Today’s passage: Philippians 1:1-2
Helpful thoughts:
- The Apostle Paul wrote this epistle to the church at Philippi during his first imprisonment in Rome around AD 60-62, about ten years after he had planted the church on his second missionary journey.
- The church at Philippi was made up mostly of Gentiles. There were fewer Jewish people than many other church plants.
- In these early verses, the two offices of the church are mentioned, the overseers (Pastors/Elders) and deacons.
- Both offices are written in the plural. There do not appear to be any instances in the Acts or Epistles where there was not a plurality of overseers/elders/pastors or deacons once they were established in the churches.
Questions to consider:
- What are the two terms used to identify these followers of Christ? What did Paul call himself and Timothy? What did he call all the members of the church?
- How do both of these designations give us identity and purpose for living? How are saints to be “set-apart” from the world and unto godliness? How are servants to think about their role and their relationships with other people? Whom do we serve and to what end? Where will we find the greatest joys with this inherited identity?
- How did God provide grace and peace to us through Christ? How does God’s grace and peace continue to affect us now and moving forward?