There was once a young man who was persecuting the church. He was so efficient at it that he was sent to another city, and on the way Jesus appeared to him, saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” When Saul was persecuting the church, Jesus took it personally: “Why are you persecuting *me*.” Jesus loves his people.

After his encounter with Jesus, this same young man, Saul, went on to become a leader in the church, the apostle Paul. Paul loved the church. Paul loved God’s people, with the affections of Christ Jesus. In his letter to the Philippians Paul continually expresses his love and concern for the believers at Philippi in the midst of external pressures and internal tensions. Now at end of the letter, we find Paul beginning to summarize the themes of the whole letter, encouraging the believers at Philippi to stand firm in the midst of eternal pressures and to remain united in the midst of internal tensions. But in what context does this happen? Listen as Pastor Josué preaches on on Philippians 4:4–9, showing that the context of all of this is gospel-built community, and describing both the characteristics of community and the practice of the community.

Part of a series on Philippians.

From Sunday Worship, April 14, 2024.

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