Philippians: Intro 2
THE STORY OF THE CHURCH AT PHILLIPI TEACHES US THIS VERY SIMPLE PRINCIPLE, THERE IS BIG AND THERE IS SMALL AND BIG ALWAYS FOLLOWS SMALL.
THE ONLY TIME SMALL FOLLOWS BIG IS IN THE DICTIONARY.
IT IS TRUE IN NATURE AS WE ALL KNOW A MIGHTY OAK STARTS WITH A SMALL ACORN. VAST FORESTS ALL START WITH SEEDS.
IT IS TRUE IN OUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AS WELL.
SMALL IS NOT A DREAM PEOPLE CHASE. MOST PEOPLE DREAM BIG.
ACTS 16 TELLS US OF A BIG THING THAT STARTED VERY SMALL.
IT IS THE STORY OF THE CHURCH AT PHILLIPI, BUT IT IS ALSO THE SEED OF SOMETHING FAR BIGGER.
THE STORY OF THE BEGINNING OF THIS CHURCH BEGINS WITH THREE PEOPLE.
BIG THINGS START SMALL AND ACTS 16 TELLS US OF THE FIRST RECORDED MOVE OF THE GOSPEL INTO EUROPE.
PAUL AND HIS FEW MEN DEPARTED ASIA MINOR AT TROAS AND SAILED OVERNIGHT OVER A SMALL NECK OF WATER, ARRIVING AT A PORT CALLED NEAPOLIS.
THEY THEN WALKED 11 MILES TO THE CITY OF PHILLIPI.
HERE FOR THE 1ST TIME RECORDED, JESUS WAS DECLARED AND BELIEVED UPON ON EUROPEAN SOIL.
FROM HERE GREW A CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT TO A LARGER CHURCH BASE, A WHOLE CONTINENT, AND AN ENTIRE CIVILIZATION.
AS JESUS ONE SAID, “BEHOLD THE POWER OF A MUSTARD SEED”.
WHAT HAPPENED IN THAT SMALL TOWN SET THE STAGE FOR ALL THE CAME LATER IN THE FAITH.
THERE WAS A WEALTHY BUISNESS WOMAN, LYDIA, (ACTS 16:11-15), AND A DEMON POSSESSED SLAVE GIRL (ACTS 16:16-24), AND A HARD HEARTED MAN WHO RAN THE LOCAL JAIL (ACTS 16:25-34).
EVERY BELIEVER'S STORY, YOURS AND MINE, COMES FROM SUCH A SMALL BEGINNING.
THIS STORY BEGINS IN MACEDONIA, AN EASTERN PROVINCE OF ROME.
THE ANCIENT NAME OF THE TOWN WAS KRENIDES, WHICH MEANS “LITTLE SPRINGS” AND PHILLIP OF MACEDON, FATHER OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT, SEIZED CONTROL THERE IN 356 B.C..
HE TOOK THE TOWN TO HAVE THE GOLD MINES NEAR BY WHICH BROUGHT HIM MUCH WEALTH TO UPGRADE THE CITY AND AND MAKE HIS MILITARY MORE POWERFUL.
CONTROL PASSED TO THE ROMANS IN 168 B.C. AND THE STATUS OF THIS PLACE AS A ROMAN COLONY ALLOWED THE RESIDENTS TO CLAIM EQUALITY WITH ALL ROMAN CITIZENS.
THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE WAS LATIN, BUT GREEK WAS THE LANGUAGE OF COMMERCE SPOKEN AND WRITTEN THERE.
THE ARCHITECTURE WAS ROMAN, ARCHES, FORUMS AND TEMPLES TO THE PAGAN GODS OF ROME & GREECE.
WORSHIP WAS COMMANDED TO BE TO THE EMPORER OF ROME AS DIVINE.
THE FLEDGING CHURCH SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN MOSTLY GENTILE.
OF THE FOUR NAMED PEOPLE, THREE ARE GREEK AND ONE, CLEMENT, IS ROMAN.
THE CHURCH WAS UNIQUE IN THAT IT HAD AN EARLY HISTORY OF PROMINENCE OF WOMEN.
THERE WERE FEW JEWS, WITH NO SYNAGOGUE.
THE CITY WAS BASED IN AGRICULTURE & MILITARY AND NOT STRONG IN COMMERCE WHICH IS NORMALLY WHERE JEWISH TRADERS FOUND THEIR PLACE.
THE CITY HAD A VERY WELL KNOWN AND WIDELY RENOWNED MEDICAL SCHOOL, FROM WHICH PHYSICIANS WERE TRAINED AND DISPATCHED TO OTHER ROMAN COLONIES.
IF PHILLIPI WAS NOT LUKE'S HOMETOWN, IT WAS LIKELY HIS ALMA MATER.
SOME EARLY CHURCH WRITERS HAVE PROPOSED THAT LUKE WAS THE MAN FROM MACEDONIA WHO APPEARED IN THE DREAM TO PAUL IN ACTS 16:8-10 ASKING HIM TO COME AN HELP.
WHAT DOES THE BOOK OF PHILLIPIANS TEACH US?
FIRST: JOY – FOUND 16 TIMES IN THE SMALL LETTER.
SECOND: UNITY – A PERVASIVE THEME, DIRECTLY AND REPEATEDLY TAUGHT.
THIRD: RELATIONSHIP – PAUL IS SAAVY IN HIS TEACHING AND USES THE POWER OF GRACE IN WORDS AND ACTIONS TO BUILD UNITY. HE ALSO PRESSES HARD AS TO HOW TO DEAL WITH OPPOSITION IN CHAPTERS 1 & 2 & 3.
FOURTH: MINISTRY PARTNERSHIP – IMMEDIATELY IN 1:7 PAUL BEGINS TEACHING OF “PARTAKERS WITH ME OF GRACE”. TIME & AGAIN HE TEACHES THIS FACTOR STRONGLY.
FIFTH: EXAMPLE – PAUL SPEAKS OF THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS, OF TIMOTHY, OF EPAPHRODITIS AND HE COMMANDS THOSE IN THE CHURCH TO IMITATE THESE EXAMPLES, INCLUDING HIMSELF.
SIXTH: SUFFERING – PAUL WRITES FROM A ROMAN JAIL AND IS UNDER A SENTENCE OF DEATH AND SAYS EPAPHRODITUS WAS SICK CLOSE TO DEATH BUT STILL SERVED.
SEVENTH: THE MIND – WE LEARN THE CENTRAL PLACE THAT THE MIND WORKS IN THE DISCIPLESHIP OF CHRIST. THE VERB “TO THINK” IS USED 26 TIMES IN THE NT AND OF THOSE 26, 10 APPEAR IN PHILLIPIANS., THE REALM OF ONE'S THOUGHTS MUST INDEED GUIDE THE BODY INTO OBEDIENCE.
THIS LAST FACTOR IS SO IMPORTANT THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO SUMMARIZE THE ENTIRE LETTER IN THIS WAY:
CHAPTER 1 - A UNITED MIND
CHAPTER 2 - AN UNSELFISH MIND
CHAPTER 3 - AN UNDISTRACTED MIND
CHAPTER 4 - AN UNDIVIDED MIND