The Choice to Rejoice

Philippians:

The Choice to Rejoice

Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians under less than ideal circumstances: he was in prison—a place that begets pain, loneliness and anxiety. Yet this letter reverberates with joy: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4) In fact, the apostle employs the word “joy” eighteen times in this four-chapter book!

The book of Philippians is shorter than the average Time Magazine cover story. You can read through it in about twenty minutes. Maybe you already know tidbits such as these: “For me to live is Christ, to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21) or “I can do all things through Christ” (Philippians 4:13). But making the book’s key themes—joy, fellowship and unity in Christ—part of our lived experience will take longer than twenty minutes. That’s why our pastors will be preaching from Philippians this summer. Here is the lineup:

June 12 – Enjoying the People in Your Life (Philippians 1:3–11)

June 19 – Being Joyful No Matter What (Philippians 1:12–26)

June 26 – How to Have Unity with Others (Philippians 2:1–4)

July 3 – The Journey to Joy (Philippians 2:5–11)

July 10 – Making Your Life Count (Philippians 2:19–30)

July 17 – A Rubbish Sale (Philippians 3:1–11)

July 24 – Winning Over Worry (Philippians 4:1–10)

Our Sunday Morning Adult Bible Study will consist of an overview of Philippians. We will then take up important sections of the letter that will not be covered in the sermons. These studies begin on June 5.

Don’t miss these opportunities to expand, deepen, broaden and widen your joy!