In this blog post from The Resurgance Matt Chandler writes the top 10 reasons he wanted to teach on the book of Philippians. Gotta love this list.
1) How the church began. Acts 16: Lydia is a wealthy Asian (Thyatira); the slave girl is an oppressed Greek, and the jailer was a middle class Roman. All were transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love the diversity of that cast.
2) The book teaches that the gospel advances regardless of circumstance (Phil. 1:12-18). In an age where it is not uncommon to hear that you can put God into your debt by behaving, I thought this was extremely important.
3) Paul’s cry “To live is Christ and die is gain!” How could he not say that! Lydia was wealthy, religious, and empty; the slave girl was bitter, oppressed, and angry; and the Roman jailer was indifferent and cruel. All were lost in their lives. What else would you live for?
4) The book clearly teaches humility in the life of a believer. We can’t hear that topic enough (Philippians 2).
5) Paul ferociously outlines the reasons to pursue Christ (Phil. 3:1-11).
6) Then, he follows it up by teaching how to pursue Christ (Phil. 3:12-21).
7) Chapter 4 talks about what the heart and mind of a man of God look like. This is invaluable information as there seems to be some confusion on this matter.
8) Contentment is a gift more precious than jewels (Phil. 4:10-19).
9) It gave me a chance to remind everyone that Philippians 4:13 isn’t about playing sports, making the team, or being successful in business.
10) Because if I can help us be “the lights of this world holding fast to the word of life” I would humbly and gladly spend my life doing so.