Paul, Timothy, and some unshowered prison guards are sitting in a dank jail. As Paul and Timothy write their letter to their friends in Philippi, they remember baptizing Lydia and her household in the Gangites River. Their close friend Epaphroditus nearly died to visit them, bringing money, supplies, and his presence. As they pray about what to say, Paul tells Timothy, "Write, 'Paul and Timothy.'" He could have authored the letter in his own name, but his friend helped him found the church, visited it multiple times, and will encourage them again. And Paul doesn't know if he's leaving his cell. Then Paul says, "servants of Christ Jesus." The word is "doulos," or slave. It's a word that can be degrading. When someone claims ownership over you, you have no rights and no independence. He's not a volunteer. It isn't about the paycheck or the prestige. He's saying that his entire life is subservient to the interests of Jesus. As the famous preacher John Chrysostom said in the fourth century, "If he is truly a slave of Christ, he is not a slave in any other realm, since then he would not be a slave of Christ but only half so." It reminds me of what happened after I earned my D.Min. A number of friends asked if they could start calling me "Dr. Carson Weitnauer." I laughed because it seemed so absurd. I said, "'Carson' or 'brother' will be just fine." Because Paul and Timothy are Christ's slaves, they aren't owned by anything or anyone else. When we are slaves of Christ, we are liberated from every other authority. And by doing it this way, they're setting an example for the Philippians to pick up on: "We're Christ's slaves, too!" In six Greek words, Paul shows what it looks like when friends follow Jesus. Two friends are aware that they are both under the authority of Jesus. So they are serving Jesus, each other, and their friends in Philippi, who have served them so generously. Our identity and relationships come before everything else.