A Look at Philippians

Philippians
A Suggested Outline of Philippians
I. The Single Mind (1)
A. The Fellowship of the Gospel (1:1–11)
B. The Furtherance of the Gospel (1:12–26)
C. The Faith of the Gospel (1:27–30)
II. The Submissive Mind (2)
A. Example of Christ (2:1–11)
B. Example of Paul (2:12–18)
C. Example of Timothy (2:19–24)
D. Example of Epaphroditus (2:25–30)
III. The Spiritual Mind (3)
A. The Christian’s Past: Salvation (3:1–11)
B. The Christian’s Present: Sanctification (3:12–16)
C. The Christian’s Future: Glorification (3:17–21)
IV. The Secure Mind (4)
A. God’s Presence: “at Hand” (4:1–5)
B. God’s Peace (4:6–9)
C. God’s Power (4:10–13)
D. God’s Provision (4:14–23)
Introductory Notes to Philippians
I. The City
Philippi was a Roman colony, governed by Roman laws and subject to Roman rule. It
was a little Rome in the midst of a Greek culture, just as the church is a “colony of
heaven” here on earth (Phil. 3:20, where “conversation” means “citizenship”). The
original city, named after King Philip, who had won it from the Thracians, was noted for
its gold as well as its farming. Its soil was very fertile. Check your map to see its location
in Macedonia.
II. The Church
The first church founded in Europe was planted by Paul in Philippi (see Acts 16) on his
second missionary journey. After Paul moved on to Thessalonica, the Philippian
believers sent him support (Phil. 4:15, and see 2 Cor. 11:9). Five years later, while on his third journey, Paul visited Philippi on the way to Corinth, and then on the return trip
(Acts 20:1–6). There was a deep love between Paul and the people at Philippi. Certainly
their church gave the apostle little trouble! No wonder he enjoyed fellowshipping with
them!
III. The Letter
The church had heard of Paul’s house arrest in Rome and wanted to send him aid.
They sent one of their men (perhaps an elder) named Epaphroditus to carry their
offering to the needy apostle in Rome. The journey from Philippi to Rome usually took
about a month. Epaphroditus remained with Paul in Rome and ministered to him and
with him, so much so, in fact, that he became ill (Phil. 2:25–30). Apparently when Paul
wrote his acknowledgment to the church, he mentioned his friend’s illness. The church
then became concerned about him as well as Paul. It is also possible that Epaphroditus
stayed with Paul a few months too long and was criticized by the church for his
tardiness. At any rate, when Epaphroditus regained his strength, Paul sent him back
home with the letter that we know as the Epistle to the Philippians. Paul had several
purposes in mind when he wrote the letter: (1) to explain his circumstances to friends
who were concerned about him; (2) to explain Epaphroditus’ situation and defend him to
his critics; (3) to thank the Philippians again for their generous support; (4) to encourage
them in the Christian life; (5) to encourage the unity of the church.
IV. The Emphasis
One of the key themes in Philippians is joy. “Joy” is mentioned in one way or another
nineteen times in these four brief chapters. Another emphasis is the mind. As we read
Philippians, note how many times Paul talks about remembering and thinking. We can
summarize the theme of the book as “the Christlike mind that brings Christian joy.” In
each chapter, Paul describes the kind of mind Christians must have if they are to enjoy
Christ’s peace and joy. Certainly our thoughts have a great influence on our lives, and
wrong thinking leads to wrong living. We should notice in our suggested outline that
there are four minds described: the single mind, the submissive mind, the spiritual mind,
and the secure mind.
Of course, we should not conclude that this is the only lesson to be gained from this
wonderful letter. Paul teaches us much about Christ in this epistle: Christ is our life
(chap. 1), our example (chap. 2), our goal (chap. 3), and our strength (chap. 4). The
word “sin” is nowhere mentioned in Philippians, and the only suggestion of sorrow is in
3:18, where Paul weeps over the professed Christians who are worldly minded and
thereby dishonor Christ.