Philippians 4:21-23 "Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren which are with me greet you. (22) All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar's household. (23) The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."
We come to the close of the Philippian letter. I admit it's with somewhat of a
sadness. I, personally, have enjoyed this study of Paul's letter. I feel I have
seen more of Paul's personality this time through the letter. I'm
thankful. Such is the case today also, I see Paul's love for God's people
shining through these final words.
"Salute every saint in Christ Jesus." I feel these words carry
a double meaning. He is encouraging the people in Philippi to greet one another
in a loving, Christian manner, but I believe, since he is unable to be there
physically, he is also asking the folks who read this letter to greet all the
others for his sake. For those who are Andy Griffith fans, you will remember
the famous phrase, "Tell them Gomer says hey." Pardon me for a
little levity this morning. The word, salute, carries the implication of a warm
greeting which includes a hug. Hugs are an automatic part of greeting at most
small country churches. In our day and time, I have to admit that I miss
that so much in our Christian interaction. Thank you Paul for telling me
that you are a "hugger" also.
Paul tells the Philippians "the brethren which are with me greet you"
and that included those who were of Caesar's household. Does that not grab your
attention concerning the work that Paul was doing while in prison? Remember at
the beginning of the letter, he spoke of fellow prisoners who had been
converted and fell in love with the message of Jesus Christ? This tells us that
there were those of Caesar's household that had been converted. We remember the
Philippian jailer and his household who were converted while Paul and Silas
were in prison. This tells me that wherever I am or whoever I am with, I am to
be constant with my testimony and witness concerning the difference in my life
that the grace of God has made.
Finally, I see Paul praying for grace for the saints at Philippi. I try to
picture what I would be saying in this place. I think I would be asking them to
pray for grace for me that I might be able to endure the imprisonment. But the
Apostle Paul is praying for grace for those in Philippi who are taking up the
cross and being faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ. I close my study of
Philippians with the thought of Paul: May "the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ be with you all. Amen."