YOUTHWOR K S BIBLE S T UDY S ERI ES
N ew TE STA M E N T
Philippians
The secret of contentment
Louisa Pfitzner
First published January 2004 Revised edition published January 2012 Anglican Youthworks PO Box A287, Sydney South NSW 1235 Ph: 612 8268 3344 Fax: 612 8268 3357 www.cepstore.com.au Copyright © Youthworks Press 2012 This book is copyright. Apart from fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without the written permission of the Publisher. Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. National Library of Australia ISBN 978–1–922000–19–4 Author – Louisa Pfitzner Editor, First edition – Julie Moser Managing Editor, Revised edition – Julie Firmstone Theological Editor – Marshall Ballantine-Jones Typesetting and design – Rebecca Jee
Introducing Philippians Did you know this book of the Bible is a letter? It was written by Paul to a group of Christians living in a city called Philippi. Philippi was an important city in Greek Macedonia. (Take a moment to see if you can find Philippi or Greece on a map.) People living in Philippi were called Philippians. Paul went on journeys to cities around the Mediterranean Sea (including cities in Italy, Greece, Turkey, Syria and Lebanon) telling people about Jesus. Often the people Paul met had never heard about Jesus. You can read about the first time that Paul visited Philippi in Acts 16:11−40. About ten years later Paul wrote this letter to his friends in Philippi. Paul was writing from Rome, where he was under house arrest. He was there with Timothy who brought the letter to the Philippians. He wrote to thank the Philippians for the gifts they’d sent him, and to encourage them to continue being Christians. In this letter, Paul talked a lot about the joy that comes from being in a relationship with God (the words ‘joy’, ‘rejoice’ or variations of these words can be found 16 times in this letter—see if you can find them all). This is surprising since life for Paul was tough. At various times he had been beaten, shipwrecked and had stones thrown at him (2 Corinthians 11:23−28) and at this point he was imprisoned for being a Christian. See if by the end of these studies you can work out why Paul was so joyful even in such a rough situation. Paul also emphasised his partnership with the Philippians in telling other people the good news about Jesus (the gospel). Notice as you read Philippians how many times Paul talked about ‘partnership’, ‘fellow workers’, ‘sharing’, ‘with you’, ‘with me’, etc. He wrote to encourage the Philippians to keep going in this partnership and not to give up following Jesus, even if it made life hard. Louisa Pfitzner
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For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21
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Paul’s prayers
Philippians 1:1–11
Philippians is a letter that Paul wrote to the believers in Philippi. They had come to believe in Jesus after Paul had visited them and told them all about him (Acts 16:11−40). At this point, Paul wrote from his house where he was imprisoned to thank them for a gift they sent him and to urge them to live a life that showed that they were followers of Jesus.
Share What are some things you are thankful to God for?
What is one prayer to which you would most like God to answer ‘yes’?
When are the times that you pray the most?
Read Philippians 1:1−11 From these verses, how did Paul feel about the Philippians?
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Paul prayed two kinds of prayers in this passage, one starts at verse 3 and the other at verse 9.
A prayer of thanks (verses 3−8) List the things that Paul thanked God for in this section.
What kind of relationship did Paul have with the Philippians?
Write the name of someone who supports you as a Christian. In what ways do they support you as a Christian? (Make sure that you thank God for them!)
Write down some different ways in which you can encourage your Christian friends.
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A prayer of requests (verses 9–11) What did Paul ask God to give the Philippians?
What was Paul’s hope for the Philippians in his prayer?
How can you encourage your friends to keep going as Christians?
You and your prayers What are the similarities and differences between Paul’s prayers and yours? (Think about your answers to the sharing questions at the beginning of this study.)
How can you imitate Paul’s prayers in the way that you pray?
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Pray Copy the pattern of Paul’s prayers. Thank God for: • some of his many blessings to you (especially for the person who most encourages and supports you as a Christian). Ask God that: • your Christian friends would keep going as Christians. • their love might grow. • their ability to make good decisions might grow.
Take away Read Acts 16:11−40 to find out how Paul met the Philippians.
Memory verse For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21 What does this verse mean?
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