Paul's Prayer for the Philippians

We've all got them. Memories of people from the past that do not make for pleasant thoughts. Whether it was something they did to you, words they spoke to you or maybe even some kind of visual picture you're left with because of their bad behavior. There are people in our past who leave us with these types of memories that we would rather forget. Many of you are formulating pictures in your mind right now of these people in your lives because of what I just mentioned. Now I want you to change directions. Think about the people in your life that only bring you pleasant memories. These are the people who you are thankful for the part they have played in your life.
Paul started out his letter to the church at Philippi that way. He said "I thank my God in all my remembrance of you..." (Phil. 1:3). When you stop and consider some of the other congregations to which he wrote letters addressing problems with scathing rebukes such as Corinth and Galatia, it helps you to see just how much Paul was thankful for the good group of Christians at Philippi. As Paul begins this letter to this great church at Philippi he wants them to know how thankful he was to God for them every time he prays for them. So that we can try to gain some insight as to how much the Philippian church meant to Paul, let us examine his affectionate comments about them along with the details of his prayer.
He Remembered Them in His Prayer
Have you ever wondered if Paul had a prayer list? I can't help but wonder if he did, however there is no way to know for sure. Many people today keep a running list of people they pray for on a daily basis. Lists are one way to help remind of us things. In today's world, people keep up with things they need to remember on smartphones, ipads, sticky notes, etc.
List or no list, Paul remembered this group in his prayers. Notice the emphasis on the words I have placed on this verse: "I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy..." (Phil. 1:3-4). That is quite a bold statement to make, but this is the Apostle Paul we're talking about here! It seems he is saying everytime he prays for them he is thankful for every single one of them in the congregation. Listening to a sermon by Spencer Furby from the Slicer Street Church of Christ in Kennett, MO, he advocated that Paul's mention of praying for all of them was possibly because some were feeling left out in the group. In the case of Euodia and Synteche, it could be that they thought they would not have given Paul reasons to be thankful in prayer (Phil. 4:2). Regardless of what few minor problems they had, Paul was thankful for this group of Christians, every single one of them!
Who do you remember in your prayers? Do you have someone you are thankful upon every remembrance of them? If you do have someone you remember in prayer, have you told them? It must have done wonders for the Philippian church when Paul wrote that he was thankful upon his remembrances of them in prayer. Imagine what it will do for someone you know if you tell them you are remembering them before the Lord.
He Rejoiced over Them in Prayer
Many things in life can bring us great joy, to which we can rejoice. We watch our children play sports and we rejoice when they succeed. We watch sports on television and we rejoice when our team wins. We recently had our little boys lead singing on Wednesday night and it brought me great joy not only to see our oldest son, Conner lead a song but all the other young boys who participated led me to rejoice that night.
Paul prayed with joy because of the Philippians' "partnership in the gospel from the first day until now" (Phil. 1:5). This might be a combination of obeying the gospel and spreading it to others, though it's not exactly clear what route Paul is taking with this statement. However, reading further in the letter about the advancement of the gospel leads me to believe there is a special emphasis on evangelism. This was something that Paul was also complimentary of to the Thessalonian church. He wrote: "...you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and in Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything" (1 Thess. 1:7-8).
He also says: "...you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel" (Phil. 1:7). While this word partaker is similar to the word partner, it seems in this instance it might have more to do with the sending of the financial gift to Paul while he was in prison (Fee 93). The passage in Phil. 4:15-18 is worded as a partnership in giving and receiving, but since Paul says they are a partaker of grace both in prison and defense of the gospel it seems it is a reference to the times they took part in helping Paul by their financial contributions. Then again, perhaps I am wrong and Paul mentioning them being partners and partakers are intended to reveal the same thing. Because of their partnership with Paul, he reveals that he is so very fond of them. Paul holds them in his heart (7) and yearns for them all (8), so you know that he is very close to this group of Christians. These things truly gave him reasons to rejoice over them in prayer.
Do you have someone you are very close to who lives away from you? Paul said that God was his witness that the Philippians were so very dear to him, as evidenced by his yearning for them (8). Now is the time to make sure that others in your life know that they are special and that they bring you great joy when you pray. So many times in life we are praying about sickness or problems, but we can pray and rejoice over the good friends and brothers and sisters in our lives so God will be our witness as well.
He Revealed to Them the Specifics of His Prayer
My mother-in-law used to be notorious for saying "I heard a compliment on you the other day. Do you want to know who said it or what they said?" It became rather funny because it always seemed like she wanted to keep part of it from me. In reality, if you know that someone has said something good about you, wouldn't you want to know the specifics and details? Of course you would. The same thing could be said about prayer.
Paul told the Philippians what he wanted God to do with them by sharing some specifics. First, he wanted their love to abound more and more (9). He is talking about agape love, which is a sacrificial kind of love that puts the needs of others first. This is the kind of love that Christ had for the church as he gave himself up for her (Eph. 5:25). While this was a "good church" there would always be room for improvement. Paul said elsewhere: "and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you" (1 Thess. 3:12). There are people with lots of love to give who give lots of love but can still give a lot more.
Second, he wanted this to be done with knowledge and all discernment (9). Paul is not telling the Philippian church to simply know more. In a period of time when Gnosticism would have been growing in the first century church, they put an emphasis on what one could know. That's not what Christianity is all about. However, knowledge is important because paired with discernment would enable Christians to make a difference for Christ. Consider what he said in the same letter:
"Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith - that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead" (Phil. 3:8-11).
Paul indeed put an emphasis on knowing Christ and what it would lead to for the Christian. According to the specifics of this prayer, Paul tells them the reasons he is praying this for them. There are some intended results: "so that you may approve what is excellent, and so 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" (Phil. 1:10-11). To sum up what Paul says here, he wanted the Philippians to use this knowledge and discernment from the Word of God to live an abundant Christian life here so they could have the abundant life in Heaven later.
I challenge all of us to tell someone specifically what we are praying for them. You would be surprised what kind of a difference that would make in their life. It's not just a challenge to you, but to myself as well. We sing the song sometimes "For You I Am Praying." However, how often have we done that? If we know what kind of spiritual shot in the arm this must have been for the Philippians, imagine what it could do for the people of God whom we have in our lives.
This opening part of the Philippian letter serves as a wonderful springboard for the rest of what he writes to them. Having examined his remembrance of them in prayer, it is clear that he was truly thankful for the Philippian church. When we consider his rejoicing over them in prayer, we know how proud he was of their spiritual accomplishments, especially of their partnership with him in the gospel. As we have seen how he revealed to them the specifics of his prayer, I can only imagine how they might have worked together as a congregation to carry out this prayer of Paul in their lives by following his directives. It is no wonder the Philippian letter is one of joy, as we see not only in the opening of the letter but also throughout this message to the Philippians why Paul is able to rejoice because of them. Paul's prayer for the Philippians is very enlightening indeed!