Read Philippians 1:20 in your personal Bible or at the link provided.
Discover
When Paul wrote to the Philippian church, he wrote from prison. It’s widely agreed that it probably wasn’t his last time in prison either. Most likely he would have been awaiting trial, where he would have either been released or executed. This makes his words that much more powerful. He was literally facing life or death, and in the face of that, prayed for more courage to speak boldly for Christ.
A lot of times, we can read verses like this in the Bible and feel disconnected from them. Paul lived 2,000 years ago in a different time and place. So how does it apply to us? The reality is, we will all face death one day, but while we live, we have a choice: will we shrink back, or will we be bold?
The same power that was available to Paul is available to us today. God’s Spirit is alive and well. Let’s pray for courage to speak boldly for Christ in our spheres of influence, letting God’s love and joy lead the way.
• Be bold. Pray for God to fill you with courage today and for opportunities to be bold for Him. Reach out to someone else walking through this study, and keep each other accountable in this.
Respond
Use your Philippians Guidebook to reflect and respond. For a digital copy of the guidebook, visit tpcc.org/rebels-guide.
Want to go deeper? Look up the following verses to see what Paul said about boldness in two other letters he wrote. Note what you observe and then continue with your time of response.
• Ephesians 6:19-20
• 2 Timothy 1:7-8