Grow Group Questions • Philippians 4:4-9 • JoyFull

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(OPTIONAL Ice breaker. If your groups is ready to dive in skip to #2) Reflecting back over the book of Philippians: What has been something that might have stood out to you above anything else? What do you think impacted you the most personally? Read Philippians 4:4-9 in the CSB version and another version or two. Paul’s first command is to “Rejoice”. Read the definition of Joy we started with back in June and closed with today: “[Joy is not the absence of negative feelings, hurts, and pains.] “Christian Joy is an additional feeling, good feeling, produced by the Holy Spirit as he causes us to see who God is and respond in trust in what he says he will do.”  
Based on this definition, what makes following this command to rejoice in any circumstance hard for you to do? What do you think in your life robs you of Joy or Rejoicing the most? (LEADERS: be willing to be the first to share to help lead this time) Read Psalm 118:23-24. What is the basis for God’s command to rejoice in these verses? Is that our natural perspective or something that we instinctively do? Why or why not?
Let’s look at the first command in verse 6 (Read it again out loud). Compare that command with when Jesus said something similar in Matthew 6:25-34 and Matthew 10:19. Read each of them aloud. Along with these verses from Matthew, what do you see God telling us about what it means to not “worry” or “be anxious” about anything?
What’s your natural response when you are worrying?  Read the rest of verse 6 and 7. What is the most significant things in these verses God is asking you to do in response to when we worry or feel anxious? How can you practically apply this to your life? Do you believe what Paul said at the end of verse 7? How have you experienced that kind of peace in your life?
Let’s look at the last few verses of this section. Read Philippians 4:8-9. On Sunday, Pastor David highlighted the word “dwell” from the ESV. What do you think it looks like to dwell on these things in your own life?  
Read Luke 10:38-42. What does this section in Luke tell us about “dwelling” with Jesus versus “doing” for Jesus? Does this verse tell us where the best place to start is? What keeps us from starting here? How do you think this impacts our ability to “rejoice” and “do not worry”?
As you go to prayer time, ask each person how the group can pray specifically for something God has shown them he wants to do in their life based on this week’s passage, message, and discussion time. Take time to pray for those specific requests.
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