Philippians – the letter and its recipients
One of the wonderful things about the book of Philippians is that we know so much about many of the individuals who would’ve heard it read for the first time. Some of those who may have been a part of the church in Philippi include the Philippian jailer, his household, Lydia and her household, Euodias, Syntyche, Clement, Epaphroditus, and the maiden of Acts 16.
The city of Philippi seems to have been both a Roman colony and the capital city of the western province of Macedonia (Acts 16:12). Paul had been called to preach the gospel there in a most unique way, through a miraculous vision (Acts 16:9).
This vision led to a new frontier in gospel work because Philippi was in Europe, and previous to this point in time, Paul had only preached in Asia. In fact, it seems it was Paul’s desire to go preach in Asia again, but the Spirit of God forbade him to go there (16:6). Then Paul sought to go into Bithynia (16:7) and preach, but the Spirit of God would not permit him to go there either. So Paul went to Troas where God used a man in a vision to call him to come and preach in Macedonia. It’s a remarkable story. In fact, I find it so fascinating that I think I’m going to write a separate article about it.
Among those travelling with Paul on that first visit were Timothy (16:1) and Luke. (i) It was Paul’s habit when he arrived at a city to go first and preach in the Jewish synagogue. However it doesn’t appear as though Philippi had a synagogue, since those who feared God gathered by the riverside to pray. When Paul learned this, he went and preached to the godly women who gathered there. God reached the heart of a women name Lydia and she was saved by God’s grace.
Lydia wasn’t the only woman whose life was changed though. Paul also cast a demonic spirit out of a slave girl, and this resulted in Paul and Silas being thrown in prison. Despite being beaten with many stripes and fastened in stocks, Paul and Silas sang and praised God. At midnight, an earthquake shook the prison, loosening their bands and opening the doors. I’m sure you know the rest of the story and how this resulted in the salvation of their jailor and his household (Acts 16:31-34).
Paul’s love for these dear saints is evident throughout this letter. He refers to them with terms of endearment, such as, “my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy, my crown” (4:1). He tells them that he thanks God for every memory that he has of them (1:3), and he calls on God to witness how greatly he longs after them in the bowels of Jesus Christ (1:8). He writes further of his appreciation for their prayers (1:19) and their gift (4:15, 18); and he notes that his desire to abide in the flesh is with their benefit in view (1:24). He sorrows when they sorrow and he rejoices when they rejoice (2:27, 28), and in everything, he desires their spiritual wellbeing (4:17).
Paul had suffered much in Philippi (Acts 16:23, 24), but his heart seems deeply drawn to this church. It is obvious that they loved him too, because they sent him a gift (4:18) during a time when no other church had given him anything.
I enjoy imagining how the words of this letter played across the ears of the listeners. Lydia would perhaps think of the miraculous way in which Paul was sent to reach her with the gospel. Perhaps the jailer would listen to Paul speak of his joy while in bonds for Christ and he would remember the way that Paul and Silas sang in jail that night when he was saved. What precious memories!
It was their Christlike sacrificial love that led this little company to reach out to Paul in an hour of need, but what a gift they received in return – this wonderful little book so filled with the person of Christ!
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This article is part of the “Fridays in Philippians” series of synchroblogs.
Footnotes: (i) The presence of Luke travelling with Paul in Acts is indicated by the pronoun “we” (16:10) instead of “they” (16:6). I believe that this trip is the first such passage in Acts. This suggests to me that Luke likely joined Paul for the first time on this trip from Troas to Philippi. It also appears that Luke may have been left behind in Philippi to help the believers when Paul and the others journeyed onward as the next “we” section in Acts does not occur again until Acts 20 when Paul returned to Philippi several years later.
