An Exposition of Phil 1:1-2

“Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:1-2).

The work of evangelism and discipleship is no doubt the noblest yet most difficult work on earth. To succeed in this divine charge, God has designed a fourfold structure of Christ’s body, and equipped us with different spiritual gifts that we might be able to serve Him effectively.

Today, we are going to learn this fourfold structure of the church as mentioned in Philippians 1:1-2: (1) The Servants of Christ, (2) The Session of the Church, (3) The Saints of Christ, and (4) The Support of the Church.

The Servants of Christ. In the phrase, “Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ”, the Apostle Paul introduced Timothy and himself as “the servants of Christ” (Philippians 1:1a). This phrase literally means “slaves of Jesus Christ”. We need pastors and preachers who think like the Apostle Paul, who regard themselves as slaves of Christ, who are fully obedient and fully dependent on the Lord, and whose only goal in life is to carry out the Master’s will. They are called by God to teach us His Word through their preaching, teaching and manner of living. They are our teachers as well as our examples and visual aids. We need to hear the doctrines of faith from them as well as being witnessed by them, for they are our pattern for living our Christian lives. Brethren, let us pray for every servant of God in our midst because they are very important to our spiritual well-being.

The Session of the Church. In the phrase, “to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons”, the Apostle Paul identified the members and the Session of the church at Philippi. The Session of the church is made up of the office of the bishops and that of the deacons.

The bishops are the overseers of the church. They are our elders in the church. They are endowed with the spiritual gifts of ruling and government (cf. Romans 12:8; 1 Corinthians 12:28). They are godly men who have proven themselves as those who rule their own lives and their households in a biblical manner. So God has given them the oversight of His household. They are responsible to protect the church from the infiltration of false teachings, to set the direction of the church, to maintain peace and harmony in the church, and to lead by example. In the absence of the pastor, they have to fill his role in the preaching of the word. Above all, they are accountable to God for any lapses during their watch.

The deacons are helpers to the elders. They are gifted with the spiritual gifts of ministry, helps and mercy (cf. Romans 12:7,8; 1 Corinthians 12:28). They are blessed of the Lord with a big and sacrificial heart that they might lovingly, joyfully and readily avail themselves always as helping hands in the church.

They are also expected of the Lord to foster mutual respect and care at all times that together they may be able to serve the Lord with their best and to their best.

The Saints of Christ. The phrase, “saints in Christ Jesus”, refers to the members of the church. There are two things that we need to consider if we want to be good members of Gethsemane B-P Church.

Firstly, we need to live as sincere saints in Christ Jesus. Who is a saint? A saint is a person who has believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour. By virtue of our faith in Christ, we are declared holy before God. So our lives must be holy as well. Our testimony in our homes, schools, workplace and in society is crucial. Remember that we are the epistles of Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart” (2 Corinthians 3:2-3). Since our lives are read by all men, all the more we need to be careful with the way we conduct ourselves. For with our life, we either promote or bring shame to the name of Christ and Gethsemane B-P Church. So let us take care of how we drive on the road, talk to our friends and colleagues, and what kind of pictures and blogs we post on Facebook and the Internet.

Secondly, we need to serve in the church to fulfil the vision set by the Session of the church as the Lord impressed upon them. This is a very important principle to keep in mind. The beauty of serving in the church is that the sky is the limit. Nobody will be hindered in his desire to contribute to the advancement of God’s kingdom. But, our excitement must be tamed with biblical etiquette. We should not ignore or disobey the advice, counsel and instructions of the leadership of the church and her committees. We must serve together with them. Otherwise without even realizing it, we will soon bring chaos and discord to the church.

The Philippian Christians served with one mind and one heart and in accordance to the vision set by the Session of the church at Philippi. We know this because the Apostle Paul acknowledged them “with the bishops and deacons”. The preposition “with” described the heart of the members towards their leaders. They stood together with their elders and deacons to labour to accomplish all that God burdened the Session to achieve.

The Support of the Church. In Philippians 1:2, we read, “Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” Herein lies the support of our church: the grace and peace of God. When you think of the grace and peace of God, think of them as the power of God that is always available to support the work we have in Gethsemane. You can be assured that His grace will never run dry. If we remain excited and faithful to do His work, He will abundantly send His grace that we might be able to accomplish all His bidding.

This is wonderful. Thank God that the support of our church does not lie in the hands of men but in the hands of God. Otherwise we will surely fail in the Gospel work. How many have left us because their sinful lifestyle is addressed on the pulpit? With the church-hopping mentality in Singapore, if the support of the church is not from the Lord, the work of evangelism and discipleship will surely perish.

Therefore, for Gethsemane to thrive for the Lord, let us pray for God’s continuing provision of godly men as servants of Christ, responsible men in the Session of the church, and dedicated members as saints of Christ and His overflowing grace and peace as the support of the Church. May God make us like the church at Philippi!