In the sixteenth chapter of
the book of the Acts of the Apostles, we see the beginning of the
church which was formed in the city of Philippi. It was to this
church that this small epistle of Paul the apostle was written as
Epaphroditus, the church's pastor, had brought Paul a generous gift
from the church while he was imprisoned in Rome. The book begins with
a greeting and benediction from Paul where we read:
Paul and Timothy, the
servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are
at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:
The
verse begins, “Paul and Timothy, the servants of Jesus
Christ,...” As we begin our study of this wonderful book it
should be noted that the church at Philippi was formed in what is
known as the second missionary journey of Paul the apostle. After
traveling with Barnabas throughout Asia Minor and sharing the gospel
with the gentiles, Paul and Barnabas returned to Jerusalem where in
the fifteenth chapter of the book of Acts there was what is known as
the first church council. There decisions were made about ministering
the gospel to the gentiles, and upon coming to certain conclusions
concerning what laws the gentiles should and should not keep, the
church made a decision to send Paul and Barnabas to the gentiles once
again. However, Barnabas desired to take with them his nephew Mark
who had abandoned them on their first missionary journey, but Paul
resisted to the point that the contention was so great between Paul
and Barnabas that Paul took Silas and Barnabas took Mark, and they
separated from each other. It was on this second journey that Paul
met “Timothy” in a city called “Lystra”, and Timothy
became his protege' from that point forward.
Paul
desired to go to Asia to share the gospel, however in a vision a man
from Macedonia beckoned him to come and help them. Paul perceived
this as direction from the Holy Spirit, and when they journeyed to
Macedonia, Philippi was one of the first places they encountered.
There by a riverside were a few women meeting for prayers, and Paul,
Silas and Timothy shared the gospel with them and the church was
formed. One small fact should be noted before we leave this
description. Paul the apostle usually went to the synagogues first to
share the gospel any time he entered a new city or village. At that
time a synagogue was usually built if there were ten Jewish men in a
city, however, there was no synagogue built in Philippi. Therefore,
these women were the charter members of the church, and they were
introduced to the gospel while in the midst of their prayers.
Notice
too that Paul, the writer of the book of Philippi, says he and
Timothy are “the servants of Jesus Christ”.
The word “servants”
is “dulous” in the Greek language, and it means “a
slave, bondman, or a man of servile condition”. The idea behind a
“dulous” is a willing and voluntary servant. Jewish law stated
that a man could only be a servant for six years, and then he was to
be set free. However, should a servant desire to stay with his master
after the sixth year and continue to serve him, he was known as a
“bond-servant” or a “willing and voluntary servant”.
At this point an awl would be used to put a hole in the servant's
ear, he would be given and earring, and he would be known as a
“bond-servant” for life. Paul the apostle believed himself
and Timothy to be “bond-servants” of Jesus Christ, and their
title is an appropriate one for anyone who is willing to serve the
Lord Jesus with all their heart.
Next
time we will continue the introduction to the book of Philippians, so
read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
No comments:
Post a Comment