Be Still And Know

Philippians 1.29-30 NLT 'For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.' We don’t know the exact nature of the problems in the Philippian church. It had been planted in a hostile environment and was led by new Christians who were probably still trying to get their heads around Christian doctrine and practice. I often hear people say that it would be good if we could get back to being like the early church, but I’m not so sure. The early church may have had the blessing of newness and enthusiasm, but they battled with many critical problems that we would never have to face, and we have huge resources of Christian experience and literature to draw upon. Paul offered the Philippian church the huge encouragement that they were not alone. They were in this struggle together. Paul knew exactly what they were going through and