The Letter of St. Paul
to
the
Philippians
Chapter 1
1. Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons. 2. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
(The Letter of Paul to the Philippians Chapter 1 verses 1 to 2)
Amen oh God, my Father thy Grace is amazing. I also wish peace to all, a peace that the world cannot give. I would like you all to join me in the following song that although is in latin for those who are noobs in latin there is are lyrics in English:-
3. I thank my God every time I remember you, 4. constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, 5. because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.
(The Letter of Paul to the Philippians Chapter 1 verses 3 to 5)
Oh God my Father, I would also like to thank You for all the followers of this blog, for all who have joined and left, for all who were in my circles when there was the other version of G+ and especially for those who are still following and joining fresh up to a minute ago. You are gifts from God whom I pray for and remember especially when I am online Amen.
6. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.
(The Letter of St.Paul to the Philippians Chapter 1 verse 6)
Oh God, My Father I also pray that You who have planted the seed of faith in me like the seed of a plant will nourish it up to the point where the seeds become, a tree and never stops bearing fruit for You Amen.
7. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God's grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians Chapter 1 verse 7)
Oh God, my Father may we also share and be with one with You during particular moments of Your life on earth. I pray that we share Your sorrow and that of others during times of tribulation as was the time of Your passion and may we also share on hearing that many of our brother's members of other religions have chosen to believe in You and forsake their previous beliefs Amen.
8. For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. 9. And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight 10. to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, 11. having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
(The Letter of St.Paul to the Philippians Chapter 1 verses 8 to 11)
Oh, God my Father in order for us to become aware, how much we love You is to stop and realise if we really and truly love our neighbour. When saying love, I am not meaning carnal love, but love in the way You oh God love us. You are an all giving God, who became and Eucharist to us and gave Yourself to us as one sacrificial offering. Therefore oh God my Father, in order to check if we are loving others, we are to check how much we are giving ourselves, our time, our resources to others, and if we find that we are blocked in this area because we are not giving ourselves to somebody we are to pray for forgiveness and deliverance Amen.
12. I want you to know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel, 13. so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for Christ; 14. and most of the brothers and sisters, having been made confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare to speak the word with greater boldness and without fear.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians Chapter 1 verses 12 to 14)
Oh God my Father all that is happening in my life is not by chance, the very fact that the state of my marriage could be much better and that I have placed my trust in You instead of throwing away the baby with the towel and gone my way as I am tempted to do. I hope that the positive aspects of my life will be a positive example for others Amen.
15. Some proclaim Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill.
(The letter of St. Paul to the Philippians Chapter 1 verse 15)
Oh God, many people have abused Your name and used the Bible against others as a weapon to defend themselves against others and justify themselves. I pray oh God that You purify my intentions and actions so that what I think and what I do comes from You and not from my sinful nature Amen.
16. These proclaim Christ out of love, knowing that I have been put here for the defense of the gospel; 17. the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but intending to increase my suffering in my imprisonment.
(The letter of St. Paul to the Philippians Chapter 1 verses 16 to 17)
Oh God, my Father I am sorry to say that I am not academically equipped to defend You by using complex arguments. I only share what You share with me in a spirit of prayer. However, I am convinced that as You gave the needed knowledge and skills to the apostles who were simple people without and Masters in Theology, You can also share Your wisdom with me in such circumstances Amen.
(The Letter of Paul to the Philippians Chapter 1 verses 3 to 5)
Oh God my Father, I would also like to thank You for all the followers of this blog, for all who have joined and left, for all who were in my circles when there was the other version of G+ and especially for those who are still following and joining fresh up to a minute ago. You are gifts from God whom I pray for and remember especially when I am online Amen.
6. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.
(The Letter of St.Paul to the Philippians Chapter 1 verse 6)
Oh God, My Father I also pray that You who have planted the seed of faith in me like the seed of a plant will nourish it up to the point where the seeds become, a tree and never stops bearing fruit for You Amen.
7. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God's grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians Chapter 1 verse 7)
Oh God, my Father may we also share and be with one with You during particular moments of Your life on earth. I pray that we share Your sorrow and that of others during times of tribulation as was the time of Your passion and may we also share on hearing that many of our brother's members of other religions have chosen to believe in You and forsake their previous beliefs Amen.
8. For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. 9. And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight 10. to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, 11. having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
(The Letter of St.Paul to the Philippians Chapter 1 verses 8 to 11)
Oh, God my Father in order for us to become aware, how much we love You is to stop and realise if we really and truly love our neighbour. When saying love, I am not meaning carnal love, but love in the way You oh God love us. You are an all giving God, who became and Eucharist to us and gave Yourself to us as one sacrificial offering. Therefore oh God my Father, in order to check if we are loving others, we are to check how much we are giving ourselves, our time, our resources to others, and if we find that we are blocked in this area because we are not giving ourselves to somebody we are to pray for forgiveness and deliverance Amen.
12. I want you to know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel, 13. so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for Christ; 14. and most of the brothers and sisters, having been made confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare to speak the word with greater boldness and without fear.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians Chapter 1 verses 12 to 14)
Oh God my Father all that is happening in my life is not by chance, the very fact that the state of my marriage could be much better and that I have placed my trust in You instead of throwing away the baby with the towel and gone my way as I am tempted to do. I hope that the positive aspects of my life will be a positive example for others Amen.
15. Some proclaim Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill.
(The letter of St. Paul to the Philippians Chapter 1 verse 15)
Oh God, many people have abused Your name and used the Bible against others as a weapon to defend themselves against others and justify themselves. I pray oh God that You purify my intentions and actions so that what I think and what I do comes from You and not from my sinful nature Amen.
16. These proclaim Christ out of love, knowing that I have been put here for the defense of the gospel; 17. the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but intending to increase my suffering in my imprisonment.
(The letter of St. Paul to the Philippians Chapter 1 verses 16 to 17)
Oh God, my Father I am sorry to say that I am not academically equipped to defend You by using complex arguments. I only share what You share with me in a spirit of prayer. However, I am convinced that as You gave the needed knowledge and skills to the apostles who were simple people without and Masters in Theology, You can also share Your wisdom with me in such circumstances Amen.
18. What does it matter? Just this, that Christ is proclaimed in every way, whether out of false motives or true; and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,
(The letter of St. Paul to the Philippians Chapter 1 verses 18)
Oh God my Father I totally agree with the Apostle Paul that above all the primary aim is that of proclaiming Your Name and the message of the Good News, however if the person has crooked intentions this might corrupt the person in using the Gospel or Bible as a means of influencing others to even get money of the recipients or even harm them by means of one;s false interpretation of Your Word Amen. I pray oh God that all who preach the message of the Good News have the one intention of genuinely helping others to make an experience of You by means of Your Word and not for personal gain Amen.
19. for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance.
(The letter of St. Paul to the Philippians Chapter 1 verses 19)
Oh God, my Father I thank You for being always close by. I thank You for working on my behalf even though I am not always aware of Your interventions. I thank You for delivering me out of circumstances over which I had no control Amen. Thank You Jesus.
20. It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but that by my speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death.
(The letter of St. Paul to the Philippians Chapter 1 verses 20)
Oh God, my Father, I pray that I will never be ashamed of speaking in Your name. That my life be, a living testimony Amen.
21. For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. 22. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer.
(The letter of St. Paul to the Philippians Chapter 1 verses 21 to 22)
Oh God my Father for me, living without Your presence is not to live at all, because life without You has no value whatsoever. However as St. Paul said, while I am still alive let Your plan for me unfold so that You can use me in the best way possible, for the good of others and for my spiritual growth Amen. For me oh God my Father dying is a victory as long as I am united with You forever. My greatest disappointment my God and Father is to die in a state of sin and shame which might mean that I will not enjoy Your presence after such a long a stressful time living in the flesh on earth. I pray that You save me from such a dreadful outcome my God and Father Amen.
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 in the flesh is more necessary for you.
(The letter of St. Paul to the Philippians Chapter 1 verses 23 to 24)
During moments of anger, weakness and sadness I also ask the same question. The evil one often challenges me with the question, whether, my life is worth living or not, of whether it be better for me to be with You and not live anymore on earth. However, then I become aware that the evil one is trying to convince me to harm myself so that he will be able to claim my soul in hell. However, when I remember the mission that You gave me that of spreading Your word, and my responsibilities both at home and at work, I realise that it would be selfish of me to consider only my welfare over that of my family, and clients.
25. Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, 26. so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.
(The letter of St. Paul to the Philippians Chapter 1 verses 25 to 26)
Oh God my Father I would also wish to continue to share these posts and remain in contact with all who wish to share anything with me so that we can all grow together especially on a spiritual level, for this is what we are really and truly going to need when we leave this world, and not our material possessions or our psychological selves. We have a soul that is longing to be reunited with its creator, so we are to handle it with care. If anyone wants to contact me my email is needforspeedvkm@gmail.com. Please do not hesitate to make contact. We can all grow together, the world would be a better place if we learn how to grow together and accept and respect each other for what and who we are, regardless of other issues or belief systems. Amen.
27. Only live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, 28. and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them is the evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God's doing.
(The letter of St. Paul to the Philippians Chapter 1 verses 27 to 28)
I also pray for all the followers of this blog, and for all believers in the world. Let us all have, one mindset one faith one aim in life that of loving Jesus and loving both ourselves in a healthy way and even loving others as they are and not as we wish them to be. On becoming firm believers we are bound to face opposition for whom and what we believe in, however, the opposition is a test for us and healthy for our spiritual growth, however for those who persecute us they are sowing the seeds of their own eternal destruction or condemnation. Amen.
29. For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well- 30. since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
(The letter of St. Paul to the Philippians Chapter 1 verses 29 to 30)
Oh God, my Father, it is indeed a privilege to be a believer in You, for although I am still a sinner with all my weaknesses and proneness to sin, my outlook on life and my faith in You is constantly developing. The fact that we have such moments of prayer to share together is a great help and for this, I greatly thank You, however as in the case of such a friendship, I share with You both the positive moments and even the not so positive moments Amen.
Oh God, my Father, I would like to end this first chapter of st. Paul's letter to the Philippians with the following prayer:
Oh God, my Father I thank You from my heart for this opportunity to share the messages that You give me every day with all who are ready to receive, accept, believe and apply in one's life. I pray that You continue to help me share the truth of Your message of love so that all will benefit and experience spiritual growth and so the message of the 'Good News' will continue to grow and spread throughout the world Amen.
Although I am no theologian I like to talk and communicate with others in relation to my relationship with You my God and Father, therefore if anybody wants to communicate one can do so on the following address needforspeedvkm@gmail.com.
Thank You, Jesus Amen
