Less tangents this time, I promise.

Paul is like Batman.

…It all makes sense at the end.

Recap:

So Paul is writing a letter to the leaders of the church of Philippi, thanking them for a gift they sent to him in a Roman prison.

Paul’s Prayer for the Church of Philippi:

By Philippians 1:8, Paul has completed his salutations, and tells his prayer for them in Philippians 1:9-11:

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that 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.”

In Philippians, Paul is praying that the church of Philippi make efforts to show love to others, while simultaneously learning more from the teachings of Christ so they can live more like him.

Coincidentally, the pastor at Reality SF just gave a sermon with an in-depth look at “love” and “knowledge” within Christian culture. You should definitely consider listening :)

Rejoicing in Times of Suffering:

Prison isn’t a happy place. Scholars say Paul was in prison (this time) for two years. Bummer. Still, he describes his circumstances with joy, knowing that his imprisonment has caused two things:

Normally inspired by Paul’s bold faith, his imprisonment has caused them to preach the gospel more on his behalf. (1:14) Others are preaching more, albeit from selfish ambition and spite of Paul (1:17)

Regardless of the negative result, Paul is simply happy to hear that the gospel is being preached.

Paul Could Live or Die…But He’s Pretty Sure He’ll Live:

While sitting in prison, I’d imagine there’s a lot of time to think as well. Perhaps about what life is like outside the walls, or turning to morbid considerations like the next form of punishment, torture or execution.

Paul dwells on neither, focusing on his faith in God and knowing the church is praying for him. The pinnacle of his praise comes in Philippians 1:21:

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

So either way, Paul could care less what happens. As he states, his options are:

Live on and continue preaching the gospel Die and go to heaven and be with Christ for eternity

Well when you put it that way…

Although Paul would love to go up, he has a pretty strong feeling he’s still wanted on Earth to help with the church (Philippians 1:24)

Still, his fate hadn’t been confirmed at the time this letter was written, so he encourages the church to continue to grow in their faith so they can do Christ’s work, even without Paul (Philippians 1:27.)

Unity in the Church:

Most importantly, this request is a call to unity within the church. If they are all acting and growing as Christians, then Paul will either see their unity in the spirit, or hear about it through others.

In this unity, Paul promises strength against any opposition in Philippians 1:28:

“Without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed but that you will be saved – and that by God.”

Paul is Like Batman:

Paul’s bravery and joy makes prison sound like a breeze. To me, this chapter reads: “Be more Christ-like and no one can oppose you. What, like it’s hard?” Paul’s courage is obvious throughout all of his writing, perhaps the closest thing Christians have to a superhero (besides Jesus of course.)

As a comic book fan, I get the same feeling reading this chapter as I would reading a Batman comic. I get excited watching the fight and relate to the pain and frustrations. But still, there’s a certainty inside knowing that Batman will win.

Paul’s certainty is what creates his abandonment of anxiety, allowing him to see the benefits of him being in jail. It’s a beautiful trait that I know is lacking in my life. I don’t have faith as great as Paul’s, but I want it.

Like reading a Batman comic and deciding I’m going to go fight crime on the streets of San Francisco, I can’t just close my Bible and go preach the gospel recklessly without changing my life first. There’s training involved, preparation for when hardships arise.

This training is something we are called to do as Christians. It’s what Paul calls the church of Philippi to do. They are to be Batman for Christ so Paul will either hear of, or see them.

-Jon