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Philippians Small Group Questions Lesson 1 (Philippians 1:12-19)

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Philippians Small Group Questions Lesson 1 (Philippians 1:12-19) Philippians Small Group Questions Lesson 1 (Philippians 1:12-19) Background Paul is on his second missionary journey when he and Silas feel led by the Spirit to make their way to the city of Philippi, a Roman colony in the district of Macedonia. It is in Philippi that they meet Lydia, who is a merchant of expensive cloth. She listens to the message that Paul is preaching about Jesus and accepts Christ as her personal savior. She shares her newfound faith with her family members, and the result is that they are all baptized. Not everyone, however, appreciates the message of the gospel in Philippi. After Paul casts a demon out of a girl who is used as a fortune teller, her masters, realizing that they have now lost their source of income, have Paul and Silas arrested, severely beaten, and thrown into prison. The beating and imprisonment don’t deter Paul and Silas from worshiping God. In spite of the apparent roadblock in sharing their faith, they begin to pray and sing hymns to God. Suddenly an earthquake takes place and the doors of the prison open wide. Paul and Silas do not run, but instead stay and share the gospel with the jailer who must have been listening to their prayers and songs. The end result is that the jailer’s entire family is baptized that evening. The gospel continues to spread in spite of difficulties and persecution. The first church in Europe is born – it is the church at Philippi. (To help provide background of Paul’s relationship to the Church at Philippi you can read the exciting story of how this church began in Acts chapter 16:11-40) Paul writes the letter to the Philippians 10 to 12 years after he first shared the gospel message in Philippi. Paul is in jail, likely in Rome, when he writes this letter. This time, however, there are no earthquakes to open the doors, but the opportunities to spread the gospel still abound. Joy in Sharing Jesus (Philippians 1:12-19) And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. (Philippians 1:12, NLT) ​ 1. Paul uses the term brothers and sisters. What does that description indicate about Paul’s feelings for the church at Philippi? 2. Do you think this description should apply to believers in all churches? What are some things that prevent believers from experiencing an intimate level of fellowship with each other? 3. How has the COVID-19 virus hindered your fellowship with other believers? How could you initiate and nurture fellowship during this challenging time? 4. Paul is writing from prison. He is chained 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to a guard. What does Paul see as a positive about his captivity? 5. Why is it difficult to find positive feelings when we are going through a very difficult trial or situation? What do you think was Paul’s secret? For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. (Philippians 1:13, NLT) ​ 6. How does the whole palace guard know that Paul is a Christian? Wouldn’t it be dangerous to share your faith with those who are guarding you? What compels Paul to share his faith? Paul is convinced: a. That Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. b. That Jesus Christ was crucified and then rose from the dead. c. That the Gospel message about Jesus must be shared with others since Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear. (Philippians 1:14, NLT) ​ 7. Why do you think Paul’s imprisonment has helped other believers living in Rome to share the Gospel with others? 8. If Paul was arrested for his faith in Christ, why aren’t they afraid of being arrested? It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice. (Philippians 1:15–18, NLT) ​ Now read the same passage from the Message version of the Bible: It’s true that some here preach Christ because with me out of the way, they think they’ll step right into the spotlight. But the others do it with the best heart in the world. One group is motivated by pure love, knowing that I am here defending the Message, wanting to help. The others, now that I’m out of the picture, are merely greedy, hoping to get something out of it for themselves. Their motives are bad. They see me as their competition, and so the worse it goes for me, the better—they think—for them. So how am I to respond? I’ve decided that I really don’t care about their motives, whether mixed, bad, or indifferent. Every time one of them opens his mouth, Christ is proclaimed, so I just cheer them on! And I’m going to keep that celebration going (Philippians 1:15–18, The Message) 9. Paul describes two groups in Rome that are sharing the gospel. What are the differences between the two groups according to Paul? 10. Even though these two groups have different motives, what does Paul say is the result that outweighs the motives? (verse 18) Why do you think this makes Paul rejoice? 11. Have there been times when you have found yourself critical of the motives or methods of other Christians or churches? What do you think Paul’s advice would be to you when you feel this way? 12. What is one take away for you in this section of Scripture (Philippians 1:12-18)? Please take a few minutes to share your prayer requests and pray together. .
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