Philippians 2:19-30 Study Guide: Joy filled Christian Community
Community Group Study Guide — Joy Filled Christian Community
Philippians 2:19-30
Study Information:
Every relationship has a center of gravity that subtly defines what connects them together. Just think of the various group message threads you’re part of. You likely have one for family, another for your bible study group and another one for a hobby or interest like fantasy football or some tv show you’re connected around. We’re often brought into relationship with others around shared common interests. These interest grow or change over time and can often be tested by the various dividing lines created by our world. When you think about the relationships you have that are really life giving and durable, our hope is that your relationships in the church would be those. Paul’s admonition towards unity in the body of Christ is clearest in Philippians 1:27 where he wrote “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, (ESV)” Because of our restoration and forgiveness in Christ we’re called to stand firm in one spirit, in one mind, striving side by side for the sake of the gospel.
In Philippians 2:19-30, Paul put forth two examples in Timothy and Epaphroditus of what gospel fellowship looked like with a call to the church to model and honor them. The word fellowship is translated in Philippians as “partnership” meaning a common commitment to promote, defend and live by the gospel in our Christian lives (Phil 1:5, 4:15). What we see in Timothy and Epaphroditus is the example of Christ from Philippians 2:1-11 lived out and in that we get a picture of the foundation of Christian community.
Foundation 1: Genuine Concern
Philippians 2:19-20
Timothy was a model of what it meant to be others centered and part of a joy filled Christian community. Paul to the church that he planned to send Timothy to Philippi after he had some conclusion about how his trial would turn out so that the Philippians would be at peace about Paul’s situation and so that Paul could be cheered by news of the church. Timothy was the obvious choice for Paul because he “had no one like him” who showed genuine concern for the Philippians. Timothy was not just the only one around, he was “like Paul” in his affection for the church. Paul used a play on words with the word “cheer” and “like him,” the word “like him” is actually the word “like-soul’d” and the word cheer has the same root for the word “soul” in it. Basically Paul was saying just as I want to be uplifted by the news of you, so too Timothy is “like soul’d” in his care for you. When we read about the founding of the church in Philippi in Acts 16 we actually get the call of Timothy to be part of Paul’s missionary team. One of the first places Timothy got to visit and see God’s powerful work was the founding of the church of Philippi. Timothy loved this church and thought about their needs with genuine sincerity and in doing so modeled what love looks like in the church.
Foundation 2: Pursuing the Interests of Christ
Philippians 2:21
Genuine concern looks a lot like considering the needs of others and the gospel. Part of Timothy’s value is that he was not like all those around Paul who sought their own needs (Phil 1:15-17, 2:21). To consider the needs of others is to consider the needs of Christ and is a way we participate in the loving kindness that God showed us on the cross (Phil 2:1-11). Imagine a church were everyone considered their own needs only. What kind of place would that be like? Would that kind of church be filled with joy, service and a common pursuit of holiness? No! It would be an every person for themselves kind of place where people were using one another to get ahead with their own agenda. Rather than being committed to Christ and the gospel, people would each build their own little kingdoms and competition would reign. What would it be like to be part of a church where everyone considered the needs of Christ? It would be a slice of heaven. That kind of church would be a place of grace and truth.
Foundation 3: Serving in the Gospel
Philippians 2:22-24
Timothy was not just committed to being kind or nice, he was committed to serving in the gospel. Relationships in the church are different than relationships in the world because our connection is not about shared interest, experience or stage of life; our relationships inherently consider Christ and the goals of Christ in our connection. Phil 1:27 talked about how our unity was built on a striving side by side in the gospel and Paul wrote that Timothy had proven his worth in this area. To be proven means that Timothy was tested and found faithful. To be committed to serving in the gospel means that we’re committed to sharing the news about Jesus and we’re committed to sharing our lives with one another so that we can grow in Christ. We’re living in a remarkable time where the word of God can spread quickly and we’re especially seeing a time where people are more and more interested in spiritual things. You might not feel equipped to talk about Jesus, but do not let that stop you because the power does not rest on you, it rests on God! And moreover, this is an invitation to joy filled Christian community in that you are invited to have relationships where the gravitational center is a commitment to see one another fight sin and grow in holiness. In Christian community we can be like sandpaper and smooth out one another’s rough edges to help each other become more and more like Christ.
Foundation 4: Sacrifice
Philippians 2:25-30
The second example Paul used was a man named Epaphroditus who was the one that delivered the gift from the Philippians to Paul. Likely Epaphroditus traveled with a handful of people since traveling with a lot of money in the ancient world was dangerous. Somewhere along the way, or while in Rome, Epaphroditus got sick with an illness that would have normally killed him and the group he traveled with brought back news of his illness. That news created anxiety and worry in the Philippian church and they likely had gone for months and months without word of how he was doing. Likewise, Epaphroditus was anxious about the Philippians being anxious about his illness! We do not think of it much but in the ancient world illness often led to death and it was a mercy from God that he did not die (Phil 2:27, 30).
We do not know much about Epaphroditus apart from his commitment to love and serve Paul even at the cost of his own health and life. Paul tells us to receive such people with joy and to honor them (Phil 2:29). To be part of a meaningful Christian community we will be given opportunities to show up in one another’s lives and it will require service and sacrifice but in the process we get to minister to one another’s needs and to model the love of God.
At your community group:
Take 15-20 minutes to share about how God has been at work in your life, prayer concerns and pray for one another.
How did God speak to you through the scripture and the sermon this week?
Discussion Questions:
Read Philippians 2:19-30
How are Timothy and Epaphroditus used as examples of Paul’s teaching from Philippians 2:1-4 and 2:12-18?
What are some ways that Timothy was others centered in his life and ministry? Who was Epaphroditus and what role did he play in the story behind the book of Philippians?
What do you think it would be like to be part of a church where everyone considered only their own needs and not the interest of Jesus? How does the gospel (the teaching about our redemption in Christ) push us to consider the needs of others?
What are some ways you’ve experienced joy filled Christian community? How has God used that to help you grow in your faith and holiness?
