Philippians

The story of the beginnings of the church in Philippi can be found in Acts chapter 16, where Paul and Silas and Timothy were trying to minister in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey), but after Paul received a vision, they headed over to Macedonia (Greece).  The first city they stopped in was Philippi, and then followed by Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and then Corinth.  Paul wrote this letter to them from prison in Rome, but it was written more as a message of love and gratitude to them, as opposed to a letter of correction, as they had sent Ephaphroditus to him for encouragement, with an offering to help meet his expenses in Rome.

Paul expresses his great love for them, and gives them an update on his situation in Rome.  He provides them with some instruction in Christian behavior, encouraging them to do nothing from selfish ambition, and to recognize that disagreements between believers only serves the plans of the devil, since divisions in the church make the preaching of the gospel ineffective to unbelievers.  He also encourages some in the church to try harder in getting along with each other in Christ, and warns the church elders to be on the constant lookout for men who would like to introduce legalism and spiritual bondage within the church.  He thanks them for their financial gift to him, but also tells them that he had learned to make do with whatever the Lord chose to give him, and to be content in all situations, whether they are pleasant or difficult.  This gives us a great example to follow, as they same is true for us, where godliness with contentment is very beneficial to us, just like he told Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:6.