Bible Study Questions - Philippians 1:27-30

Living the Gospel: The Letter to the Philippians

Study 5 – Philippians 1:27-30

Verses 27,28

1. The phrase 'conduct yourselves' means 'to live as citizens' (v.27). Where is the Christian's citizenship? Explore what that means in terms of our relationship to society. How is it supportive of society? Where is it in conflict?

2. What does Paul suggest it means to "live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ"? See vv.27b,28.

3. What obstacles do we face in seeking to stand firm in one spirit? How can they be overcome?

4. What is the focal point of our 'striving together'? How do we make sure that 'the main point is the main point'?

5. What grounds are there for Christians to be unafraid of those who oppose them?

Verses 29,30

6. Is suffering on behalf of Jesus only for some Christians? In what sense can it be said to 'go with the territory'?

7. In what ways might we personally experience something akin to what Paul has in mind here? Pray for one another in those struggles.

Bible Study Questions - Philippians 1:18b-26

Living the Gospel: The Letter to the Philippians

Study 4 – Philippians 1:18b-26

Verses 18b-20

1. Paul has rejoiced in the gospel being proclaimed (v.18a) and continues to rejoice (v.18b) in the prospect of his deliverance.

What might his being delivered involve for him (v.20)?

How should his example help us when faced with difficulties and suffering?

2. What factors does Paul see as being involved in his deliverance (v.19)?

Why might he have chosen to refer to the Holy Spirit as “the Spirit of Jesus Christ”?

Verses 21-26

3. How do we know Paul’s approach to his deliverance was not passive and fatalistic?

4. Paul sees life in this world as being lived for Christ, in the service of his people.

How can we make that our own approach?

What would it look like if we lived that way – our attitudes, actions and prayers?

Bible Study Questions: Philippians 1:12-18

Living the Gospel: The Letter to the Philippians

Study 3 – Philippians 1:12-18

Verses 12-14

1. How can Paul say that what has happened to him (imprisonment) has helped to advance the gospel?

2. What does that tell you about:

(a) his priorities;

(b) his view of God?

3. Can we bring Paul’s perspective into our own experience of trials? Reflect on how Romans 8:28ff also helps in this.

Verses 13-18

4. Some people have been actively trying to cause trouble for Paul. What is his attitude towards them?

5. How is that kind of attitude cultivated?

6. Paul’s joy (v.18) is rooted in Jesus being made known. Share together how we can similarly rejoice.

Bible Study Questions: Philippians 1:7-11

Living the Gospel: The Letter to the Philippians

Study 2 – Philippians 1:7-11

Verses 7,8

Paul clearly feels a deep affection for the Philippians. How do you think that came about?

In what ways can we similarly express towards one another “the affection of Christ Jesus”?

Verses 9-11

Paul tells them what he prays for in v.9. Why is it important to link “love” with “knowledge” and “depth of insight”?

Does that linkage help you to better understand what Biblical love consists in?

In verse 10, Paul explains why he prays as he does. Can you think of situations & contexts where we, too, need to be able to “discern what is best”?

If it isn’t possible to be sinless in this life, what might Paul mean by being “pure and blameless” (v.10)?

Paul writes in verse 11 of the hoped-for outcome of his prayers. Spend some time thinking together what a church that is “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ” looks like.

What is the great motivation in v.11 towards holy living?

Bible Study Questions: Philippians 1:1-6

Study 1 – Philippians 1:1-6

Verses 1,2

1. How would you describe your relationship with the Lord? What words come to mind?

2. Paul here describes himself and Timothy as 'slaves' of Jesus. What does that convey to you? How would that kind of reality become visible in our own lives?

3. Paul then describes the Philippians as 'saints' (people belonging to God). His use of the word is very different to our own culture! Reflect on what it means for you to belong to Jesus.

4. The letter is also addressed, unusually, to the overseers (elders) and deacons. Why might Paul choose to highlight them in his greeting?

Verses 3-6

5. Paul's prayers for the Philippians are full of thanksgiving, even though there are issues he will need to address in their life together. How can we ensure our own prayers for our brothers and sisters are similarly thankful?

6. The joy Paul feels is, in large measure, due to their partnership in sharing the good news of Jesus, "from the first day until now". How can we encourage such joy in our life together? What will it mean for us to be partners in God's purposes of rescue and mercy?

7. Despite issues present in the church at Philippi, Paul is confident about their future. On what is his confidence based? How might such confidence impact your own daily life and your prayers for the Lord's people and work? 

how politics works

...politics are reflective, not directive. That is, the political arena is the place where policies are made that reflect the values of our culture - the habits of heart and mind - that are being shaped by...other more strategic arenas. As the Scottish politician Andrew Fletcher said, "Let me write the songs of a nation; I don't care who writes its laws."

Tullian Tchividjian, Unfashionable, loc.1115

The Gospel Of The Lordship Of Jesus

The gospel is not about self-help, it's not a product for our internal aches and our cultural emptiness; the gospel is God's summons to surrender the sovereignty over ourselves that we as sinners have seized and to give it up and to bow before Christ and to follow him on his own terms.

David Wells, from a fascinating talk at the recent Lausanne Congress.

How to Stop a Family Quarrel

You have the potential to fall-out with your nephew, who you've been caring for as your own son since his father (your brother) died. How will you sort it? Pull rank, knowing that you both accept that your age and status are way above his? Remind him of everything you've done for him, so that he feels guilty? Use your greater life experience to either bully or manipulate him?

In Genesis 13, Abram does none of those. He and Lot are living within earshot of the Canaanites and Perizzites. And his herdsmen and Lot's are beginning to fall-out over the pasture arrangements. So Abram deals pro-actively with the issue by being prepared to sacrifice for the sake of peace (he offers Lot first choice of the land - and he chooses the best).

Quarrels within the family of God - and in earshot of those not yet Christians - are a bad thing. Abram shows the way - a Christ-like way, of course - to defuse the difficulty: a willing sacrifice, for the sake of peace and for the sake of the gospel.

Reading Bibles

I mentioned in an earlier post that the new year is a good opportunity to dust-down a different Bible translation for reading through the year. I highlighted the NRSV as my Bible of choice for this year.

Well, I've decided to be ruthless and switch back to daily reading of the TNIV. Not because I have anything against the NRSV (far from it) but, because I preach from the NIV, there are benefits from using a translation that has significant overlaps.

But in addition to the TNIV, I'll often refer to other translations, most often the NASB (for its heritage), the REB (for its literary beauty) and the NET (for its notes).

the chrome browser

In the past week or so I've gradually switched from using Firefox as my default web browser onto Google Chrome. I didn't really have an overwhelming reason to do so - I guess it was mostly experimentation. But, having switched, there are a number of things I like, such as the ability to have exactly the same installation on any device I use, without any set-up hassles. It also seems slightly quicker at times.

It has most of the extensions I valued on Firefox (Evernote, Readability, Instapaper). It also has some that are new to me and work really well - for example, I'm using the Cortex extension - a great way to share something to (in my case) Twitter or to save to Instapaper.

If you've not used it, you might like to give it a try.

leaders are always on

In a piece entitled Five Lessons from 2010 Worth Repeating — Without Repeating 2010, Rosabeth Moss Kanter makes the following point about leaders:

Forget privacy, especially if you're a leader. Leaders are always on...

It's a lesson all pastors need to also learn, however much we might wish it wasn't so.

one of the best albums of 2010

imho, of course

hear it here.

the best book i've read in 2011

OK, I started to read it in 2010 so maybe I can't quite claim to have read it in 2011...but this is a great read - for pastors, elders and anyone interested in its vital subject:

Generation Ex-Christian: Why Young Adults Are Leaving the Faith... and How to Bring Them Back

things new

New Year's Day is a good time for new things - like a new (different) Bible reading scheme and a new (different) Bible translation in which to read it.

So I'm having a go with Every Day In The Word, which goes through the whole Bible in one year, covering the Psalms twice. And I'm setting-off reading the NRSV.

We'll see how it goes.

dot-to-dot

There were fourteen generations recorded from Abraham to David, fourteen more from David to the exile and another fourteen from the exile to Jesus (Matthew 1:1-17). So, forty-two generations in all.

Revelation 13:5 speaks of the beast being given authority for 42 months. Which is, of course, three and a half years - and you might choose to write that as "time, times and half a time" (Rev. 12:14; Dan. 12:7). It might not then surprise you to find reference to three and a half days, somewhere along the line (Rev. 12:9,11).

Just saying, that's all.

into the new year

I've often found Matt Perman's blog to be a thoughtful resource. This piece is no different - I especially appreciated his comments on defining priorities for the new year, focussing on 3-5 primary things that you want to accomplish this next year. It's good to take time to reflect on larger-than-usual tasks.

Lessons from recent history

Gill Corkindale writes that, in the past year, she hasn't needed to "explain how globalization drives change and that leaders must adapt to a fast-changing world" because the lessons have been driven-home by the crisis of the past years. Those lessons she identifies as "to develop new competencies: self-awareness, being able to deal with ambiguity, manage continual change, devolve leadership, and coach their people...[these] are critical to their survival."


How many of those are also applicable to the life of the church and the work of the ministry?

Redefining Greatness

I found this article over at HBR an interesting and helpful read, with insights for both leadership and pastoral care/spiritual formation.

helpful articles on depression

You'll find a couple of helpful articles on depression here and here.

the new leadership

Seth Godin is always worth reading. Often, his musings get me thinking about church life in a new way. Try the following, with that in mind:

When you follow a right path, then, the people following you are happy to bring others along. When you open doors for people (instead of closing them), your followers are more likely to open doors for others. When you are inclusive (instead of excluding), then others seek to include their peers.
For far too long, leadership has been about management and management has been about control. We push those that follow us to fit in, to do as they are told. We decide who is good enough, who is obedient enough, who is acceptable. Many institutions have been built by strong-willed men who think they have the right answer, and aren’t afraid to be bullies if it helps them achieve their goals.
But now, people have a choice. More options in how they spend their day, their money and their passion. And over and over, we see people voting with their feet. Sure, there are the frightened (and angry) that are willing to act out at a rally or carry signs that they don’t actually endorse. But this is the not the behavior of a thriving movement, it’s a desperate reaction from a dying anachronism.

Analog Rituals

Over at 99%, Scott Belsky makes some interesting points about what he terms 'analog rituals' and the value of repetitive actions - what he terms "the granularity of prioritization".

It strikes me that there's a lot of (unintended) biblical wisdom in the article, in particular the creational nature of 'analog' experiences: we were made not simply as able to see & think but also to touch & taste. Whilst the digital lifestyle offers much, it also has the capacity to remove, by making redundant aspects of sensory perception.

The 3 Best Books I've Read This Year

There were other very worthy contenders, but here's my pick of what I've perused during the year:

Tim Keller, Counterfeit Gods

Peter Steinke's A Door Set Open (seemingly only available on Kindle)

The Best Kept Secret Of Christian Mission by John Dickson

Learning from 'Ten Timeless Persuasive Writing Techniques'

It makes for an interesting article on its own - but maybe more so if you ask yourself the question, How do those suggestions apply to the task of preaching?

How to preach badly

I know - I don't need much help on that score! But this is good.

Doing the main thing

"Given the contents of the New Testament, one might expect local congregations of Christians to be entirely devoted to the spiritual formation of those in attendance. What we actually find in most cases is constant distraction from this as the central task: By the demands of the organization; and by the requirements of our 'faith and practice'—our traditions. Often there is the recognition that what we wind up 'having to do' is not what we really feel it should all be about."

Dallas Willard, quoted by John Ortberg

Pamela Stephenson: reflecting on Strictly, life and work

From an article in today's Guardian, a couple of paragraphs worth pondering by those engaged in ministry:

My experience on Strictly has highlighted two difficult truths in my life: first, that, although it is an important developmental task for my age group, I am not finding it easy to face my own mortality, and dancing gave me brief respite from that painful, inevitable process. Second, over the years, the job I do has taken its toll on me – as it has on many of my colleagues. Mental health professionals are on the frontline of the war against human anguish, angst and antisocial behaviour. However well trained and capable we are, it is impossible to be a receptacle for the shadow side of humanity with absolute impunity. I have been surprised to receive many positive messages from colleagues. I had thought they would ignore my flight into fantasy, but rather, they have let me know that dropping my professional demeanour and giggling like a seven year old in public has actually found their favour. In a strange way, I may even have acted out some of their own fantasies of escape and soothing. Anyway, it's healthy to get fit, to laugh, to do something you enjoy, to dance.

Dancing is the physical expression of our emotional selves, and personally I have found it to be a life-affirming path to a new-found style of happiness. I have only one regret from the entire experience – I never got to dance my Argentine tango (which would have been in the final round). But I believe it's good to have one dream left unrealised; it keeps hope alive, and the longing can remain poignant, omnipresent and painfully bright.

Logos 4 & Customer Service

For years I've had a number of great resources in Logos format (Libronix) - Word Biblical Commentary (60 vols); IVP Reference Library; Theological Journal Library and more. Trying to load them onto my Windows 7 PC was proving to be hard - well, impossible, truth be told.

An email to Logos Customer Services has resulted in all being sorted - and sorted very quickly - so I now have access to all those great resources once more and in the hugely-impressive format of the new Logos 4 (see below).

What can I say but: kudos, Logos!

The use of 'Christ' in Peter's first letter

Peter refers several times in his first letter to ‘Christ’. Almost universally those references are focussed upon the sufferings of the Messiah, the exception being 5:14.

Is Peter simply specifying that Jesus suffered (which of course is true) or is his language intentionally incorporative? That is to say, is he using 'Christ' as shorthand for ‘the Messiah and his people’?

with head bowed

I'm taking a few moments just to bow my head and give thanks for my Dad, who passed away 5 years ago today. I sat with him whilst he took his final breath - nothing could have been more painful, yet strangely privileged too, commending him to God's care.


He was flawed, but warm and loving and always wanting to make others smile.

I miss him lots.

managing the creativity of ministry

This article by Cal Newport is not ministry focussed but has some helpful principles for managing the creative demands of regular ministry