Paul's Letter to the Philippian Christians: A Guide to Small Group Bible Study

After years of preaching the Good News and establishing churches, Paul finds himself in prison where he writes a very personal letter to the Christians in Philippi recalling the special memories he has of the first church he helped start in Europe. He thanks them for their support (Philippians 4:10-18) and dares to hope he will soon be free to resume his missionary activity so he can once again visit them as he had done before (Acts 20: 1-2, 6). In this letter despite all he is experiencing, he gives them (and us) pastoral advice, repeatedly proclaiming his Christian faith and calling them (and us) to rejoice.

Although Paul is writing from prison, joy is a major theme in the letter, a joy grounded in Jesus. Today we hope to experience that joy, even if we feel we are treated badly, even as we feel like complaining, and even if we experience the aches and pains that come our way. Let us explore together the joy Paul proclaims in his letter to these early Christians in Philippi (and now to us).

Perhaps you are at a point in your life when you want to dig deeper into the Bible. This letter was written by Paul near the end of his ministry to encourage us in our lives as Christians, followers of Jesus. You may wish to use this guide for your own personal meditation and reflection as you seek the joy Jesus gives.

Discovering Joy is composed of excerpts from the book, Advice from Paul - His Letters to the Thessalonian and Philippian Christians which is designed for small group Bible study. It is for those who seek how to live as Christians in a secular world. While you may assume a particular passage impacts your life only in a certain way, in a group you will be challenged by your friends to consider it from a variety of view points. Advice from Paul provides the basis for a group discussion of Paul's Letters both to the Thessalonians and to the Philippians. There are 13 sessions with a minimum of ten questions in order to facilitate personal reflection and group discussion.

Peace and Blessings,
Bruce Reed Pullen, D. Min.

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