Philippians 1 (Sixth Sunday of Easter)

Philippians 1 (Sixth Sunday of Easter)

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ
Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: 2Grace to
you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3
I thank my God every time I remember you, 4

constantly praying with

joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, 5

because of your sharing in

the gospel from the first day until now. 6

I am confident of this, that the
one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by
the day of Jesus Christ.
7
It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you
hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both
in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.
8For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of
Christ Jesus.
9And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and
more with knowledge and full insight 10to help you to determine what is
best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless,
11having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus
Christ for the glory and praise of God.
12I want you to know, beloved that what has happened to me has
actually helped to spread the gospel, 13so that it has become known
throughout the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that my
imprisonment is for Christ; 14and most of the brothers and sisters, having
been made confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare to speak the
word with greater boldness and without fear. 15Some proclaim Christ
from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill. 16These proclaim Christ
out of love, knowing that I have been put here for the defense of the
gospel; 17the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely
but intending to increase my suffering in my imprisonment. 18What does
it matter? Just this, that Christ is proclaimed in every way, whether out of
false motives or true; and in that I rejoice.