STAYING POSITIVE UNDER PRESSURE THROUGH CHRIST-LIKE SERVICE
Scripture: PHILIPPIANS 2:24-30
STAYING POSITIVE UNDER PRESSURE
THROUGH CHRIST-LIKE SERVICE
Rick E. Ferguson
Philippian 2:2,4-30
No doubt the imprisoned Apostle Paul had moments
of discouragement and loneliness while chained to a Roman
guard. He was separated from most of the people he
loved and knew. ' No doubt he was impoverished. He was
probably eating a substandard diet given to Roman prisoners.
I suspect he was physically weak. However, the book
of Philippians (written from that prison cell) shows us
that he was certainly not spiritually weak.
Paul had started a church in Philippi on his second
missionary journey. 'In Philippi he preached the Gospel
and led a woman named Lydia to Christ (a wealthy merchant
of expensive purple cloth). He was put in prison in Philippi.
During the midnight hour God shook the prison bars open
and released Paul. On his way out of the prison he led
the jailer to faith in Christ. It was from these conversions
that a church was started.
Paul was now imprisoned once again--this time in
Rome. The church at Philippi heard of his imprisonment
and took up a love offering for Paul. They did not have
a very efficient mail service in those days, and they did
not have cashier checks or money orders--so one of the
members of the church volunteered to deliver the money
to Paul in prison. That member's name was Epaphroditus.
I've often wondered if Epaphroditus could possibly have
been the Philippian jailer (Acts 16) that Paul led to Christ,
and now he was visiting Paul in a jail once again. No
one knows.)
Copyright 1995 by Dr. Rick E. Ferguson.
All rights reserved. No portion of this
document may be used in any form without
the written permission of the author. Bible
quotations are from the New International
Version unless otherwise indicated.
Paul was very grateful for the love gift, and so he
wrote a letter to send back with Epaphroditus, to be read
in the assembly of the church in P ...
THROUGH CHRIST-LIKE SERVICE
Rick E. Ferguson
Philippian 2:2,4-30
No doubt the imprisoned Apostle Paul had moments
of discouragement and loneliness while chained to a Roman
guard. He was separated from most of the people he
loved and knew. ' No doubt he was impoverished. He was
probably eating a substandard diet given to Roman prisoners.
I suspect he was physically weak. However, the book
of Philippians (written from that prison cell) shows us
that he was certainly not spiritually weak.
Paul had started a church in Philippi on his second
missionary journey. 'In Philippi he preached the Gospel
and led a woman named Lydia to Christ (a wealthy merchant
of expensive purple cloth). He was put in prison in Philippi.
During the midnight hour God shook the prison bars open
and released Paul. On his way out of the prison he led
the jailer to faith in Christ. It was from these conversions
that a church was started.
Paul was now imprisoned once again--this time in
Rome. The church at Philippi heard of his imprisonment
and took up a love offering for Paul. They did not have
a very efficient mail service in those days, and they did
not have cashier checks or money orders--so one of the
members of the church volunteered to deliver the money
to Paul in prison. That member's name was Epaphroditus.
I've often wondered if Epaphroditus could possibly have
been the Philippian jailer (Acts 16) that Paul led to Christ,
and now he was visiting Paul in a jail once again. No
one knows.)
Copyright 1995 by Dr. Rick E. Ferguson.
All rights reserved. No portion of this
document may be used in any form without
the written permission of the author. Bible
quotations are from the New International
Version unless otherwise indicated.
Paul was very grateful for the love gift, and so he
wrote a letter to send back with Epaphroditus, to be read
in the assembly of the church in P ...
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