OVM KJV

1 Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

2 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,

4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,

Paul loves them and loves hearing about the work they've been doing.

5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;

Acts 16 records this and was about 11 years before this Book was written. The Philippi church didn't let false doctrine creep in. They held to The Truth.

6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

They're going to see to the work of The Lord until the end.

7 Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.

These Christians have shown maturity and growth in their walk. Although Paul's in prison, he gets word about them and it brings nothing but joy to his heart.

8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

We can see Paul clearly wants to be with those brothers and sisters of Christ in Philippi.

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;

Only in God's Word can we have good judgment. Within The Word are those things which indicate what is of God and what is of the devil.

10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.

Anyone can say they are a Christian, but only those who know The Word will understand when they're being lied to. That's knowledge with good judgment.

11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

Christ Jesus showed us The Way. A Christian = Christ like, in your actions = fruits. Be filled with The Word and His righteousness will come through your actions.

12 But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;

Paul's been on the edge of death. He's been beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked and stoned, but through all his tribulations in life, he wouldn't change it because it was for the furtherance of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He's able to witness for Christ in many places and in ways that many cannot.

13 So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;

14 And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Paul has been a great example of the courage and strength of what a Christian should be. Even while in prison, he spreads The Word.

15 Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:

Real teachers of Christ want The Word taught and it doesn't matter to them who teaches as long as it's The Truth. But there are those that want you to listen to them only because its them. You can tell someone is a good teacher by what they teach, how they dress and what they title themselves. Ask yourself, is this a Ministry of Christ or a ministry of Tommy.

16 The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:

There are more fakes out there than real. Use caution when dealing with anyone these days. They tried to sway people from Paul from the beginning until the end.

17 But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.

No matter what they do to you, show your love for The Lord and continue to spread His Word.

18 What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

It doesn't matter what they say or do. It doesn't matter if they murder me, as long as Christ Jesus The Word is preached, I rejoice in it.

19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

Through your prayers, The Holy Spirit will bring us together in Christ.

20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.

The only thing that mattered to Paul was that The Truth of Christ is told and he would do so with his last breath. Christ will be magnified through everything he had done. This has been a trying month and I thank The Lord for being with me through it all. The examples have been set in The Word and power has been given.  Christians are can do children of God.

21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

To live, Paul preaches Christ, if they murder him, he's with Christ.

22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.

Paul doesn't know which one he would rather have. To live and preach or die of this flesh and be with Christ.

23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

Paul knows it would be a far better place to be if he were with Christ.

24 Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

He would rather stay with them in Philippi. He wants to be of more help to them. He loved they're hunger for The Word and their ability to hold to it.

25 And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;

Paul is looking forward to being with them in Philippi.

26 That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.

27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

Paul wants them to stay focused on Christ, continuing to spread The Word in Truth regardless if he's there or not.

28 And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.

Don't be afraid of anything or anyone. You have Christ with you in Truth, in power. The Word of God does that. It builds you into a warrior for Him. You can withstand anything when you're a Christian. You're a can do child of God.

29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

Part of our mission is that we suffer a bit. In that we show how a Christian can stand against all odds. Christ Jesus suffered for us and showed us how to get it done in this flesh, Its Through Him†

30 Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

The Philippians listened to Paul, accepted Christ Jesus as their savor. Paul had set the example The Holy Spirit lead him to be and he wants them to do the same for others. No matter what comes on you, as a Christian you know how to do things others can't do. You know how to handle things others can't handle. We live in a different world today, but evil hasn't changed. They keep coming after those that teach The Truth. Paul has showed us how to get it done regardless of what they do or where you're at. Please continue to spread the gospel of Christ throughout your life.