TORREY MEMORIAL BIBLE CONFERENCE PHILIPPIANS 1 :1 -5
by Dr. Robert B. Thieme Pastor, Berachah Church Houston, Texas
Lord Jesus Christ. This can only come through salvation. Before one can live the Christian life, he must first of all become a Christian through personal faith in the Son of God. In the salutation, consisting of verses one and two, we read, “Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul’s name in the Latin means “little.” How in teresting that he took this name after his salvation, for Saul meant just the opposite. He called himself the chief of sinners. When he found Christ his en tire life was completely transformed. The name Timotheus means, “He will honor his God.” How fitting that these two men were partners in the service of Christ. They had the oppor tunity of winning many precious souls to the Lord. Their names, mentioned together, remind us of the blessings of Christian fellowship. They had dif ferent gifts and yet each one was equally used of the Lord. At the very moment we receive the Son of God, 34 things occur simultaneously. Among them is that every believer is in union with Christ. We are “bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh.” We are par takers of the divine nature. The first concept of the Church is positional as every believer is in union with the per son of Jesus Christ. The second con cept of the Church is local. Here it was at Philippi, in the province of Macedonia. The word “bishop” would indicate the position of a preacher. It also means “overseer,” describing the leadership and the ministry of re sponsibility. The deacons are the church officers who would be known to day as laymen. (The requisites of a deacon are found in 1st Timothy 3:8-13.) 32
I N THIS BRIEF MESSAGE, we want to consider several of the opening verses of what has come to be known as the “Joy Book” of the Bible, Philip- pians. The background, on the surface, could be most discouraging since Paul is writing from a Roman prison. Epa- phroditus had come to bring him a gift from the Philippian church. The epistle was written somewhere be- HAVE YOU TAKEN IT TO JESUS? Have you taken it to Jesus? Have you left your burden there? Does He tenderly support you? Have you rolled on Him your care? O, the sweet unfailing refuge Of the everlasting arms; In their loving clasp unfolded Nothing worries or alarms. Have you taken it to Jesus, Just the thing that's pressing now? Are you trusting Him completely With the when, and where and how? Oh, the joy of full surrender Of our life, our plans, our all; Proving, far above our asking That God answers when we call. Have you taken it to Jesus? 'TIs the only place to go If you want the burden lifted And a solace for your woe. Oh, the blessedness to nestle Like a child upon His breast; Finding ever, as He promised Perfect comfort, peace and rest. — Mrs. E. L. Hennessay tween 61 and 63 A.D. and wonderfully emphasizes the various Christian ex periences we all share. We are brought face to face with the subject of inner joy rather than some superficial happiness which is merely transient. The great issue fac ing us, before we can have this blessed satisfaction, is a relationship to the
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