As we kick off our series on Philippians, we find a powerful origin story

of the church at Philippi in Acts 16: where two women of wildly different

social statuses find deliverance through Jesus. Paul and friends are then

thrown into prison, bound, and they worship the Living God deep into the

midnight hours. In the midst of their worship we have a dramatic

prison-break—an earthquake shakes them out of their chains. About a decade

later, Paul writes to this small church in Philippi, reminding them of his

love for them in Christ. Picking up in Philippians chapter 1, we will

explore the power of the Spirit’s kind voice, resilient joy in suffering,

and the insistence that Jesus will finish the work he began in us.

By Nelly D’Alessandro