Phili 1 | Comm | STEP | Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:

‏ Philippians 1

1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: 2 grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always making my prayer with joy in every prayer of mine for you all, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 For I am confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

7 For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me. 8 For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

9 And this is my prayer, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ; 11 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

12 Now I want you to know, brethren, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that my imprisonment for Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, 14 and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have been encouraged to speak the word of God without fear. 15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel; 17 the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, but thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be ashamed in anything, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I do not know. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; 24 but to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.

27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you stand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, 28 in no way frightened by your opponents. This is a sign of destruction to them, but of salvation for you—and that too, from God. 29 For to you it has been granted for the sake of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake, 30 having the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.