Why Do YOU Serve the Kingdom?

The passage for March is Philippians 1:12-18a: 
  

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. (ESV)

If you are new to this reading plan, follow the instructions on the right side of this page or click here to read the "Why Just One Letter" introduction article.

Throughout each month, we will post short articles to give some depth of understanding regarding our text (see the archive links on the lower right of this page for review). Today we will discuss...

Why Do YOU Serve the Kingdom?

Okay, so I may have lost some readers with the title of this article. It starts with the assumption that you ARE serving the Kingdom in the first place. Some readers may wonder whether they are doing enough for God's redemptive plan. Others may be against God and want nothing to do with His Kingdom work.

Let me assure you. 

If you are a Christian, you ARE serving the ultimate purpose of God. This is true if you are "all-in," pouring your life out from dawn to dusk for the mission. It is also true if you have seen seasons when it has appeared that you have been totally off track. Wherever you find yourself on that spectrum, IF you are in Christ, you ARE serving the ultimate purpose of God.

And, let me assure you.

If you are NOT a Christian, you ARE serving the ultimate purpose of God. 

The chief end of man, or the point in which we are all heading, is to the final day when WE WILL - without exception - WE WILL ALL glorify God. Some of us will glorify God by being poster children for His perfect mercy and grace. Others will glorify God as the recipients of His perfect and righteous judgement.

The difference between the two camps is not so much a difference of our behavior. It is the difference of our hearts. 

The portion of the passage that we are unpacking today is this:

"Most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice."

Paul distinguishes between two groups here, both seem to be doing GOOD things.  

They are both "preaching" and "proclaiming" Christ. The Gospel is going forth. Paul says about both groups, "I Rejoice!"

So this isn't a seemingly easy, clear cut division between those who preach Christ and those who commit adultery and murder. No this is much more subtle. 

It is the kind of distinction that we often don't spend too much time on in the church (to our shame). If someone wants to serve - anyone - we're so excited that we usually jump at the chance to have them serve without any deep and abiding concern with that servant's salvation (or lack of salvation). But Paul directs us to take notice, not only of the actions, but also the heart. Kinda like Jesus:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:21-23 ESV)

and

You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:

“‘This people honors me with their lips,

but their heart is far from me; (Matthew 15:7-8 ESV)

You see. We are not saved by our works, not even our good works. Not by our gospel proclamation, not by our baptism, not by our diligent Bible reading, not by our charity, not by caring for our brothers and sisters in the church. 

Works without faith - even things we are told to do by Jesus - are sin if they are not flowing out of our Faith in Jesus, who did all of the Work perfectly in our place.

But, if we do the good things BECAUSE OF what Jesus has done and IS STILL doing in our hearts and in the world, then those same acts can be beautiful offerings of praise to our Lord.

So, back to Paul's two groups here in Philippians.

GROUP ONE: They are confident, not in themselves or in their works. They are confident in the LORD. They are emboldened by their brother, Paul's faith and steadfastness in the trial of imprisonment. That boldness helps them speak the truth of Christ in a fearless way. Everything they do, they do out of Love. 

Love for who? I believe, a love for Jesus, love for Paul and love for the Lost. I say so, because I know when I am thinking about my love for Jesus, my love for my brothers and sisters in Christ and about my love for the lost, I am more encouraged and more bold in my evangelism (but I may be reading too much of my story into this one with that point so take it or leave it).

GROUP TWO: They are motivated from self, not from their savior. Paul says they preach Christ from envy (wishing they had Paul's influence/wishing to gain glory for themselves instead of glory for God). They preach from a place of rivalry, hoping to gain more disciples than other leaders have (as though the lost were just notches on their spiritual conquest belt). 
They preach from selfish ambition (possibly for their own financial gain - and surely for their own prestige). They hope that they can afflict Paul by stealing away his disciples while he is in jail and then somehow rubbing that in his face.

And, THIS IS IMPORTANT, the reason I think Paul is talking about unconverted, hell-bound church folk is that at the end of the thought he says that Group Two preaches without sincerity and with pretense. They are pretending to be holy, Jesus-loving disciples, but their hearts are so inward focused that they cannot see Jesus at all. "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me..."

But, this isn't just a history lesson about the early church. This is a chance to run a diagnostic test on YOUR heart, right now.

The question is not, how many times have you gone to the church building for an event this week, or how much you've tithed, or whether or not you said a four-letter-word, or if you've helped the orphans and widows this week. For myself, it's not only even a question of "Did I share the Gospel? Did I preach my heart out?"

(all of those are important evidences of faith, but they are not what our eternity hangs onto)

The question is WHY? WHY do you serve the kingdom of God? Is it because He saved you? Is it because He loves you? Is it for HIS GLORY, or yours?

If you've been serving, but for the wrong reasons, don't beat yourself up. Repent. Believe the Gospel and have eternal life.

Enemies or An Audience

The passage for March is Philippians 1:12-18a: 
  

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. (ESV)

If you are new to this reading plan, follow the instructions on the right side of this page or click here to read the "Why Just One Letter" introduction article.

Throughout each month, we will post short articles to give some depth of understanding regarding our text (see the archive links on the lower right of this page for review). Today we will discuss...

Enemies or An Audience 

It cannot be denied that we have very real enemies in this world. To love Jesus is to be hated by the world. If you are public about your love and devotion to Jesus and your desire for others to know and love Him too, you may lose friends. Family may turn away. Co-workers may try to get you fired or passed over for promotion. The media and culture shapers WILL mock you and paint you as an idiot or a bigot. You may be taken to court and ordered to violate your conscience in the way you do business. You may be fined, you may be imprisoned. Some of us are being killed already.

This should not be a surprise. Jesus said there would be days like this:

"Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles." ~ Jesus (Matthew 10:17-18 ESV)

"Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name's sake." ~ Jesus (Matthew 10:21-22 ESV)

“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household." ~ Jesus (Matthew 10:24-25 ESV)

"A person's enemies will be those of his own household." ~ Jesus (Matthew 10:36 ESV)

"They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God." ~ Jesus (John 16:2 ESV)

As Paul writes this letter to the Philippians, he has begun to feel the weight of truth behind those words from our Lord. And yet, Philippians - written from prison - is a letter of JOY and HOPE! 

How can that be? For at least Three reasons. 

The first two reasons are important, but not really the point of this passage. They are that 1) we are not alone in our suffering and 2) that our suffering is not the end of the story. 

Paul says in Romans 8:16-18 that to suffer for the Gospel is to share with Christ, and if we share in His suffering we will also share in His glory. 

And Jesus says the same in the Sermon on the Mount:

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." ~ Jesus (Matthew 5:10-12 ESV) 

The third, often neglected, reason why our suffering can be good is that it has the opportunity to turn enemies into an audience - IF WE LIVE TO ADVANCE THE GOSPEL (see the previous article).

Our suffering has the opportunity to turn enemies into an audience.

And, once you have an audience - you have an avenue on which to walk unbelievers toward faith. 

One group of God's church called Soma Communities who are located in and around Tacoma, Washington, remind us to think of all people not necessarily as enemies of the church, but as possibly lost brothers and sisters in Christ, who just don't know their Father yet.

In fact, they helpfully try not to use the term unbeliever when they talk about someone who is not justified by faith in Christ. Instead they use the term not-yet-believers. Always hopeful that the unreached will take the step from death to life. 

It is that idea that seems to inform Paul's JOY and HOPE in the midst of imprisonment. 

So, he is surrounded by the imperial guard - So What!? 

That means Paul gets to share the Gospel with more people that he might not have had the chance to reach before. 

The reason we need to see this today is that we are fed a steady diet of information that is designed to outrage us and incite our passions (through social media, through talk radio, and the daily news). But, instead of falling for the propaganda that pushes us further away from one another and deeper into our particular camps of humanity, INSTEAD we need to see everyone EVERYONE as an audience to reach with the Gospel for THEIR good.  

No matter if you are a democrat talking to a republican, or a gun rights person talking to a gun control person, or an American talking to a person from another country, you are first and foremost a Christian talking to a person who may be waiting to hear your testimony before the Holy Spirit sets fire to their heart with faith. 

Paul, a Christian, saw this when encountering the imperial guard. We are more closely united to our enemies through the common problem of sin than we are divided by any other issue. Share the Gospel. Do so gently. Do so lovingly. But share the Gospel so that it can become known throughout the whole ________________ (your "enemy" group) and to all the rest that your life is for Christ. 

Whatever Happens - Advance the Gospel

The passage for March is Philippians 1:12-18a: 
  

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. (ESV)

If you are new to this reading plan, follow the instructions on the right side of this page or click here to read the "Why Just One Letter" introduction article.

Throughout each month, we will post short articles to give some depth of understanding regarding our text (see the archive links on the lower right of this page for review). Today we will discuss...

Whatever Happens - Advance the Gospel

When a soldier is trained, the fact is made clear that the mission comes first. Before safety, before comfort, before rest, before all else - fulfill the mission. If a leader dies, the soldiers are trained to fall in line under the command of the next highest ranking person and to press on to FULFILL THE MISSION.

It is always good and right to remember that our life on this side of eternity is a life in the trenches of a spiritual battle. While our enemy would like nothing better than to lull us into a slumber of comfort and worldly pleasure, our King is ever reminding us through His Word, and His Spirit and His people that we are waging war on sin - sin in our heart and sin in the World. 

Paul wrote this letter from prison, and eventually - church history tells us - Paul would give his very life by beheading. But from the time the scales of spiritual blindness fell from Paul's eyes in Acts 9:18 to his death, Paul boldly, fearlessly and shamelessly proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul lived and eventually died to FULFILL THE MISSION.

The Apostle could do so because he knew his Savior lived and he knew that there is nothing in all creation could stop Jesus' advancing kingdom.

That's why Paul could say such stunning things like he did to the church in Rome:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39 ESV)

Paul had no doubt that he and the rest of us Christians could and would face things like tribulation, distress, persecution and the rest during our brief time here on mission in this life. 
But so what!
Through it all, if we live for the mission the good and the bad will all serve to advance the Gospel. 

You may lose a job, many of us have lost loved ones who hate our God and write us off, the culture may mock us, our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world are literally facing the sword for their faith. But through it all - Fear Not. For, as Jesus told his disciples:

“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do." (Luke 12:4 ESV)

And,

"...I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18 ESV)

In fact, Jesus tells us that the only thing we have to fear is God himself - because of our sin. After saying what he did above:

“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do..."

Jesus followed it up with this warning: 

"But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!" (Luke 12:4-5 ESV)

But, then Jesus took that fear away for you and me and everyone else who will put their faith in Jesus' work for us at the cross. This is what Paul understood. 

Paul HAD BEEN the chief of sinners. He DID - at one time - have a very REAL REASON TO FEAR GOD'S WRATH.

BUT, Paul was now living on the other side of the cross, so he could bask in his forgiveness and tell us that,

"...if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." (2 Corinthians 5:17-20 ESV)

That's the mission. Advance the mission by imploring people to be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ.

Unlike soldiers in the world, when we wage war on sin, our chief weapon is LOVE. First LOVE for God which causes us to hate and repent from the sin in our hearts and lives. 
Also a LOVE for others (friends, family, enemies and strangers), which causes us to suffer anything in this brief life in order that some might come to a saving knowledge of our Savior and King - Jesus.

What is the hardest thing you are going through right now? Relational strife, employment woes, health problems, the loss of a loved one?

The thing that determines whether or not your current struggle (or your current happiness) advances the Gospel is how you respond.

When imprisoned, Paul could have recanted his testimony about Jesus. He could have just shut up. Or he could have cursed God and given up - instead he loved God and even loved those who had him in prison. And by loving them, what happened to him served to advance the Gospel.

You have the same opportunity. We have no control (or very little control) over what comes at us in this life. But we have a Holy Spirit empowered - Jesus Christ modeled ability to react in a way that brings Glory to the Father.

Today, Christian, FULFILL THE MISSION. Advance the Gospel.

Guarding Against Confusion Guards Against Sin

The passage for March is Philippians 1:12-18a: 
  

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. (ESV)

If you are new to this reading plan, follow the instructions on the right side of this page or click here to read the "Why Just One Letter" introduction article.

Throughout each month, we will post short articles to give some depth of understanding regarding our text (see the archive links on the lower right of this page for review). Today we will discuss how...

Guarding Against Confusion Guards Against Sin

One of the most tragic events in history is recorded for us in Genesis 3:6. 

Despite having the clear truth proclaimed from God Himself, Eve and Adam tried to become like God by eating of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. We can all look back to that moment and see the starting point for everything that is wrong in our universe. 

Why are there wars, natural disasters, divorce, child abuse, greed, illness of every sort? Why is there death? 

Because of The Fall. 

The brokenness all around us - and the brokenness within us - is the consequence of that first rebellion and the billions of sins in our own hearts that have followed since then. 

And it all started with confusion. Even before telling Eve a bold face lie in Genesis 3:4, Satan used his other powerful weapon of CONFUSION against her in Genesis 3:1:

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (ESV)

It was almost as though Satan used confusion to till the soil of Eve's heart, so that the seed of his lie would be able to take root. If some stranger comes up and starts disrespecting God, you might easily dismiss him without any danger to your heart. However, if one comes slyly twisting the Word of God, you might be drawn in - even if at first, it is just to correct his mistake. 

Eve was quick to correct the serpent, "No, not ANY TREE. Just that ONE TREE." But then she confuses the issue on her own by adding to God's command - "We can't Eat from that one" (God's command), "Or even touch it, lest we die" (Extra Human Religious Burden).

Once the command was confused by Satan and then again by Eve, her heart was ready to buy the lie. And that lie bore the fruit of Pain, Regret, Shame, and the like. 

So, with confusion and deceit being at the core of our problem between Us and God, between Ourselves and Others and even internally, between Us and our own heart - With Confusion and Deceit at the ROOT of all of that, it is no wonder that Paul has already spent so much effort trying to keep our eyes on the facts. 

We looked at verse 6 last month and saw how Paul wanted us to be sure of our salvation so that we could have the stamina and confidence to see this life through to the end with faith. 

Today we read Paul's first words in this passage and we see that, again he wants to clear away any confusion and dispel any lies with the facts. 

"I want you to KNOW...," Paul says. 

In other words, we see here - and in many of Paul's letters - a message for all Christians everywhere:

I don't want you to fall for any lies or half-truths. I don't want you to fall away and start listening to those "ear-ticklers" who only tell you what you want to hear. I want you to stand firm in the truth found in the Scriptures - The Bible is the one unmovable, unchanging authority that God has established for our teaching, reproof, correction and training for righteousness. 

We will explore what Paul wanted them to KNOW throughout this month, but in summary:

Paul was imprisoned and some so-called church leaders were against Paul and they were doing what they could to promote themselves by putting him down. Things looked bad on the surface. Paul wanted the Philippians to KNOW that reality, even though it was a hard reality.

But, Paul also wanted the Philippians to KNOW that the imprisonment was being used to continue God's mission. Hard to reach people groups like the imperial guard were learning about Jesus. Formerly shy Christians were now fearlessly and boldly sharing the Good News. And, even those who were leading as a way to degrade Paul were still being used by God to make Jesus known. 

One has to wonder if Paul was thinking back to the time God used Joseph in a similar way. The hard reality was that his brothers degraded Joseph (sold him into slavery) in order to elevate themselves. The hard fact was that Joseph ended up going to prison for standing up against temptation. And yet, God used what others meant for evil to accomplish His own good purposes (Genesis 37-50).

So what does this have to do with you? Today? 

One pastor and writer named Tim Chester says that nearly every sin that you or I commit is because of a lie that we are believing about God. For further study on this idea, please read Chester's book You Can Change.

As I wrote above, if someone comes to you declaring some blatant falsehood, it is easy to dismiss. There is hardly an argument that our atheist friends have used to try to rail against God or to disprove God that doesn't break down pretty quickly if you have any apologetics training whatsoever. 

However, we see more people fall away after someone quietly begins whispering in the ear, posting questions on social media or asking in a seemingly innocent way, "Did God really say_________?" 

In our day, and among many cultural Christians, that kind of question comes up time and again with issues like sexual ethics, the reality of Hell, and the inerrancy of the Bible. 

Did God really say that two men or two women cannot marry? 

Did a loving God actually say He would send people to Hell forever?

Did God really say that some ancient book should be trusted - even now, after all this time? Even though the culture has changed so much?

But we also have more subtle voices of confusion in the faith community. They are the wellsprings of the Prosperity Gospel, the Works based religions, and more.

Would God really want you to go through suffering?

Wouldn't God want you to have that nicer house, car, etc.?

Wouldn't God keep you from sickness, poverty, etc.?

Do you really think you can get to Heaven by faith alone? Why not add some works, just in case?

Would God really be so restrictive of whom He wants to shepherd His church here on earth?

Can't you just worship God on your own terms without having to gather without all those messed up church people?

Do you really need the Word? Can't you just listen to the Spirit? Can't you just follow your heart?

I could go on all day. What can we do to guard against this confusion?

The answer is on your bookshelf, or on your coffee table, or on an app on your cell phone - It's the Word of God. Pick it up. Read it. Talk to other Christians about it. Pray through and about what you are reading. 

And, if you look at information like food, then make sure that your three main meals are Bible and leave the rest, (from books, film, internet, news, talk radio, podcasts, etc.) to snack time.  

You may think that is legalistic non-sense. But, if we block more confusion feeders from our brains, we will block more lies from reaching our hearts. And if we replace the confusion with the truth of God's Word, we will reap all the blessings He has promised us. 

Try it. Some people began fasting for Lent a few weeks ago, maybe you could start fasting from one (or all) of your confusion feeders (T.V., Internet, non-Christian literature) from today through Easter and replace it (them) with Bible reading. Someone could tell you you're silly for doing so, but this isn't between you and them. It's between you and God. 

I want you to know - If you guard against confusion, you will guard against sin. 

New Month - New Passage - Same Goal

The passage for March is Philippians 1:12-18a: 
  

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. (ESV)

If you are new to this reading plan, follow the instructions on the right side of this page or click here to read the "Why Just One Letter" introduction article.

Throughout each month, we will post short articles to give some depth of understanding regarding our text (see the archive links on the lower right of this page for review). Today we will discuss...

New Month - New Passage - Same Goal

Last month we received feedback that the passage for February was a bit difficult to take in and memorize because of Paul's awkward wording. 

We want to help with that this month and we want to remind you that Perfect Memorization isn't the end goal. The goal is that the content of this letter would become so familiar in your daily thoughts that it will change the way you pray, speak and live as a Christian in the world. 

Or as we wrote in the introduction article:

"The Big Win if you co-labor with us through this text is that you will NOT ONLY have mostly memorized the entire letter to the Philippians by Dec. 31, 2015, but also:

The truth of the Gospel and its fruit will be so soaked into your heart that you will not be able to help but meditate on the Word (Joshua 1:8) as it dwells richly in your heart (Colossians 3:16).

This will be a big win for you, for our church and for the people God reaches through you."

So memorization is a plus and is not bad, but it's not the main point, so rest easy. And, if you do want a way to help yourself take the Word into your head and heart, the easiest way is to handwrite the passage without the paragraph structure from your bible or on the top of this article. 

For example, in my (Ken's) office, I have the passage above written like this (broken up mostly by a single idea per line and with phrases that really hit me in ALL CAPS:

I WANT YOU TO KNOW, brothers

That WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME has really served to ADVANCE THE GOSPEL

So that

IT HAS BECOME KNOWN throughout the whole imperial guard and to the rest 

That MY IMPRISONMENT IS FOR CHRIST 

and

MOST of the brothers 

Having BECOME CONFIDENT- IN THE LORD - BY MY IMPRISONMENT 

Are much more BOLD to SPEAK THE WORD - WITHOUT FEAR

Some indeed preach Christ from ENVY AND RIVALRY - but others from GOOD WILL

The latter do it out of LOVE - KNOWING that I am put here for the DEFENSE OF THE GOSPEL

The former proclaim Christ out of SELFISH AMBITION - NOT SINCERELY - but thinking to AFFLICT ME in my imprisonment.

What then?

ONLY - That in every way - Whether in PRETENSE or in TRUTH - -  - 

CHRIST IS PROCLAIMED! And in that I REJOICE! 

So, as the new month kicks off, you can jump start your work in Philippians by writing the text in a way that is easiest for you to personally grasp (WITHOUT changing the words). 

Then, make sure to talk the text over with your church family. You will never get as much out of God's Word alone as you will with other Christians. It's not how you were designed. 

Enjoy the text!