they had little, they learned to be content with what they had, thus becoming collaborators with Paul in the proclamation of the gospel. We too can come into the harvest when we share the gospel with the lost and support those who do. If you are not saved, then there are many believers who want to tell you how to have peace with God (Rom 5: 1) and escape the wrath of God to come (Rev 20: 11-15). There is only one way to escape this anger (Acts 4:12; 16: 30-31) and that is through repentance and faith in Christ. If you believe in him (Rom 10: 9-13) God will see you as having the same righteousness that Christ has (2 Cor 5:21). Please don’t postpone this (2 Cor 6: 2) because it could return at any time (Matt 24: 36-51) and no one is assured that they will live beyond today ‘ hui (Prov 27: 1; James 4:13 -14).
Another Patheos Read to Check Out: What Jesus Really Was Like: A Look at the Biblical Facts
Article by Jack Wellman
Jack Wellman is the pastor of Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the senior editor of What Christians Want To Know, whose mission is to equip, encourage and energize Christians and answer questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Blind Chance or Intelligent Design available on Amazon.
