“The Philippian Church” - 4/2/25

The Philippian church was unique in many ways. One thing that makes it unique is that when Paul wrote to them, he had very little to say regarding correction. When we contrast the epistle of Philippians with such epistles as I Corinthians, Galatians, or the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3, this contrast is evident.

I find this interesting considering that the city of Philippi was not welcoming to the apostle Paul (or Silas) when they arrived. With the exception of Lydia and her family (Acts 16:14-15), it seems the gospel was a “hard sell” to this town. After preaching the truth to Lydia and others at the riverside, when Paul and Silas came into town, they were soon lied about and arrested for simply casting a demon out of a slave girl (Acts 16:16-24).

Yet, while in prison, Paul and Silas seized the opportunity to teach and convert the jailor and his family (Acts 16:25-34). Thus, the nucleus of this church would have consisted of Lydia and her family, along with the jailor and his family. From this arose the church we read about in the letter known as Philippians.

In addition to these two families, there would have been others from Philippi who, like us, would have eventually become Christians and then joined themselves to the church at Philippi (cf. Acts 9:26-28). Imagine a church forming and folks being added who were initially opposed to the teachings they now accept (Acts 16:19-24)! This reminds me of those Jews who would have composed the church in Jerusalem (Acts 2:36-41, 47). Many of these would have been responsible for the Lord’s death, and now they came to accept Him.

Indeed, the journey of the Philippian church is not unique. It mirrors the path of all Christians. By yielding to our lusts and sinning (Jas. 1:14-15; I Jn. 2:15-17), we rejected the Lord’s way. So long as we were satisfied to live in sin, we were continuing to fight and oppose the Lord of Heaven. While we might not have been there to belittle and mock Jesus while He was on earth or to imprison Paul, the sins we have committed place us in the same category as those we read about in Acts 2 and 16. We are all sinners in need of salvation!

Similarly, Paul reminds the Corinthians, “and such were some of you” (I Cor. 6:11), after listing various sins that would keep the people from Heaven. Let us behold ourselves in the mirror of God’s word (Jas. 1:22-25) and know that “such were some of (us)” as well!

The Philippians changed and became a church whose characteristics continue to bless us to this good day. Let us learn that the vilest of men can change (II Pet. 3:9) and follow the Lord. Thanks be to God for His patience, love, righteousness, and plan of salvation (Mk. 16:16) that allows us to live for Him and look forward to being in Heaven when this life is over.

– Jarrod M. Jacobs