Greetings from Paul

This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus. I am writing to all of God’s holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the church leaders and deacons.

Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy,

So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News.

Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith.

Live as Citizens of Heaven

Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names,

But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy.

All the others care only for themselves and not for what matters to Jesus Christ.

So I am all the more anxious to send him back to you, for I know you will be glad to see him, and then I will not be so worried about you.

Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ

Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you.

Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God.

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Now all glory to God our Father forever and ever! Amen.

Paul’s Final Greetings

Give my greetings to each of God’s holy people—all who belong to Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send you their greetings.

And all the rest of God’s people send you greetings, too, especially those in Caesar’s household.