To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. Philippians 1:1-5
The word translated “bond-servants” in verse 1 is dulos. It means slaves.
“Saints” literally means holy ones, set apart for God’s service. An important fact to realize is that all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ are saints. Not the plaster variety you see in churchyards. Not dead “miracle-workers.” Real flesh-and-blood living people, and those believers who have gone before us. I cringe when I hear a believer say “well, I’m no saint, but…” Well, yes, you are. You should acknowledge that fact. It is a fine designation for anyone who belongs to the Lord. God's Word never instructs us saints to pray to other saints (living or dead), and certainly no saints are supposed to pray to us. Wouldn't that be ridiculous? There are whole religions, however, that teach their people to do just that.
Our prayer is to be directed to God the Father through the authority (in the name) of Jesus (God the Son), through the power of God the Holy Spirit, who intercedes for us with groanings we cannot utter. The vocabulary we use is the language we speak. God understands our language and our thoughts, without formulaic oratory. The age of the Apostles is over. The Canon of Scripture is completed and translated into all major languages of the world. This eliminates the need for specialized languages (other tongues) for prayer or public speaking. Our personal prayer is from our soul to God's mind. Silent or spoken, He understands. Anywhere. Anytime. You, Saint, can communicate directly with God. It is an important function of the Christian life.
“Overseers" are pastor-teachers, sometimes referred to as bishops. “Deacons" are specially ordained men who help with the ministries of the church. There was already good organization in the local churches. This one was the first local church in Europe. The Congregation was made up of mostly Gentiles. There were several prominent women serving in this church. They were not pastor-teachers, however. That spiritual gift is bestowed on males only. Women have other gifts, and more than enough to do.
“Grace to you:” God’s special favor, and “peace:” reconciliation. From the Father and the Son. Paul expressed his deep appreciation for this congregation, which he and Timothy had planted together, after meeting Lydia and her friends who were seeking truth about God’s plan (Acts 16:13-15). When they learned of Paul’s imprisonment, they sent help to him. This epistle is in part a thank-you note for that much needed help. He continually prayed for them, joyfully, remembering how supportive they had been in his ministry.
V.6: “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”
There is no going back. This is a divine promise. You were born into the body of Christ when you believed in Him. You are IN HIM forever. He has a plan and purpose for your life. The work He began in you (notice it is HE who began it) WILL be completed. Perfected. Matured. It is HIS work, and it isn’t over until the return of our Lord to claim His own.
The LORD will accomplish what concerns me; Psalm 138:8
Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them. Psalm 139:16
…awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. I Corinthians 1:7-9
It is no accident that we are where we are. There is a plan. We are part of it. We have been recruited as members of a vast company of soldiers who belong to Jesus Christ, LORD of the Armies. He has chosen us, redeemed us, equipped us and sent us forth to share His gospel in the world. He will accomplish His will in us. We have been reborn into a New Species of humanity who know and understand what unconditional love is, because it is the production of God the Holy Spirit in our souls. We will grow into the mature representatives of God that He has designed us to be.
He is seeing to it.
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