Philippians 4:20-23 says,...
Today's verses are Philippians 4:20-23, which read,
v.20 - Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
The praise and glory forever and ever to our God and Father is in context to Him being the One who supplies our every need. The Philippians have been obedient to Him and supplied Paul's needs as a missionary on numerous occasions and have received from the Lord what they needed as a body of believers in a world that was hostile to the gospel.
v.21, 22 - Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me, greet you. All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household.
Note that Paul says "every saint" instead of saying "all." Every person who is a follower of Jesus is important to care about and address. Make sure to not bypass someone in the Lord that you have the opportunity to address with a greeting of our commonality in the Lord. This is good reminder when we gather tomorrow to make sure to greet every saint that we come across.
Paul is in a Roman jail but some of the brethren are with him and attending to him. It is possible that we are speaking of Timothy, Epaphroditus, Tychicus, Aristarchus, Onesimus, and Jesus Justus. Paul is continually disciplining others to disciple others. These front line missionaries greet the body of believers in Philippi.
Then Paul gives them something to really catch their attention in this missionary letter. The gospel has stretched into Caesar's household. Through whatever series of events, Paul has seen or was able himself to tell those who attend to Caesar or some of his relations to have come to faith in Christ. The Lord's transformation of grace upon us can take even hardened soldiers chained to Paul and penetrate them to bow to another King, the King of all kings. What a joy this must have been for the Philippian Christians in the church to hear how the gospel that they were supporting through Paul was truly reaching the lost.
v.23 - The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Paul ends with his common benediction to the Philippians. He gives the full name and title of Jesus. He is Lord and Master. He is Jesus, the God-man come to save sinners. He is the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One, prophesied to come and come again. May the grace that He brings be in your spirit. What a great blessing to shower down on another follower of Christ.
This has made me think about how we end our conversations with other believers. Do we end with some type of blessing? Do we evoke Jesus' name to our departure or the end of a conversation on the phone? We may tend to make sure to say "I love you" with our spouse or children but how about that meeting with another Christian on the phone or that you met in the marketplace? How about the practice of doing something that Paul has pointed out to us over and over again? When we leave a conversation with another believer add something like, "May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be in your spirit" or "Until we meet again, may the God of all grace guide your words and your steps." It sounds like a benediction of the service but what has happened when Christians have gathered together anywhere? Maybe we need that reminder more often of Whose we are. Let's pray.
"Lord, thank You for the ministry of Paul to the churches of the 1st century. Thank You for his love for them to write these letters and send others to help them continue to walk in Your ways. We have truly benefited from being instructed by these same letters. Help us to acknowledge each other more in You. Our common link is You and so may we speak of You more to each other when we see and speak to each other. Amen."
Pastor Adam
v.20 - Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
The praise and glory forever and ever to our God and Father is in context to Him being the One who supplies our every need. The Philippians have been obedient to Him and supplied Paul's needs as a missionary on numerous occasions and have received from the Lord what they needed as a body of believers in a world that was hostile to the gospel.
v.21, 22 - Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me, greet you. All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household.
Note that Paul says "every saint" instead of saying "all." Every person who is a follower of Jesus is important to care about and address. Make sure to not bypass someone in the Lord that you have the opportunity to address with a greeting of our commonality in the Lord. This is good reminder when we gather tomorrow to make sure to greet every saint that we come across.
Paul is in a Roman jail but some of the brethren are with him and attending to him. It is possible that we are speaking of Timothy, Epaphroditus, Tychicus, Aristarchus, Onesimus, and Jesus Justus. Paul is continually disciplining others to disciple others. These front line missionaries greet the body of believers in Philippi.
Then Paul gives them something to really catch their attention in this missionary letter. The gospel has stretched into Caesar's household. Through whatever series of events, Paul has seen or was able himself to tell those who attend to Caesar or some of his relations to have come to faith in Christ. The Lord's transformation of grace upon us can take even hardened soldiers chained to Paul and penetrate them to bow to another King, the King of all kings. What a joy this must have been for the Philippian Christians in the church to hear how the gospel that they were supporting through Paul was truly reaching the lost.
v.23 - The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Paul ends with his common benediction to the Philippians. He gives the full name and title of Jesus. He is Lord and Master. He is Jesus, the God-man come to save sinners. He is the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One, prophesied to come and come again. May the grace that He brings be in your spirit. What a great blessing to shower down on another follower of Christ.
This has made me think about how we end our conversations with other believers. Do we end with some type of blessing? Do we evoke Jesus' name to our departure or the end of a conversation on the phone? We may tend to make sure to say "I love you" with our spouse or children but how about that meeting with another Christian on the phone or that you met in the marketplace? How about the practice of doing something that Paul has pointed out to us over and over again? When we leave a conversation with another believer add something like, "May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be in your spirit" or "Until we meet again, may the God of all grace guide your words and your steps." It sounds like a benediction of the service but what has happened when Christians have gathered together anywhere? Maybe we need that reminder more often of Whose we are. Let's pray.
"Lord, thank You for the ministry of Paul to the churches of the 1st century. Thank You for his love for them to write these letters and send others to help them continue to walk in Your ways. We have truly benefited from being instructed by these same letters. Help us to acknowledge each other more in You. Our common link is You and so may we speak of You more to each other when we see and speak to each other. Amen."
Pastor Adam
Comments
Post a Comment