EPISTLES OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
PHILIPPIANS, EPHESIANS, COLOSSIANS, PHILEMON
Prison Letters
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From
now on for the next three years, Paul's life was turned upside with the
unintended and unexpected. He had
intended to leave Ephesus, but not in the way he did. Late in his third year there, the
shrine silversmiths of the goddess Diana were so upset by their loss of
income that they started a riot. His
friends, Gaius and Aristarchus, were thrown into the ampitheatre (Acts
19:29), and there is some indication he had been in the past since in 1 Cor.
15:32 he says he "fought wild beasts in Ephesus." But on this occasion, his friends urged
him to escape, which he did perhaps the next day (Acts 19:30f, 20:1). He now headed for Jerusalem but indirectly, traveling
from Turkey up and over into Greece, then back down into Turkey, probably
picking up the last of the donations for the poor Christians in Judea (Acts
20:1-6). He was anxious to get to
Jerusalem by Pentecost, the birthday of the church (Acts 20:16). James, the brother of Jesus, was the only
apostle left in Jerusalem (Acts 21:18).
In the mean time the Jews from the area of Ephesus in
Turkey (Acts 21:27) followed Paul and stirred up a riot against him in
Jerusalem. He was seized in the
temple, dragged out to be beaten to death, then rescued by Roman soldiers who
arrested and chained him (Acts 21:30-33).
Upon learning he was a Roman citizen, they allowed him to address the
Jews which was really a sermon.
Instead, the Jews insisted on a formal trial the next day and plotted
to kill Paul on his way between the jail and the Sanhedrin's court in the
Temple (Acts 23:12-15). Paul's nephew
reported the plot to the Roman centurion.
So Paul was sneaked out of Jerusalem that night and transferred to
Caesarea on the Mediterranean coast, the Roman headquarters of Judea,
escorted by 270 guards (Acts 23:16-24). Five days later, when the Jews figured out what had
happened, and the high priest Ananias (the same high priest who had Jesus
executed some 35 years earlier - old!) went to Caesarea and hired a lawyer to
prosecute Paul (Acts 24:1). Governor
Felix held court and Paul said he'd just gone to Jerusalem to "bring my
people gifts for the poor" (Acts 24:17). No decision came from the trial because Felix was hoping for a
bribe from Paul (Acts 24:26).
Frequently Felix and his Jewish wife, Drusilla, would send for him in
private to hear more about what Paul had to say. He was kept in a minimum-security prison where he could receive
friends and anything they brought him (Acts 24:23). Two years passed as Governor Felix waited in vain for
his bribe. Finally Felix was replaced
by Festus as governor. Three days
after taking office, Festus went to Jerusalem where the Jews said they wanted
Paul transferred back to Jerusalem for trial, though they actually planned to
ambush and kill him along the way (Acts 25:1-5). A week and a half later, Festus returned to Caesarea and held
court the next day, with the Jews accusing him of blasphemy against their
religion and treason against Caesar.
Festus told Paul basically that he must either go to Jerusalem or
Rome, Paul chose Rome (Acts 25:9-12). A few days later, King Agrippa and his wife (who was
also his sister!), Bernice, arrived and wanted to hear what this Paul had to
say. Paul's defenses both before
Governor Felix and King Agrippa are published in full in Acts 24 and 25. At the end, Agrippa said, "This man
could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar." But, Paul wanted to go to Rome, and this
was how he was to go, for there he would be able to preach the gospel to
Caesar Nero himself. The trip to Rome was nearly a disaster. After sailing through storms, the ship
wrecked and the passengers were rescued by people on the tiny island of Malta
just south of Sicily, a large island off of Italy. Six months or more after setting sail, Paul arrived in Rome. There, he sent for the Jews in Rome to
come see him at his place of arrest.
They hadn't even heard about his problems with the Jews elsewhere
(Acts 28:21), but wanted to. So a few
days later, a large number of Jews went to Paul while he explained "from
morning till evening" how Jesus had fulfilled the prophecies in the Old
Testament. "Some were
convinced...but others would not believe." As they left, Paul cried out after them, "God's salvation
has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!" (Acts 28:29). Thereupon, Paul stayed for two years under house arrest
in a house he himself chose and rented, and was allowed to receive any and
all visitors, awaiting his hearing before Nero Caesar. "Boldly and without hindrance he
preached" (Acts 28:30-31). Of
course, his desire to meet the Christians in Rome was finally realized. It was during this time that Paul wrote
his "prison epistles" - Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and
Philemon (who lived in Colossae). He
wrote earlier letters to the Philippians which we do not have (Phil. 3:1),
and he apparently wrote the church at Laodicea which we do not have (Col.
4:16). |
Prison Epistles: I
PHILIPPIANS
Persistence
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1:6 began a good work...carry it on to
completion 1:19 what has happened to me will turn out 1:20 in no way be ashamed...sufficient
courage 1:21 to die is gain 1:27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves 1:27 stand firm 1:28 without being frightened 1:29 suffer for him 1:30 the same struggle 2:1 encouragement...comfort 2:12 continue to work 2:14 without complaining 2:16 labor for nothing 2:17 I am being poured out 2:30 almost died...risking his life 3:12,14 press on to take hold 3:13 forgetting what is behind and
straining toward what is ahead 3:18-19 even with tears...enemies of the
cross...destiny 4:1 I long for...stand firm 4:3 contended...in the cause of the
gospel 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything 4:7 peace of God...transcends 4:11 learned to be content 4:14 share
my troubles |
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Philippi
is nine miles inland from the Aegean Sea high in the mountains near the
border of Macedonia, Greece to the west, and today's Bulgaria to the
north. Istanbul - the future
Constantinople - was a couple hundred miles to the east. Philippi was long known for his gold
mines. However, by the time of Paul,
the mines had been nearly depleted and this important city reduced in size
and eminence. Dyed goods were
imported from Thyatira to its parent city of Philippi to then be distributed
to other parts of Europe. Lydia, a
dealer in purple cloth (Acts 16:13-15) was from Thyatira but had transferred
Philippi. Dionysus was the primary god of this region; a god of
vegetation, dying and being resurrected every year. He was associated with savage or wild living and did not often
have kind things to say to humans. He
was associated with Apollo from whom oracles (answers from god) were
received. Nine months of the year
Apollo was to be questioned for guidance, and Dionysus during the other three
months. A priestess called the Pythia was the prophetess
through whom the gods spoke. The
Pythia was normally a simple woman chosen from the local inhabitants; all she
had to do was put herself into a convincing looking trance and speak the
god's in known or unknown tongues.
Some ancient writers said she underwent violent convulsions to obtain
divinitions. She did not necessarily
have to be at the temple to divine.
Men would write down what she was supposedly saying and give it to the
inquirer - writings that were vague enough that they could mean most anything
the inquirer wanted it to mean.
However, sometimes she dared to predict something on her own. The young lady who could predict the
future and out of whom Paul cast a demon might have been the current Pythia
of Philippi at the time (Acts 16:16).. The Jews seemed to have been practically non-existent
in Philippi since, when Paul arrived, he had to go down to the river on the
Sabbath to see if he might find some Jews there. There he met and converted Lydia and her household. Afterwards the local Pythia began
following Paul around declaring him the "servant of the Most High
God...telling you the way to be saved."
This Pythia apparently had a demon in her which Paul cast out (Acts
16:16-18). The fact that the few Jews there had to go outside the
city gate to meet is some indication Jews were not liked or wanted in
Philippi. (Therefore, Paul did not
speak about Judaism in his later letter to them.) The Pythia's owners dragged Paul before the city magistrates
merely accusing them of being Jews.
Paul was ordered beaten, then thrown into prison. About midnight there was an earthquake
that disengaged all the prison doors and everyone's chains. But rather than escape, Paul stuck around
and converted the jailor after he begged him, "What must I do to be
saved?" Then Paul spoke to his whole household (obviously, he
didn't speak to babies) and they were all baptized (Acts 16:25-24). Perhaps thinking Paul caused the earthquake and wanting
to get rid of him, the magistrates ordered him released from prison. They met with the church meeting at
Lydia's house, and then left, going on west through the rest of Macedonia,
Greece.. There is a possibility that Luke, the writer of Acts,
was from Philippi. He did not use the
pronoun "us" and "we" until Paul's vision to "Come
over to Macedonia and help us."
Some even think that Luke was the man in the vision since Paul
immediately understood he needed to go to Philippi, but that is stretching it
a little. Apparently Luke stayed
behind after Paul left to go through the rest of Macedonia (Thessalonica),
then into Achaia (Corinth), then down to Ephesus in Asia of Turkey, then back
to Macedonia. In Acts 20:5-6 Luke
once more included himself in Paul's group.
"These men went on ahead and waited for us...we sailed from
Philippi." Since Paul was in
Corinth 1-1/2 years (Acts 18:11), Ephesus three years (Acts 20:31), then
traveled through Macedonia and Greece three months (Acts 20:3), Luke would
have stayed in Philippi five or six years. When Paul left Philippi and went on to Thessolonica, he
received gifts of money on two occasions from the church at Philippi (Phil.
4:16), and again when he went on farther south into Greece (2 Cor. 11:9;
Phil. 4:15). The strength of this
church could be attributed to the encouragement of Luke, if he did indeed
stay there. They also had elders
(overseers) and deacons (Phil. 1:1). While Paul was in prison in Rome, the church at
Philippi sent another gift by Epaph-roditus (Phil. 2:25; 4:10, 14-19). In fact, while there Epaph-roditus went
through a serious illness which seems to be associated with working to
support Paul while he was sick and making himself worse, or possibly torture.
since Paul said "he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life
to make up for the help you could not give me" (Phil. 2:30). |
1:7 Paul wrote them while he
was in _____________________________.
1:12-14 Paul said his imprisonment had served to advance the gospel in
two ways: (1) Because throughout the
whole ___________ ____________________________ everyone knew he was in chains
for ________________________; (2) It _______________________________ the
brethren to speak more courageously and ____________________________.
1:15,17 What were the bad motives of some to preach
Christ:
* E
* R
* S
1:18 But Paul said ultimately
motives didn't matter because at least Christ is
___________________________________.
(This gives indication that even hypocritic preachers can do some good.)
1:21 "For me, to
__________________________ is Christ, and to ________________________ is
gain."
1:23 In a word, what did Paul
desire to do so he could be with Christ?
_______________________
1:28 We are not to be
_____________________________ by those who oppose us when we share Jesus. Their fighting us is a sign that they will
be ___________________________, but we will be __________________________.
1:29 The Philippians had been
______________________________ the privilege of believing and also
______________________ for Christ.
Opposition by the ungodly is one sign we are saved!
2:3 Here's a good
recommendation for working on committees in the church: "Do nothing out of
________________________ ___________________________________ or
__________________________________________________________."
2:7,9 When Christ made himself
____________________________________, God ____________________________ him to
the highest place.
2:14 No matter how bad things,
we are not to _______________________________ or _______________________________.
n That puts us on the same level as people arguing and fighting with us.
2:19-20 Who went to Rome with
Paul and was helping him during his imprisonment? _________________________________ He was going to send him as soon as he saw how things went for
him (in court).
2:25-27 Paul was also going to
send back to them _______________________________________________ because they
heard he was _________________________.
Indeed, he almost ___________________________.
2:30 Epaph-roditus had
__________________________________ his life to help Paul and the work of
Christ.
3:2-3 Paul knew they didn't take
kindly to Jews, especially those who wanted to circumcise them. Paul called them ___________
3:6 Paul had previously
persecuted the church and been ________________________________________
righteous, but it profited him nothing.
3:8 Everything Paul
accomplished for himself he considered ___________________________________
compared with Christ.
3:12-14 Referring to the
olympic-type games at Philippi, Paul said he forgot what was behind and
__________________________ toward what was ahead - the goal to win the
________________________________ that was heavenward.
3:18-19 How did
Paul react to people who lived as enemies of Christ? __________________________
Their god was their _________________________.
3:21 Our citizenship is not
here, but heaven. There, God will
transform our _________________________ bodies to be like his.
4:2-3 He begged Euodia and
Syn-tyche to at least agree with each other in the _____________________. After all, they had stood by Paul to contend
for the gospel.
4:7 "The
__________________________ of God, which transcends all understanding will
guard your ____________________ and _________________________.
4:8 What kinds of things are
our minds supposed to be on?
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
4:11 Despite his chains, Paul
had learned to be _________________________________.
4:12 Paul was content being in
________________________ or plenty, fed or _________________________.
4:13 We can do
________________________________ through Christ who gives us
_______________________.
4:22 Paul had converted people
in whose household? _________________________________