Greetings from Paul and Timothy

1From:a Paul and Timothy, servants of the Messiahb Jesus.

To: All the holy onesc in Philippi, along with their overseersd and ministers,e who are in union with the Messiahf Jesus.

2May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah,g be yours!

Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer for the Philippians

3I thank my God every time I remember you,h 4always praying joyfully in every one of my prayers for all of you 5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6I am convinced of this, that the one who began a good action amongi you will bring it to completion by the Day of the Messiahj Jesus. 7For it is only right for me to think this way about all of you, because you’re constantly on my mind.k Both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, all of you are partners with me in this privilege.l 8For God is my witness how much I long for all of you with the compassion that the Messiahm Jesus provides.

9And this is my prayer, that your love will keep on growing more and more with full knowledge and insight, 10so that you may be able to choose what is best and be pure and blameless until the day when the Messiahn returns, 11having been filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus the Messiaho so that God will be glorified and praised.

The Priority of the Gospel in Everything

12Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has actually caused the gospel to advance. 13As a result, it has become clear to the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that I am in prison for preaching aboutp the Messiah.q 14Moreover, because of my imprisonment the Lord has caused most of the brothers to become confident to speak God’s word more boldly and courageously than ever before. 15Some are preaching the Messiahr because of jealousy and dissension, while others do sos because of their good will. 16The latter are motivatedt by love, because they know that I have been appointed to defend the gospel. 17The former proclaim the Messiahu because they are selfishly ambitious and insincere, thinking that they will stir up trouble for me during my imprisonment.

18But so what? Just this—that in every way, whether by false or true motives, the Messiahv is being proclaimed. Because of this, I rejoice and will continue to rejoice. 19I know that this will result in my deliverance through your prayers and the help that comes from the Spirit of Jesus the Messiah.w 20I rejoice because I eagerly expect and hope that I will have nothing to be ashamed of, because through myx boldness the Messiahy will be exalted through me,z now as always, whether I live or die.aa

21For to me, to go on living is the Messiah,bb and to die is gain. 22Now if I continue living, fruitful labor is the result, so I do not know which I would prefer. 23Indeed, I cannot decide between the two. I have the desire to leave this life and be with the Messiah,cc for that is far better. 24But for your sake it is better that I remain alive.dd

25Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will continue to live and be with all of you, so you will mature in the faith and know joy in it. 26Then your rejoicing in the Messiahee Jesus will increase along with mineff when I visit with you again.

Standing Firm in One Spirit

27The only thing that matters is that you continue to live as good citizens in a manner worthy of the gospel of the Messiah.gg Then, whether I come to see you or whether I stay away, I may hear all about you—that you are standing firm in one spirit, struggling with one mind for the faith of the gospel, 28and that you are not intimidated by your opponents in any way. This is evidence that they will be destroyed and that you will be saved—and all because ofhh God. 29For you have been given the privilegeii for the Messiah’sjj sake not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him. 30You have the same struggle that you saw in me and now hear that I am still having.kk