Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble and I'm your host for the Bible Recap.

Today in our New Testament plan we finished book 16 and in our full Bible plan we finished

book 55.

We first met the Philippians in act 16.

Here's a quick refresher.

Philippi is where Paul and Silas were arrested and God used that to save their

prison guard and his whole family. It's also where they met Lydia whose whole

family converted to Christianity, too.

And it's also where they met a demonized girl

and set her free from the demon and from slavery.

Today, Paul writes an encouragement filled letter

to the church here.

From day one, they've had a unique relationship with Paul. He planted

this church and he's watched it grow and he's confident that God will finish what he

started in them. He repeats this idea a few times in this short letter. In one six he says he who began a good work in you

will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus and in two twelve through

13 he says work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to

will and to work, for his good pleasure.

He indicates that God is the one doing the good works through them and even creating the desire in them to do those things.

And here's one important point of clarification.

Paul's words to work out their own salvation is not a call to figure out how to save yourself. If you could do that, you wouldn't need

a savior. The context here and in everything else he says helps clarify that he's talking about living

...