Philippians :: Week 3 :: Paul’s Desire

June 3, 2011 by Katie Orr 7 Comments

Paul’s Overriding Desire

In this week’s passage of our Philippians Study, we get a snapshot of Paul’s desires. There is a conflict waging inside his soul. He wants to be with Christ, “for that is far better” (1:23) He longs for Christ and to be rid of his aching, imprisoned body. Later in Philippians we see this longing more clearly: “we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body” (3:20-21).

Yet he knows that staying on this earth “means fruitful labor” (1:22) and “is more necessary” (1:24) for the sake of the Philippians’ progress in the faith.

But there is yet another desire. An overriding desire: The glory of Christ.

More of Paul’s Desire, and a Study Tip!

This is not the first time we have seen this in the book of Philippians. When I am studying a passage and I start to think there might be a theme present, I will try to take some time to go back and dig a little bit. So, let’s do some digging! Let’s take a look back over the verses we have studied so far, and re-read them, specifically looking for Paul’s desire for the glory of Christ. Here is what I found:

Philippians 1:9-11: “And it is my prayer that…to the glory and praise of God”
Philippians 1:12-18: “Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice” (his perspective about being imprisoned)
Philippians 1:20: “it is my eager expectation and hope that…Christ will be honored in my body”
Philippians 1:23: “My desire is to depart and be with Christ” (Paul’s desire in death)
Philippians 1:26: “so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus” (Paul’s desire in life)

This is all just in the first 26 verses of the book! I know that we will continue to see more of this theme; Paul’s desire for the glory of Christ.

Making Application

I just love the wording of Philippians 1:26:

…so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

I pray that my children and husband would have ample cause to glory in Christ because of my presence in their life. I hope that my friends, neighbors and anyone else I encounter can see Christ in me and can praise God for the joy of Christ brought to them through me.

I fear that more often there is little that is praise-worthy in my life, little that gives God glory. But by God’s grace I will press on, even in my failures, because even when I have completely messed up God can be glorified!

What about you? What did you see this week in Philippians? Do you have any questions? Any thing you want to share about what the Lord has shown you in His word?

Philippians :: Week 2 :: God’s Purpose in Paul’s Imprisonment

May 27, 2011 by Patti Brown 12 Comments

I am thrilled that Katie and Lara chose Philippians for this summer’s Maximize Your Mornings bible study, and I am privileged to be able to share a few thoughts with you here.

It seems to be my year for Philippians. I started meditating and journaling on Philippians in May of 2010. In August, my children and I decided to memorize Philippians. In September our church began a study of Philippians. And now, a year later, I am still reading this little book, and still discovering new gems!

How true it is that…

…the Word of God is living and active…
Hebrews 4:12

God’s Word meets us where we are and reveals fresh truths to us every time!

If you followed along with the study plan, you have read Philippians 1:12-18 many times this week. You have looked for truths about God, Paul and your identity in Christ. You have discovered promises and commands. And you have sought God for how to apply to your own life what you have gleaned from your study of this passage.

In Chains for Christ

We learned last week that Paul was imprisoned while he was writing his letter to the Philippians. This fact is a central point of Philippians 1:12-18.

Paul has been imprisoned because He is preaching the good news about Jesus Christ …

…my imprisonment is for Christ.
Philippians 1:13b

But against all human inclination, Paul speaks of his imprisonment in nothing but positive terms…

…what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel,
Philippians 1:12b

According to Paul, his imprisonment advanced the gospel not only because it received a lot of publicity (v. 13), but also by causing his brothers in Christ to trust in the Lord more fully, thereby strengthening them to speak the Word of God fearlessly (v. 14).

Sadly, some people used the situation to preach Christ for the wrong reasons (v.17) but Paul was able to see that despite their impure motives, he could still be thankful that the good news was being preached (v. 18).

Paul understood that the gospel was progressing not despite his difficult circumstances, but because of his difficult circumstances. He was not dismayed by how things appeared. Instead, Paul used his spiritual eyes to see God’s good work through his trials.

Did you notice that Paul ends this passage about his imprisonment and others’ selfish behavior by rejoicing? It will come as no surprise that when he was imprisoned in Philippi Paul spent his time singing praise songs!

Friend, are you feeling imprisoned right now? Can you, like Paul, look at your situation with spiritual eyes? Does God want you to allow Him to use your sufferings for His glory to advance the gospel?

God’s Word in Your Life

You have spent time each day studying God’s Word this week. Because His Word is living and active, what has stood out to you will be uniquely applicable to your own life. And just as Paul’s boldness in sharing his faith encouraged his fellow believers, your gleanings will bless us!

I hope you will share with us how God has spoken to your heart through Philippians 1:12-18. What new truths have you discovered? What action is God prompting you to through these verses?

Please leave us your thoughts in the comments… we look forward to hearing from you!

Philippians Bible Study

May 16, 2011 by Katie Orr 25 Comments

We are excited to announce our next study here at Do Not Depart…Philippians!

Each week, for the next 13 weeks, we will be studying a new passage from the book of Philippians. The most exciting thing about this is you can study on your own, alongside of us! We have put together a study guide to help you spend daily time in this book.

If you are looking for something to study this summer, we would LOVE for you to join us. This is in conjunction with Inspired to Action’s Maximize Your Mornings summer session, yet anyone is welcome to join in the Bible study.

The Plan

There are five days of simple study questions for each week’s passage. Begin each day with a short prayer, asking God to open your heart to His Word, then use the day’s questions to help you read and study the passage. Have your journal open, ready to jot down what you discover through your time of study.

Day 1: READ

Read the passage. Keep a pen and your journal handy. Write down any questions or observations you may have about the passage. Then reread the passage.

Day 2: TRUTHS

Today, with your journal and pen ready, we are going to look for specific TRUTHS in the passage. We will read the passage three times, each time answering one of the following questions:

What does this passage teach about God?
What does this passage teach about Paul?
What can I learn about my identity in Christ?

As you find truths, list them in your journal. Consider making a master list of all you learn about God, Paul, and yourself throughout the book of Philippians.

Day 3: PROMISES

Read this week’s passage and this time look for PROMISES.

As you find a promise write it out in your journal, figure out if it is a conditional or unconditional promise. A conditional promise usually contains “if…then.”
List out the conditions and what will result if those conditions are met.

Day 4: COMMANDS

Read this week’s passage. As you read, note any COMMANDS in your journal. Read the passage again, this time looking for any implied commands. We can learn much from the experiences and failures of people in the Bible. As the Word commends or disapproves of certain characteristics, we can use this as a model towards Christ-likeness.

Day 5: APPLY

Today we are going to make the passage personal through application. Journal through these questions:

How does my view of God line up with this passage’s teaching about God?
What is the Lord leading me to DO as a result of this passage?

Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to do the work in your heart so that you may walk in obedience to this passage.

UPDATE: Be sure to download the study guide, which includes the schedule and the study questions on cards you can print out to keep in your Bible! You can find the study guide over at Inspired to Action.

The Schedule

Week 1: Philippians 1:1-11 Paul’s heart for God’s people
Week 2: Philippians 1:12-18 God’s purpose in Paul’s imprisonment
Week 3: Philippians 1:19-26 Paul’s desires: God’s people and God’s presence
Week 4: Philippians 1:27-30 God’s gospel-purpose for us
Week 5: Philippians 2:1-11 Paul’s charge to unity through following the example of Christ
Week 6: Philippians 2:12-18 Paul’s charge to Word-centered obedience
Week 7: Philippians 2:19-30 Servants of the gospel (examples to follow)
Week 8: Philippians 3:1-11 The surpassing worth of Christ, our righteousness
Week 9: Philippians 3:12-21 Paul’s example: Press on toward the call of Christ
Week 10: Philippians 4:1-9 Paul’s plea: Pursue the peace of God
Week 11: Philippians 4:10-23 Paul’s contentment in God’s provision

The Result

You may not find “answers” to each of these questions each week. The point is to begin training yourself to look for truths, promises, commands and application points when you read the Bible. After walking through the book of Philippians this way, you might just be ready for another book all on your own! You will certainly encounter Jesus in a deeper way, and that is what this is all about.

If you plan to study with us, we would love to know! Just leave us a comment. We are looking forward to taking this journey with you! We will be posting each ~~Thursday~~ Friday with some insights on each passage, so be sure to stay tuned!

Truth, Justice, and the Congregation’s Way?

October 27, 2010 by ScriptureDig 8 Comments

With two younger brothers, much of my childhood was filled with superhero role-playing. In fact, when we were all under five, my brothers’ room was decorated in the various heroes of the day – Superman, Batman, and good ol’ Spidey. I, of course, was always Wonder Woman. (Hey, it was the 70s, y’all, we all thought Lynda Carter was IT!)

Whenever we played, we always knew our hero’s catch phrase … and the favorite of both boys was Superman. If I close my eyes tight enough, I can still see two tow-headed little boys running about in towel-capes with one arm forward and one back yelling, “Truth, Justice, and the American Way.”

Now, as a pastor’s wife, I’ve learned the new rallying call in many Christian circles … Tradition, Judgment, and MY way. There are moments in ministry when I feel as though my heart will break. We have lost sight of important principles and replaced them with personal agenda. In doing so, we have also forsaken the priority of God’s Word and His standards regarding our behavior as individual believers and as the Church collective.

We have replaced Truth with Tradition.

Far too many churches have gone far too long without asking the question, “Is this activity, ministry, or function grounded in the TRUTH of God’s Word or in the comfort of our TRADITION?” Paul spoke clearly to the church at Colosse,

“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than Christ” (Colossians 2:8 NIV, emphasis added).

While traditions of themselves are neither good nor bad, when we allow traditions to take priority over proclaiming the truth of God’s Word, we have elevated them to an ungodly and sinful place. In all things, we must be willing to ask if the tradition is rooted in and bringing forth truth … or if it has become hollow and focused on celebrating the past rather than crying out the grace of the Gospel.

We have replaced Justice with Judgment.

Oh that we could trust in the justice of God without feeling the need to exact judgment on one another! Again, we find that Paul speaks to this idea,

“Everything is permissible – but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible – but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others … So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (Romans 10:23-24, 31 NIV).

We look around our sanctuaries and worship centers finding reasons that we are better than others – from choices regarding the education of our children to holiday traditions, from socioeconomic factors to generational prejudice, from our own insecurities to others’ previous lifestyles – we can be a judgmental lot! And in being so quick to judge, we lose sight of this simple yet eternal truth: We serve a just God. The reality is while we focus on judging one another the world around us is dying without hope and salvation. We prefer to focus on the loving, forgiving part of God’s nature – but we must never, ever forget that we are called to “Go ye therefore and make disciples” … for the God who has offered us salvation is just and the “wages of sin is death.” (References to Matthew 28:19 and Romans 3:23)

We have replaced God’s Way with My Way.

Churches are filled with people who have been conditioned to “Have it Your Way!” We are consistently guilty of giving corporate worship and fellowship far less devotion that the Lord intended. We come when we feel like it, serve when it’s convenient, and give what we feel we can. Again, we find that Paul has a word for us,

“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Ephesians 5:1-2 NIV).

Paul reminds us that we are called to live in the manner of Christ … not of the world. And Christ’s life was marked by humility (Philippians 2:5-8), service (John 13:2-17), and sacrifice (Hebrews 10:8-10). And so, if we are to live in God’s way, our lives must bear witness to those same qualities. We must lay aside preference and personal taste and focus instead on serving, on forgiving, on giving grace, and on true worship.

Fellow believers, will we be the generation that lays down tradition and self-righteousness, judgment and self-fulfillment, and pride and selfishness? Will we stand up for the TRUTH of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Will we recognize the JUSTICE of the God we serve? And will we submit to GOD’S WAY in all things big and small? Will we?