Bible Study: January 7, 2026

Prayer

As always, we start with prayer. Firstly, do we have any praise reports since the previous time we met? Next, is there anything we as a group can pray for concerning you or someone close to you?

Praise

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Great is thy faithfulness, O God, my Father;

There is no shadow of turning with thee.

Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;

As thou hast been, thou forever wilt be.

Great is thy faithfulness,

Great is thy faithfulness,

Morning by morning new mercies I see.

All I have needed thy hand hast provided;

Great is thy faithfulness,

Lord unto me.

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine and ten thousand beside.

Passage

Philippians 1

1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,

To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops/elders and deacons/helpers:  2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  3 I thank my God for every remembrance of you, 4 always in every one of my prayers for all of you, praying with joy 5 for your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete/perfec it until the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I hold you in my heart (and because you hold me in yours), for all of you are my partners in God’s grace,[e] both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the tender affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight 10 to help you to determine what really matters, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, 11 having produced the harvest fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

Ponder

1. Is there anything in this passage or song that seems to connect with you in a deep way as you read/sang it? What was it?  

2. In verse two, Paul opens his letter with a blessing to “all the saints” (that’s us!), calling for “grace and peace”. We know what those two things are, but if a person wished “grace” and “peace” to you as a Christian today in 2026, what do you think that would look like in your daily life if you got it? When you bless a person with “grace and peace”, what do you think you’re saying to them?

3. Paul does something interesting here. He also wishes in v.2 for that “grace and peace” to be extended, specially as well, to the elders/bishops and deacons/helpers of the church who are a part of the shared responsibility of the congregation.  We have City Centre Church elders here in the room this evening. When you think about shared leadership and responsibility at City Centre Church, and you think about Neil or Linda or Sandy or Jane, why do you think Paul (and us!) specifically calls out to bless them with grace and peace?

4. In verse three, Paul says (IMHO) one of the most endearing lines of Pauline Scripture. He says, “I thank my God every time I remember you.” So here’s the question: who are the people in your life that you thank God for every time you remember them—and why? They don’t have to be a part of City Centre Church—anyone. But why them? What impact did/do they have on you and your spiritual walk?

5. In verse five, Paul mentions that he is thankful for their ‘partnership in the Gospel’. What do you think he means by that when he is speaking to the entirety of the congregation? What do you think partnership in the Gospel looks like?

6. “The one who began a good work in you will bring it to completion/perfection. Remember before when I said that one of my favourite lines in Pauline scripture was back in verse three? He’s another in verse seven, tag-teamed with verse eight. “I hold you in my heart…longing for you with the affection of Christ.”  What do you think that kind of affection and heart-space looks like at City Centre Church? Is it there? If so, where have you seen it?

Prayer for Remembering

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