Philippians: The Joyful Woman

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2 Philippians: The Joyful Woman Table of Contents About Faith Journey Bible Studies... 5 Study Format... 7 How to Use This Study... 9 Feel a bit lost when it comes to Bible Study? Have no fear! Recommendations for Reading the Bible What are the Personal Benefits of Reading & Studying the Bible? Summary of the Bible Biblical Timeline The Old Testament The New Testament Background on the Book of Philippians Lesson One Philippians 1:1-11 Joy in Being an Encourager Lesson Two Philippians 1:12-30 Joy in Our Chains Lesson Three Philippians 2:1-12 Joy in Serving Lesson Four Philippians 2:12-30 Joy in Obedience Lesson Five Philippians 3 Joy in Believing Lesson Six Philippians 4 Joy in Giving Verses that Bring Comfort during Difficult Times Journey Journal ABOUT THE AUTHOR

3 About Faith Journey Bible Studies Ten years ago, I took the biggest risk thus far in my faith and invited eighteen women in my neighborhood to their first ever Bible study. I wasn t in the greatest spiritual shape myself and wasn t certain I knew the Bible well enough to lead the study. However, I was sure that I had tasted the sweetness of God s Word in my own life and that my faith journey was worth sharing with others. Over the last eight years, the group has grown, bringing many women of all faith backgrounds and maturity levels to study God s Word, build deeper relationships, and hold each other accountable as we grow together each week. There is something very unique about meeting in a home and sharing each other s faith journey with women you see at your kids schools, the gym, Starbucks, grocery store, and in your neighborhood. Because Faith Journey Bible Studies are interdenominational, and attract women in all places of life, women come! For some women, it is much easier to walk into a home than to go into a church for Bible study. Also, Faith Journey Bible Studies have drawn women who may not be connected to a church or who have minimal commitments to their churches. Faith Journey Bible Studies As women begin to see the power of God s Word working in have drawn women who their lives and the lives of those around them, their commitment may not be connected to a to make Christ part of their daily life grows deeper. I have seen church or who have many women begin going to church, go back to church, or get minimal commitments to their kids and husbands involved in church. They taste and see their churches. that the Lord is good and yearn for more! In many ways, Faith Journey Bible Studies have become bridges between the various churches and families in our communities. Currently, in my group, there are over fifteen churches represented. What a beautiful picture of church unity and the Body of Christ! A few years ago, God began to grow within me the desire to have more women connected into a group like mine. Having four kids gives you incredible access to the lives of people. Sitting on the sidelines at all the football, swim, soccer, and basketball games, I hear the stories of failing marriages, health issues, parenting challenges, job challenges, financial troubles, identity issues, and self-esteem issues. I listen to the stories and in the back of my mind I think, I would love for her to come to our Bible study, or What a great support this would be, or, If she only knew God s Word, it would change her whole perspective on how she sees her life circumstances and it would give her hope. God also gave me the burden to encourage those friends in my life who are mature in their faith and have a heart for women in their neighborhoods to begin studies as well. I have had the privilege of meeting monthly with women who have stepped out to lead Bible studies in their communities in the last few years. It is a monthly highlight to hear not only

4 how God is working in their groups, but how God is working in their own personal faith journey. I have had much to learn through leading this Bible study, and I am so thankful for the ways God has grown my faith and given me His heart to encourage others to step out of their Christian comfort zone to let God transform their faith in new and exciting ways. I thank God that He has given me another opportunity to provide a resource designed to encourage and draw each of you into His Word. My prayer is that this study will illuminate the truth, give you greater confidence in reading your Bibles, and help you discover all that God wants to tell you through His Word. I also pray that anytime you open your Bible you will hear from God in a way that speaks into your life, you will receive encouragement, and your faith will grow by being rooted in His Word so that God can bear fruit in your life! Blessings, Lisa Thompson

5 Study Format I wrote this study keeping in mind that we all learn and retain information differently. We also experience God differently. Each section provides different ways to connect with God, and ways to practice some of the different spiritual disciplines God has provided for us to welcome Him in the busy and chaotic places of our lives. It takes time to find your groove and discover the ways you best interact with God through His Word and this study resource. This tool will help guide you through the weekly passage and there is no right or wrong way to complete the study each week. You have the freedom to skip questions or even whole sections and yes, leaving blanks in your study is okay. Is this Your First Ever Bible Study? If you consider yourself a seeker and this is your first ever Bible study, welcome! I thought of you so much as I wrote this. I ve thought about the faith questions you might have. I ve wondered about what might stand in the way of you having a relationship with Jesus Christ. And I ve wondered why you may have said yes to come to this Bible study. As you go through the study, be an observer. Accept that you may not be able to answer all the questions and many things may not make sense right now. That is okay. You have the incredible opportunity to learn from the other women in your group what having a personal relationship with Jesus looks like. You will quickly realize that you have much in Just like you, the women in common with these other women. They are imperfect with lots your group won t of struggles just like you, they don t understand the Bible understand the Bible entirely, and they too have questions regarding the Christian entirely, and they too have faith. However, by faith they have made a decision to trust God questions regarding the and His Word and walk differently than the rest of the world. Christian faith. Each of our faith journeys begin at the cross by recognizing the incredible love and sacrifice God provided through His son, Jesus Christ, so that we could be in a personal and intimate relationship with Him. There is nothing we did to deserve this gift, and nothing we can do to earn this gift, except surrender and trust our lives to Jesus Christ. Are You Fairly New to Bible Studies? If you are fairly new to Bible study, do not become disheartened when you read the passage and nothing makes sense. It takes time to learn how to get beyond the written Word and into your heart. Weekly, when you meet with your groups, observe how other women are interpreting and pulling out truths from the passage. Remember to ask questions. I have had some of

6 the most academic minds in my group who excelled in college and in the workplace, approach Bible study and feel really ignorant. Keep in mind, the Bible was written for our hearts. Sometimes you have to get beyond your intellectual knowledge and listen to your heart. Are you a Seasoned Veteran of Bible Study? If you are a seasoned Bible study woman, I challenge you to dig beyond what you already know. Explore new truths and ways God wants to continue teaching and revealing Himself to you. It is very easy in our maturity to lose the spark and forget the basics of our Christian faith. One of the reasons why I love being in a group with so many young believers is that it ignites my own fire that can become dim over years of walking with the Lord. In many ways, it is the same reason I love being around a couple who are newly married. The newness and freshness of their relationship is contagious. May this study refresh and ignite those places in your heart that God wants to speak to. The Real Goal of Bible Study Finally, women are guilty creatures. I am amazed every week at the guilt women feel if they don t get their Bible study done or skip out on coming to group. Maybe you are prone to the feeling that Bible study is another task on your list to get done in your week. Keep in mind that the goal of Bible study is to spend time with God, to learn about Him, and discover who you are in the eyes of the one who created your innermost being. It is very personal and every one of us experiences God differently. God is pursuing you every day, inviting you to say, I am available. God does not give guilt trips. However, the enemy does, and he uses it to keep you from coming each week. Pay attention to that feeling if you are having one of those weeks. My encouragement is to create time each day, as little or as much as you can, to connect with God through the weekly passage and this study resource. On the weeks that life gives you the unexpected and you can t complete your study, come to your group anyway and learn from others. You will be renewed in your faith and may find yourself motivated to get your study done the following week so you don t miss out! Don t worry if you don t complete every section or question in each lesson. Leaving blanks is okay! There are a lot of different ways to interact with God and His Word. You will discover what works best for you and how you break up the lesson each week!

7 How to Use This Study Each lesson follows the same F.A.I.T.H. format and moves through the inductive Bible study principles of observation, interpretation, and application. Focus on the Passage Admit Where You Are Interpret the Passage Take the Passage into Your Life Hear From God Focus on the Passage The Word of God is like a mirror. When we approach it, there are incredible things we will see about the character of God and about our own character. Even though these stories, teachings, parables, and letters were written over 2000 years ago, they remain applicable! Begin to see God s Word as a way to interact with Him and make connections with what is going on in your life that week. God wants us to respond to His written Word. He wants to hear our appreciation, our humility, our fears, our confusions, our anger, our hopelessness, and our questions. The questions in this section will give focus to your reading. You can respond in the margin provided for the passage each week. I use the New International Version (NIV) for the weekly passages in our study. You can find several additional Bible translations as well as a variety of Bible commentaries at Questions to ask yourself as you read a Bible passage: 1. What is going on in the passage? (who, what, where, when, why, and how) 2. What theme is the author writing about? 3. What questions do you have? 4. What word or words bring you comfort? 5. What don t you like or makes you feel uncomfortable? Why? 6. What are you thankful for? 7. Note any repeated words or themes. 8. Do you see any natural divisions in the passage?

8 I remember my first study eight years ago. For the majority of the women who showed up, it was their first ever Bible study. I asked them in advance to bring a Bible. To this day, it warms my heart to see their treasured, yet unused Bibles. Some were given to them when they were confirmed or married, others were passed down from their grandmothers, a few came in Latin, and all of them came in translations that were difficult to understand. No wonder most of them had been unused for all those years and were covered in dust! I sent them off that week to pick up a copy of the NIV Life Application Bible. I told them that their Bibles were supposed to be used, so writing in them and underlining verses was part of the process of Bible study. It s okay to mark up your Bibles. If you are in need of an updated Bible translation, I would recommend the same for you as well. Keep all the Bibles you acquire and use the different translations in your Bible study. Admit Where You Are Each weekly lesson provides questions that will help you discover your current way of thinking, spiritual understanding, and life circumstances. These questions will help you connect your own life circumstances to the spiritual truths revealed in the passage. This allows you to be raw and honest before God. Establishing your baseline of current thinking makes it possible for you to look back later and see how the Word of God has transformed you. You will be amazed. Interpret the Passage Historical Context - Look up names, places, historical events, and cultural facts. Cross Referencing - One of the ways we can begin to interpret a passage we are reading is by going into other parts of scripture to gather more insight and understanding. Definitions - Using a dictionary, Bible dictionary, or concordance, define words you want to know more about or are unsure of. Commentaries - Throughout the study I have referenced some of my favorite Bible commentators to help enrich your understanding of a passage. Greek/Hebrew The Bible was originally written in Hebrew and Greek. Knowing the origin of a word can be helpful in understanding its meaning.

9 Take This Passage into Your Life The questions vary week to week, but they focus on: 1. What have you discovered about God and His character this week? Write down what you have discovered about yourself and your need for God. 2. What specific situation, relationship, or circumstance in your life does this passage address? 3. What unbelief, wrong attitude, or rebellious behavior from your life (past or current) has been revealed? 4. What action can you now take to apply God s truth to your life? But don t just listen to God s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. James 1:22-25 (NLT) Hear from God Often when we finish up our Bible study we feel we are done. We have answered the questions and completed all the sections. However, in those quiet moments with God as we are studying and responding to our weekly text, God wants to speak to our hearts. We won t hear from Him if we don t take the time to listen to what He has to say. Sometimes our time with God is a one-way, or a my way, conversation. God wants it to be a two-way conversation, and the Hear from God questions will give you an opportunity to hear and discern God s voice through Scripture. I encourage you to use the Journey Journal at the back of this workbook to write down things you are hearing from God and learning from this study. Journey Challenge Each session there will be a verse to memorize. As you memorize these verses you will draw them into your heart and they will enrich you for the rest of your life!

10 Share with Others Take the time to think about what you have discovered from this passage that will bless your friends. What is your Big Aha about who God is and who you are in your relationship with Him? These are the weekly treasures you dig out of scripture and get to share with others. Journey Journal At the back of this book you will find blank pages you can use to journal your thoughts and questions from your study of Hebrews. You can also use these pages to write down ways you are going to apply what you are learning or even to write out your prayers. Journaling is an ancient spiritual practice that will help you remember the lessons you are learning and draw them into your heart.

11 Feel a bit lost when it comes to Bible Study? Have no fear! Have you ever been in a situation where your pastor, priest, or Bible study leader asks you to open your Bibles to some unfamiliar book in the Bible like Obadiah, Chapter 2? Quickly, you see all these people flipping the pages through their Bibles, appearing to know exactly where they re going. It can be stressful when you don t know where to turn in your Bibles. Recently, I finally took the time to understand how the Bible was put together and the purpose for each book. I also got Bible tabs, which I recommend. My point is, don t wait to discover the beauty and order of such an amazing book. Start today! For so many years when it came to reading the Bible, I usually read from the New Testament. I found it easier to understand and loved the applications I could use in my everyday life. I rarely found myself in the Old Testament, except when reading Proverbs or the Psalms. How could stories in the Old Testament written well over 2000 years ago relate to me today? There are so many rules, wars, crazy sins, and characters to follow, and God seemed angry and distant. The problem was that the Bible was not written for spectators, but for participants. I had been reading much of the Bible as a spectator, at times judging the actions of Israel or key characters in the Bible. How could Abraham lie to Pharaoh and tell him his wife was his sister? Or I can t believe Israel continues to complain and be bitter towards God The Bible is the greatest after all He s done for them. Or I can t believe Eve bit the love story ever told, and apple when God gave her everything. What s up with that? each book reveals in When you read the Old Testament as history, i.e. that was back different ways how then and this is now, then you miss the whole point. God has significant we are to God. something very important to tell us and He used a small group of people, Israel, to reveal Himself to us, and to reveal how hopeless and sinful we are apart from Him. It hasn t been until recently that all the pieces of the puzzle came together to show me what the Bible is all about. The Bible is the greatest love story ever told, and each book reveals in different ways how significant we are to God and the plan He revealed from the very beginning so that we could be in a restored relationship with Him. The following pages are a quick summary of every book in both the Old and New testaments. You will see themes, patterns, order, and spiritual truths. Begin reading the Bible as a story. There is a setting, characters, plot, climax, and conclusion. As you learn to identify each part of the biblical story, you will gain a clearer understanding of how you fit into it. For those of you new to Bible Study, I have put together some brief notes on the Bible, the benefits of studying the Bible, and how to get started with your Hebrews Study!

12 Lesson One Philippians 1:1-11 Joy in Being an Encourager Focus on the Passage Feel free to underline phrases that are meaningful to you and make notes in the space provided. 1 1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God s grace with me. As you read, ask yourself 1. Pray and ask God to open your mind and heart. Invite the Holy Spirit into your study. 2. Read the passage two to three times. 3. Jot down questions you have in the margins. 4. Underline words that are important to you or bring you comfort. 5. What don t you like or what makes you feel uncomfortable? Write your response in margins. 6. What do you want to better understand? Use a Bible dictionary and define words in the margin. An online Bible dictionary can be found at BibleGateway.com. 7. Note any repeated words or themes. 8. Do you see any natural divisions in the passage?

13 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

14 Admit Where You Are 1. Define joy in your own words. How is it different than happiness? 2. List things in your life that give you joy right now? 3. What are the thieves robbing you of joy right now? Do you often find yourself waiting for those difficulties to be removed from your life before you can be joyful? Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day. Henri Nouwen 4. Do you consider yourself a spiritually minded person? Why or why not? 5. What is true Christian fellowship? 6. Why is forgiveness one of the most difficult but significant evidences of genuine love between Christians? 7. How can praying for other Christians improve our fellowship with them? 8. Are you able to be grateful for the circumstances of others even when you are in a place of difficulty?

15 Interpret the Passage Through this letter to the Philippians, Paul provides an incredible model on how to be an encouragement to others. We don t have to wait to be in a good place to do it either. Not only is encouragement good for others, but God also does things within our own hearts when we encourage others. As Paul wrote this letter to the Philippians, his own heart was encouraged as he remembered the friendships and the history he had with this church. 1. Looking at Philippians 1:1-12, identify key facts about the who, what, where, when and why of this passage. I believe God, through His Spirit, grants us love, joy, and peace no matter what is happening in our lives. As Christians, we shouldn't expect our joy to always feel like happiness, but instead recognize joy as inner security a safeness in our life with Christ. Jill Briscoe 2. Using a Bible dictionary define sanctification. Who does the work of sanctification in our hearts to make us more like Christ? What is our role? (An online Bible dictionary can be found at BibleGateway.com. 3. Often the best way to influence someone is to pray for them, especially those who live far away. Write out Paul s prayer in Philippians 1:9-11. What do you learn about what to pray for others? What is the focus of Paul s prayer? Are there people in your life who would benefit from this prayer? Who? Go back to Philippians 1:9-11 and insert their names and pray accordingly.

16 4. In Philippians 1:11, Paul prays that the Philippians will be filled with the fruit of righteousness (NIV). What do you think the fruit of righteousness is? 5. Read Galatians 5: What does this add to your understanding of what the fruit of righteousness looks like? 6. How does being fruitful bring joy? 7. Read Philippians 1:12. Paul is referring to his imprisonment in this verse. In what ways might his difficult circumstances serve to advance the Gospel? Do you think Paul understood how his imprisonment would advance the Gospel? What did he focus on instead of his bad situation? 8. Paul reveals the secret to joy in the first 12 verses of this letter. Go back through and find examples for the following: Being other s focused. Being grateful for all things. Happiness depends on happenings. Joy depends on Christ!

17 Being trusting of the ways the Lord is completing you. Being in God s Word. Being in prayer. Take This Passage into Your Life 1. Paul loves the Philippians with Jesus affection. How would your life or attitude change this week if you were fully convinced that God loves you because He enjoys you? Pain is inevitable, but misery is optional. We cannot avoid pain, but we can avoid joy. Tim Hansel 2. The disenchantment of our own abilities is, perhaps, one of the most important things that can ever happen to us. Do you agree? Why or why not? 3. I ve heard a saying that goes like this: The will of God will never take you to where the grace of God cannot protect you. Do you find yourself in a season or situation where your circumstances seem beyond what you can handle? How might God be using your places of difficulty to reveal to you that apart from Him you can t handle much, but when you are dependent on God, He can handle it all?

18 4. Turn to your Journey Journal and write to the Lord those things that seem overwhelming and out of your control. By faith, claim that God is sovereign and knows exactly what He is doing in your life. Practice shifting your eyes off your circumstances and onto the Lord this week. He is so much easier to look at. 5. Spend a few minutes in prayer surrendering those things, people, or circumstances that are keeping you focused on yourself. Ask God to help you remember that with His help, you can begin to see your life through His eyes again. 6. Despite Paul s dreadful circumstances, he focuses outward by taking his eyes off himself. He doesn t ask the Philippians to pray for him and his situation but instead he prays for them. Why might this practice be helpful for us as well? 7. Reach out to a friend in your Faith Journey group and ask for prayer that you would keep your focus upward instead of outward this week. 8. If you find yourself in a season of great difficulty, is there any encouragement to be found from Paul s example in Philippians 1:1-12 that you can apply to your week? 9. Psalm 68:3 says, But let the righteous be joyful. Let them exult before God. Let them be jubilant with joy (NRSV). Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are. Take some time to shout out to God all you are grateful for today. As you spend time in your car, exercising, folding laundry, or working, look, see, feel, and taste all the gifts God has given specifically to you.

19 10. How can Philippians 1:1-11 prepare you for an unexpected crisis? What is your biblical game plan in the event of an emergency in your faith journey? 11. Take the time to think about what you have discovered from this passage that will bless your friends. What is your Big Aha about who God is and who you are in your relationship with Him? These are the weekly treasures you dig out of scripture and get to share with others! Hear from God God wants to speak with you through Philippians 1:1-11. Meditating on the following questions will give you the opportunity to listen as God speaks to your heart. 1. How is God speaking to me through this passage? This is the secret of joy. We shall no longer strive for our own way; but commit ourselves, easily and simply, to God's way, acquiesce in His will, and in so doing find our peace. Anonymous 2. What promise do I need to claim? 3. What is something I can thank God for? Take some time to give thanks. 4. How is God convicting me to change? Is there a sin I need to confess to Him or others? 5. Who is God prompting me to pray for in response to this week s study?

20 Journey Challenge Each lesson you will be encouraged to let God s word dwell in your hearts by memorizing an encouraging verse from the passage being studied. If you practice memorizing this verse a few times a day, you ll have it memorized by the time you meet with your Faith Journey group! This week memorize Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Joy on the face of a Christian is how we show the world what Christ looks like!

21 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Lisa Thompson has been a Christ follower for thirty five years. She is passionate about reaching and encouraging women in all faith places to be transformed through an active and authentic study of God s Word. As founder of Faith Journey Women s Bible Studies, her heart is to meet women where they are at, disciple them, and send them out to start their own Faith Journey groups. Lisa wanted to bring the women in her neighborhood together to build authentic fellowship and study the Word of God. The women who came at Lisa s invitation were from many walks of faith or had no faith at all. Together, they went on a faith journey and God did amazing things in their lives. Out of that group, Faith Journey Women s Bible Studies was begun. It has grown and continues to spread as more and more women use Lisa s Bible studies to start neighborhood groups of their own Lisa has written eight Faith Journey Bible studies with more to come. She also speaks at women s events and retreats, and is passionate about equipping leaders to go into the world and share the Good News of Jesus with the disconnected and hopeless. Lisa has been married to her husband Robb for 21 years, they have four children, and call Folsom, California home.

22 HEBREWS: The Faithful Woman A 12-week Faith Journey Bible study As Christian women, we can waver and be tempted to slip in our walk with Christ. After all, it s easy to drift towards values and lifestyles that the majority of people around us endorse. But there s hope! Through this insightful study you and your friends will find encouragement and confidence to live differently as you continue in your faith journey with Jesus. As Hebrews will prove, life is better with Christ. Order at