Philippians

In the opening of this letter we read, “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus. To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Philippians is addressed to all of us, in every facet of our lives. “To all the saints in Christ Jesus” – if you call yourself a Christian, these words are for you. “With the overseers and deacons” – to those in positions of leadership and service inside and outside the church, these words are for you. God knows that we need more of him, everywhere we go, in everything that we do.

Philippians is written to you as an individual Christian, in your relationship with Jesus. It is written to you as an employee, serving your co-workers. It is written to you as a boss or manager, in your leadership of others. It is written to you as a parent, leading and raising your family. It is written to the professional Christians working in and serving the church, it is written to the volunteer Christians, setting up sound equipment and welcoming visitors.

And finally, this is written to the church as a family. Philippians is structured like a mountain, and over the next nine weeks we will be hiking that mountain. Chapter one is the ascent, the climb, filled with words of encouragement as we seek the point, the purpose, the reason we are doing all of this. The first part of chapter two is the summit, the pinnacle of the book, where we are reminded of the reasons why and given the picture of who we are following faithfully in real life. The last half of the book is the descent, now that we have been to the summit and received more of Jesus, we can continue onward in our life as Christians, faithfully following him and seeking his glory in the world.