Uniting Heaven and Earth: Christ in Philippians and Colossians

Persecuted, but Not Forsaken

Lesson #1 for January 3, 2026

Scriptures:Philippians 1:1-3; 4:4; Colossians 1:1-2; 4:9; Ephesians 3:1; 2 Corinthians 4:7-12; Acts 9:16; Philemon 15-16.

1. Who was/is “persecuted, but not forsaken”? Will that be a description of us?

[From the Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide=BSG:] An Adventist pastor, imprisoned on false charges, spent nearly two years behind bars. Though at first greatly perplexed, he realized the prison was his God-given mission field. When his fellow prisoners learned that he was a pastor, they asked him to preach. He did, and he gave out literature too. He even baptized prisoners and conducted Communion services.

“At times,” he admitted, “it was difficult ministering in the prison, but there was also joy, especially when you saw prayers answered and lives changed.”—BSG* for Sabbath Afternoon, December 27.^‡ [Is that describing the same as what Paul did?]^‡

2. What does the book of Philippians tell us about God? Why do you suppose Paul wrote it? How much experience had Paul had with the church at Philippi? What led Paul to go to Philippi? What happened to him there? Where was Paul when he wrote this book? What other books were written about the same time? What was unique about the relationship between Paul and the Philippians? How was Philippi different from other places where Paul had worked? Was it a mistake for Paul to cast out the devil from the slave girl at Philippi? (SeeActs 16:8-40; 20:1-6; Philippians 2:25,28; 1:13; 4:14-17.)

[BSG:] Paul wrote Philippians and Colossians from prison (seePhil. 1:7,Col. 4:3). In fact, in Philippi itself, after Paul and Silas were unjustly accused, the jailer put “their feet in the stocks” (Acts 16:24, NKJV). At midnight, they were “praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” (Acts 16:25, NKJV; emphasis supplied). Truly they knew how to “rejoice always.”—BSG* for Sabbath Afternoon, December 27.^‡§

Acts 16:24-26: ²⁴Upon receiving this order, the jailer threw them into the inner cell and fastened their feet between heavy blocks of wood.

²⁵ About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶Suddenly there was a violent earthquake.—American Bible Society. (©1992). The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation^®* [GNT] (Today’s English Version) [TEV], Second Edition,Acts 16:24-26). Philadelphia: American Bible Society [abbreviated as Good News Bible-TEV* or GNB-TEV*].^‡

[BSG:] We’ll look at the circumstances that Paul faced. He saw a larger purpose for what happened to him, and perhaps we can learn from him when we, as we inevitably do, face our own trials.—BSG* for Sabbath.^‡

3. Reasons that Paul wrote to the Philippians include:

!   He was in prison, and they had sent him money. The Philippians were the only ones from whom Paul had accepted money during his ministry. (Philippians 1:5; 4:10-19)

!   Paul may have passed through Philippi on his way from Ephesus to Greece, (Act 20:1-2) and he definitely stopped there on his fateful trip to Jerusalem. (Act 20:6)

!   Paul wanted them to understand that he was okay even in prison although he recognized that he could be put to death at any time. (Philippians 1:20-23; 2:17; 3:10)

!   Epaphroditus, from Philippi, had been very ill but was now returning to Philippi with Paul=s letter.

!   False doctrine was being taught in Philippi, and Paul needed to counteract that.

!   Other so-called “Christian workers” were working hard against Paul=s teachings.

!   He wanted to remind the Philippians that salvation comes through Jesus Christ and not through practicing Jewish ceremonies.

Suffering Love

[From the Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide=T-BSG:] InRomans 8:35, Paul expresses his deep assurance of Christ’s love for him—and for all of us—through a rhetorical question, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” The expected answer is a resounding “No one!” If God “did not spare His own Son” (Rom. 8:32, NKJV), why would any hardship be able to separate us from the love of Christ? God proved His love by giving us His only Son, and with Him all things (Rom. 8:32). Paul did not need further evidence of God’s love. Neither do we.—T-BSG* 14.^‡§

Romans 8:32-39: ³²Certainly not God, who did not even keep back his own Son, but offered him for us all! He gave us his Son—will he not also freely give us all things? ³³Who will accuse God’s chosen people? God himself declares them not guilty! ³⁴Who, then, will condemn them? Not Christ Jesus, who died, or rather, who was raised to life and is at the right side of God, pleading [along] with him for us! ³⁵Who, then, can separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble do it, or hardship or persecution or hunger or poverty or danger or death?...

³⁷No, in all these things we have complete victory through him who loved us! ³⁸For I am certain that nothing can separate us from his love: neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers or powers, neither the present nor the future, ³⁹neither the world above nor the world below—there is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord.—GNB-TEV.*^‡

[T-BSG:] Paul is so confident in God’s love that he mentions it repeatedly (Rom. 8:37, 39). Because of love, Jesus willingly endured suffering and death for us (John 13:1, 34; John 15:9, 12). In turn, Paul was willing to endure suffering and death for Him. As a matter of fact, only the love of Christ for us can sustain our faith in times of trial.—T-BSG* 14.^‡§

John 13:1,34-35: ¹It was now the day before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. He had always loved those in the world who were his own, and he loved them to the very end….

³⁴ “And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵If you have love for one another, then everyone will know that you are my disciples.”—GNB-TEV.*

[T-BSG:] InRomans 8:35, Paul catalogs his hardships in a sevenfold list: tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, and sword. Perhaps, this series of seven trials suggests completeness in the sense that it represents the totality of all the hardships Paul endured. As previously noted, Paul’s list of sufferings is much more extensive than this catalog. Up to this point, he had endured all the tribulations in this passage except for the seventh element, the sword. The sword would become his last trial, and he faced it with remarkable courage. His unwavering assurance in Christ enabled him to confront death with inner peace.—T-BSG* 14.^‡

[From the writings of Ellen G. White=EGW:] The apostle [Paul, at the moment of his death,] was looking into the great beyond, not with uncertainty or in dread, but with joyful hope and longing expectation. As he stood at the place of martyrdom he saw not the gleaming sword of the executioner or the green earth so soon to receive his blood; he looked up through the calm blue heaven of that summer’s day to the throne of the Eternal. His language was, O Lord, Thou art my comfort and my portion. When shall I embrace Thee? When shall I behold Thee for myself, without a dimming veil between?—Ellen G. White, The Story of Redemption* 317.2-318.0.^‡ [https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p145.1519&index=0]^‡

[T-BSG:] Paul was confident that if we share in Jesus’ sufferings, we will also “be glorified with Him” (Rom. 8:17, NASB). He fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith. He knew a crown of righteousness would be given to him at the resurrection, when Christ returns (see1 Cor. 15:51–55;2 Tim 4:7, 8).—T-BSG* 15.^‡§

Paul, the Prisoner of and for Jesus Christ

4. Philippians and Colossians are called “prison epistles” because they were written while Paul was in prison. The other prison epistles are Ephesians and Philemon. Most commentators think Philippians and Colossians (as well as Ephesians and Philemon) were written while Paul was in Rome, about a.d. 60–62. (SeeActs 28:16.)

Acts 28:16: When we arrived in Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself with a soldier guarding him.—Good News Bible-TEV.*

[BSG:] In none of the prison epistles does Paul mention exactly where he was imprisoned; thus, some have suggested either Ephesus or Caesarea. But there is no biblical evidence that Paul was ever imprisoned in Ephesus. Caesarea might seem a more likely possibility, except there is no apparent threat to Paul’s life in this city. [Paul was in Caesarea because the Jews in Jerusalem wanted to kill him!] There definitely is that threat, however, by the time Philippians was written (seePhil. 1:20,Phil. 2:17).—BSG* for Sunday, December 28.^‡§

[BSG:] This epistle [Philippians] gives us some other clues as to where Paul was at the time of his imprisonment. First, there was a praetorium. This can refer to a provincial governor’s official residence, like the one in Jerusalem, where Jesus was examined by Pilate (Matt. 27:27,John 18:33), and in Caesarea, where Paul was imprisoned (Acts 23:35). But Paul clearly uses this term not of a place but in reference to people. He says “the whole palace guard” became familiar with the gospel (Phil. 1:13, NKJV). In Rome, these were elite soldiers, about fourteen thousand, who protected the emperor and guarded his prisoners.—BSG* for Sunday, December 28.^†‡§

5. For much more detail about the historical background of Philippians, see Theox.org:

https://www.theox.org/images/uploads/bnt/KHart_BTGE_PDF_Lett_Philippians_14.pdf.

6. Have we learned how to make the best of whatever circumstances in which we find ourselves? Is that easy to do?
7. It is especially clear in2 Corinthians 11:16-33 that Paul mentions multiple imprisonments. The first one we know about was in Philippi.

Acts 16:16-24: ¹⁶ One day as we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a young servant woman who had an evil spirit that enabled her to predict the future. She earned a lot of money for her owners by telling fortunes. ¹⁷She followed Paul and us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God! They announce to you how you can be saved!” ¹⁸She did this for many days, until Paul became so upset that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I order you to come out of her!” The spirit went out of her that very moment. ¹⁹ When her owners realized that their chance of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them to the authorities in the public square. ²⁰They brought them before the Roman officials and said, “These men are Jews, and they are causing trouble in our city. ²¹They are teaching customs that are against our law; we are Roman citizens, and we cannot accept these customs or practice them.” ²²And the crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas.

Then the officials tore the clothes off Paul and Silas and ordered them to be whipped. ²³After a severe beating, they were thrown into jail, and the jailer was ordered to lock them up tight. ²⁴Upon receiving this order, the jailer threw them into the inner cell and fastened their feet between heavy blocks of wood.—Good News Bible-TEV.*

[BSG:] Elsewhere, Paul mentions being “in my chains” (Philem. 10, 13, NKJV). Although under house arrest in Rome, he was chained to an elite Roman soldier. Ignatius, a Christian of the early second century who was chained up like this, described the soldiers as behaving like “wild beasts . . . who only get worse when they are well treated.”—Michael W. Holmes, ed., The Apostolic Fathers (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007), p. 231.—BSG* for Monday, December 29.^‡§

8. One question might be: How did Paul manage to survive all that terrible treatment?

2 Corinthians 4:7-9: ⁷ Yet we who have this spiritual treasure are like common clay pots, in order to show that the supreme power belongs to God, not to us. ⁸We are often troubled, but not crushed; sometimes in doubt, but never in despair; ⁹there are many enemies, but we are never without a friend; and though badly hurt at times, we are not destroyed.—Good News Bible-TEV.*

9. Paul, placing his trust in Jesus Christ and constantly looking forward to the final reward, never gave in to the temptations of Satan.

[BSG:] Often, we may be tempted to look at our circumstances, our weaknesses, or our past failures and become discouraged. It’s at times like these that we need to remember all the amazing provisions God has made for our success in battling evil. One of the most important is the Bible itself, “the word of truth,” because we can learn from others’ mistakes and also learn how these people have succeeded.—BSG* for Monday.^‡

[EGW:] In describing to His disciples the office work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus sought to inspire them with the joy and hope that inspired His own heart…. The Spirit was to be given as a regenerating agent, and without this the sacrifice of Christ would have been of no avail…. [He] makes effectual … the world’s Redeemer. It is by the Spirit that the heart is made pure. Through the Spirit the believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Christ has given His Spirit as a divine power to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, and to impress His own character upon His church.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages* 671.2.^†‡ [Every sin can be gone!]^‡ [https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p130.3304&index=0]^‡

Paul’s Imprisonments

10. Paul’s ministry in Philippi.

[BSG:] During Paul’s second missionary journey, shortly after Timothy was added to the team, they are forbidden by the Holy Spirit to continue across Asia Minor (Acts 16:6). So, during a vision of the night, Paul sees a man pleading with him to “ ‘come over to Macedonia [Europe] and help us’ ” (Acts 16:9, NKJV). So, immediately they head to the seaport nearest Macedonia and sail from Troas across the Aegean Sea to Neapolis, on the European continent. But rather than evangelize there, Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke, who joined them at Troas (as indicated by the use of “we” inActs 16:11), head to Philippi.—BSG* for Tuesday, December 30.^†‡§

Acts 16:6-11: ⁶ They traveled through the region of Phrygia and Galatia because the Holy Spirit did not let them preach the message in the province of Asia. ⁷When they reached the border of Mysia, they tried to go into the province of Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. ⁸So they traveled right on through Mysia and went to Troas. ⁹That night Paul had a vision in which he saw a Macedonian standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” ¹⁰As soon as Paul had this vision, we [including Luke] got ready to leave for Macedonia, because we decided that God had called us to preach the Good News to the people there.

[In Philippi: the Conversion of Lydia]

¹¹ We left by ship from Troas and sailed straight across to Samothrace, and the next day to Neapolis.—Good News Bible-TEV.*^†‡Ω

[BSG:] In his evangelistic activity, Paul always thought strategically. Philippi was “the chief city of that part of Macedonia” (Acts 16:12). In fact, it was one of the most honored cities of the Roman Empire, being given the status of Ius Italicum—the highest possible designation a city could be granted. Its citizens had the same privileges as if the city were located in Italy, including exemption from the land tax and the poll tax, and anyone born in the city automatically became a Roman citizen…. (seeActs 17:1, 10).—BSG* for Tuesday, December 30.^†‡§ [Remember that Paul was a Roman citizen.]^‡

[BSG:] Interestingly, … Greek was the language of the marketplace and of the surrounding towns and cities and the means by which the gospel was spread. Luke describes how Paul and his team joined people for prayer by the riverside, where Lydia and her household were converted (Acts 16:13–15). Being a businesswoman (“a seller of purple”), she would have been one of the major financial supporters in Philippi of Paul’s ministry. The time Paul and Silas spent in prison there led to the conversion of another entire household—that of the jailer.—BSG* for Tuesday, December 30.^‡§

Acts 16:13-15: ¹³On the Sabbath we went out of the city to the riverside, where we thought there would be a place where Jews gathered for prayer. We sat down and talked to the women who gathered there. ¹⁴One of those who heard us was Lydia from Thyatira, who was a dealer in purple cloth. She was a woman who worshiped God, and the Lord opened her mind to pay attention to what Paul was saying. ¹⁵After she and the people of her house had been baptized, she invited us, “Come and stay in my house if you have decided that I am a true believer in the Lord.” And she persuaded us to go.—Good News Bible-TEV.*^†

Paul and Colossae: Paul’s Converts Converted Many (For more detail see:

https://www.theox.org/images/uploads/bnt/KHart_BTGE_PDF_Lett_Ephesians_Colossians_17.pdf)

[BSG:] We have no record of Paul ever visiting Colossae, which again tells us something about the effectiveness of his evangelistic strategy. First, it was Epaphras, a resident of Colossae (Col. 4:12), who brought the gospel to that city (Col. 1:7). But how was he converted? Most likely, it was in the mid-50s, when Paul was in nearby Ephesus and “all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 19:10; compareActs 20:31).—BSG* for Wednesday, December 31.^‡§

[BSG:] The book of Revelation witnesses to how widely the gospel spread throughout this area (Rev. 1:4). The most plausible explanation for this success, including its spread to Colossae, is as a result of the work of Paul’s converts, who first heard the message in Ephesus, the most important city in Asia Minor and a major port. Epaphras heard Paul’s preaching in Ephesus and, becoming one of his coworkers, he took the gospel back to his hometown of Colossae.—BSG* for Wednesday.^†‡§

[BSG:] The city itself [Colossae], about nine miles (15 kilometers) southeast of Laodicea, is only now being excavated, so we know less about it compared to more prominent cities of the region. We do know it had a sizable Jewish population with “as many as ten thousand Jews living in that area of Phrygia.”—Arthur G. Patzia, New International Biblical Commentary: Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers Inc., 1990), vol. 10, p. 3. Coins minted at Colossae indicate the people there, as in many Roman cities, worshiped a variety of gods. The pagan practices and strong cultural influences obviously presented Christians there with tremendous challenges, not only in evangelizing the city but also just remaining faithful to the pure faith of the gospel. Another prominent Christian in Colossae was Philemon, who may have been converted about the same time as Epaphras.—BSG* for Wednesday, December 31.^†‡§

[BSG:] Although Roman law required Paul to return Onesimus to Philemon, Paul appeals to Philemon’s heart and conscience as a fellow believer and urges him to treat Onesimus not as a slave but as a brother (Philem. 16).

However much we detest the idea of slavery in any form and wish that Paul would have condemned the practice, how do we come to terms with what Paul says here? (How fascinating that, during slavery in the United States, Ellen G. White specifically told Adventists to defy the law that ordered people to return escaped slaves.)—BSG* for Wednesday, December 31.^†‡§

11. Philemon had one of the shortest books of the New Testament written to him.

Philemon [1:]15-16: ¹⁵ It may be that Onesimus was away from you for a short time so that you might have him back for all time. ¹⁶And now he is not just a slave, but much more than a slave: he is a dear brother in Christ. How much he means to me! And how much more he will mean to you, both as a slave and as a brother in the Lord!—Good News Bible-TEV.*

The Churches of Philippi and Colossae

[BSG:] Paul’s typical greeting in his epistles calls Christians in those places “saints”; that is, through baptism they have been set apart as God’s special people, just as the people of Israel, through the practice of circumcision (Exod. 19:5, 6; compare1 Pet. 2:9, 10), had been set apart as a “holy nation.” (This has utterly nothing to do with the Roman church’s practice of canonizing people as “saints.”) [The word saint means “separate.”]

Also interesting is the parallel between the greetings of these two epistles. Paul refers to “overseers and deacons” (Phil. 1:1, ESV) in Philippi and “faithful brothers in Christ” (Col. 1:2, ESV) in Colossae. When the New Testament speaks of “faithful brothers,” they have a specific ministry in the church (seeEph. 6:21,Col. 4:7, 1Pet. 5:12). So, it appears Paul is addressing not only the church members but also the church leaders in these cities. The reference to offices that are more specifically described in other places (for example, in1 Tim. 3:1–12,Titus 1:5–9) witnesses to the existence and importance of organization from the earliest period of the church.—BSG* for Thursday, January 1.^‡§

[BSG:] Training coworkers such as Timothy and Epaphras and providing for the leadership of local churches was a priority for Paul and augmented his evangelistic efforts. In other words, there was a strategic approach to both outreach and retention. Our Adventist pioneers followed the New Testament model of church organization, as many Advent Review and Sabbath Herald articles from the 1850s show. In fact, James White said, “The divine order of the New Testament is sufficient to organize the church of Christ. If more were needed, it would have been given by inspiration.”—“Gospel Order,” Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Dec. 6, 1853, p. 173.—BSG* Thursday, January 1.^†‡§

12. Installing church leaders in the churches which Paul established in various places was not a new idea.

[EGW:] The organization of the church at Jerusalem was to serve as a model for the organization of churches in every other place where messengers of truth should win converts to the gospel. Those to whom was given the responsibility of the general oversight of the church were not to lord it over God’s heritage, but, as wise shepherds, were to “feed the flock of God, … being ensamples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:2, 3); and the deacons were to be “men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom.”—Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles* 91.1.^†‡

[https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p127.374&index=0]^‡

[BSG:] It is well known that Paul used literary assistants at times in the composition of his epistles. Timothy is also named as a co-sender elsewhere (see, for example,2 Cor. 1:1, Philemon 1).—BSG* for Thursday, January 1.^‡§

Paul’s Strategies for Preaching the Gospel

[T-BSG:] Given the arduous circumstances under which Paul preached the gospel, he needed to employ wise strategies to ensure the success of his work.

First, Paul intentionally selected important cities of the ancient world from which he could more easily spread the gospel message. Thus, for instance, Corinth was chosen for its privileged geographic location.—T-BSG*15.^†‡

[EGW:] This large mercantile city [Corinth] was in direct communication with Rome, while Thessalonica, Ephesus, Alexandria, and Antioch were all easy of access, either by land or water. An opportunity was thus presented for the spread of the gospel. Once established at Corinth, it would be readily communicated to all parts of the world.—Ellen G. White, Sketches from the Life of Paul* 98.3-99.0.^‡

[https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p101.418&index=0]^‡

[T-BSG:] Paul also focused on Philippi because it was one of “the most influential urban centers on his route. . . . Its strategic significance in the history of the empire made it a natural evangelistic step for one being prepared to reach Rome.”—Craig S. Keener, Acts: An Exegetical Commentary, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2014), pp. 2380, 2381.—T-BSG* 15.^‡§ [Ephesus later became Paul’s “publication center.”]^‡

13. Likewise, Ephesus was one of the largest cities in the Roman Empire, with a population estimated at about 250,000 in Paul’s time.

[T-BSG] Second, Paul invested time in training people for evangelistic ministry.—T-BSG* 15.^†‡

[EGW:] Paul made it a part of his work to educate young men for the gospel ministry. He took them with him on his missionary journeys, and thus they gained an experience that later enabled them to fill positions of responsibility. When separated from them, he still kept in touch with their work, and his letters to Timothy and Titus are an evidence of how deep was his desire for their success. “The things that thou hast heard,” he wrote, “commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” [2 Timothy 2:2.]—Ellen G. White, Gospel Workers* 102.2 [1915].^‡Ω

[https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p35.507&index=0]^‡

[T-BSG:] As far as Timothy is concerned, Paul took him to be not only his coworker but also a coauthor (see2 Cor. 1:1,Phil. 1:1,Col. 1:1, 1Thess. 1:1, 2Thess. 1:1, andPhilem. 1:1).—T-BSG* 15.^‡§

[T-BSG:] Third, Paul followed the “to-the-Jew-first” approach (Acts 13:46,Rom. 1:16) as Jesus explicitly commanded (Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8; Acts 3:25, 26). This approach explains why Paul began his missionary endeavors in a new city at the synagogue (Acts 9:20; Acts 13:5, 14, 46; Acts 14:1; Acts 17:1, 2, 17;Acts 18:4).—T-BSG* 15-16.^†‡§

Acts 13:46: But Paul and Barnabas spoke out even more boldly: “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we will leave you and go to the Gentiles.”—Good News Bible-TEV.*

Acts 17:1-3,17: ¹Paul and Silas traveled on through Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue. ²According to his usual habit Paul went to the synagogue. There during three Sabbaths he held discussions with the people, quoting ³and explaining the Scriptures, and proving from them that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from death. “This Jesus whom I announce to you,” Paul said, “is the Messiah.”…

¹⁷So he held discussions in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentiles who worshiped God, and also in the public square every day with the people who happened to pass by.—Good News Bible-TEV.*

Acts 18:4: He held discussions in the synagogue every Sabbath, trying to convince both Jews and Greeks.—Good News Bible-TEV.*

[T-BSG:] Reflecting on the instruction that the disciples’ work should start in Jerusalem, Ellen G. White says [and then part of The Review and Herald as below is quoted].—T-BSG* 16.^‡

[EGW:] Wherever the people of God are placed, in the crowded cities, in the villages, or among the country by-ways, there is a home mission field, for which a responsibility is laid upon them by their Lord’s commission. They are to take up the duty which lies nearest. First of all, is the work in the family; next they should seek to win their neighbors to Christ, and to bring before them the great truths for this time.—Ellen G. White, The Review and Herald,* May 22, 1888, par. 2.^‡

[https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p821.8877&index=0]^‡

[T-BSG:] Fourth, Paul maintained regular communication with the churches by sending letters to them. Because of his “deep concern for all the churches” (2 Cor. 11:28, NKJV), he often couldn’t remain long with the new converts in the cities where he preached. Thus, he utilized letters as a means of keeping in touch with the churches and providing instructions to them. The letters also served as a way of filling the void caused by his physical absence (1 Cor. 5:3,Phil. 2:12).—T-BSG* 16.^†‡§

2 Corinthians 11:28: And not to mention other things, every day I am under the pressure of my concern for all the churches.—Good News Bible-TEV.*

1 Corinthians 5:3-4: ^3–4And even though I am far away from you in body, still I am there with you in spirit; and as though I were there with you, I have in the name of our Lord Jesus already passed judgement on the man who has done this terrible thing. As you meet together, and I meet with you in my spirit, by the power of our Lord Jesus present with us.—GNB-TEV.*

Philippians 2:12: So then, dear friends, as you always obeyed me when I was with you, it is even more important that you obey me now while I am away from you. Keep on working with fear and trembling to complete your salvation.—Good News Bible-TEV.*

[EGW:] …. God has chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth. Therefore stand fast…. If you serve God faithfully, you will meet with prejudice and opposition; but do not become provoked when you suffer wrongfully. Do not retaliate. Hold fast your integrity in Jesus Christ. Set your face as a flint heavenward. Let others speak their own words, and pursue their own course of action; it is for you to press on in the meekness and lowliness of Christ. Do your work with steadfast purpose, with purity of heart, with all your might and strength, leaning on the arm of God. The true and exalted nature of your work you may never know. The value of your being you can measure only by the life given to save you….

For every soul who is growing up into Christ there will be times of earnest and long-continued struggle; for the powers of darkness are determined to oppose the way of advance. But when we look to the cross of Christ for grace, we can not [sic] fail. The promise of the Redeemer is, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” “I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”—Ellen G. White, The Youth’s Instructor,* November 9, 1899, par. 4-6.^‡ [https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p469.3712&index=0]^‡

14. Tertullian, one of the early church leaders from North Africa, made a statement that has been repeated many times.

[BSG:] [Tertullian said:] “The oftener we are mown down by you, the more in number we grow; the blood of Christians is seed.”—Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds., Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 3, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1999), p. 55.—[as quoted in BSG* for Friday, January 2.]^†‡§

15. Do you agree with those words talking about the persecution of Christians?
16. Are we prepared to follow the examples of Jesus Christ and Paul? Could persecution ever come back to Christians as we face the end of time?

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