 So, we will now begin with the letter to the Philippians, just a little background on how the Philippian church was formed and then we'll get into the details of the letter. The thing to know about this letter to the Philippians, it really reveals the heart of this Philippian church. It shows how committed they were to the Lord, it shows how strong they were in the Lord, it shows the passion they had for God, the sacrifices they made for Him, the letter shows the high respect which Paul had for these people. So, this is a challenging letter. When we read the letter to the Corinthian church, we may pat ourselves on the back and say, these people barely knew how to function in the church, but then we are better off, we know how to behave, we know how to maintain peace and coordination and unity when we are exercising our gifts and also we can maybe feel a little good about ourselves when we look at the condition of the Corinthian believers. But my goodness, when you read the letter to the Philippians and look at the kind of life that they led and the kind of example which they set for us, it makes us want to reach to a higher level, to reach the standards which the Philippian church has set for the believers. So, it's a letter that we can learn much from. So, to first of all, look at the background. How did this beautiful Philippian church get formed? So, the story, the background story for that would be in Acts chapter 16 versus 6 to 15. So, if you were to just turn in your Bibles to Acts chapter 16 versus 6 to 15, we see that Paul and his companions are travelling throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia and their idea is to move on to Asia Minor. That is their destination. They're moving towards Asia Minor. But then, something happens in Acts chapter 16 verse 7. The Lord says, no, no, don't go to Asia Minor. So, when they have reached the border of Maishia and they're planning to enter into Bithynia so that they can go on from there towards Asia Minor, the spirit of Jesus says, no, do not go there because that is not the correct time for them to go. He instructs them not to go there. And then in verse 8, we see that they think, okay, fine, if the Lord does not want us to go in this direction, then let us go towards Troas. But again, we have stopped from going to Troas because that night, Paul gets a vision. And in the vision, he sees a man from the Macedonian region who is standing and begging and saying, come over to Macedonia and help us. So, God gives Paul this vision so that Paul will know where he's meant to go next. So, they go to the Macedonian region where you have the city of Philippi and various other cities. So, they come to Philippi in verse 13, Acts chapter 16 verse 13. And they arrive on a Sabbath day, on a Saturday. And they are aware that people generally meet outside these cities for a time of prayer. And so, this being the Sabbath day, they know that at least one or two groups will be meeting somewhere outside the city gates. And so, Paul and his companions, they set out for this place near the river. And so, it says in Acts 16 verse 13, on the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. So, you have a bunch of ladies who have met, who have gathered over there to pray and spend some time reflecting on the things of God. They are not yet Christians. They probably do not know much about Christ or the Gospel, but they are God-fearing people who have a heart to know the truth. They have a desire to reach out to God and know God. So, that is the kind of group that is sitting over here. And this is where you basically have the seeds of the Philippine church sitting there. I doubt whether those, that bunch of ladies even realized how important they are. Out of that seed would grow an amazing church. And these are the very first members of that church. So, the ladies are sitting over there and the Paul and his companions begin to share the Gospel and they are listening with much interest. In verse 14, we get to know that one of the ladies who is seated over there is a purple cloth merchant. So, which basically means that she probably would be a wealthy lady because purple cloth was considered very valuable in those days. It was imported, exported. So, it had a lot of monetary value. So, she is basically a dealer in that. And it says she was a worshipper of God, which basically means, you know, what they were called, what they were called God worshippers. And there are other terms which are used. All these terms basically means that you are that this person is from a gentile background, but they have made a commitment to become part of the Jewish faith because they believe that the God of the Jews is the living through God. So, she is from a gentile background, but she has become a worshipper of God, which basically means she has kind of converted to the Jewish faith. So, she is that type of person. And it says in verse 14, at 16 verse 14, it says, the Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. So, because she has a genuine interest, the Holy Spirit convicts her and she is able to believe what Paul is preaching. And it says in verse 15, when she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. So, they accept this group of ladies, accept the Lord Jesus as their savior. And then they undergo water baptism to publicly declare that now they are no longer converted to the Jewish faith. But now from the Jewish faith, they have now converted to faith in Jesus Christ. So, they undergo the baptism ceremony. And then after that, Lydia invites these missionaries to her home. She says, if you consider me a believer in the Lord, she said, come and stay at my house. And she persuaded us. And so, most probably in the early days, the church was, you know, meeting in her home. And that's basically from where this church grows and becomes what it, you know, what it later on goes on, you know, goes to become. So, this is how the Philippian church begins. It begins with people who genuinely have a love for God. They respond to the message, the Gospel message which has been given. They invite the missionaries into their home. They are eager to learn more. And so with this kind of a group, the church begins. So, you know, just a thought for those of us who may be involved in some kind of ministry work. I mean, it's not relevant whether we are in, you know, whether we work in the secular field or whether we are in full-time ministry. But all of us must be, you know, serving the Lord in some way or the other. So, if you are running some small cell group somewhere, you know, if you are in charge of a Bible study somewhere, that group of people into whose lives you're investing, you know, who knows what can come out of that group. Never, ever underestimate the group or which God has placed you. There's great potential there. There are people sitting over there who have a genuine hunger to know more about God and maybe to do something for God. And you have been placed over there in that group as one of the more learned leaders, you know, someone who's more familiar with the scriptures. So, you're in a position to equip them. You're in a position to encourage them. And if you do that, who knows what that little group can grow into. I mean, the people in that group, maybe they'll really go into their offices, their workplaces and start sharing the gospel. So, it's great power in little groups because of the kind of hearts with which people are sitting in those small groups. So, Paul, you know, didn't just dismiss them and say, ah, a bunch of women. I mean, not even men, a bunch of women. You know, he didn't just dismiss them and say, ah, a bunch of women. Where's the point? Let's go find a group of men. No, he invested in them and that led to the beginning of an amazing church. So, let's take our small groups seriously. Let's understand that there's much potential there. And so, in the same way that Paul gave his best in ministering to this group, let us give our best in ministering to whichever group, you know, we are part of. So, having kind of looked at that background, as we still have a few minutes, let's get into chapter one. So, if we could have someone read out for us the first seven verses please. Philippians chapter one versus one to seven. Philippians chapter one versus one to seven. Paul and Timothy, born servants of Jesus Christ to all the saints in Christ Jesus, who are in Philippi with the bishops and decans, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine, making request for you with all with joy for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now. Being confident of this very thing that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Just as it is right for me to think this of you all because I have you in my heart in as much as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. You all are partakers with me of grace. Amen. Amen. Thank you so much. So, yes, we will reflect on this passage when we come back from our break. Thank you. We'll meet at 10 o'clock.