Philippians Chapter 1

PHILIPPI, GREECE

(Matthew 16:13 [KJV])
When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

(Mark 8:27 [KJV])
And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am?

(Acts 16:12 [KJV])
And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, [and] a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days.

(Acts 20:6 [KJV])
And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days.

(Philippians 1:1 [KJV])
Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

(Philippians 4:15 [KJV])
Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only.

(1 Thessalonians 2:2 [KJV])
But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention.

Philippi was named after King Philip of Macedon
It was an important, strategic outpost for the Romans moving troops along the Egnatian Way
Supposedly it had very few Jews in it, with no synagogue
This was the chief city in Macedonia (Acts 16:12)
Rome was divided into two provinces, Macedonia (north), Achaia (south)
Philippi was a self-governed colony which was tax-free for military veterans

(Philippians 1:1 [KJV])
Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

Notice that it is not just Paul, but he IMMEDIATELY includes Timothy in the greeting here.
Saints, servants, bishops (overseers), deacons (overseer helpers)
Jesus is the Bishop of our souls (1 Peter 2:25)
Many apostate "churches" in America now claim to have "deaconesses", a position, office, job classification, or even a term not from God, not found in Scripture

(1 Peter 2:25 [KJV])
For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

BISHOP

BISH'OP, n. [L. episcopus; Gr. of, over, and inspector, or visitor; to view, or inspect; whence, to visit; also, to view. This Greek and Latin word accompanied the introduction of christianity into the west and north of Europe.]

An overseer; a spiritual superintendent, ruler or director; applied to Christ.
Ye were as sheep going astray, but are now returned to the shepherd and bishop of your souls. 1. Pet.2.
In the primitive church, a spiritual overseer; an elder or presbyter; one who had the pastoral care of a church.
The same persons are in this chapter called elders or presbyters,and overseers or bishops. Scott, Commentary Acts 20.
Till the churches were multiplied, the bishops and presbyters were the same. Ib. Phil 1:1. 1. Tim.3.1. Titus 1:7.
Both the Greek and Latin fathers do, with one consent, declare, that bishops were called presbyters, and presbyters bishops, in apostolic times, the name being then common.
In the Greek, Latin, and some Protestant churches, a prelate, or person consecrated for the spiritual government and direction of a diocese. In Great Britain, bishops are nominated by the king, who, upon request of the dean and chapter, for leave to elect a bishop, sends a conge d'elire, or license to elect, with a letter missive, nominating the person whom he would have chosen. The election, by the chapter, must be made within twelve days, or the king has a right to appoint whom he pleases. Bishops are consecrated by an archbishop, with two assistant bishops. A bishop must be thirty years of age; and all bishops, except the bishop of Man, are peers of the realm.
By the canons of the Protestant Episcopal church in the United States, no diocese or state shall proceed to the election of a bishop, unless there are at least six officiating presbyters residing therein, who shall be qualified, according to the canons, to vote for a bishop; a majority of whom at least must concur in the election. But the conventions of two or more dioceses, or states, having together nine or more such presbyters,may join in the election of a bishop. A convention is composed of the clergy, and a lay delegation, consisting of one or more members from each parish. In every state, the bishop is to be chosen according to such rules as the convention of that state shall ordain. The mode of election, in most or all of the states,is by a concurrent vote of the clergy and laity, in convention, each body voting separately. Before a bishop can be consecrated, he must receive a testimonial of approbation from the General Convention of the church; or if that is not in session, from a majority of the standing committee in the several dioceses. The mode of consecrating bishops and ordaining priests and deacons differs not essentially from the practice in England.

(Acts 1:20 [KJV])
For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.

(Philippians 1:1 [KJV])
Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

(1 Timothy 3:1 [KJV])
This [is] a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.

(1 Timothy 3:2 [KJV])
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

(Titus 1:7 [KJV])
For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

(1 Peter 2:25 [KJV])
For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

DEACON

DE'ACON, n. [Gr., a minister or servant.]

A person in the lowest degree of holy orders. The office of deacon was instituted by the apostles, Acts 6, and seven persons were chosen at first, to serve at the feasts of christians and distribute bread and wine to the communicants, and to minister to the wants of the poor.
In the Romish Church, the office of the deacons is to incense the officiating priest; to lay the corporal on the altar; to receive the cup from the subdeacon and present it to the person officiating; to incense the choir; to receive the pax from the officiating prelate, and carry it to the subdeacon; and at the pontifical mass, to put the miter on the bishop's head. In the church of England, the office of deacons is declared to be to assist the priest in administering the holy communion; and their office in presbyterian and independent churches is to distribute the bread and wine to the communicants. In the latter, they are elected by the members of the church.
In Scotland, an overseer of the poor, and the master of an incorporated company.

(Philippians 1:1 [KJV])
Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

(1 Timothy 3:8 [KJV])
Likewise [must] the deacons [be] grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;

(1 Timothy 3:10 [KJV])
And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being [found] blameless.

(1 Timothy 3:12 [KJV])
Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

(1 Timothy 3:13 [KJV])
For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

TIMOTHEUS

(Acts 16:1 [KJV])
Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father [was] a Greek:

(Acts 17:14 [KJV])
And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the sea: but Silas and Timotheus abode there still.

(Acts 17:15 [KJV])
And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they departed.

(Acts 18:5 [KJV])
And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews [that] Jesus [was] Christ.

(Acts 19:22 [KJV])
So he sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered unto him, Timotheus and Erastus; but he himself stayed in Asia for a season.

(Acts 20:4 [KJV])
And there accompanied him into Asia Sopater of Berea; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timotheus; and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus.

(Romans 16:21 [KJV])
Timotheus my workfellow, and Lucius, and Jason, and Sosipater, my kinsmen, salute you.

(1 Corinthians 4:17 [KJV])
For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.

(1 Corinthians 16:10 [KJV])
Now if Timotheus come, see that he may be with you without fear: for he worketh the work of the Lord, as I also [do].

(2 Corinthians 1:19 [KJV])
For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, [even] by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea.

(Philippians 1:1 [KJV])
Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

(Philippians 2:19 [KJV])
But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state.

(Colossians 1:1 [KJV])
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus [our] brother,

(1 Thessalonians 1:1 [KJV])
Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians [which is] in God the Father and [in] the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace [be] unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

(1 Thessalonians 3:2 [KJV])
And sent Timotheus, our brother, and minister of God, and our fellowlabourer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith:

(1 Thessalonians 3:6 [KJV])
But now when Timotheus came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also [to see] you:

(2 Thessalonians 1:1 [KJV])
Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

Timothy was what one today would be referred to as a half-breed, half Jew, half Gentile
He was a constant companion of Paul, as well as Silas
Paul referred to Timothy as his workfellow, his beloved son in the faith, fellowlabourer, minister of God and a servant of the LORD Jesus Christ, his brother

(Philippians 1:2 [KJV])
Grace [be] unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and [from] the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is nearly Paul's signature greeting here
Since Jesus was no longer on earth in the flesh, how could Paul say "grace and peace from the LORD Jesus Christ"?
In other words, Jesus is alive and in Heaven, therefore He is God

(Philippians 1:3-5 [KJV])
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;

Thanking the LORD, remembering people in prayer, having joy, having fellowship, even in absence, the entire time
These are all signs of spiritual maturity, which only comes through being disciples of Christ, spending time in God's Word, through prayer, and making it through, with God's help, added trials

(Philippians 1:6 [KJV])
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform [it] until the day of Jesus Christ:

Whatever Jesus has for us to be and do in this life cannot be hindered and, according to his will, shall be done by us through the Holy Ghost
The LORD will do His work through the true church throughout all of the Church Age, unhindered by mere mortal men (enemies) nor the enemy
As long as we are on this earth, in this age, there is work to do, because we have not been perfected as of yet

THE DAY OF JESUS CHRIST

(Philippians 1:10 [KJV])
That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;

(Philippians 2:16 [KJV])
Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

(2 Thessalonians 2:2 [KJV])
That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

(Philippians 1:7 [KJV])
Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.

Paul is saying that this is appropriate for him to think that God will complete His purposes in them
He is further saying that he is always thinking and praying for them, having stored them in his heart, the seat of his emotions, where his own spirit can often or always bring them to remembrance
They share in Paul's suffering in bondage, in prison, also being persecuted for sharing the Gospel
Regardless of their bonds and persecution, God's grace was manifested in them, with a revival, church growth in the Roman Empire, later the dispersia

(Philippians 1:8 [KJV])
For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

Paul wants actual fellowship with them somehow
"In the bowels of Jesus Christ means Christian fellowship, not just hanging out, idly

(Philippians 1:9 [KJV])
And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and [in] all judgment;

Love, knowledge, judgment......all must be together
Without the truth, we love in the way of the world loves
Without the knowledge of God, we have knowledge for the sake of having knowledge, which swells our ego, puffing us up, as in the Garden of Eden knowledge of good and evil
This then manifests itself outward towards others, unlovingly
With proper knowledge we can judge truth from falsehoods, especially necessary in these last days
Without proper knowledge, we can be deceived, by both the world and false teachers in the church
Without the love of God and the brethren, we simply scream the truth and force it down people's throats who do not want it, and it gets lost in the process

(Philippians 1:10 [KJV])
That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;

This judgment allows us to spot evil lies, and also recognize truth
The love makes us real, makes us sincere, without offense
Regardless, many are offended by the truth, within and without the church, which it is impossible for us to fix
For this, we wipe the dust off of our feet and move on, and simply can only pray for them

(Matthew 10:14 [KJV])
And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

(Mark 6:11 [KJV])
And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

(Luke 9:5 [KJV])
And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.

(Acts 13:51 [KJV])
But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.

(Philippians 1:11 [KJV])
Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

Real righteousness is a fruit of the Spirit, and only comes from believers
Our righteousness is declared by God; our actions after that time glorify Him and are one way to give praise to Him

THE FRUITS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT

(Galatians 5:22 [KJV])
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

(Philippians 1:12 [KJV])
But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things [which happened] unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;

Paul is about to explain what the result of the Gospel preaching, was which is why he was imprisoned; about to explain what that imprisonment did for the Gospel
Wanting them to understand means some perhaps did not, being new believers
Often, new believers only hear about the blessings, the joy, the good things eternally about being saved and not the persecutions in this life. He is about to tell them about two types of people reacting to his imprisonment

(Philippians 1:13 [KJV])
So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other [places];

Bonds here mean imprisonment, not just cords, chains
His life got worse physically because of it, because the palace prison guards, the warden, the leaders, rulers in the palace, the officials figured that the Gospel would stop being spread if they just imprisoned, beat Paul and all of his followers.
The new believers may have thought the same

BOND, n.

Anything that binds, as a cord, a chain, a rope; a band.
Ligament; that which holds things together.
Union; connection; a binding.
Let walls be so constructed as to make a good bond.
In the plural, chains; imprisonment; captivity.
He hath done nothing worthy of death or of bonds. Acts.
Cause of union; cement which unites; link of connection; as the bonds of affection.
Charity is the bond of perfectness. Col 3
An obligation imposing a moral duty, as by a vow, or promise, by law or other means.
In law, an obligation or deed by which a person binds himself, his heirs, executors, and administrators, to pay a certain sum, on or before a future day appointed. This is a single bond. But usually a condition is added, that ;if the obligor shall do a certain act, or pay a certain sum of money, on or before a time specified, the obligation shall be void; otherwise it shall remain in full force. If the condition is not performed, the bond becomes forfeited, and the obligor and his heirs are liable to the payment of the whole sum.

BOND, a. [for bound.] In a state of servitude, or slavery; captive.
Whether we be jews or Gentiles; whether we be bond or free. 1 Cor 12.
BOND, v.t. To give bond for; as for duties or customs at a custom house; to secure payment of, by giving a bond.
On their reshipment and exportation, official clearances were given, in which no mention was made that the cargo consisted of bonded or debentured goods. In the U.States, it is applied to the goods on which the customs arise, and to the duties secured by bond.

(Philippians 1:14 [KJV])
And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Persecution makes persecuted people bold, fearless, even other people not persecuted (yet)
If one is in the LORD Jesus Christ, they are our brethren

(Philippians 1:15-18 [KJV])
Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

"Hey, if we preach the Gospel, they will beat Paul more and keep him out of our hair!"....think about tht mindset
The definition of "set for the defence" is below. Let's just say that paul is resolute and in God's Will, shall we?

SET FOR THE DEFENCE

SET, pp.

Placed; put; located; fixed; adjusted; composed; studded or adorned; reduced, as a dislocated or broken bone.
a. Regular; uniform; formal; as a set speech or phrase; a set discourse; a set battle.
Fixed in opinion; determined; firm; obstinate; as a man set in his opinions or way.
Established; prescribed; as set forms of prayer.

(Philippians 1:19 [KJV])
For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

Paul is not talking about getting saved from sin, as that happened decades earlier on the road to Damascus
He will either be released from his bondage via edict of a warden, or released by God to go home, forever, free
Either way, freedom from the bondage to sin on this earth awaits all believers, everywhere
Death is nothing to us now, having lost its sting, its hold over us.

(1 Corinthians 15:54,55 [KJV])
So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where [is] thy sting? O grave, where [is] thy victory?

(Hebrews 2:14,15 [KJV])
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

(Hosea 13:14 [KJV])
I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.

(Isaiah 25:8 [KJV])
He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken [it].

(Philippians 1:20 [KJV])
According to my earnest expectation and [my] hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but [that] with all boldness, as always, [so] now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether [it be] by life, or by death.

Man was created to give God the Glory, not himself. After the fall, that did not change,; it just became impossible without Christ to WILLINGLY do that.
God gets Glory from His creation, from people, from sufferning (which proves Genesis 2-3), persecution, even evil.
Why? Because God specifically tells us the way this world is, that it is caused by mankind himself, man sees it, and denies it, blames God or nature or anyone or anything else but Himself (lies to himself and others), and STILL proves God is right by doing that, since God has shown us in His Word that this is how mani is by his very fallen nature!!

(Philippians 1:21 [KJV])
For to me to live [is] Christ, and to die [is] gain.

To stay here, as long as we do stay here, we serve Christ
That is our attitude about dying, when we are saved....we want to go home.

(Philippians 1:22 [KJV])
But if I live in the flesh, this [is] the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.

"If I live in the flesh" means to stay here, to live on earth, rather than to depart and be with Christ
They are the fruit of his labor in the Gospel-BY GOD
As well, his bondage is the fruit of preaching-BY THIS WORLD
He wanted to stay to further the work for Christ and of Christ, and wanted to leave for eternity with Christ

(Philippians 1:23 [KJV])
For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

That is our burden, to want to be
A strait is a narrow passage between to things, like canyon walls, mountains, a narrow passageway in the sea, and also a distressing difficulty
Leaning towards leaving when he wrote this, and Christians watching world events in these last days, currently

(Philippians 1:24-25 [KJV])
Nevertheless to abide in the flesh [is] more needful for you. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;

It was helpful to them that he stay and help, encourage, etc.
He was thinking of them, not himself
Our joy comes and always needs to come from our faith in Christ, brilliantly demonstrated here, as the world provides little or none, except from the brethren, watching them grow, etc.
It is a natural, direct result of it, and godly fellowship always bring to us "the joy of faith"

(Philippians 1:26 [KJV])
That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.

They rejoiced when Paul showed up to preach, fellowship, break bread, and disciple people

(Philippians 1:27 [KJV])
Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

CONVERSATION=BEHAVIOR, which would include or words, not just our actions
BECOMETH=be appropriate
The only way for more than one Christian to stand in one spirit and strive together is to all read, study, believe the Word of God, without messing with it, half-heartedly believing it, re-itnerpreting it, taking any part of it out of context
Word was obviously going to come back to Paul via messengers, visitors, etc.

(Philippians 1:28 [KJV])
And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.

We do not need to fear the world, the false teachers, false prophets, knowing their end.
To us it is a token of their loss and lack of knowing God, a token of our salvation and that we do know Him and that HE knows us (more important) when we are persecuted.
The Bible tells us not to fear man, and not sudden fear, certainly

(Proverbs 3:25, 26 [KJV])
Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.

(Philippians 1:29 [KJV])
For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

Suffering for the cause of Christ is a gift, Paul says here, given to us to achieve eternal rewards
Believing on Christ is also a gift
Our salvation is a gift (Ephesians 2:8-9)

BEHALF, n. behaf. [See Behoof.]

Favor; advantage; convenience, profit; support, defense, vindication. The advocate pleads in behalf of the prisoner. The patriot suffers in behalf of his country.
art; side; noting substitution, or the act of taking the part of another; as, the agent appeared in behalf of his constituents, and entered a claim.

(Philippians 1:30 [KJV])
Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear [to be] in me.

Paul is telling them to expect the same persecution he is going through, becvause it is coming, not to worry.
Not to worry also, because of who we are in Christ, what our future is, not this life

Philippians Chapter 2