Bible Reading
Philippians 1:1-11 “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
[38:50]Philippians 1:6 “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
[01:00:46]Acts 16:11-40 “So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us. As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour. But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.” The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God. When it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, “Let those men go.” And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Therefore come out now and go in peace.” But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.” The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city. So they went out of the prison and visited Lydia. And when they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.”
[39:14]Observation questions
- In Philippians 1:1-2, what titles does Paul use for himself and Timothy, and how does he identify the believers in Philippi? [45:30]
- According to Acts 16, what differences can be seen among Lydia, the formerly enslaved girl, and the Philippian jailer, and what brought these different people into one church family? [39:56]
- What reasons does Paul give for thanking God and praying with joy for the Philippian believers in Philippians 1:3-5? [56:26]
- In Philippians 1:9-11, what does Paul pray will grow in the believers, and what kind of fruit does he expect their lives to show? [01:14:53]
Interpretation questions
- Paul calls believers saints in Christ while writing to people who still need growth in areas such as conflict, anxiety, and grumbling. What does this show about the difference between a believer’s identity in Christ and a believer’s ongoing maturity? [46:10]
- Paul writes about joy while imprisoned. What does his situation reveal about the kind of joy that comes from Christ rather than from comfortable circumstances? [42:19]
- Paul describes the Philippians’ fellowship as ongoing partnership in the gospel. What would distinguish faithful gospel partnership from simply attending the same church or agreeing with the same beliefs? [57:08]
- Paul prays for love to grow with knowledge and discernment. Why might love without truth be incomplete, and why might truth without love fail to reflect Christ? [01:15:17]
Application questions
- Is there an old failure, label, or painful chapter that still tries to define you? What would it look like this week to answer that voice with what God says about your identity in Christ? [46:45]
- What circumstance is currently trying to control the condition of your heart—anxiety, uncertainty, conflict, loss, or something else? How can you keep Christ as your foundation in the middle of that storm? [51:33]
- Who has faithfully prayed for you, encouraged you, corrected you, or walked with you in a difficult season? How could you thank God for that person and strengthen that relationship this week? [59:07]
- Following Jesus is not a solo project. Where have you been tempted to isolate yourself, and what is one practical step you could take toward deeper gospel partnership with other believers? [58:28]
- Where do you feel discouraged because you are not as far along spiritually as you hoped to be? What area might God be patiently asking you to surrender to Him right now? [01:03:22]
- If someone examined the fruit of your life this week—your patience, generosity, integrity, forgiveness, compassion, and obedience—what might they see? Is there one area where you want the life of Christ to become more visible? [01:17:55]
