Lesson 1: Persecuted But Not Forsaken (Philippians 1, Colossians 1, Acts 16)
Introduction: We begin a new series of studies about the New
Testament books of Philippians and Colossians. Have you ever
been arrested and put in jail or prison? I have not. But it
is something that I think about. Early in my legal career,
my job was to put criminals in prison. In the United States
we have so many statutes that criminalize activities that
no one could possibly know them all. Driving your car in
certain circumstances could land you in jail. Associating
with friends who engage in criminal activity could get you
imprisoned. The Apostle Paul, who wrote Philippians and
Colossians, wrote them while he was in prison. And he was in
prison for witnessing about Jesus. Let’s plunge into our
study of these prison letters!
I. Greeting to Philippi
A. Read Philippians 1:1. Is Timothy also in prison
with Paul? (No. Read Philippians 1:7 and
Philippians 2:19. This tells us that Paul is the
prisoner and suggests that Timothy was helping Paul
because Paul says he can send Timothy away.)
1. Notice that in Philippians 1:1 Paul calls the
two of them “servants.” Other translations
say, “slaves.” If you are going to describe
yourself in a negative way, why write
“servant” as opposed to “prisoner?” (They are
servants of Jesus. Paul is focused on his
relationship with Jesus and not on the fact that he
is a prisoner.)
a. Is there a lesson in this for us? (If I
were writing this letter, I would be
tempted to write, “What can you do to get
me out?” Paul is focused on his work for
God, not the problems he faces.)
2. Notice that Paul calls the Christians in
Philippi, “saints.” Why would he call the
local Christians the very best name, while
calling Timothy and himself the worst name?
(Read Romans 1:7. When Paul calls them
“saints,” I think this is aspirational. He
wants the people of Philippi to desire to
become saints.)
3. Another noticeable part of this greeting in
Philippians 1:1 is that Paul mentions
“overseers and deacons.” What does this tell
you? (The believers in Philippi were
organized.)
B. Read Philippians 1:2-5. On whom is Paul focusing
his message? (On the members in Philippi. He is not
saying anything about himself.)
1. When you speak with others, do you focus first
on yourself or on them?
II. Greeting to Colossae
A. Read Colossians 1:1-2. Notice that Paul starts this
letter much differently from the letter to those in
Philippi. He calls himself “an apostle” and Timothy
“our brother.” Both have now been promoted from the
bottom rank of a servant or slave. Why the huge
difference in the greetings?
B. Read Acts 16:11-15. What does this tell us about
Paul’s relationship with the church at Philippi?
(He began the church there with the conversion of
Lydia. This tells us that Paul knew the members at
Philippi and he begins by saying in effect, “We are
all servants of Jesus.”)
C. Read Colossians 2:6-8. What is Paul’s concern for
the members of Colossae? (That they will be
deceived. This explains the difference in the
greetings. In Philippi Paul was one of them. In
Colossae, Paul is instructing them. For that reason
he starts his letter by stating his authority.)
D. Read Matthew 23:8-11. Is Paul following Jesus’ rule
in his greeting to the Philippians, and violating
it in his greeting to the Colossians?
E. Read Ephesians 4:11-13. Does this tell us that Paul
really missed Jesus’ message in Matthew 23? (We are
not going to dig deeply into this. If you read the
context in Matthew 23 you see that Jesus is
speaking against honorific titles. This is
different than organizational titles like
“overseers,” “deacons,” and “teachers.” Paul’s
assertion of authority is important and
appropriate.)
F. Read Romans 16:20-22 and Colossians 4:18. What
additional information does this suggest about the
way in which Paul created these letters to the
Philippians and Colossians? (In Romans, Tertius
tells us that he “wrote” the letter. This means
Paul dictated the letter to Tertius. Paul tells us
in Colossians 4:18 that he only personally wrote
the “greeting with my own hand.” This gives us
further light on Timothy being a helper, and not a
co-author of these letters.)
III. The Strategy
A. Read Acts 16:6-9. Who is leading Paul’s steps? (The
Holy Spirit is telling him where to preach.)
B. Read Acts 16:10-12. Paul and Timothy are led to
Philippi. Do we have any insight into the leading
of the Holy Spirit? (Philippi was an important
city. According to the Albert Barnes’s Commentary,
Roman coins have been found which refer to Philippi
as a Roman colony. Starting a church here would
have a positive strategic impact on the spread of
the gospel.)
IV. Chains
A. Read Philippians 1:7, Philippians 1:12-14, and
Philippians 4:22. Paul tells us that he is a
prisoner when he writes to the Philippians, and he
essentially tells us that his place of imprisonment
is Rome. Would you call Paul an optimist? (Yes! He
looks at the positive side of being a prisoner.)
B. Look again at Philippians 1:13. With whom is Paul
sharing the gospel? (The “whole imperial guard.”
This tells us that Paul is at the seat of power and
is sharing the gospel. Philippians 4:22 uses the
term “household” and not “guards,” which tells us
that Paul’s message has created believers in the
palace!)
1. If Paul had not been a prisoner, do you think
he would have been allowed to evangelize those
who guarded Caesar? (Since you want your
closest protectors to be absolutely loyal, I
would be worried about Paul’s influence if I
were Caesar.)
C. Look again at Philippians 1:14. I’m an optimist,
but this seems to stray into fantasy. The fact that
your religious leader is in prison for his faith
would cause you to “speak without fear?” I would
conclude that if Paul can be arrested, certainly I
can be arrested! What am I missing? (What I am
missing is what I expect most others are missing.
When we think about being put in jail, we are
focused on jail. Paul is focused on mission
opportunities. His followers are emboldened by
knowing that they can share the gospel even in
jail.)
D. Read 2 Corinthians 6:4-5 and 2 Corinthians 6:8. If
you are a long-time reader of mine, you know that I
believe that obedience to God brings blessings. I
believe that is the primary reason for the Ten
Commandments. What Paul describes here, physical
beatings, hunger, dishonor, slander, is just the
opposite of what I think God has in mind for His
people. How do you explain this? (Two things. If we
go back to our discussion of focus, we know that
our focus must be on sharing the gospel. Sometimes
bad things happen as a result. Second, the context
of Paul’s list of these bad things that happened to
him is to prove to the Corinthians his bona fides;
that he is a genuine follower of Jesus.)
1. Who causes these bad things to happen? (We
know from the book of Job that Satan wants to
harm us. He is the author of the bad things
that happen.)
a. Have you ever listened to a Christian who
described bad things and you thought the
bad things were the Christian’s fault?
E. Friend, I tend to focus on how my life is going,
and I expect that you do too. Paul is showing us by
his example that his focus is on advancing the
Kingdom of God. Will you ask the Holy Spirit to
help shift your focus to promoting God’s kingdom?
V. Next week: Reasons for Thanksgiving and Prayer.
Copr. 2025, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are
from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing
ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All
rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within
parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail,
but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this
link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the
Holy Spirit as you study.
Bruce N. Cameron, J.D.