While Paul was setting in his cell in Rome, his thoughts must have turned to the churches he had started on his three missionary journeys.
None caught his attention more than the first church he started in Europe, the church at Philippi. He had planned to go on into Asia but he heard a call to come to Macedonia, modern day Greece.
So he and Silas obeyed the call and found their way to Philippi, a city named after Phillip the father of Alexander the Great. It was a prosperous Roman colony with its citizens considered citizens of Rome.
It was there he and Silas were jailed after Paul cast out a demon from a young slave girl ruining the profits the owner was making from her fortune telling. The church there was made up of Lydia, a well-to-do business woman, the jailer who was converted when he heard the gospel from Paul while he was in jail, and the slave girl from whom Paul had cast out demons, plus other brothers that were not named.
Lydia, a seller of purple cloth would have been of the upper class and the jailer, a Roman citizenof the middle class, and the slave girl who was least of all. One was Greek, one Roman and the other Asian. This demonstrates that the gospel is for all classes and races of people.
This church had been one of the most consistent supporters of Paul over his missionary journeys. So he has a deep affection for the people. It is a letter of joy and gratitude for their partnership in the gospel with him. He records a prayer from his heart for them. We can learn much from Paul’s prayers.
In Philippians 1:9-11 we can read the contents of that particular prayer. “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ — to the glory and praise of God.”
Note Paul’s prayer is simple in its structure. He doesn’t deal with theology or physical matters. His foremost concern is their love for one another would “abound yet more and more.” It was not sentimental love but love which would result in knowledge and a deepened insight. If we love Jesus we will want to learn more about him and about his truth.
Too often our knowledge is shallow and hearsay. We must be careful to not listen only to the side that we agree with. Knowledge leads to discernment, the ability to look beneath the layers of half-truths to choose that which is pure and blameless. And this would lead to a life of fruitful righteousness, bringing glory to God.
We would do well to pray this prayer for ourselves, those we love, and for those in authority. This does not mean we will always agree with each other. Paul and Barnabas had their disagreements. But there should be an overriding concern and love for our brothers that our common love for Christ would bond us together.
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