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This topic is taken from the
epistle of Paul to the Philippians.
There
Paul said
“I can do
all
things
through Him who gives me strength”, Phi
4:13.
Philippians
is one of the letters or
epistles of Apostle Paul to the early Christian
Churches, some of which he founded in his missionary work for the
propagation of the Gospel to both the Jews and the Gentiles. Philippians was
written in the same vein or
style as the
other epistles. The style shows the author, the recipients, greetings,
exhortations and closing prayers.
We shall,
in this discussion,
look at the following aspects of the topic:
1.The
Man Paul.
·
A Hebrew from
the tribe of Benjamin.
·
A Pharisee (Like
a professor of Law).
·
A circumcised Jew.
(See Gen 17:10-13
on the circumcision covenant between God
and Abraham).
·
A zealot as
shown by his intense persecution of the Church before his conversion.
·
A Roman citizen.
(See Acts
22:25-29).
·
He said he lost all these for Christ.
(3:7- 8)
2. Recipients of the
Letter
· The
Church at Philippi founded by Paul and Timothy about AD 50, together with
the church leaders.
·
Philippi was a
Roman colony.
·
The citizens
there were mainly retired military officers – like in Kaduna, Nigeria.
·
Philippi had a
well to do citizenry.
·
Women have
status there in business and the professions, hence their influence in the
Church.
3. Paul’s
Objective in
Writing the
Philippians
·
It is a missionary letter to thank the church for
their concern and gifts.
(4:11, 14, 18)
·
To tell the church
about his detention in
Rome. (4:13).
·
To preach the
tenets of Christian life (exhortations) - Mainly on:
a.
The need for Christ-like humility
(2:1-11)
b.
To beware of false doctrines like the Judizers.
(3:2)
c.
The need to press on towards the goal.
(3:13-14)
d.
The need to do away with anxiety.
(4: 6)
e.
The ability to do all things through Him by FAITH.
(4.13)
5. WHY DID PAUL SAY “I
CAN DO
ALL
THINGS
THROUGH HIM WHO GIVES ME STRENGTH?”
To understand this we have to look at the following background:
·
The unique circumstances of Paul’s conversion.
(Acts 9:1-31)
·
Paul’s tremendous faith in Christ has helped him to
develop a life of reliance on God in everything (see
Heb 11 for examples of such Faiths).
·
His Missionary
zeal was demonstrated in his journeys to preach the gospel and plant new
churches.
·
He has joy even
in his sufferings and persecution by the Jews.
·
He has learnt to be content and that, with his faith,
is the secret of his ability to do all things in Christ.
(4:12b and
4:13).
·
His arrest in
Jerusalem following the Jews’ plan to kill him.
·
His trials by Governors Felix, Festus, and King
Agrippa. (Acts 24, 25, 26).
·
His appeal to
Emperor
in Rome for fear that he would not get justice from the local Roman
authorities.
·
His journey to
Rome as a prisoner.
(Acts 27, 28)
·
He lived in a rented
house but with military guards over him all the time for two years, but he
was free to preach the gospel to all visitors and so the gospel spread in
Rome through his efforts.
ADDITIONAL
COMMENTS:
I anticipated
that my men fellowship members will ask "What happened to Paul after his
house arrest in Roman for two or more years"? Consequently, I searched my library in
vain for an answer. I then got in touch, through the Internet, with our
family friend Rev Park D Wheat who lives in Texas, USA for help. Here is what
he said:
Wheat (10/5/2005 8:48:05 PM):
Here is what I
found about Paul's death.
1) 2 Tim. 4
tells us that he believes that he is expecting death (execution) very soon.
2) The general
opinion seems to be that he was executed by Nero in the wake of the fire in
Rome (AD 64). He may have escaped the immediate persecution, but was
probably arrested and executed between 64-67 AD.
3) I like F. F. Bruce's discussion
in his PAUL: APOSTLE OF THE HEART SET FREE (see ch. ch. 37, "The Last Days
of Paul: History and Tradition," pp. 441-455). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans
Publishing Co., 1977.
4) I am including a web site which has free downloads
which will provide a number of resources including The Early Church Fathers:
Ante-Nicene Fathers.
Here is the site
http://www.e-sword.net/
I have others.
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED AND WISH TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS TOPIC WHICH IS OF
TREMENDOUS INTEREST TO MY CHURCH MEN FELLOWSHIP GROUP, WE SHALL WELCOME YOUR
CONTRIBUTION. Webmaster.
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