Philippians 1:18-30 To die is to join Christ in the spirit, but to live in the flesh is meant to glorify Christ

But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me. Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have. Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. The Lord Jesus Christ did not leave us as orphans. Instead fifty days after his ascension into heaven the Holy Spirit was sent to indwell the believer and be our guide. The Holy Spirit did not come to glorify himself, but he came that through us we may glorify Christ.How do we glorify him you ask? By following the guidance of the Holy Spirit and not quenching his work in us. Our works are not the basis of our salvation, but they do glorify Christ and set us apart from the world. Amen.

Philippians 1:8-18 My prayer is this, that you love one another and grow in faith to discern false motives from sincerity, but always rejoice in the advancement of the gospel

God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear. Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear. Love one another, the Master taught us. Love has no malice and is not self serving. Grow in your faith and be able to determine false motives from pure ones. Do not fear being in chains for the gospel, because Jesus knows your sacrifice and you will be rewarded according to your faith and desire to advance the Good News of Jesus Christ. Whether through suffering or through triumph, always rejoice when the gospel becomes known and trusted. Amen.

Philippians 1:1-7 Don't worry, God is in control

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Thanksgiving and Prayer I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. There are two important things to take note of. First the habit Paul forms for giving thanks understanding that all good things come from God. The second is an important verse for us sinners when we struggle with sin and strive for righteousness. Since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God it can be depressing when we have our backslides. And then we stop and think I know I am saved and that God loves me. And then we recall he verse, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath given a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." In other words it was God himself who called you to salvation and indwelt us with the Holy Spirit. Sanctification, then is a work of God and not of myself, so that even when I mess up, I don't have to trust on myself to make things right because God has committed himself to that very task and I know God doesn't fail and what he decides to do. Then I can confess my sin and move forward knowing that God and the Spirit of God are in control. Amen.

Ephesians 6:18-24 Pray for the people of God

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing. I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you. Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love. Jesus told the woman at the well that there be a day where you will not have a specified place of prayer, but prayer will come in spirit and truth. This is what Paul is repeating here. He tells them to pray at all time in the spirit and pray especially for the people of God including himself. He does not want to lose contact with the converts so he sends an emissary to keep them informed. Tomorrow we will begin our study of Philippians which is called the "little Romans."

Ephesians 6:10-17 Be aware and put on the full armor of God

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The apostle explains to us that our enemy is not people (flesh and blood) but those angelic hosts who are also enemies of God. They are principalities, rulers of the darkness and wicked ones. Be aware, man cannot handle this problem alone, That is why he tells us to be strong in the Lord and use what he has given us for our strength. We are to use: righteousness, the gospel of Jesus Christ, faith and the certainty of our salvation. These are what we are to use when the enemy comes and the enemy comes daily. Do not lessen the power of the gospel because Jesus has already won the victory. We only have to hold our ground. Amen.

Ephesians 6:1-9 True obedience comes from the heart

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him. The Golden Rule: Treat others as you want to be treated. In our world their are hierarchies of authority. The Lord God is over all and has given authority on earth. Leaders lead the people and in the masses there are sub-categories of authority such as governors, mayors, coaches, bosses and the like. All who under their authority owe obedience to them, but not only in observation, but in doing well from the heart. In the family we have fathers and mothers who have authority to their children and to one another. Here too we must serve each other out of love and not duty. In the end, the final judge of our conduct is Christ. He will separate the genuine from the fake and those who are false will be separated from their master and live alone in wanting while the obedient will receive their reward according to their works of obedience from the heart.

Ephesians 5:22-33 The Greatest Mystery

Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. One of the greatest mysteries in the Bible is the love for a man for his wife. Two people are joined together who were once strangers and spend their lives together. The cling to one another to the point of leaving their own families to make a new one - for better or for worse of their own. This love causes the woman to revere her husband and for the husband to love her like his own body. This mystery has been repeated billions of times and is the closest example we have of Christ's agape (sacrificial love) that we know. Thank God for the love between husband and wife so that we may have the love of God in our hearts. Amen.