Philppians, part one

As we begin the letter to the Philippians, we see that the letter is not just from Paul, but from Timothy also. The letter goes on to thank god for the Philippians. They are told that they are prayed for with joy because of their good work. Paul longs affectionately for all of them. He prays that they will  continue to have an abundance of love, discernment, purity, and righteousness.

In verse twelve, Paul talks about his incarceration. He is in chains, under the oversight of the palace guard. At the end of the letter (4:22) we see this is Caesar's palace, which would be in Rome. The palace guard knows that the reason for his imprisonment is his religious proselytizing. His chains have actually encouraged other believers to speak "the word of god"more courageously.

 Verses 15-18, Paul speaks of two groups of people who preach Christ: 1. Those who do it out of envy, rivalry, and selfish ambition, just to stir up trouble for Paul. (This makes absolutely no sense to me) 2. Those who do it out of good will and love. Then Paul goes on to say it doesn't matter. Either way, the gospel gets preached. If it doesn't matter, why mention it? Who are these people who preach the right thing for the wrong reasons? If they are preaching the same gospel as Paul, wouldn't they end up in chains also?

So, no matter what, Paul will rejoice. He knows that the prayers of the Philippians and help from the spirit of Jesus Christ will cause him to be released. (Magical thinking) Paul also hopes that he will have enough courage to not do anything he will be ashamed of later. He wants Christ to always be exalted in his body, even if that means becoming a martyr. "For me, to live is Christ, to die is gain."
This is what Christians all over the world claim to believe, but their actions say otherwise. Most of them don't really want to die. They make every effort to stay alive as long as possible.

Paul, on the other hand, says he is torn between living or dying. He wants so bad to die and be with Christ, because that is the best possible outcome. However, it would be better for the Philippians if he stayed alive. That's why he knows he won't die yet. Then, he will get to continue on with them and their joy in Christ will overflow because of him. Conceited or what?

At the end of chapter one, Paul tells the Philippians that whatever happens, they need to behave themselves. That way Paul will know they are standing firm in the gospel and are not afraid of those who oppose them. The Philippians' lack of fear will prove to those unnamed others that they will be destroyed, but the Philippians will be saved by god. I bet those other people were quaking in their boots. (Not) Paul says the Philippians were not only given the privilege to believe in christ, but also to suffer for him. Proof of this is they are going through some unnamed struggle that is just like Paul's struggle was/is, whatever that was/is.

My study bible refers us to Acts 16:11-38, to read about Paul's time in Philippi. There Paul and Silas were put in jail after exorcising a "spirit" from a little girl. They were miraculously released from their jell cell by an earthquake, but did not leave. After preaching to the jailor, he and his household were baptized. The magistrates let Paul and Silas go after they were found to be Roman citizens. Another important convert in Philippi was a woman named Lydia. This letter to the Philippians does not mention Lydia, Silas, the jailor, or the events depicted in Acts.