Paul doesn’t pull any punches here. Philippians is the epistle of joy, but Paul takes a very different tone, a very different tactic right here. When you love someone, there is a protective instinct that you feel towards them. If you mess with my wife or with my kids, I will take you down! Why? I care more about them than I do myself. Paul’s protective instincts take over right here. He loves the Philippians too much to sit idly by and watch false prophets with false motives teach false doctrine...
Jul 12, 2021•5 min
As Paul pens these words, he’s already acknowledged that he doesn’t know if his current prison sentence will end in death. He’s not sure when or if he’ll be able to send Timothy to visit them. His helper from Philippi got sick and needs to go home early. Paul is dealing with a huge amount of uncertainty and still tells the Philippian church, “Whatever happens, rejoice.”
Jul 09, 2021•4 min
Let's answer the question we’ve all been wondering. Epaphroditus? Who? It’s hard enough just pronouncing his name right, much less knowing who is this guy? This is the first of two encounters we have with him in this book. Needless to say, he is not one that you would refer to as a main character by any means. But that is what makes him so special to be mentioned at all.
Jul 08, 2021•5 min
This passage might feel a bit of a left turn, but it gives us a rare glimpse into the interpersonal relationships of the early church. When we read Scripture through our modern context it can feel distant, describing a moment in time that is tough to have a reference for. But passages like these resonate in their humanness. You get a sense of the raw emotion of almost losing a friend, the fear and anxiety, but also the joy of healing and restoration.
Jul 07, 2021•5 min
Sending or being sent is often a true act of humility. It takes a mass amount of trust on Paul’s part to send Timothy on his behalf. Not only in trusting that Timothy will represent him well, but also because Paul could easily hold on to him. He could keep Timothy right by his side to continue to serve with him, but instead, he sends him forth.
Jul 06, 2021•5 min
At the time of this writing, Timothy had become the pastor of the church in Ephesus, one of the largest and most influential cities of the Greco-Roman world. He was obviously a strong and respected leader, and Paul claims there is no one else like Timothy. Why? What is the reason for that highest commendation?
Jul 05, 2021•5 min
What if we were so fixated on joy that we couldn’t help but see it everywhere?
Jul 02, 2021•4 min
A surefast way to keep catchphrases from becoming white noise is to continue to look at the truth revealed in Scripture. Paul has been encouraging the Philippians to persevere in faith, no matter what the circumstances look like around them. He is giving practical steps on how to live as a beloved community that lives out the kingdom of God in the here and now. To Paul, choosing joy is not always rainbows and butterflies, but can look like turning the other cheek, working hard, and standing firm...
Jul 01, 2021•4 min
Our reading continues from yesterday in Philippians in the section called "lights in the world." About us—how we go about being in our world that reflects the light of Christ.
Jun 30, 2021•5 min
Now we find the spotlight on us, on the church, on the children of God in the world. In response to Jesus’ life, sacrifice, humility, obedience, and death, Paul exhorts the Philippians, and Paul exhorts us, how we are to live, and why.
Jun 29, 2021•4 min
Working out our own salvation has little to do with working for salvation, but everything to do with our work that pours out from Christ’s salvation. Paul is not charging us to understand the theological complexities of Christ’s salvific work, but he is charging us to embody the life of the gospel.
Jun 28, 2021•5 min
We know from the context of the New Testament that both Jesus and Paul would describe every “tongue” as not only individuals but nations as well. Remember on the day of Pentecost thousands of people all heard the glory of God being declared in their own nation’s or native tongue. When we zoom out and look at the big picture of this verse, here’s what we see and hear: God wants everyone to belong to Jesus. Every nation has reserved seating in the house of God. Every. Single. One.
Jun 25, 2021•5 min
The cross was a cruel form of punishment reserved for slaves, and thieves, and others with little to no earthly status. In His obedience to the Father, Jesus willingly gave His life upon that cross. In this letter to the Philippians, Paul illuminates Jesus's character: that He’s self-emptying instead of self-magnifying. Don’t be mistaken—this isn’t just some coincidence happening to Jesus. He is actually entering into His mission fully and willingly, and not as a passive victim.
Jun 24, 2021•4 min
Jesus did not consider His equality with God to be like that—to be the kind of thing He needed to keep a grip on, to take for Himself. Instead, He knew that even His divinity was something He could hold with an open hand. His divine status was not the kind of thing He needed to keep on lockdown. That’s the way He thought about Himself and it decided the form of His incarnation. That, you might say, was Jesus’ humble mind.
Jun 23, 2021•5 min
Reading this passage is a reminder of one of Jesus’ more peculiar ways. Found in the thirteenth chapter of John’s gospel is a story that begins with Jesus eating dinner with his disciples (pretty normal). After Jesus gets up, He ties a towel around His waist, pours water into a basin, kneels before His disciples, and begins to wash their feet. Now, why would a teacher bow before His students to wash their dirty feet? If anything, it should be the other way around as a way to honor their leader....
Jun 22, 2021•4 min
Being of one mind doesn’t mean we’ll see eye-to-eye on every issue. God-fearing, Bible-believing, Christ-following Christians have disagreed on certain points of doctrine for thousands of years. But please hear this: what unites us is much stronger than the things that divide us. Our common ground is common grace.
Jun 21, 2021•5 min
Joy is having the awareness of God’s grace and favor. As we meditate on the suffering of Paul and perhaps our own or that of others, let us make that profound decision of faith and hope in the power of Jesus and His love. May we acknowledge God’s favor and grace in our lives for that is where true joy comes from.
Jun 18, 2021•4 min
Our call is to continue to stand unified because of the power of the gospel that transforms both hearts and minds for the restoration of the world. When we grasp the beauty of what God has done, is doing, and will continue to do, even when He paints in shades of gray, then friends, we can even find opportunities for joy, even on the grayscale.
Jun 17, 2021•5 min
Paul is confident in the giftings that God has given him to further the Gospel but he is also confident that he will live through this really difficult season in his life and keep using those giftings to encourage and inspire joy in his friends. This should be an inspiration to us all to help someone grow and experience the joy of their faith.
Jun 16, 2021•3 min
We’ve been reading through chapter one together and the most common thread in this letter is that Paul is always thinking about Christ or he is always thinking about the other person to whom he is writing. Then we get to this passage and he says, yet again, it’s about Christ, and it’s about the body of Christ, but it’s also about the work that Paul is called to and the joy and fruitfulness that comes from it.
Jun 15, 2021•5 min
The most courageous thing you can do is show up as yourself. Who you are is a child of God. You are most like yourself when you are most like Christ.
Jun 14, 2021•5 min
We all have circumstances beyond our control, and while we may not be in literal physical chains, there are other types of chains. While it is hard when we are in these circumstances, let’s try to stay accountable to one another in prayer, in friendships, and individually, by reading the Word and staying centered and rejoicing in His promises for our lives, even in the suffering. Let’s rejoice, even when we don’t feel it.
Jun 11, 2021•5 min
How do your experiences of pain, loss, or trauma inform the advancement of the gospel in your life? Our pain, loss, and trauma can become a form of imprisonment. We have all heard how these experiences inform how we see ourselves, how we see the world around us, and its humanity. Our experiences inform what we do or say, how we react, how we withhold—for good or for wrong.
Jun 10, 2021•4 min
Love is the greatest winnowing fork there is. The love of Christ separates so that it may unite us. It separates us from those things that would keep us from God and His good and perfect will and unites us to God.
Jun 09, 2021•4 min
There is a binding agent, a blood transfusion that we all have the opportunity to receive if we haven’t done so already. You may call it Blood Type J. The special favor of God we rejoice in over each one of you is that this blood type, Blood Type J, Blood Type Jesus, supersedes any blood on this earth that could potentially bring us together in a way that distance can’t separate, that proximity cannot make closer, and personal knowledge cannot make any more intimate. It’s the special favor that ...
Jun 08, 2021•5 min
Welcome to the NCC Daily. We are beginning a new series called Joy. Over the next nine weeks, we’ll walk through the book of Philippians verse-by-verse, day-by-day. Two reminders: one, joy is a person, and His name is Jesus. Two, joy is a choice. It’s not always the easiest choice or the obvious choice, but you can choose joy. We’ll discover how over the next nine weeks!
Jun 07, 2021•5 min
