Philippians Bible Study: Chapter Two

Rejoice in the Lord: The Letter to the Philippians

CHAPTER TWO: Think Like Christ

 

Paul urges the Philippians to live Christ-like lives by pointing them to Christ. In verse two and in verse five, Paul talks about the mind (literally, "thinking") in connection with Jesus. In verse two, he talks about believers as "being of the same mind" and "being…of one mind." Then in verse five, he uses an imperative ("Have this mind among yourselves…") which means, "you (believers), think this way, the way Christ Jesus thought…" And the way that Jesus thought was like a servant, even though He was and is God.

FOR DISCUSSION: We often talk about our hearts in our relationship to God, but where do our minds fit into the picture? What is Paul saying about thinking as it relates to discipleship?

How does Paul describe a Christ-centered servant mentality in verses three and four? What would a congregation look like if it put these ideas into practice?

WORD STUDY: "form" in Greek: "morphe," from which we get words like metamorphosis, morphology and "morphing" (changing shapes)

So, if we are going to think the way Jesus thought about servanthood, what might that mean?

WORD STUDY: The "name that is above every name" is Jesus, which means "The Lord saves." In the end, everyone will bow before Jesus, in either faith or submission.

In verse twelve, the "fear and trembling" (in Greek, phobos and tromos) that accompanies the "working out" (or "achieving") one's salvation comes not from an uncertain outcome. The "fear and trembling" is in the realization that "God exists working in you." The unapproachable Holy One Himself approaches us—and is working in us—to want and to work in behalf of His goodwill.

WORD STUDY: Verse fourteen: "Do all things apart from gongysmos (behind-the-scenes talk) and dialogismos (dialogue; in this sense, debate) that you may be blameless and pure…"

FOR DISCUSSION: In verses fifteen and sixteen, the description of believers "shining like stars in the cosmos (world)" is directly related to "holding fast to the word of life." What is the connection?

FOR DISCUSSION: What is Paul rejoicing about in verse 17? About what does he urge the Philippians to rejoice in the next verse?

Finding Life

"Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Matthew 10: 39

On May 27, 2001, Martin and Gracia Burnham were having a wonderful time at a luxury resort in the Philippines celebrating their 18^th wedding anniversary. This was an extravagant change of pace from their everyday lives as Christian missionaries working in the jungle regions of the Philippine islands.

Martin was no stranger to the area—his parents had also served as missionaries in the Philippines, and he had grown up there. He came to the United States as a young man, and met the woman who would become his wife at a Bible College in Kansas City. Martin and Gracia were married in 1983, and two years later, they became missionaries to the Philippines themselves. For Martin, it was a homecoming of sorts; for Gracia, it was a whole new world.

Martin became a missionary pilot flying passengers and supplies for a Christian missionary organization. They were blessed with children: Jeff, Mindy, and Zach. They labored to make Jesus Christ known to the tribespeople they served. And in late May of 2001, they decided to take a rare vacation to celebrate the 18 years God had given them as husband and wife. So on May 27, 2001, the two of them happened to be at a resort in the Philippines when radical Muslim gunmen stormed the place and abducted them along with 18 others. A day later, the Abu Sayyaf group claimed responsibility for the kidnappings. Abu Sayyaf means "One Who Holds a Sword," and the group's stated objective was to carve a Muslim state out of the southern Philippines. Thus began a year-long nightmare that would test the Burnham's faith again and again.

In the beginning, the members of Abu Sayyaf laughed in disbelief at Martin, who would offer to carry things for his captors and the other hostages. Every night, when he would be chained to a post in the jungle, he would thank the guard and wish God's blessings upon him. And as the weeks dragged into months, his abductors became quietly awed by his faith in Jesus. In fact, Martin had lengthy discussions about Jesus with the group's leader and others, and at times it seemed as if their hearts were softening, just a little. But all was not well with the Burnhams. The mental and emotional pressure was enormous. Gracia said that every time she heard a twig snap, she thought it was a gunshot. When the couple appeared on video after many months of captivity, they appeared gaunt and ill. Martin was rumored to be suffering from malaria. But even with all that, Martin still sang to his wife every night to calm her fears. They prayed with other hostages. They endured this day after day, until one day Martin looked over at his wife and said, "We might not leave this jungle alive, but at least we can leave this world serving the Lord with gladness."

On June 7^th, 2002, Martin and Gracia prayed together and then laid down for a nap. They were awakened by the sharp sound of gunfire and shouting. U.S.-trained Philippine soldiers were raiding the jungle hideout in which they were being held. Bullets were flying everywhere. One of them passed through Gracia Burnham's thigh, but she was rescued and underwent surgery for her wounds. The members of Abu Sayyaf were under orders to execute Martin Burnham if ever such a raid occurred, orders which they carried out. Martin Burnham did not leave the jungle alive, but he did leave this world gladly serving the Lord to the very end.

Jesus said, "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." If we take Jesus at His Word, then we know that Martin Burnham, along with every other Christian who has been martyred for the faith, has found transcendent, heavenly life. This is discipleship at its most extreme—and most Christ-like. It begs the question, if you were in Martin or Gracia Burnham's shoes, what would you do?

That isn't easy to think about…and we can wiggle out from under the weight of that thought by telling ourselves that we'll probably never be put in a situation like that anyway. But, let me suggest that there's more to Jesus words here than meets the eye. When Jesus talks about losing our lives for His sake, we tend to go right to examples like Martin Burnham. That's understandable. But what if losing our lives to find them in Jesus means more than that?

Here's what I'm trying to say: what part of your life do you sense God is asking you to lose? What do you sense God is asking you to lose? Is he asking you to lose the tendency to take it out on your loved ones when things don't go your way? Or the need to always have the last word? Is he asking you to lose the hesitancy to share your faith with the people you know? How about a love for possessions that outweighs your love for the things of God? A secret addiction that's eating away at your insides? A willingness to say or do anything in order to seem cool to your friends? Is he asking you to lose a basic self-centered approach to life? You know better than I do. What part of your life is He begging you to lose?

Your first reaction to this line of questioning may be anger mixed with fear. We don't want to lose those parts of ourselves. They may be wrong and they may be sinful, but they're ours, doggone it, they're familiar. We're afraid that if we lose those things God is asking us to lose, we won't be as happy as we are now, but do you see how messed up that is? Our sins don't make us happy, not really. Trusting in your sins to make you happy just compounds your misery. You don't have to think that way, not anymore, because Jesus says to you today, "Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." There is a new kind of life that is findable. It's obtainable. Jesus says so right here. And this is what it boils down to.

If you lose your selfishness (and when I say "lose" I mean consciously reject that attitude), if you lose your selfishness and turn to Christ, you will find an outlook that centers on the needs of others. If you lose your pride, consciously stop it and reject it and look to Jesus, you will find true humility. If you lose your attachment to material things and seek Jesus, you will find fulfillment in things of the Spirit. If you lose your reluctance to be a spokesperson for God, if you surrender your silence to Jesus, the Holy Spirit will help you find your Christian voice. If you lose your stubborn self-reliance, Jesus will teach you to find peace when you rely on Him. If you lose old ways of life for Jesus, then you will find the best kind of life, because He will fill you up with Himself. And nothing can separate you from Him. He gives you victory over tragedy and terror and disease. This is the life Jesus wants you to find. What do you have to lose? Amen.

A Good Mystery: The Holy Trinity

There's something to be said for a good mystery. When somebody says that, it means there's some story that has captured their imagination, with a number of twists and turns and usually a satisfying ending. Some of my favorite stories have a strong element of mystery to them. Maybe yours do too..
However, it seems you either like mystery, or you don't. You're either OK with not knowing something, or it bothers you. Are you one of those people who goes to the movies and spends your time asking the person next to you, "What's happening now?" It's human nature to want to know "why;" to want to have things explained; and if something doesn't fit into a nice, tidy box; if it doesn't "make sense," we have a strong tendency to reject it out of hand. This happens in every part of our lives, including the spiritual part, and that's a problem. It's a problem because the Bible describes a reality that, on the surface, doesn't "make sense." It describes a God that doesn't fit into anybody's box. A person who is uncomfortable with mystery is a person who is going to be uncomfortable with faith. Are you that person?
In some ways, we all are. We don't like it too much when we hear about a God who demands things. Who is He to tell me what I can and can't do? We don't like too much when God doesn't act the way we think He ought to. When He's late on answering a prayer, or answers it in a different way. Sometimes the problem is not so much that God is a mystery--the reason why He does things is a mystery to us, and we think we know a better way. We hate the fact that God doesn't always let us in on things, we resent Him for it, we really think we know better than Him, so we do things our way. And we think we're onto something.
Here's the tug-of-war: we think we ought to be able to define our own reality, but we're not. We didn't make this reality. Someone else did. He gets to define reality, set the rules, create the way things run. We don't like God's mysteries because they humble us. There are things we will never know, never understand, and never control. Part of what it means to repent is to let go of the need to figure out every last little thing, as if our figuring it out makes it true. Even better, repenting means we let God define reality and stop trying to do the job ourselves.
When we repent this way, we're then ready for God to tell us who He is. We won't be threatened by mystery. There's no other way to encounter God. Think for a moment—imagine you are looking down at an anthill on your driveway. You're watching the ants go back and forth, doing their ant tasks. Now imagine that you had an overwhelming urge to explain yourself to those ants. You really want those ants to know who you are and what you're about. How could you, a human being, possibly communicate in a meaningful way with these insects? Good question. Here's the analogy—if that's the gap between you and the ants, imagine the gap between God and human. There's no comparison. Except…
…we hear in Genesis that man and woman were created in the image of God. Even in our fallen state, we bear more of a likeness to God than the ant does. More than that, God can communicate with us through language. He can tell us things. We can listen and react. And the most important thing God tells us is that He closed the gap between God and humanity. He did that in His Son, Jesus. Now that's absolutely a mystery, but that's what He says, and remember, we're letting him define things.
He also says that He is to be known as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He says that through the Son, Jesus, He reconciled the world to Himself, not counting sins against people. He says that the Holy Spirit gives us what we need to embrace the mystery of a Father who would give up His Son; the mystery of a King who would not cling to his throne, but instead come down to become one of the ants—the Creator becoming one of His creatures! The same Holy Spirit gives us what we need to embrace the mystery of God and man together in one person—the mystery of God and man dying as the ultimate sin sacrifice—the deepest mystery of Jesus—alive after dying. And perhaps most mysterious of all—all of it was done to benefit you; for your rescue; for your redemption; for your life after dying. The Holy Spirit works in your heart and mind to convince you that there is a terrible price to be paid for your sin. The Spirit also moves you to trust that Jesus alone is responsible for paying that price, seeing you out of hell and into heaven. He is God—knowable and lovable. This good mystery is our life and joy forever.

Trinity Website Overhaul

I am currently working on a complete reset of Trinity's website. I invite you to check it out by clicking here.

Your feedback would be most appreciated. Drop me a line at pastormatzke@hotmail.com

The Unsung Hero of the Holy Trinity

I will admit it; I am one of those people who actually watches the bonus features on DVDs. One "behind-the-scenes" documentary I was watching claimed that one sixty second sequence in a certain special effects-filled movie was the result of 910 artists and workers; and that same sixty second sequence represented 70, 441 man hours of labor. Those figures are staggering, but think about it: just an average film is the result of a Producer; a scriptwriter; Concept artists; computer technicians; a director; props are needed, as well as costumes; set designers and builders; hair and make-up artists; catering, because people need to eat; not to mention sound designers, composers and musicians for the musical score; stuntmen; a production office to pay the bills; and of course there are those behind the camera to record all that happens. All of those people work behind the scenes so that the focus can be on the actors and the story can be told effectively.
On this Day of Pentecost, the Christian Church traditionally highlights the person and work of the Holy Spirit, the third "person" of our triune God. The Day of Pentecost recorded in Acts chapter 2 is a dramatic story, filled with cinematic flourishes; the Holy Spirit's arrival is signaled by the sound of a rushing wind; his presence is indicated by the appearance of fire over the heads of the apostles; the same Spirit gave the gift of communication to the apostles, so that religious pilgrims to Jerusalem could hear the news about Jesus being proclaimed in their own languages. This sounds like summer blockbuster stuff. But that's where we have to be careful and discerning with Pentecost. Did the Holy Spirit show up simply to show off some special effects magic and "wow" the crowd? Or was there something deeper going on? And by the way, how does this spectacular event relate to you and me? Today I invite you to think of the Holy Spirit as the ultimate "behind-the-scenes" worker, whose mission is to put the focus not on himself, but on Jesus. The Holy Spirit labors to ensure that the story of Jesus is told—and believed--effectively.
Remember: Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to his followers. In John 16 He says, "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you." Before His death, resurrection and ascension Jesus had told his disciples what to expect. When he was sent, the Holy Spirit would guide them into all the truth about who Jesus was, what he had done, and why it mattered. Jesus said "He"—that is, the Holy Spirit—will glorify me. The Holy Spirit would aim the camera at Jesus, the suffering Servant and risen Lord. The Risen Lord would go on to tell his followers, just before His ascension, "Stay in Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high."
That's where we find Jesus' band of about 120 believers gathered on the Day of Pentecost—a festival day on the Jewish calendar—when the special effects of the Spirit started. Jesus had kept his promise. The Spirit blew in and ignited something in the apostles—something that enabled them to glorify Jesus as never before. The Holy Spirit worked "behind the scenes" in the apostles' hearts and drove them to speak out. He worked "behind the scenes" in the apostles' minds and caused them to communicate God's truth in foreign languages, so that the travelers to Jerusalem could benefit from the Gospel message. You have the list of nationalities and cultures in Acts 2: 9—11. By the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the story of Jesus was told effectively—as evidenced by the comment in verse 11, "we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God." And then the Holy Spirit works "behind the scenes" in the apostle Peter. Now this is the same Peter who was intimidated by a couple servant girls the night before Jesus was crucified; the same Peter who denied even knowing Jesus of Nazareth. Forgiven and restored, this same Peter, now clothed with the Holy Spirit's fiery confidence, launches into what certainly has to be one of the greatest sermons ever delivered. It is one of the most Christ-centered sermons you will ever hear or read. It leads to the repentance, forgiveness and baptism of some three thousand souls. The climax of Peter's sermon is heartfelt invitation: "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
What is the gift of the Holy Spirit? It is nothing less than faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and the resurrected Life. It is the Holy Spirit working "behind the scenes" in you, causing you to repent of yourself and your sin and to trust in Jesus alone for favor and standing with God.
The Holy Spirit is the "unsung hero" of the Trinity, and that is by design. He attaches to every good Word spoken about Jesus and goes to work with that Word, destroying our defenses in order to lay a foundation of faith. The Holy Spirit does not awaken in me great thoughts about myself; thoughts about my own holiness or worthiness that make me better than others. Just the opposite! As soon as the Holy Spirit enters me, I become smaller; I know that there's nothing in me worth boasting about; in fact, my sin becomes frighteningly real and sin's consequences a grave threat. But the Holy Spirit will not let me despair because of sins. He opens my eyes to recognize how great the love of God really is by leading me to the willing sacrifice of the Son on the cross. Those without the Holy Spirit are at their most eloquent when they talk about their own great deeds or about the stuff of this world. The person who has the Holy Spirit in their heart, by contrast, speaks of what eternal Love has done for a world of sinners. That person speaks of Jesus; believes in Jesus; glorifies Jesus. The Holy Spirit is content to stay behind the scenes in order to shine the spotlight on Jesus. The believer embraces Jesus by faith and depends on Him for pardon and peace. At the same time, the believer gratefully acknowledges that, to quote St. Paul, "No one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit."
There are people out there who claim they are experiencing all kinds of miraculous things with the power of the Holy Spirit. They speak in tongues. They heal diseases. They have increased their wealth. And in general they are happier people, so they say. Something about this message is "off." And it is not that miracles can't happen, because they can. Instead, this is what is "off." If someone really has the Holy Spirit, they do not speak mostly about themselves and what they are able to do so victoriously with a little help from God. If someone really has the Holy Spirit, the heart and soul of their faith will NOT be the signs and wonders of the Holy Spirit! The person who has the Holy Spirit will be all about Jesus Christ and what God has done in Him! Remember, Jesus said: "He [The Holy Spirit] will glorify me." It is a deadly mistake to pay so much attention to the behind-the-scenes Spirit that you downplay or even ignore the Leading Man, that is, Jesus. The special effects of that Pentecost morning were attention grabbers, and the foreign languages spoken that day were real. They had purpose, and their purpose was to proclaim Christ Jesus as Savior of the world. We have no need to seek these lesser miracles as "proof" that God is with us. Those were just announcing the arrival of the greater miracle that we now have and is available to anyone. It is the greatest miracle of all. It is faith in Jesus Christ.
There will be times when you and I will be tempted to wonder if we're really "in touch" with God at all. We will weigh ourselves against those who seem really victorious and upbeat and wonder why we can't be that way. We will hear about people who got their miracle, be it a healing, or the reconciliation of a relationship, or the check that showed up in the mailbox at just the perfect time, and we may feel resentful because we never got a miracle like that. And then you might run into people who are not afraid to tell you that if you haven't spoken in a babbling tongue or been re-baptized as an adult then you're not actually a Christian. And they really mean it. And it plants a seed of doubt in your mind.
Don't be fooled. Don't be misled. If you believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, suffered eternal punishment on the cross—punishment that should've been yours, but isn't, because of Him—you are experiencing the greatest miracle of all. The Holy Spirit has drilled down into the depths of your soul, and planted faith in Jesus Christ in there and it has grown! If you believe that Jesus is the ONLY reason you are bound for heaven, you have the full, miraculous power of the Holy Spirit at work in your heart right now—because you could not believe that without Him. If you are willing to walk away from sin and you sincerely desire to be close to Christ Jesus, you have reason to be joyful today, because the same Holy Spirit who inspired the preaching of the apostles on Pentecost is inspiring your repentance and faith in Jesus right now.
May this be your confidence as you celebrate this Day of Pentecost!

Let Me Give You Some Advice

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen."

"Let me give you some advice…" Don't those words make you cringe? If you're anything like me, then if you want advice, you'll ask for it—otherwise keep it to yourself. That's pride, and that's not good. Pride goes before a fall, right? But here's the deal: sometimes "Let me give you some advice" is code for "I'm about to tell you how dumb you are," and that's not good either. That, you can ignore. But then there are times when people care about you so much that they will risk your wrath to tell you the truth. "Let me give you some advice" means "I don't want to see you or someone else get hurt." And then you'd better (and I'd better) listen up. Well, all of that is to say that the apostle Peter has advice for you today from his first letter. It is unsolicited advice perhaps, but it is advice of that second kind; the "I don't want to see you get hurt" kind. We'd better listen up. May the Spirit of the living God help us take these words to heart.

First piece of advice: Peter says, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." Humility, being humble, is kind of confusing. On one extreme, we aren't built to be humble. We are built to crave the spotlight. We are built to win and to take the credit. But me-first pride is a mistake and is sin. At the other extreme, though, there is this idea that being humble means that you shouldn't like yourself—that you have no self-worth—that there's no reason why anyone should value you. But that can't be how God wants you live, either. The fact that Jesus died for you is proof that he values you. Let's look to Jesus to see what humility really is.
When Jesus came into our world, He didn't come with a me-first attitude. Nor did he come saying, "I'm no good and I can't do anything right, but I'm going to be your Savior." Being humble, for Jesus, meant that here was the Son of God; the second person of the eternal, Almighty Trinity, willing to serve us; indeed, to give his life away for us. Paul writes in Philippians that Jesus took on the "nature of a servant." The way Jesus saved us from eternal death shows us that being humble means being willing to serve. It has nothing to do with deflecting praise or putting ourselves down. Being humble is being happy to set our own needs aside for the moment to help someone else. As baptized Christians we will look for opportunities to serve others. This is not normal behavior. The voices around us tell us that you've made it when there are people serving you. Being humble in a Christ-like way flips that around; it means you are looking for people to serve.

The next bit of advice Peter shares is this: "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." At first, this sounds like one of those "easier said than done" Biblical truths. Stress, anxiety, worry—this is what we are used to. You may have learned to accept anxiety and worry as just part of the grind of living. God's Word holds out another way. And it's not just an empty, "don't worry about it." Peter writes: Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. Throw your worries on the broad shoulders of the Lord. He has your best interests in mind! Trust Him to manage things. Trust Him to work things out. I love the story of the little boy who was mindlessly stepping off the curb of a busy intersection. He would step up, and then lose his balance, step down, not paying attention to anything. The boy's father finally had to snatch him by the arm and yank him out of the path of an oncoming bus. The boy's response? "Daddy, why'd you hurt my arm?" There are plenty of painful times in our lives, and sometimes we lash out at the Father who just yanked us out of harm's way. But he didn't do it to hurt you. He cares for you. He knows what's best for you. A baptized Christian trusts that God always makes the right call, even when there's pain.

With concern for each of us, Peter then writes: "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." The fact that you are a baptized Christian makes you a target. You need to be aware of this. You need to be alert. That doesn't mean you live in constant paranoid fear of the devil—however, you have to realize that Satan would love for you to lose your faith. And here's how that predator works—in the animal world, a predator approaches as quietly as possible, trying not to be detected. The predator selects the weakest and most defenseless prey he can find, selects just the right angle, and strikes. That's how the devil's going to come at you. He's going to come at you silently, in a friend's suggestion that religion is stupid; He's going to sneak up on you in a teacher's insistence that evolution is fact; He's going to quietly suggest to you that missing church is no big deal and that there are better things to do than studying the Bible. He's going to slink up behind you with the quiet thought that the hard time you're having is proof that God doesn't love you after all, and when you are weak in the Word and wandering from the pack, then he's got you.

But can the devil just grab you like a lion grabs its prey? Not if you're standing strong in God's promises! Not if you're standing strong in your baptismal identity! Peter says of the devil: "Resist him, standing firm in the faith." True faith is not self-centered, it is Christ-centered. True faith relies on what Jesus has done and on what Jesus is currently doing. So when Peter says "Resist him, standing firm in the faith," he means firmly believe in Jesus Christ to give you protection against Satan's attack. With the focus on Jesus, we are reminded that He made Satan a lame duck by dying and rising again. With the focus on Jesus, we are reminded that he descended into hell for the same reason a conquering army rides into their enemy's capital city: to announce victory--to demonstrate power. This is who is on your side when Satan is stalking you. Standing firm in the faith is a matter of remembering who is on your side. It's Jesus. Let me give you some advice. Do all that you can to know Jesus well—that happens through worship, studying his teachings, and humbling yourself to serve those in need. Amen.

Philippians Bible Study

    Rejoice in the Lord: The Letter to the Philippians

CHAPTER ONE: Joy in Unlikely Circumstances

 

Acts 16: The Christian faith comes to Philippi

Paul's letter to the Philippians is traditionally regarded as one of his Prison Epistles, written in Rome (58—60 A.D.).

CHAPTER ONE

1:1    The word "servant" and "slave" are interchangeable in the New Testament (doulos); Christians are glad to have God as their Master.

    The term "saints" is, in the Greek, hagioi, literally, "the holy ones."

    The word for overseer can also mean "guardian" (Greek: episkopoi) and is usually associated with the pastoral office in the early Church. Deacons (diakonoi) also serve the Church through works of mercy; this is the root for "deaconess" as well.

 

FOR DISCUSSION: Paul expresses great thankfulness for his "partnership in the gospel" with the Philippians. In your opinion, what does a healthy "partnership in the gospel" look like?

 

1:6    According to Paul, who is responsible for bringing good works to completion in believers? How can this be of comfort to us?

1:7    Paul hints at his situation here, a surprising context from which to write about joy in the Lord.

 

FOR DISCUSSION: Paul's prayer for the Philippians in vv. 9—11 applies to us and all Christians. What are the qualities he prays for in us? How can we pursue these characteristics?

 

1: 12—18     Being imprisoned would normally be thought of as a negative experience. Is that Paul's opinion? Why or why not? What is Paul's "bottom line"?

1: 19—26    Paul is brought face to face with his own mortality through his imprisonment and trial. As he reflects on his situation, he describes a certain tension that may be familiar to you as a Christian. His desire is to "depart and be with Christ" which is "far better." Yet he realizes there is a further purpose to his life, wrapped up in giving glory to Christ.

 

FOR DISCUSSION: "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." If we adopt Paul's mindset—and we should—what will that mean for us?

 

1: 29—30     What is "suffering for [Jesus'] sake"? Take a look at the "conflict" Paul references in Acts 16: 16—24.