Discovering the Joy of Jesus

Ministries Stonecroft

Description

This easy-to-use study for small groups and individuals reveals the Bible's book of joy. The apostle Paul's words in the book of Philippians share the secret of joy--a life centered in Jesus Christ.Open-ended discussion questions, Bible passages, and helpful explanations and applications point readers to the godly characteristic of joy, which is sharing in God's life--a quality that transcends happiness based on circumstances.About This Series: Stonecroft Bible Studies encourage people to know God and grow in His love through exploration of His life-transforming Word, the Bible. Each book is designed for both seekers and new believers and includes easy-to-understand explanations and applications of Bible passages and study questions.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• New Testament

Informations

• Publié par: Harvest House Publishers, Inc.
• Date de parution: 01 août 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780736955683
• Langue: English

Extrait

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Verses marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
Verses marked AMP are taken from The Amplified Bible, Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Used by permission. ( www.Lockman.org )
Cover by Koechel Peterson Associates, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota
Cover photo iStockphoto / Thinkstock
DISCOVERING THE JOY OF JESUS
Stonecroft Bible Studies
Copyright 2013 by Stonecroft Ministries, Inc.
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
ISBN 978-0-7369-5567-6 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-0-7369-5568-3 (eBook)
All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The authorized purchaser has been granted a non-transferable, non-exclusive, and non-commercial right to access and view this electronic publication and agrees to do so only in accordance with the terms of use under which it was purchased or transmitted. Participation in or encouragement of piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of author s and publisher s rights is strictly prohibited.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Welcome to Stonecroft Bible Studies!
Introduction
1. The Church of Philippi
Philippians 1:1-11
2. Joy in the Midst of Suffering
Philippians 1:12-30
3. Joyful Attitudes
Philippians 2:1-11
4. Sharing Christian Joy
Philippians 2:12-30
5. Joy in Christ s Righteousness
Philippians 3:1-11
6. Joy in God s Will
Philippians 3:12-21
7. Peace and Joy in Christ
Philippians 4:1-9
8. Joy in Christ s Strength
Philippians 4:10-23
9. Joy in Practical Living
Review of Philippians 1-4
Know God
Who Is Stonecroft?
Books for Further Study
Stonecroft Resources
Contact Stonecroft
Abundant Life Bible
Notes
Acknowledgments
Stonecroft wishes to acknowledge and thank Janice Mayo Mathers for her dedication in serving the Lord through Stonecroft. Speaker, author, and member of the Board of Directors, Jan is the primary author of revised Stonecroft Bible Studies. We appreciate her love for God s Word and her love for people who need Him. Special thanks goes to the team who prayed for Jan, and those who edited, designed, and offered their creative input to make these studies accessible to all. Stonecroft is also grateful to Lucille Sollenberger, who is now with the Lord she loved and served, for the original development of this study.
Welcome to Stonecroft Bible Studies!
I t doesn t matter where you ve been or what you ve done God wants to be in relationship with you. And one place He tells you about Himself is in His Word-the Bible. Whether the Bible is familiar or new to you, its contents will transform your life and bring answers to your biggest questions.
Gather with people in your communities-women, men, couples, young and old alike-and find out together how the Bible s book of Philippians reveals joy, which is a quality of life that goes beyond everyday events and happenings, whether good or bad. You ll see how joy is closely connected with sharing the life of Jesus Christ.
Each chapter of Discovering the Joy of Jesus includes discussion questions to stir up meaningful conversation, specific Scripture verses to investigate, and time for prayer to connect with God and each other.
Discover more of God and His ways through this small-group exploration of the Bible.
Tips for Using This Study
This book has several features that make it easy to use and helpful for your life:
The page number or numbers given after every Bible reference are keyed to the page numbers in the Abundant Life Bible . This paperback Bible uses the New Living Translation, a translation in straightforward, up-to-date language. We encourage you to obtain a copy through your group leader or at stonecroft.org .
Please make this book and study your own. We encourage you to use it and mark it in any way that helps you grow in your relationship with God!
If you find this study helpful, you may want to investigate other resources from Stonecroft. Please take a look at Stonecroft Resources in the back of the book or online at stonecroft.org/store .
stonecroft.org
Introduction
H appiness . It s what everyone seeks and seldom finds. The most outstanding quality of happiness seems to be its elusiveness-or its brevity. Perhaps it s because of a mistaken sense of what happiness consists of. Or maybe the expectations surrounding it are too high. Happiness is like an itchy spot in the middle of your back. It s just out of your reach, and no one else can quite scratch the right spot for you.
The good news is that there is a solution to the elusiveness of happiness. It s found in the book of Philippians. The author of the book is a man named Paul, who lived during the first century.
Saul-the name by which Paul was known during the first part of his life-was a well-educated, devout Jew who was also a Pharisee. Pharisees were a strict religious group that rigorously adhered to the Law of Moses (found in the first five books of the Old Testament) and the more than 600 other laws that religious leaders had tacked on down through the centuries.
Saul did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God. In fact, he actively sought out followers of Jesus in order to harass them, arrest them, and have them beaten or worse. Then one day, as he was traveling from Jerusalem to Damascus, he had a remarkable encounter with Jesus, and his life was radically changed. You can read this remarkable story in Acts 9:1-19 (pages 837-838).
After his life-changing experience, Saul became known as Paul. And once Paul was convinced that Jesus was the Son of God, he became as committed to following Jesus as he had been to being a Pharisee. His entire life from that point on was devoted to telling others about the life-changing power of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He willingly turned his back on the life he had known in order to become a missionary, traveling continually to spread the Gospel.
His first journey as a missionary took him from Antioch, Syria to Cyprus and other cities in what is now Turkey. He was accompanied by a man named Barnabas. Wherever they traveled, they preached salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
On Paul s second missionary journey, he and his companions visited groups of believers who had been converted on his first journey. They also traveled to Macedonia (the northern part of Greece), where the city of Philippi was located. The first church located in Europe was established there. Read Acts 16:11-15 (page 845) to learn about the first believers in that church.
The city of Philippi had been founded by King Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great. It was located about ten miles inland from the Aegean Sea and was in a strategic position on the Egnatian Way, the major east-west Roman highway through Macedonia. The city s greatest fame came in 42 BC, when Antony and Octavian (who later became Caesar Augustus) defeated Brutus and Cassius. As a result, Philippi became a Roman colony and obtained special privileges. The city s inhabitants consisted of Thracians, Greeks, Romans, and some Jews.
The book of Philippians is actually a letter Paul wrote to the Christians living in Philippi. It is perhaps the most personal of all Paul s letters to the various churches in existence then, and it revealed his strong personal attachment to the people of that church. They had strong affection for him as well, prayerfully and financially supporting his endeavors. As he wrote, Paul had only praise for them and thankfulness to God for this group of believers.
His purpose was to encourage them in the midst of the very challenging times they were experiencing. He wanted to instruct them on how to experience joy even in their difficulties. What is remarkable about this letter is that Paul was writing it from prison. He was experiencing his own extremely challenging circumstances, but you will not find sadness or discouragement in his words.
In this book Paul urges Christians to follow his example, showing us how we can experience a level of abiding joy that defies logic-a joy not at all dependent on our circumstances-as we embrace the transforming power of Jesus Christ. The study of Philippians can be life altering for you if you will open your heart to what God wants to teach you. I look forward to sharing the journey with you.
1
The Church of Philippi
Philippians 1:1-11
M y uncle and aunt s relationship was a sterling example of what marriage was meant to be. As a young child I was drawn to their home, enchanted by the joy I felt there. As a teenager, I watched them closely, wanting to understand what was different about their relationship so I could find the same for myself when the time was right. As a young woman in love, I asked my aunt, who d been married for some 30 years by then, Do you still get excited when he holds your hand? She assured me that she did.
As their sixty-fifth anniversary approached I asked her how they were going to celebrate. She told me it was their habit to always go to a new spot not too far away, since they weren t travelers. They always sought out a new place along the river near their home or a different meadow on a different mountain peak close by. Sometimes they d go to a new cafe in a neighboring community, but they always fou