Philippians 1:29,30 - To suffer for His sake

1:29

“For it has been granted to you ...” We have been granted two things, one is to believe in Christ. Faith is a gift from God. But it has also been granted to us to suffer with Christ, to suffer for Him. There is a lot in the New Testament about sharing in Christ’s sufferings. We tend not to hear much about this, but if we do start to receive serious persecution in the West, then knowing this will be a great source of strength to us.

1:30

“Since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have”. The Philippians saw what happened to Paul in Philippi, and they knew that he was in prison again. They also saw how he handled the situation in Philippi, and he has told them how he is responding to his current circumstances. The Philippians were sharing in the same struggle as Paul, so they can be encouraged and can learn from him.