By Kayode Crown Philippians 1:8 For God is my witness that I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. Paul’s Affection and the Nature of Divine Love What this church communicated to Paul was love, as we would see in the next verse. John made the point elsewhere that love goes beyond pleasantries to costing you something (1 John 3:16-18), as it cost this church the release of their goods to Paul. David popularized the notion that he would not give God what would cost him nothing...

By Kayode Crown Philippians 1:7 For it is right for me to think this about all of you, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel all of you became partners in God’s grace together with me. The Philippian church partnered with Paul, and it was not a one-time thing. When you contrast that with his harsh experiences in many places, the contribution and support that the Philippian church offered would be like cold water on dry...

By Kayode Crown Philippians 1:6 For I am sure of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Paul continues to express amazement at the fruit in the lives of these believers. We might now take it for granted that we are to support gospel ministers. But that knowledge may be nascent in that early church. In this verse, Paul calls it a good work. He sees God at work in the life of this church, so that without prompting, they had the...