As we open to Philippians 3, when Paul sat to write a letter inspired by God to the believers in Philippi, his letter was headed to a Roman colony.
Like an island in a vast ocean, Roman colonies were settled with citizens and soldiers who had served well and were given the great benefits of citizenship in the colonies of Rome.
CITIZENS OF ROME
A Roman colony was completely synched with Rome. Though hundreds or even thousands of miles from Rome, the citizens always sought to stay in step with the Empire’s culture.
Citizens spoke the language of Rome.
Citizens obeyed the Laws of Rome.
Citizens followed the Calendar of Rome.
Citizens wore the dress of Rome.
Citizens were Roman to the core.
Colonies became little islands of Rome scattered across conquered lands, populated by fiercely loyal and wholly focused citizens of Rome. This is one of the strong fibers that tied together the diverse and scattered pieces of the Empire.
Citizens were in step with Rome.
As we turn to Philippians 3:17-21, we can see the Apostle Paul using an image everyone could understand: “citizenship”, but Paul applied it in a completely new and powerful way.
Paul said that believers become:
CITIZENS OF HEAVEN
The Church of the New Testament was born into and grew up in the Roman World, an Empire that spread across most of the known world of the day. Part of being Roman was being associated with and adhering to the customs of Rome. Citizens cared about and followed Empire-wide customs, celebrations, laws, communications, and travel.
(HFG-14; 150830AM)
Join the LAND OF THE BOOK channel to access weekly video releases over the next year totaling 50+ EXCLUSIVE VIDEOS featuring weekly in-depth Bible Study lessons with John & Bonnie. Clips are taken at just one of the places where we are taking our virtual journey through all the Lands of the Bible & Great Museums of the Bible on the Paul’s Life & Letters Course. Plus all the assigned HOLY LAND, Paul’s Life & Letters Course STUDY RESOURCES, and John’s two most loved books–David’s Spiritual Secret & Living Hope for the End of Days at:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVK6dN-9kLDnQhYBFuES09A/join
Follow Discover the Book Ministries to stay up to date:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/discoverthebook/
DTBM Academy Courses:
https://dtbma.com/Default.aspx
Purchase John’s Books, Mp3 & DVD resources:
E-Books: https://tinyurl.com/y3wbhlxy
Here are links to our Amazon Pages–
https://www.amazon.com/shop/dtbm
Donate to the ministry: https://dtbm.org/donations/partnership/
For more of Dr. John Barnett’s Bible teaching messages, go to: https://dtbm.org/
https://youtu.be/qWugd96jVH0