The Apostle Paul never intended to visit Philippi – but through an interesting series of “stop lights” from the Holy Spirit (Acts 16:6-12), he and his travelling companions eventually found themselves in this unique city.
Philippi was not like the cities in the surrounding area. It was a Roman colony (Acts 16:12) rather than a Greek city. This made it stand out as different from the surrounding cities. Even though it was far from Rome (the power centre of the Roman Empire), Philippi had all the hallmarks of Rome. Latin was spoken alongside Greek. Roman coins were used. Roman holidays were celebrated. The people even dressed like those in Rome. In fact, those who lived there were officially classed as full Roman citizens, with all the rights and privileges of those in Italy.
The Romans believed that they were destined by the gods to rule the world. As a Roman colony, the people of Philippi understood this, and it shaped their whole existence – from how they thought to what they did. Rome was seen as the source of everything they needed. Submission to Rome and the emperor was supposed to bring the blessings of the Roman gods – including security, peace, justice and fertility. Worship of the emperor, as saviour, lord and the representative of the gods, was accepted as a natural part of their everyday lives. The whole of Philippian society was therefore structured around their Roman citizenship.
Enter Paul…
Acts 16 tells the story of what happened when Paul arrives in the city and begins to proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord and Saviour of the world. He and Silas are accused of “throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us as Romans to accept or practice” (Acts 16:20-21). They are severely flogged and thrown into prison.
Then they are miraculously released, the jailer and his whole family come to accept Christ, and they enjoy a wonderful meal together in the jailer’s house (Acts 16:29-34).
What’s interesting is the reaction of those in authority when they found out Paul and Silas are actually Roman citizens (Acts 16:37-40). Citizens of Rome were privileged and should never be publically flogged without a trial. If reported, this would have caused major problems for the city leaders.
Do you get the picture as to how important Roman citizenship was to those in Philippi?
Reframing reality
Several years later, Paul is in prison in Rome. He writes a beautiful thank-you letter to the Philippian believers for their help and support. But he also wants to address a foundational issue. In the letter he proclaims “But our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). In fact, he is confronting their Roman citizenship and everything this citizenship implied about who they were and how they lived their lives. In doing so, he was turning their privileged status on its head! Paul tells them the whole basis for their lives needs to rest on a completely different foundation.
Being a citizen of heaven has massive implications. As a result of their heavenly citizenship, they were to behave in a whole different way. God was to be the source of everything they needed. They were to live their lives “in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27). And Paul details some of these things – such as humility, unity, gentleness and standing firm – throughout his letter. It’s worth reading through the letter, keeping this background in mind.
Living as citizens of heaven
As believers, we too, are first and foremost citizens of heaven. And this can be a challenge for us too. Who do we rely on as our source? – Is it the government, our employer, our family, or do we fully rely on God as our source? Where do we find our security? – In our work, where we live, our bank account, or in who God says we are? What pattern of living are we following? – Is it the same as those around us, or are we truly reflecting the culture of heaven?
When we pause and take time to think about the way Paul challenged the Philippian believers, and as we feel the weight of this challenges for ourselves, we realise this is a deeply foundational issue.
How does Paul’s proclamation that “our citizenship is in heaven” speak to you today?
