Be Joyful (Philippians): Even When Things Go Wrong, You Can Have Joy

The "Be" Commentary

by Warren W. Wiersbe

In spite of his dire situation as a prisoner a Roman jail, Paul`s letter to the church at Philippi overflows with joy. Discover Paul's secret to finding joy in Christ as Dr. Warren Wiersbe leads you on verse-by-verse tour through the book of Philippians. Take notice of Paul's single-minded focus remains on Jesus and learn how your joy can also be complete in Christ. Originally published in 1974, Be Joyful is part of Dr. Wiersbe's best-selling "Be" commentary series. With over 4 million volumes in print, these timeless books have provided a generation invaluable insight into the history, meaning, and context of virtually every book of the Bible. Reintroduced to a new generation of believers, this commentary now includes study questions at the end of each chapter for further reflection and application. Best-selling author, minister, and radio host, Dr. Warren Wiersbe stands among the most trusted teachers of his time. Dr. Wiersbe's ability to instruct both new believers as well as Bible scholars sets his work apart from any other commentary series.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Reference, Theology, Christian Living, Spirituality, Christian Non Fiction

154 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1974

About the author

Warren W. Wiersbe, former pastor of the Moody Church and general director of Back to the Bible, has traveled widely as a Bible teacher and conference speaker. Because of his encouragement to those in ministry, Dr. Wiersbe is often referred to as 'the pastor's pastor.' He has ministered in churches and conferences throughout the United States as well as in Canada, Central and South America, and Europe. Dr. Wiersbe has written over 150 books, including the popular BE series of commentaries on every book of the Bible, which has sold more than four million copies. At the 2002 Christian Booksellers Convention, he was awarded the Gold Medallion Lifetime Achievement Award by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. Dr. Wiersbe and his wife, Betty, live in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Reviews

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a very helpful commentary to lead a Bible study into a deeper study of Philippians. My small group went through this together. It's the second commentary by Wiersbe I've read, and I liked this one more than the other (Ruth/Esther). I liked this one more because, and maybe because Philippians is a letter, not a history-focused book, Wiersbe didn't speculate about people's feelings and motivations that are nowhere in the Bible. In this book, he explains historical context, uses lots of references from other parts of the Bible, explains word meanings in the original Greek: basically the main things I'd expect from a commentary. At the end of each chapter there are questions for self-reflection as well as prompts for group discussion. We never got through all the prompts each week because there was just so much to talk about. He definitely focuses a lot on application and really encourages readers to participate in their sanctification.

It's short and easy to read. It's probably not the deepest commentary out there, but it's very accessible and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a good introduction to Philippians.

[Kendra Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good, and so encouraging!!

[Aurimas Gudas · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the Bible study we were studying Letter to Philippians. This book was a great help for the study. Good questions at the end of each chapter.

[Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another excellent commentary by Wiersbe. I especially appreciated his explanations of the nuances of the Greek words Paul used.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in a church small group.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent review of Philippians and joy’s place in the Christian’s life. It’s so much more than happiness, positive emotions or good cheer. And has much more to do with faith than feelings. Very enjoyable and encouraging!

[Amanda Tero · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first “Be” book to read and wow. I’m not sure where to start. It is so practical and so biblical, so refreshing and so encouraging, so needful in the reminders.

I appreciated Warren Wiersbe’s approach. Using solid, Biblical examples for ministry. Digging into the lives of Paul, Timothy, and other New Testament believers. Drawing parallels between these people of history and today. So many statements were directly back by Scripture.

There were so many subjects covered, rooted in the verses of Philippians: Ministry. Submission. Service. Sacrifice. Joy. Peace. Salvation. Evangelism.

I highlighted dozens of quotes. This will definitely not be my last of the “Be” series to read!

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wierbe's "Be" Series has the perfect mix of "devotional" and "Bible study". His application is rooted in serious, but approachable study for any believer. Unlike some devotionals that are "fluff" or "studies" that get lost in Greek, Wiersbe has the uncanny ability to take Greek word study and apply it in a timeless fashion. Indeed, this book was originally published in 1974 (the year I came to know the Lord) but is still as fresh today as back then.

[Barbara Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's amazing that the apostle Paul wrote about joy--from prison.

Most of us would chafe in imprisonment, eager to get out and back to business. But Paul knew that “to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (1: 21). He says later that he had learned contentment in good or bad circumstances, knowing that God would give him strength to face anything (4:10-13).

Paul encourages the Philippians to “let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ” (1:27), pointing to the example of Christ’s humility and selflessness (2:1-11).

Warren Wiersbe’s commentary, Be Joyful (Philippians): Even When Things Go Wrong, You Can Have Joy, helped as a companion to Philippians.

[Alexis DeJonge · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was unexpectedly a fantastic bible study tool for me regarding the book of Philippians. I felt like I could get deeper than I ever could’ve gotten on my own. At first, I was a bit frustrated by this book as it did not provide the verse, just referenced them so I had to read it with my bible right along side. This is the beauty of it however, because I’ve committed many of the verses to memory by being forced to read them over and over. Thankful for this book and looking forward to reading the rest of the BE series books by this author.

[Lillie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent book in the BE Bible commentary series. Philippians is a short epistle, only four chapters, but the author finds a lot of valuable information for believers. So often we blame our circumstances for our attitudes, but Paul is a wonderful example that we can be filled with the joy of the Lord in the midst of terrible external circumstances. This is an encouraging commentary on an encouraging book of the Bible.

[Carol Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wiersbe is just a really wonderful Bible teacher. This is one of the volumes from his "Be" series of commentaries on individual Bible books. Highly recommended.

[Donna Pfeiffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Be joyful, single minded, and content. Important reminders and possible because of God's Word.

[Jenny Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Accessible whipe being deeply scriptural. Just what I was looking for.

[Anneliese · Rating 5 out of 5]

super helpful and loved that it references other scriptures for deeper study. this small book took me a long time and I have even more to study another time. this book was really uplifting for the end of a super busy season of life.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fabulous commentary by Wiersbe! I read this as I did an inductive study on Philippians. I was richly rewarded by his thoughts after I had done my study on a passage. I love how he would call to my attention a word, an idea, that I had passed over. He never failed to make the ancient truths of Paul into relevant, timely teaching for today.

Here are just a couple of the things I loved.

In Philippians 1:20-26 Wiersbe discusses Paul's inexplicable joy as he sits chained up in a Roman prison. He writes, "Because of his chains, Christ was known, and because of his critics, Christ was preached and because of his crisis, Christ was magnified."

Then he talks about what it means to magnify Christ. Again something I passed over completely. "The believer's body is to be a telescope that brings Jesus Christ close to people. To the average person, Christ is a misty figure in history who lived centuries ago, but as the unsaved watch the believer go through a crisis, they can see Jesus magnified and brought so much closer...The telescope brings distant things closer, and the microscope makes tiny things look big. To the unbeliever Jesus is not very big. Other people and other things are far more important. But as the unbeliever watches the Christian go through a crisis experience, he ought to be able to see how big Jesus really is." This is an amazing insight to the simplicity of how we can be His witnesses in the world, bringing Jesus closer to people and making him bigger by our lives.

So many more gems in here. So worth the time.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Be Joyful" is a Bible study, but it reads more like a Christian Living book or commentary on Philippians. This older version of the book has the study questions for each chapter at the back of the book, but the newer version puts them at the end of the chapter they're for.

The book was easy to read and understand, and it drew out some great points from the Bible text. Each chapter covered a chunk of Philippians that covered a similar theme, but you need to read the Scripture from your own Bible as the verses weren't provided in the actual text of the study. It simply assumed you read the verses that were being talked about.

I think this is a great book for any Christian to read. It made some important points that new Christians should hear and older Christians probably could use hearing again. Overall, I'd recommend this book.

[LoRee Peery · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was amazed by Wiersbe's continual use of alliteration. He makes seeing and using what we have as Christians so easy to understand. Of course, it all began with the Apostle Paul, who wrote the book of Philippians.
In a nutshell, according to Wiersbe, we believers have:
Single mind, Phil. chapter one
Submissive mind, Phil. chapter two
Spiritual mind, Phil. chapter three
Secure mind, Phil. chapter four.
Those four S's express adoration, supplication, appreciation, and contentment.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent commentary for anyone from pastor to lay-person. These are Wiersbe sermons, but they read well as a very basic, concise commentary, and have a good balance of technical word-studies as well as devotional application. The commentary is concise enough that it is a good read to prepare for more in-depth study by a pastor, preparation for a small-group meeting for a church member, or a personal devotional study by an individual.

[Clara Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wiersbe says that if we have the single mind of Phillipians 1 we can give God adoration. If we come with the submissive mind of Phillipians 2 we can come with supplication. If we come with the spiritual mind of Phillipian 3 we can show appreciation. All of this gives us the secure mind of Pillipians 4. I loved this book.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have yet to read a book by Dr Wiersbe that isn't great! He's incredibly insightful, gives lots of Scripture references to back up his points, and doesn't write over our heads. God definitely speaks through Dr Wiersbe!

[Frans Kempe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great commentary to Philippians. I liked the way he was speaking about different mindsets. The single mind, submissive mind, a spiritual mind and a secure mind. A helpful book to read while studying Philippians, recommended.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

These commentaries are fantastic! Warren Wiersbe really brings scripture to life in a way that gets right to the heart of the matter but isn't too heavy or theological.

The Be series is a must for anyone preparing a sermon or undertaking Bible study.

[Andy]

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[John Feaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wiersbe is always satisfying with his accessible commentaries.

[Ernie Witmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent study on Philippians

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thumbs up!

[Mike Eccles · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the easier books in the bible is expanded by Wiersbe with subtle and practical interpretation. An excellent, insightful commentary.

[Samantha McEnhimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was very useful in helping me to teach my Joy class. I love the first couple of chapters. Good read for those seeking to delve deep into the book of Philippians.

[Susie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great devotional book. I'll be reading it regularly.