Paul was a missionary - one of the Christian churches first church planters. His letter to the Philippians is his only letter that does not include admonishment or correction. In his greeting, he expresses a strong since of passion and love for the recipients. This love is more than a ubiquitous love that Christians have for one another. We have to go back to the book of Acts to see that Paul's connection to the church in Philippi is very personal. On his first trip there, Paul records encounters with three people. He met a business woman named Lydia. Lydia was a wealthy intellect that knew God and knew what He expected of her. She knew that she fell short of those expectations, and that those sins could only be atoned by a rich sacrifice. Paul told her about Jesus. A demon-possessed young girl was harassing Paul and screaming at the top of her lungs incessantly. Paul called the demon out of the girl making her whole again. Paul demonstrated to her the full power of Jesus. Paul was put in jail and bound with shackles for the "disruption" that he was causing. In the midst of his suffering, Paul chose to sing hymns of praise. A mighty earthquake shook the prison, threw open the doors, and released the prisoner's shackles. The guard responsible for the prison prepared to take his own life knowing that he wouldn't have long to live after the prisoners had escaped under his watch. But he was shocked to find all of the prisoners still there - still singing. Paul told the guard, and all the guard's family, about Jesus. So when Paul was writing to the church in Philippi, Paul was writing to Lydia, the young girl freed from demons and a guard whose life he saved - twice.
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