Philippians series 2023

October 6, 2023
thelakes
Series

Philippians

Living for Christ

The Apostle Paul writes his letter to the Philippians from prison. And even though there is a lot he could complain about, his life and letter are full of joy. Philippians is the most encouraging and joyful letter in the whole Bible. Paul ’s struggles have become his greatest teachers. He has learned to depend on the one who gives him strength. He has learned to have joy and contentment, no matter what he is facing. And, most of all, he has learnt to model his life after the example, teaching and love of Jesus Christ.

In this series we’ll learn how we can have our attitudes and entire lives transformed by Jesus. No matter what you are facing, no matter what pressure you’re under, no matter how divided your loyalties are, you’ll be encouraged, inspired and challenged to live for Christ. Join us on Sundays for this five week series and journal along as we read Philippians together.

In this series we invite you to take a ’S.O.A.P.’ journal and dig deeper into Philippians during the week. SOAP is a simple way of writing down a ‘Scripture’ that stands out to you from the passage, an ‘Observation’ of what God is saying to you from that passage, an ‘Application’ of how you can apply it today and a ‘Prayer’ asking God to help you use what you’ve learned.

You can pick up a printed journal for free on Sundays.

You can download a digital version of the journal here (as a PDF or Word document), or scroll down to copy and paste it from this page.

Each Sunday we’ll explore something from the verses in Philippians that we will be reading and journalling about in the coming week. We’ll also hear from a different person each Sunday about their experience with the SOAP journal. We will provide printed and digital journals.

This series begins on Sunday 5th November 2023.

Group discussion questions for each week

1. Have each person share something from their journalling in the past week.
2. Read together the passage for the week in Philippians.
3. What does this passage teach us about the things in our lives that compete with Christ (i.e. worry, unforgiveness, other people or things we are devoted to?
4. What does this passage teach us about living for Christ?
5. What is one thing you can do to live differently for Christ?

Philippians digital journal

PHILIPPIANS | APOSTLE PAUL | AD 61-62

What you are about to read is a two thousand year old letter, penned by the Apostle Paul and inspired by the Holy Spirit. Despite being tied up with chains and locked in prison, Paul wrote the most encouraging and joyful letter to the church in Philippi. His words will challenge and inspire you to live for Jesus Christ, no matter what you are facing.

We discover the beginning of God’s work in the city of Philippi by reading Acts 16. God led Paul and his companions there through a dream. When they arrived in town they met Lydia, a businesswoman, and later a fortune-telling slave girl. These women were so profoundly changed by their encounter with the good news of Jesus that the whole city was disrupted. Paul and Silas were thrown into prison, but God miraculously set them free and they introduced the prison guard and his whole family to Jesus.

Years later, when Paul was in prison in another city for a much longer stretch, he wrote to his dear friends in Philippi. Even though he was in prison because of his faith it only made his commitment to Jesus stronger. With joy and encouragement he wrote to help the Philippians, and you and I, live for Christ.

HOW TO JOURNAL USING S.O.A.P

Items needed for each day:

1. The Bible App (www.bible.com) or a physical Bible to read the passage in Philippians.
2. Something to tap out your thoughts using S.O.A.P. (the Notes app, a Word document, etc)

S – SCRIPTURE (Which verse stood out to you?)

Open your Bible to the reading for the day. Read it, think about it and allow God to speak to you. Look for a verse or a phrase that particularly spoke to you and write it down.

O – OBSERVATION (What is God saying to you?)

What do you notice from this scripture? What do you think God is saying to you from it? Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and reveal Jesus to you.

A – APPLICATION (How can you apply it today?)

Personalise what you have read by asking how it applies to your life right now. Perhaps it is instruction, encouragement, a new promise, or correction for a particular area of your life. Write down how this scripture can apply to you today.

P – PRAYER (Ask God to help you use what you’ve learned)

This can be as simple as asking God to help you use this scripture, or it may be a prayer for greater insight on what he is revealing to you. Remember, prayer is a two-way conversation, so be sure to listen to what God has to say! Now, write it out.

COPY AND PASTE THIS OUTLINE INTO YOUR JOURNAL EACH WEEK

SUNDAY
DATE:
SPEAKER:
SERMON TITLE:
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE:
SERMON NOTES:

MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, FRIDAY
DATE:
TIME:
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE:
S – SCRIPTURE:
O – OBSERVATION:
A – APPLICATION:
P – PRAYER:

THE READING PLAN