INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPIANS

Earthly Author: The Apostle Paul and his “son in the faith” Timothy

Technically the Author of all scripture is God because the Bible is “God-breathed”. He inspired human authors to write historical accounts, instructions for living, poetry, and even letters. Paul is the human author God used to write the letter to the church at Philippi. In case you are not familiar with the story of the Apostle Paul or need a refresher course, following is a brief author bio of him.

Paul, originally named Saul, was a Pharisee in Jerusalem. We first encounter him the book of Acts at the stoning of Stephen. He watched over the cloaks of those hurling the rocks and stood in approval of Stephen’s execution due to his faith in Jesus Christ. He then got permission from the chief priest to travel to Damascus to arrest Christians there. On the road to Damascus, the Lord Jesus dramatically appeared to him, and Paul was made blind for three days. The Lord miraculously healed his vision when a Christian named Ananias prayed for him. He became a believer of the very faith he had been persecuting. Not only did he believe in and trust Jesus, but he became one of the Lord’s most well-known preachers. He first preached to the Jews, but the Lord had also called him to take the message of the Gospel to the gentiles. He went on three missionary journeys spreading the good news to Asia and Europe as well as Israel. His journey to Philippi is recorded in Acts chapter 16.

Recipients: The Believers at the Roman colony of Philippi

Paul had not intended to travel to Philippi which was in Macedonia which was an area in Europe at all, but he had a vision of a Macedonian man asking him to come there. (Acts 16:9) The first convert to Christianity in Europe, however, would be a WOMAN. When he and Silas arrived in Philippi, there was no synagogue because the town lacked 10 Jewish men, the minimum number of men to establish a synagogue. So Paul and his companions went down by the river to find a place of prayer. There they found a group of women praying together. Lydia, who dealt in expensive purple cloth that would be worn by royalty and the rich, was one of the leaders of this group. (Acts 16:11) She turned to the Lord Jesus and was baptized along with everyone in her house. Paul and entourage stayed with her. The Philippian church most likely met in her home.

Another person who probably became a member of the church at Philippi, was a young slave girlwho had been possessed by a demon and was being used as a fortune teller to make her masters rich. Paul commanded the demon to leave her in the name of Jesus Christ, and she was delivered. (Acts 16:16) This angered her owners because she would no longer be able to make them money. This leads to the next group of converts in Philippi.

 Paul and Silas were beaten a jailed because they preached the Gospel and healed the demon possessed girl by the power of Jesus. As they were praying and singing hymns in the prison, a great earthquake occurred shaking the building, opening the doors, and causing all the prisoners’ chains to fall off! The jailer felt he would be blamed for the escape of all the captives and was about to kill himself with his sword. Paul intervened and informed him everyone was still there. He believed on the Lord Jesus as did the rest of his household, and they were all baptized. (Acts 16:31)

After the magistrates found out that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens and had been unlawfully beaten, they were released. They returned to Lydia’s house to encourage this baby church before leaving town. It is this group of believers who were to receive this correspondence, but there are fantastic messages for all who trust Jesus found in its pages. (Acts 16:40)

Original Purpose of the Letter: Thank you note and encouragement

Paul wrote to thank the Philippian church for their support in the form of a gift brought to him by Epaphroditus. He also wanted to encourage them and provide more instruction for godly living. As noted before, even though this was written to a specific group of believers, there is much we can learn by reading it. Its message, like all scripture, transcends the boundaries of time and place, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”       2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)

Read the introduction to Philippians in your Bible for more information and perhaps read Acts 16 for the background information we have summarized here. Check back in a couple of days to begin a verse by verse study of this book.