Horizons — Finding Our Joy in Christ, Philippians 4

Finding resilience, joy and our identity in Jesus Christ
Rhashell D. Hunter’s Horizons Bible Study
Lesson 6: Finding Our Joy in Christ, Philippians 4:1-23

In anxious times like ours, with much turmoil and bad news, is it possible to “rejoice in the Lord always?” This is what the Apostle Paul encourages the Philippian house church to do, despite Paul being in prison and with internal and external threats to the young Christian faith. There are clues in the letter
about how joy in Christ is possible.

Paul begins his letter with thanksgiving for their sharing in the work of the gospel. It is a sharing of oneself, meals, financial support, laughter and hardship. The Philippians and Paul have stood side by side working, like folk filling bags at a food pantry, each doing their part in the assembly line. They have been Paul’s emotional and spiritual support during his imprisonment in Philippi and in his current incarceration. 

Partnership in the gospel is a theme throughout Philippians. There are times when we have shared deeply with other people in partnership in the gospel. We have formed lasting friendships with young people in youth ministry. We have walked with families in grief and visited those who can no longer get to worship. We have repaired and built homes in impoverished neighborhoods and taken mission trips to see our colleagues in developing countries. We have matured together through in-depth, soul-renewing and reforming Bible study. Such partnerships bind us together in significant ways. For Paul, remembering his Philippian friends prompts him to rejoice in God and in them.

Partnerships are not without conflict. In Philippi, Euodia and Syntyche, two women who are co-workers with Paul in spreading the gospel, are at odds. We don’t know the issue and who said what to whom. We only know that they are not getting along. Paul is not calling out these women in front of the church to embarrass them. Instead, he is asking another companion and, indeed, the whole church to help them. And what form does this help take? It is a focused attention on gratitude and prayer.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4-7).

First, rejoice. Euodia and Syntyche are to remember their partnership in the gospel and bring to mind the good in each other. Be gentle with each other, even as the church is to be known by its gentleness. Focus on how Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not grasp power but took the form of a servant. (See Philippians 2.) In our tattered culture where there is little civility, we are to focus on what is pleasing, just and commendable (4:8). We trust that the Lord is near to us. Instead of letting anxiety take over, we are to lift everything to God in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Keeping thanksgiving as an integral part of prayer teaches us to look for the ways that God is active in our lives. Thanksgiving tutors us in praise to God. How might our conflicts change if we followed Paul’s instructions?

Praying with thanksgiving can give rise to a peace that surpasses understanding. I wish that such peace would always come when my mind is jumping all over the place as I pray. Like the Holy Spirit itself, we cannot control when God’s peace will show up. God’s peace comes when and where it wills. A man in a church that I served told of having a dream during the Vietnam War that he would survive. The dream gave him enormous peace. A friend going through a nasty divorce told God that she could not take it anymore, and a peace she had never known descended. Perhaps you have known a time when God seems incredibly near and you are made content. God’s peace is always a gift.

We don’t rejoice in God by occasionally thinking about it. Rather, rejoicing in God can be a daily practice and a pleasure. Look for how God has been active. Remember how our relationships have sustained us and how together we have accomplished more for God than we ever thought possible. Rejoice, because God is good to us, and gratitude changes us into those who are winsome for the Lord.

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