The apostle Paul wrote letters to many different churches during his ministry. He had a clear favorite. The church at Philippi held his heart. His letter to the Philippians demonstrates that deep love. It is easily the most joyful book of the Bible. We will begin a new sermon series on Philippians this week.

If you’d like to get a little background on this book before the sermon on Sunday, I encourage you to read Acts 16. This chapter describes how Paul met the first people to be part of the local church in Philippi.

Philippi was established as a Roman colony within Macedonia about 90 years before Paul arrived there. In fact, it was a “miniature Rome,” governed under the municipal law of Rome by two military officers, who were appointed directly from Rome.

The town was quite prosperous, depending for its wealth on nearby gold mines. Lydia, the first Christian convert in Philippi, sold purple cloth to the wealthy there.

Our sermon on Sunday will cover Philippians 1:1-11.