Philippians

I still got my joy!

Paul wrote the Philippians while in prison to address several issues and concerns:

• To update the church on the status of Epaphroditus, who had fallen ill during his time of attending to Paul (Phil 2:26-30).
• To express his genuine appreciation to the church for the gift bestowed upon him by Epaphroditus (Phil 4:14-19).
• To update the Philippians about his status and encourage them though he is in chains, the Gospel is still advancing, advancing even in them (Phil 1:12-14).
• To commend Timothy to them and announce his desire to see them again (Phil 2:19-24).
• To address the challenges from the outside who preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, stirring up trouble (Phil 1:15-17).To warn of selfishness and disunity and his admonishment for unity (Phil 1:27-30, 2:1-4, 14); to plead with Euodia and Syntyche to stop the hostility towards each other and agree in the Lord (Phil 4:2-3).

This was a very personal letter. Paul is not rebuking the church over any doctrinal or ethical issues, and the keyword you will find in Philippians is Joy! If anything, he is just cautioning the church to stay unified in Christ for Christ. Rejoice and joy are also mentioned many times. This cannot happen unless you are united in Christ, regardless of your situation.