Philippians 1
1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons.
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 I thank my God whenever I remember you.
4 In every prayer I offer for all of you, I always pray with joy,
5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
6 I am convinced of this: the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Christ Jesus.
7 It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I hold you in my heart. All of you share with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.
8 For God is my witness how deeply I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
9 And this is what I pray: that your love may grow more and more in knowledge and every kind of insight,
10 so that you may discern what is best, and be sincere and blameless for the day of Christ,
11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
12 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.
13 As a result, my imprisonment for Christ has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to everyone else.
14 And most of the brothers and sisters in the Lord, encouraged by my imprisonment, dare all the more to speak the word of God without fear.
15 Some, to be sure, proclaim Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.
16 These do it out of love, knowing that I have been appointed to defend the gospel.
17 But those others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, thinking they will make my imprisonment more painful.
18 What does it matter? In every way, whether from false motives or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and I rejoice in this. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.
19 For I know that this will turn out for my salvation, through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
20 in keeping with my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, now as always, Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
21 For to me, living is Christ, and dying is gain.
22 But if living in the flesh means fruitful work for me, then I do not know which to choose.
23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.
24 But remaining in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.
25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and stay with all of you, for your progress and joy in the faith,
26 so that your reason to boast in Christ Jesus may grow through me, when I come to you again.
27 Only, live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or remain away, I will hear that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one soul for the faith of the gospel,
28 and not being intimidated in any way by your opponents. This is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you—and this is from God.
29 For you have been granted, for the sake of Christ, not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him.
30 You are facing the same struggle you saw me face and now hear that I am still facing.
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