The Sentry at the Gate

The ancient city of Philippi was a Roman colony — a garrison city, which meant soldiers stood at every gate. Citizens slept knowing armed guards kept watch through the night. No enemy slipped past unannounced. Paul chose that image deliberately. "The peace of God," he wrote, "will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." The Greek word is phrourēsei — a military term: to garrison, to stand sentinel, to post armed soldiers at the entrance.…