February 19 Daily Discovery
February 19 Daily Discovery - Read Philippians Chapter 1
This passage below is from the King James Version (ekjv.org).
Remarks from the Berean Fellowship follow the passage below.
[1] Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:
[2] Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
[3] I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
[4] Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,
[5] For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;
[6] Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
[7] Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.
[8] For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.
[9] And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
[10] That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;
[11] Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
[12] But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;
[13] So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;
[14] And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
[15] Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:
[16] The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:
[17] But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.
[18] What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.
[19] For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
[20] According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
[21] For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
[22] But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.
[23] For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
[24] Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.
[25] And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;
[26] That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.
[27] Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
[28] And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.
[29] For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
[30] Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.
Jesus Christ be Magnified in Me
The unbelieving Jews had manipulated the Romans into crucifying Christ. Pilate insisted that Jesus had done nothing that would warrant Him being executed. They did not want to do it themselves, they just wanted to be able to blame the Romans for it. They were masters at manipulation. Early on, Paul had been one of their best friends -- when he was a persecutor of the church. But now, having become a follower of The Way, they wanted him dead! Paul ended up appealing to Caesar to prevent the unbelieving Jews from unjustly executing him.
Now Paul is under arrest by the Romans and he continues to minister, having being allowed a lot of Liberty by the Romans. He writes several letters during his time in chains, and one of them is the letter to the Philippians.
The Gospel is Reaching even Further
Paul is continuing to preach while he is under house arrest. People are able to visit him and deliver letters and gifts to him as well as take his letters to deliver elsewhere. Every person that he contacts is being given the gospel. Because of his bonds he is having contact with people involved with Roman government. The move of the Jews to destroy him provided him with an incredible platform for ministry. It did not silence him!
Also as the news of his captivity reaches other places, it is becoming a catalyst to motivate more preaching of the gospel!
In a Strait, Being Torn
Acts 9:10-17
[10] And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.
[11] And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,
[12] And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.
[13] Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:
[14] And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.
[15] But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
[16] For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.
[17] And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
Paul knew that he was going to have a hard road, because Jesus revealed it to him when He called him. Paul accepted this, but he loved to preach and teach the gospel. He now had the Holy Spirit which birthed love in his heart for all people, including his persecutors. He was in a pickle in his heart. he was struggling with the question of do I want to stay or do I want to go? He was convinced that the people needed him to continue to minister but he would have been happy to have been face to face with Jesus whom he formally persecuted!
2 Cor. 5:6-8
[6] Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
[7] (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
[8] We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
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