Born from the conversions of a demon-possessed slave girl and a jailer’s family, the church at Philippi received some of Paul’s highest praise and most inspirational charges. Paul’s letter to this Philippian church could also be classified as one of the most joyful letters in the Bible. Themes of gratefulness, rejoicing, and contentment flow from Paul in Philippians. Yet the epistle also has some strong exhortations, where Paul urges the Philippians to live lives worthy of the gospel, to imitate Christ in humility and service, and to pursue sanctification and holiness with relentless vigor. The apostle urges the Philippians to imitate the humility of Christ. Arrogance and self-centeredness have no place in the Christian life, rather we are to put on the humility and servant-heart of Christ, who humiliated and lowered himself through the incarnation and crucifixion. God ultimately exalted Christ to the highest of places, for God opposes and hates the proud, but gives grace to and raises up the humble.
This booklet is designed for personal and small group Bible studies and can also be used in conjunction with the corresponding podcast episodes for further discussion.