SOAP ~ Philippians 1:12-14

S: Philippians 1:12-14
12Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. 13As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.

O:First, we have to look back. Paul here, is saying in light of what happened. . .so, what happened? We must remember first, that Paul is writing this letter while a prisoner in Rome. (When he wrote the letter to the Church in Rome (Romans), he spoke of how much he wanted to go the Rome to minister and preach there, but the Lord hadn't opened a door for that ministry, instead sending Paul elsewhere. (Romans 1:9-13).
What dire circumstances he faced (though, he faced worse, being beaten at times, stoned once, imprisoned several times, run out of many different towns, and ultimately crucified upside down on a cross. . .all for Christ! Surely a lesser man would have been defeated after facing even a few of these things, but not Paul. These trials and persecutions almost seemed to make him stronger in his resolve to serve God and preach Christ to all.
We see in verses 12-14 how Paul used his imprisonment to be a witness to the very guards who were imprisoning him. . .and that because of his consistent Christ-like attitude and continualy sharing of the Good News of Christ, many of these Roman Guards came to have a relationship with Christ as well. How awesome is that!
It seems as if Paul's imprisonment is serving to advance the gospel on 2 fronts. Outside of the church, as in the guardsmen who are hearing Paul preach about Christ and coming to know God because of it, and in the Church itself. Paul states that his "brothers" are more courageous and fearless because of Paul's imprisonment. These Christians saw God protect Paul, even in prison. They saw Paul's ministry blessed, even in these horrible circumstances, and they were imboldened in their own ministries.

A: If the Christians in Rome were encouraged through Paul's sufferings and imprisonment, shouldn't I be, too? I don't face imprisonment for sharing the gospel. Public ridicule? Maybe, but not likely. . .being "left out" of activities and conversations. . .possibly, but are they really activites or conversations that I want or need to be a part of, No. Paul found joy in the worst of circumstances, because he was serving the Lord, and sharing in the suffering of Christ. How can I find joy in my circumstances? I have great opportunities everyday at the hospital to minister to people in need. Some are not believers and need the hope, comfort, and healing that ONLY God and give. . .I am joyful that God can use me to share with them His LOVE and POWER. Some are believers, but are physically hurting. . .I am joyful that God can use me to pray with them, and that God can use me to perform his healing and comfort to these families. I can share my life with my church family, with my co-workers, and with other moms around me, so that they may be encourage by God's faithfulness in my life.

P: Heavenly Father, You alone are Worthy. You are faithful to me, even in my most dire circumstances, when I am overwhelmed with life. You give me strength to endure. I ask that you will bring people into my life, at church and at work, that need to know You. I love to share your Love and Salvation with others, give me the courage to do this, like Paul had. In the name of Your precious Son, Jesus, Amen.

SOAP ~ Philippians 1:7-11

S: Philippians 1:7-11
7It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. 8God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

O: v.7: Paul has great Love (Godly, agape love) for his fellow believers in the church at Philippi. He is concerned for their spiritual wellbeing, even though his live seems to be in shambles at that time. . ."in chains". . .one of the many times he was in imprisoned for his faith. v.8: Paul has lived so that only God needs to testify for his Love. The rest of this passage lays out 4 aspects of Spiritual Maturity: Love, Integrity, Fruitfulness, and Glorifying God.
v.9: Love. . .originates with God, it is commanded of us. In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus spells out the greatest 2 commandments: Love the Lord above all else, Love your neighbor. Love is smart / not blind. Love of God will grow and increase with increased knowledge of God and God's word.
v.10: Integrity. . ."Pure and blameless" Integrity is having unity between your convictions and your behavior. . .in other words, NOT being a hypocrite.
v.11: Fruitfulness. . ."the fruit of Righteousness" comes THROUGH Jesus Christ! We can not be fruitful without Christ (John 15:4-5).
v.11: Gloryifying God. . .in everything, Paul brings Glory to God!

A: These verses give pretty detailed directions for how to grow spiritually. Love is dynamic, it is not stagnant, it is either growing or decreasing. . .How does Love for God and others grow? Through study of God's word, deepening of your relationship with Him. I have heard many spiritually immature Christians say, "can I do such and such without sinning"? The right question should be, "Will doing this cause others to sin?" That is a mark of spiritual maturity, and a sign of true integrity. . .not only concern for your spiritual health, but for the spiritual health of others! (And the reason that I don't drink alcohol).
What about bearing fruit: there are several kinds of "fruit" talked about in scripture. The most commonly referred to is "Spiritual fruit", in other words, a Godly attitude (Galations 5:22-23). Good works is another kind of fruit. . .as is leading others to Christ (Col. 1:5-6). Glorifying God should be the end result of EVERYTHING we do! I Corithians 10:31 "Whether, then, you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." God's Gloryis His excellence, absolute perfection, His Renown/fame/reputation - live in a way that gives God a good reputation, that spreads God's good reputation.
P: Heavenly Father, help me to become a Spiritually Mature believer. Help me to show true concern for the spiritual wellbeing of those around me. Teach me to Love with your agape love, teach me to love you more every day. . .Mold me into a person of integrity. . .let me be concerned not only for myself, and my own spiritual wellbeing, but for others as well. . .And in everything, let me bring Glory to you! I desire to spread your good reputation to everyone. . .and not do anything that will mar your renown! In the name of Jesus Christ, AMEN!

SOAP ~ Philipians 1:1-6

So, my journey with SOAPing begins. I really think that this type of Bible Study will be beneficial for me. I am hoping that it will keep me consistent in my Bible study, as well as prevent my study time from getting too routine. Here it goes! I decided to start in Philippians, for no real reason, it just seemed like a good book to start in, but not too long that it's daunting.


S: Philippians 1:1-6 ~~ Thanksgiving

1Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons:
2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,
4always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all,
5in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.
6For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

O: This is the inroduction to Philippians. v1. Paul intoduces himself as the author of this letter to the Church in Philipi. This letter was written at the time that Timothy was with him. The audience of the letter: the Church at Philippi. Paul actually writes "to ALL the Saints in Philippi" then he goes on the include as well the "overseers and deacons". This letter is NOT written to the head of the church. . .they are included almost as an afterthought. This letter is for the CHURCH body, the family. v2. There is NO peace without grace. God is our Father and our LORD. This attests to Lordship salvations. As in, there is no separation between Christ as our Savior and Christ as our Lord. You can't have one without the other. v.3-6 Paul Joyfully remembers these Christians in his prayers, despite the dire situation that he often finds himself in. God started the good work in them, it was nothing they had done. . .Salvation is a free gift of God's Grace, provided through faith in His Son's Saving Sacrifice, and it's sufficiency. . .We did NOTHING to deserve it (nor could we ever do anything to deserve it)

A: Am I daily making Christ my Lord, am I allowing him to be the leader of my life, and not just making Him an afterthought. How do I do this: spend time continually in prayer. . .Read the Bible, meditate on it, spend time in the Scripture, journal about it. . .Then, I REALIZE that there is NOTHING I CAN DO on my own. . .It's about God, not me.
Am I thankful for other believers, and the good works they do? Do I remember them in my prayers to God. . .not always. . .I must continue to thank God for the saints who surround me daily, and for the work they are doing to further the kingdom. I must be encouraging to them, and supportive. I must remember that God started this good work. . .there is Nothing I could have ever done to deserve this gift.

P: Heavenly Father, You are Savior, and you are LORD. Your Grace is sufficient. . .and only by your Grace can I find Peace. . .I submit my life you your will. . .I commit to reading your word, I commit to studying your word, and applying it to my life. God, thank you for the great gift you have given me in your Son, Jesus Christ. . .Thank you, Lord, for my Church family. Thank you for their commitment to growing in their relationship with you. Thank you for their willingness to step out of their comfort zone. . .to spread the gospel throughout our community. Help me to encourage them. Teach me how to support them, so that they can grow too. . .In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

SOAP

I recently stumbled upon a blog, Musings of a Future Pastor's Wife, that was talking about SOAPing. I hadn't heard of SOAPing before, so I did a little research, and now, I'm a big fan.
SOAP is an acronym for : SCRIPTURE, OBSERVATION, APPLICATION, and PRAYER.

I have been feeling a little overwhelmed in my bible study lately. . .I have come to a place, where I am essentially reading scripture, and hearing what God has to say, but I have fallen short in applying these Truths to my life. Tell me, what's the point of studying the Bible, if what I study on my own does not change me? I NEED a more formalized way to study scripture, and I think I've found one. My other problem, though, is my memory. What good is it to study God's word, learn great spiritual truths, and begin to apply them, if I can't remember one week to the next? I'm telling you, I need help! Ever since I turned 30 earlier this year. . .wait, that's not completely true. . .Ever since I had Skywalker, my memory has greatly diminished. Oh, the perils of motherhood.

Anyway, my new plan is to use SOAPing for my Bible Study, and journal about it here, on my blog. That way, I will be able to easily look back at what the Lord has taught me, as I continue on my spiritual journey. This also means that you can join me, and maybe, just maybe, we can learn something together.

It would be completely impossible for me to SOAP everyday on here. My goal, is to study over a section of scripture weekly. . .to read it, to meditate on it, to pray over it, and to glean applical truths from it. . .so that my life can be molded, and I can be changed, into the woman God wants me to be. I encourage you to join me on this journey. My first SOAP post will be next week, so be looking for it.