Striving for the Faith: A Journey through Philippians for Life on Mission

The Book of Philippians is one of the most quotable, stirring, and rousing segments of the New Testament. Yet when Paul the missionary and apostle wrote this manifesto while chained in Rome, did he merely intend for his readers to divvy it up into a handful of inspirational slogans? Or did he have a deeper purpose in mind for the church? Paul’s epistle to the Philippians sports many pivotal motifs—joy, suffering, humility, and encouragement. Underneath all these themes, Philippians is a book of mission. Its thesis comes in chapter 1, verse 27: “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel[.]” This crucial letter stands as a summons for the church today to strive for the faith and be about the work of her Lord. In turn, this expository journey through Philippians is intended as an invitation for all of Christ’s people to read Paul’s time-tested words with new eyes and to apply it to a life of mission.