Joyce Meyer - Philippians: A Biblical Study

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Author:Paul

Date:Around AD 61

Audience:Christians in the city of Philippi

The apostle Pauls letter to the Philippians is considered the epistle of joy, and Paul mentions joy approximately thirteen times in the four chapters of this book of the Bible, sometimes more, depending on the translation we read. Although Jesus was a man of suffering, and familiar with pain (Isaiah 53:3), He also possessed a deep joy beyond anything the world can offer. As He faced a terrible death on Calvary, Jesus spoke to His disciples, saying, I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete (John 15:11). Jesus came to Earth so that we might have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows] (John 10:10 AMP ). God wants us to be happy and joyful. Paul definitely understood that and helps us understand and experience this truth through his warm and personal letter to the believers at Philippi.

Paul wrote this epistle while he was held captive in a Roman prison. Even under the difficult circumstances of incarceration, he still found joy! What was his secret? I believe it was that he learned to think according to Gods Word. He mentions the mind and/or functions of the mind at least ten times in this letter, so we can see that joy is connected to our thoughts and mindsets. If we choose to live with a positive perspective, even the worst circumstances cannot steal our joy.

Paul visited Philippi for the first time during his second missionary journey, which took place around AD 52. If Paul was approximately twenty years old when his Damascus Road experience took placethe dramatic encounter in which Jesus appeared to him and radically changed his life (you can read about it in Acts 9)he would have been at least seventy years old when he wrote this letter. Yet he was still determined to do Gods will, which for him was to preach the gospel.

Paul strategically chose the cities to which he took the gospel. He selected places that were important in themselves but also major hubs for entire geographic areas. Philippi was one of these cities, and if we understand its significance, we see that Pauls choice to preach and minister in such an influential place is not surprising. Philippi was important because it had been known historically as a city of rich gold and silver mines, though the mines had been exhausted by the time of Pauls ministry.

In 368 BC, King Philip II of Macedonia, the father of Alexander the Great, founded this city, and it was named after him. In 42 BC, after the assassination of Julius Caesar, Philippi was the site of a major battle. In that contest, an army under the command of Mark Antony and Octavian defeated the forces of Brutus and Cassius, who had led the effort to kill Caesar, and thereby determined the future of the Roman Empire.

In Pauls day, Roman colonies were scattered throughout the vast Roman Empire, and they helped keep the empire at peace. The well-known Roman Road system was constructed for travel among these colonies.

By the time Paul visited Philippi, the city had been raised to the status of a Roman colony, and the people who lived there were either Jews or Roman citizens. Paul was both. His being a Roman citizen and a Jew allowed him to preach to both Jews and Romans. It also afforded him special protection on several occasions as he went about preaching the gospel.