Philippians: Resilient Joy - Week 1
We’re here! This week marks the beginning of community groups at King’s Table Church, and we’re so excited to dive into and push one another toward God’s Word together. This week begins our journey together through the book of Philippians!
Introduction to Philippians
Before we jump into this week’s passage, there’s some context that can prove helpful while reading through this book. Firstly, the church at Philippi was the first church planted by Paul on his third missionary journey. Paul writes to them, encouraging them to love, be unified, and live righteously. Secondly, this epistle is one of the four letters Paul wrote while imprisoned. Philippians could have been written while Paul was imprisoned for two years in Caesarea or under house arrest for two years in Rome, awaiting trial from Caesar. When he wrote this letter is less important than what he wrote. In his letters, Paul speaks boldly, not allowing his circumstances to influence his faith, writing of “peace from God” (v2) and how he’s “praying with joy” (v4) for fellow believers.
Resilient Joy
〰️
Philippians 1:1-11
〰️
Resilient Joy 〰️ Philippians 1:1-11 〰️
In the first part of his letter, Paul talks quite highly of the Philippians, joyfully remembering them and their mutual bond and partnership in the gospel of Jesus. We can draw a lot from Paul’s tone as he glosses over his current position as a prisoner. We see this pattern in all of Paul’s prison letters. In Ephesians and Philemon, Paul refers to himself as a “prisoner of Christ Jesus” (Eph. 3:1, Phm 1:1). In Colossians, he simply closes his letter with “remember my chains” (Col. 4:18), making little note of his suffering. Ultimately, Paul focuses on the recipients of the letter rather than himself. He sees them as friends and as partners working towards the same goal. He knows they are praying for him and furthering the gospel while he suffers in prison (1:6-7). This eternal perspective is the beauty of the gospel in that it goes far beyond the “here and now” of our current, temporary circumstances.
Getting to verse 9, we reach the focus of this portion of the passage. Here, Paul prays that the Philippians would “keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, so that [they] may approve the things that are superior and may be pure and blameless” (1:9-10). This appeal might be familiar to fans of Paul’s writing. He wrote to the Romans similarly, saying, “Let love be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good” (Rom. 12:9-10a). Paul (and God) knows that following Jesus means being characterized by love and righteousness. Love is a core marker of following Christ. Jesus explicitly tells his disciples this in John 13:34-35 as well. Here, Paul is praying that his people would grow in love for one another and be “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ” (Php 1:11).
But how are we filled with the fruits of love and righteousness? By dwelling with God! Paul wrote this to the Galatians as well, telling them to “walk by the Spirit” (Gal. 5:16) and that the “fruit of the Spirit is love,” “goodness,” and “faithfulness” (Gal. 5:22). To “walk by the Spirit” is to surrender control and allow His influence on your life. This is what Paul was praying over the Philippians and what we should be praying over one another: that we would daily surrender to God and allow Him to guide us toward love and righteousness. This “walking by the Spirit” is only available to those who follow Christ and is immensely freeing, as it only takes surrender. The same grace and mercy that saves is the same mercy and grace that refines and sanctifies, growing us in our love and righteousness before God.
Discussion Questions
What stood out to you from the passage?
What are some repeating words, phrases, or concepts in the passage?
What does this passage say about Paul’s relationship with the church in Philippi?
What does Paul desire for the Philippians in verses 9-11?
How would you define Paul’s view of the Philippian church?
Read 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13. How do these two passages say we grow in love and righteousness?
What are some ways you can walk out growing in love this week? How can you do that together in community?