Hello everyone. Lord willing, I plan to post a series of articles about the parables of Jesus, beginning on June 1. I trust you will find them interesting, challenging and helpful to your walk with God. Hope you will join us regularly.

--Roger Hillis

Verses 1-3 contain the only rebuke found in the book of Philippians. It is directed at two women, Euodia and Syntyche, and shows that Christians need to live and work together in love. If there are problems between you and another Christian, please go to that person, talk it out and pray together about the problem.

In verses 4-8, there are two key thoughts, joy and peace. Both are described in other places as “fruit of the Spirit.”

Joy is the theme of this letter. Christians are to rejoice in all things, even in times of suffering. Christianity alone can teach us how to properly enjoy live.

Peace is that quality of mind and attitude that enables us to live calm and tranquil lives, free of anxiety and fear.

The key to having such joy and peace is found in Philippians 4:8. Having the right attitude and thinking on those things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely and of good report will bring the peace of God into one’s life.

This is one of the problems caused by pornography, movies and television programs which promote ungodliness and sexual immorality, listening to inappropriate music or comedy, being around people who tell filthy jokes or use bad, sinful language, including taking the Lord’s name in vain, those who would blaspheme God and His will. Once these sinful thoughts, words or images, get into our minds, it is difficult to remove them.

When the apostle wrote Romans 12:1-2 about presenting our bodies as living sacrifices to God and being transformed into the image of His Son, he told us that the method through which those positive actions come about is “the renewing of your mind.” We need to think about good things so that we will do good things.

In verses 10-23, Paul turns to the subject of contentment with the physical blessings that the Lord has given us.

The brothers at Philippi were concerned about Paul’s material welfare, as they should have been. In the past, they had been blessed with opportunities to help Paul in his work of spreading the gospel. At the time of the writing of Philippians, they had no such opportunity.

Paul wanted them to know that he was going to be all right. God would take care of him and, whether he had much or little, he was content. He had been instructed by the harsh realities of life and had come to the realization stated in verse 13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

The apostle points out to them that, when they helped him financially, the fruit that resulted would be credited to their account. Their financial support would result in souls being saved eternally and God would remember their sacrifice and faithfulness in the Day of Judgment.

--Roger Hillis

One of the most common problems in the first century church was the question of circumcision, an Old Testament sign of purity. Judaizing teachers (those who wanted to keep parts of the old law) kept trying to bind it, while the apostles insisted that it was not essential.

Paul reminds his readers that, if anyone had a right to trust in his fleshly heritage, he did. After describing his Jewish credentials, Paul tells them that he had not only abandoned these things to follow Christ, he counted them as rubbish, totally unimportant compared to eternity (verses 1-11).

All of Paul’s life could now be described by the phrase, “one thing I do.” Forgetting all else, he pressed forward in pursuit of his goal, heaven. In verses 12-14, Paul uses the illustration of a runner in a race who has not yet reached the finish line. He would not look back. He would not quit short of the goal. He would press on, reaching forward to win the prize.

His goal, and ours, is the “prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Beginning in verse 15, Paul reminds us that we are all at different stages of spiritual maturity. Wherever we are, there we ought to do all we can, using our abilities and taking advantage of our opportunities. (By next year, we should have grown enough to do more.)

Enemies of the cross, the worldly minded, will do all they can to oppose our efforts to serve the Lord. Paul makes it very clear that their “end is destruction.” We must not love the world (1 John 2:15) and must not allow ourselves to be caught up in the sinful pleasures that the world offers. Any pleasure in wickedness is temporary and not only will it not last, it will cause our souls to be lost throughout eternity.

In contrast, as Christians, we are to set our minds on things above. We face daily choices about right and wrong. Our citizenship is in heaven, not on this temporary world. Realizing that “this word is not our home,” we must love God and the things of the Spirit, not of the flesh. As we eagerly anticipate the return of Christ, let us submit to the Lord in all things.

--Roger Hillis

Unity in the Lord’s church is absolutely essential. To please God, there is no other option.

Unity begins with one’s attitude (verses 1-4). If we have the proper attitude toward other Christians, division will not be impossible, but it will be rare. The so-called “Golden Rule” is not just good advice. It is a matter of obedience or disobedience. “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12). Treat other people, and especially fellow disciples, the way you want to be treated, with dignity and respect and honesty.

Jesus is the perfect example (of course) of the selfless attitude we must have (verses 5-11). Christ had every right to remain in heaven, but He left those glories behind to serve the needs of others, a dying mankind (us!). It required humility and selflessness. We must have the mind (attitude) we see in Jesus Christ.

In verses 12-18, Paul describes what he means by “work out your own salvation.”

“But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered” (Romans 6:17). Man (the creation) is expected to obey God (the Creator). This obedience from the heart is one of the ways we demonstrate our faith (James 2:14-26) and our love for the Lord (John 14:15). One who does not obey the gospel of Christ will be lost eternally (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Matthew 7:21).

As Christians, we are to shine as lights in a dark world of sin. The greater the wickedness (the darkness), the greater is the need for light. If Christians do not let their lights shine, how will the lost world see the Lord in us?

Earlier in this chapter, Paul uses Christ as the example of selfless humility. The Son of God became the Son of Man to serve dying humanity’s need for salvation. In all areas of life, the Lord is our perfect role model and we must seek to be like Him in this area as well.

In verses 19-30, Paul describes two other excellent examples of this type of attitude. He first mentions Timothy, his “son in the faith” who had proven his character and purity of heart by the way he served others. Paul says he has no other companion and fellow worker like Timothy.

Then he brings up Epaphroditus who had risked his own life to serve Paul’s needs. You never forget someone like that. The impact we can have on others can be powerful when we show our love for them by serving their needs, whatever they might be.

--Roger Hillis

The theme of the book of Philippians is joy. In what has been called the most positive book of the New Testament, Paul encourages them (and us) to realize the overwhelming joy of living for God.

This is all the more interesting when you realize that this letter was written while Paul was in prison for his faith. There are four letters that are commonly referred to as “prison epistles.” They are Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.

Paul had fond memories of the Philippian Christians and longed to see them. The church had done well since its planting and they had matured to the point of appointing overseers and deacons. This is always a positive thing in the history of a congregation. He had been touched by their love and the joy can comes from this mutual relationship in Christ.

Rather than painting a picture of gloom and despair, Paul proclaims victory for the cause of Christ. His imprisonment was not going to bind the gospel. In spite of circumstances and mistreatment that would cause man to give up, the apostle Paul was greatly encouraged (verses 12-18).

Some were preaching Christ out of good will. Others were doing so out of envy and strife, desiring glory and recognition. They were jealous of Paul and hoped to cause him some additional problems. However, they were preaching truth, not error. Those who were converted by their message were genuine Christians and their purity was not compromised by the less than pure motives of their teachers. Paul was grateful they had become disciples of Christ. And his own faithful example was encouraging many others.

No matter what others do, serve God faithfully. Jesus did not allow the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and scribes to make Him quit. The other apostles did not leave the Lord because Judas fell away. Paul did not give up because others fell short.

But Paul was “between a rock and a hard place.” He couldn’t decide whether he would rather live or die.

The overriding principle of Paul’s life was “to live is Christ.” Whatever else happened, he was a servant of the Lord, a disciple of Jesus Christ. Knowing the power of a positive influence, he was determined that, in everything he did, Christ would be exalted. And because Paul lived every day for Christ, he knew that “to die is gain.” Paul did not fear death. He knew the separation of his body and spirit would allow him to live in the presence of the Savior forever.

Paul hoped to visit the Philippians soon (Philippians 2:24). But, of course, he was still a Roman prisoner and could not know for certain that he would have that opportunity. So he wanted to encourage them to live godly lives, even in his absence.

--Roger Hillis

There are numerous relationships that most/many people sustain in life. Ephesians 5:22-33 dealt with the husband and wife relationship. In verses 1-9, Paul describes some of the duties and obligations of four groups – children, fathers, bondservants and masters.

Many of these responsibilities can be summarized by a look at the verbs used in each situation – obey, honor, do not provoke, bring them up, be obedient, and do the same.

Children are taught to both honor and obey their parents, as God would have them to do.

Fathers, while rearing their children as the spiritual head of the family, should be careful not to anger them, in case that might cause them to rebel against both the Father and God. The New International Version says that fathers must not “exasperate” their children. A father’s goal is to train his children to love and serve God, not to run them away by harshness and inconsideration.

Bondservants are encouraged to obey their masters in all things that right and good. He uses words like sincerity, with fear and trembling and tells them not to be men-pleasers, but willingly and freely serve their master on earth. He does tell them that they will receive a good reward for being the kind of servants the Lord would have them to be.

And he admonishes masters to treat their workers properly. He reminds them that they (the masters) also have a Master in heaven to whom they will answer some day.

The next section of the chapter, verses 10-20, calls us to be faithful and true soldiers of Christ, in the spiritual battle we wage against sin and wickedness.

It is not easy to be a Christian. Sin, the world, temptation, and Satan are very real and very difficult to overcome sometimes. We are in a war against the devil and all of his forces of evil. In another place, Paul reminds us to “Fight the good fight of faith” (1Timothy 6:12).

Left to our own defenses, we don’t do very well (Romans 3:10,23). However, we must never forget: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). When we learn to properly utilize “the whole armor of God,” there is no evil power that can overcome us. We can win every battle. We will be victorious, eternally.

Verses 21-24 close out the book with some compliments about Tychicus and a prayer that God’s peace and grace will be with them.

--Roger Hillis

In one sense, verses 1-21 are a continuation from Chapter Four, emphasizing the differences between the old man and the new man. This section, however, deals almost exclusively with “old person” actions, sins that must be repented of and stopped. He encourages them to avoid immorality and specifies several sins and areas of the world to forsake.

The New International Version says that there should not even be a “hint” of immorality in our lives. He especially reminds them that “because of these things the wrath of God come upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore, do not be partakers with them.”

He refers to the old man and the new man briefly in verse 8 where he uses the common Biblical analogy of darkness and light. As children of the light, we are to possess certain qualities (what he calls the “fruit of the Spirit,” remember that phrase from Galatians?). And at the same time, we must not only have no fellowship with evil, but it is our responsibility to expose those things that are shameful to even speak of.

Verse 15 begins a short discussion of walking wisely in the world. To do that, we must make the most of every opportunity to do good (that’s what he means by redeeming the time, using it wisely) In verse 17, he states again that we not only can understand the will of God, but we must.

All of this is what he opens the chapter by reminding us that he are to “walk in love,” as the Lord desires.

In verses 22-33, he changes the subject, by getting more specific about how spouses are to treat each other.

The church is the bride of Christ. And no bride ever had a more loving husband. The relationship between Christ and His church is so perfect in its design that the Lord uses it as an illustration and model for the roles of all husbands and wives.

Christ is head of the church and the husband is head of the wife. The wife is to be subject to her husband as the church submits to Christ. Christ sacrificed Himself for the church and the husband must be willing to do the same for his wife.

There is mutual respect and love between Christ and the church and the same love and respect should exist between every husband and wife.

--Roger Hillis

Jesus wants His church to be united and at peace. He desires that we live, love, work and worship in harmony. Paul speaks here of two vital components of unity – attitudes and doctrines. We must not only believe the same things (verses 4-6), but we must also maintain the proper internal attitudes (verses 1-3).

There is a certain behavior that is appropriate for the Christian. We are children of God and ought to act like it. If we would all behave as disciples of Christ should behave, there would be far fewer problems in local churches. He especially points out the importance of humility, gentleness, patience, and bearing with one another. Sometimes we just need to try harder to get along. Paul describes this as walking or living “worthy of the calling with which you were called.”

And doctrinally, too many religious people just ignore the significance of the seven “ones” that the Holy Spirit lists here, one body (the church), one Spirit (the Holy Spirit Himself), one hope (of eternity in heaven with the Savior), one Lord (Jesus the Christ), one faith (the singular body of truth revealed one time for all time), one baptism (in water for the remission of sins), and one God (our loving and all powerful heavenly Father).

The various teaching functions in the church were appointed by God to help us all grow to spiritual maturity. The first two (verse 11) were miraculous; there are no longer any apostles or prophets. But the others are simply gifted Christians who challenge us to live up to our spiritual potential and grow the one body, both numerically and in spiritual strength.

Notice that he uses such phrases as “till we all come to the unity of the faith,” and “of the knowledge of the Son of God.” He wants us to be “perfect” (complete and mature in the Lord) and to seek to measure up to “the stature of the fullness of Christ.”

In verse14-16, he warns us about being deceived by false teachings, the trickery of deceitful men and the cunning craftiness of the wicked. The solution to those things is “the truth in love.” And we must not forget that, as the spiritual body of Christ, each of us has a function to perform in His service so that the church will be edified.

Beginning in verse 17 and continuing through the end of chapter four, Paul deals with the appropriate conduct of all believers.

What does it mean to walk as a Christian? What is proper behavior and what is not? How should we conduct our lives in front of an unbelieving world? In this section, Paul deals with all these questions and more. He contrasts the old man and the new man. This passage shows the difference in what we used to be and do and what we now are and do. This admits the fact that, in our past, we all have done things we shouldn’t do. That’s why we needed a Savior in the first place. But he also discusses how we should live now in Christ Jesus. He gave us a second chance. We should walk in godliness and true holiness.

--Roger Hillis

Man was lost and unable to save himself. God loved us and didn’t want us to go to hell for eternity. So, in His love and because of His mercy, He sent Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for our sins so we could not have to pay our own price (“the wages of sin is death”). We were dead and God made us alive in Christ. This is the key point of Ephesians 2:1-10.

“For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:3-7).

When Paul refers to salvation by grace through faith, he lets us know that we cannot and do not earn a home in heaven for ourselves by our good works. This does not negate the reality of God separating the righteous from the unrighteous by setting conditions of obedience for mankind.

It is not by mere mental assent to a set of facts that we are forgiven, for James makes it clear that faith without works is dead (James 2:14-26).

But it is also important for us to understand that our obedience to God does not mean that He owes us an eternal reward. It is a gift of His grace (Romans 6:23).

The following verses (Ephesians 2:11-22) discuss another aspect of God’s scheme of redemption, the inclusion of the Gentiles into God’s plan. His plan brings everyone into an equal basis before God.

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heir according to the promise” (Galatians 3:26-29).

Christianity is a universal religion. There is no partiality with God. People from every race, language, country and cultural background are all equal in the Lord’s kingdom.

--Roger Hillis

God had a plan in His mind before the world began, a grand scheme to redeem mankind from sin. This scheme of redemption is the theme of the Bible, the single thread that runs from Genesis to Revelation and ties the entire Bible together. When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), God had three alternatives – to abandon man, to destroy man or to redeem man. He chose to save us.

More than any other book in the Bible, Ephesians summarizes the eternal plan of God for human redemption.

The first few verses (verses 1-14) emphasize the spiritual blessings that are only available in Christ Jesus our Lord. He speaks of our adoption by God, of our redemption through His blood, of our forgiveness of sins because of the grace of God. And he promises us that we are sealed with “the Holy Spirit of promise.”

In verses 15-23, we read of Paul’s sincere prayer on the behalf of the Ephesians.

One of the most impressive things that really stands out when you read Paul’s letters to both churches and individuals is how much he speaks of praying for others. Called prayers of intercession, they refer to Christians who spend much time helping others by praying for them. Paul’s relationships with other disciples were so strong that he constantly thanked God for them and continued to ask the Lord to bless them in many ways in their future.

Here, he prays for these first century disciples that they will be given “the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,” and that the eyes of their understanding might be enlightened to understand the exceeding greatness of God’s power.

In this section of Chapter One, Paul also emphasizes the preeminence of Christ in God’s plan. All things have been placed under His authority. And the same power that raised Jesus from the dead can also work in those of us who believe.

--Roger Hillis