Even a lengthy spell under house arrest had failed to quell Paul the apostle's spirits!  When most of us would have got frustrated by the lack of freedom and privacy, and boredom, he could see God's hand at work.

The Apostle Paul was brimming with joy. He'd been spending time in prayer recalling the Philippians and thanking God for their partnership with him in the gospel. As Acts 16 records, it had started with Paul's visit to Philippi, and the conversion of Lydia and the Philippian jailer. Paul is also likely to have returned there a few more times. The Philippians' partnership had continued, both in their proclamation of the gospel and their consistent financial support for Paul's ministry - despite the fact that they would have put themselves in danger by their support for him. Paul's imprisonment would have been a source of shame in the ancient world.

Philippi was a Roman colony in Greek Macedonia which had been populated with military veterans by the Emperor Octavian. As described in Acts 16, the apostle Paul had founded a church there probably around 12 years before writing this letter. At the time of writing, he was likely under house arrest in Rome (as described in Acts 28).