Sessions Include:

Count it Joy (Philippians) / Lesson #1
Philippians 1.1 – 11 / The Joy of Community

Count it Joy (Philippians) / Lesson #2
Philippians 1.12 - 26 / The Joy of Adversity

Count it Joy (Philippians) / Lesson #3
Philippians 1.27 - 30 / The Joy of Integrity

Count it Joy (Philippians) / Lesson #4
Philippians 2.1 - 11 / The Joy of Unity

Count it Joy (Philippians) / Lesson #5
Philippians 2.12 - 18 / The Joy of Responsibility

Count it Joy (Philippians) / Lesson #6
Philippians 2.19 - 30 / The Joy of Ministry

Count it Joy (Philippians) / Lesson #7
Philippians 3.1 - 7 / The Joy of Humility

Count it Joy (Philippians) / Lesson #8
Philippians 3.7 - 14 / The Joy of Victory

Count it Joy (Philippians) / Lesson #9
Philippians 3.15 - 21 / The Joy of Maturity

Count it Joy (Philippians) / Lesson #10
Philippians 4.1 - 5 / The Joy of Harmony

Count it Joy (Philippians) / Lesson #11
Philippians 4.6 - 9 / The Joy of Security

Count it Joy (Philippians) / Lesson #12
Philippians 4.10 - 23 / The Joy of Serenity

Did you ever try to make a chronic complainer happy?

Take him to a Caribbean beach, where the ocean glows luminous blue from the white sands reflecting the sky—and listen to him gripe about the water plugging his ear. Or invite her to a critic’s choice restaurant that specializes in her favorite food, and get a real critic’s take.

Imagine what they would say about spending time in jail.

That’s where Paul wrote this letter to a small congregation he started in Philippi, in what is now northern Greece. Not only is there no trace of complaint, this letter is the Bible’s finest essay on joy. Paul talks about where joy comes from and how we can have it, too.

In short, Paul says his joy comes from knowing this: “because I believed in Christ” (3:9 NCV).

Joy that comes from God’s acceptance can overpower and outlast all our tough circumstances in life: water in the ear, indigestion, and false arrest.

And so from jail Paul is able to write with a straight face and a steady pen: “I am not telling you this because I need anything. I have learned to be satisfied with the things I have and with everything that happens. I know how to live when I am poor, and I know how to live when I have plenty. I have learned the secret of being happy at any time in everything that happens, when I have enough to eat and when I go hungry, when I have more than I need and when I do not have enough” (4:11–13 NCV).

Now that’s the kind of person we want to be around. That’s the kind of person we want to be. Best of all, that’s the kind of person we can be, with God’s help.

Miller, Stephen M. 2006. Everyday Relevance: Your Bible Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.