Word Studies: Philippians

Class: Philippians

Week #4: February 20-24
Professor: Mr. Ric Garland


Assignments: Read the book of Philippians four times by the morning of the exam.


Ric Garland is the Vice President of Word of Life Local Church Ministries. He has served with WOL for thirty years; twenty-five of those years have been spent with Local Church Ministries and five years as the Vice President of the Word of Life Bible Institute. He is passionate and purposed in helping others to live biblically-principled lives. His ministry includes speaking and teaching around the world, discipling, leading, and developing. Ric is married to Ellen, his partner in ministry and the love of his life. He has three amazing children, Nicole, Eric and Shannon.

In this epistle to the church in Philippi, one can easily discover Paul's joy, love and passion in ministry. His joy in all situations. His love for the church. His passion for Christ.



Awaiting trial, Paul writes this letter from prison in Rome. Paul writes about joy and contentment while chained to a soldier night and day. His own example of joy in suffering speaks volumes without even writing one word. But Paul knew it was necessary to communicate these truths through this letter. His purpose in writing was not only to teach the church about joy, but he also wanted to thank them for labouring with him in the work of the gospel. The generosity of the Philippians displayed their willingness to give whatever was needed for ministry. Paul's gratitude flows throughout the letter and his love spills from its pages. Lastly, Paul, as in all his epistles, puts forth the attitude that each believer should have. Through word and deed, Paul teaches passion for the Saviour.

"I love how Philipians 2 shows Christ's servanthood.

It reminds me how much He has done for me,

which displays what I need to be doing for others,

so ultimately He can receive the honor and glory."

- Sarah, Alberta

Sacrifice becomes easy when the church's focus is eternal rather than temporal. Paul says that Christ needs to be our everything. The things of this world become nothing in light of Jesus and what He has done for each person. Two men, Epaphroditus and Timothy, are given as examples of self-sacrificing and Christ-centered lives. If only each believer gave up self and sought Christ, the world would be radically changed for glory of God and it starts with you.

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:"- Philippians 1:16


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P31 - Planet Holiness

Word of Life Local Church Ministries is extremely excited to tell you about this ALL NIGHT event JUST FOR TEEN GIRLS!


P31 is an amazing night of fun and teaching from God's Word on topics relevant to teen girls. Your girls in grades 7-12 will hear messages from Amy Speck, Debbie MacQueen, and Rachel Foreman on the subjects of Maturity, Modesty and Media. The theme this year is Planet Holiness.

In addition to this, we will have music from a live worship band, drama presentations, pizza and prizes.

All this will take place between 8 p.m. and 1 a.m. After that the girls will be "turned loose" within the building to experience different fun activities such as: group photo shoot, manicures, hair salon, karaoke, making jewelry and an inflatable in the gym. The fun ends at 5:00 a.m.

Some key points about this event:
 - The gospel will be given and those present will be given a chance to respond
- Girls will be challenged from God's Word on relevant issues
 - You & your girls will have fun!
 - Youth leaders and mothers and daughters are welcome to attend!
 - Girls must be in grades 7-12 to attend
 - Cost is $30 per teen and $25 per leader until February 10th. After that, the price per teen goes up by $10
 - There will be a "quiet room" available for female drivers (we provide mattresses, you bring sleeping bag & pillow)
 - If you know someone who would be interested in this information... please pass it on! :)
 -Please let us know ASAP if you are planning on attending so that we can plan for you!
 - Registration begins at 8:00 p.m. on March 2nd at Emmanuel Bible Church (24 Churchill Circle, Simcoe, ON)

Location: Simcoe, ON

Check out the event page on Facebook for more info and interaction with those attending this exciting event!

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MIA: (Ministry in Action) Superbowl Edition

Word of Life Superbowl is an amazing outreach ministry, reaching unsaved youth across not only Ontario, but also Saskatchewan, Quebec, the Maritimes, and the United States. The event consists of games, prizes, food and, most importantly, the gospel message. Superbowl in Ontario takes place in Mississauga at the Hershey Centre and Playdium.
One of the ways the various departments of Word of Life help each other is by giving Bible Institute students a chance to help out at this great event. This year 17 students plus staff headed  down Friday afternoon. They made a big difference in the night, as they were available to counsel youth who responded to the gospel message, to lead the various on-ice games and the "Amazing Race" and to help out wherever they were needed.

Friday night, 511 people arrive at 6:30pm, starting the night with an OHL hockey game between the Mississauga Majors and the Peterborough Petes. Right after the game, the Associate Director of Word of Life Canada, Scott Foreman, gave the gospel message. To the glory of God, 6 teens called on Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour.

Scott Foreman gives the gospel.

After a quick break, things quickly became exciting as the on-ice rally started. Many well-known minute-to-win-it games were played on the ice and each winner was given a prize. Also, some of the Word of Life staff were in the stands doing games and handing out prizes.

On-ice Rally

Up next, pizza and pop were served in the Hershey Centre. So far, the evening had been a great success, but this was only the beginning. At midnight, the sports section of the Hershey Centre opened up for the teens enjoyment. These were some of the activities available:

- Plenty of gymnasium activities like volleyball, dodge ball and basketball!
- Ice skating!

- Fieldhouse activities (on the turf)... indoor soccer, football and ultimate frisbee!

Indoor Soccer

One of the most popular events was the Amazing Race Scavenger Hunt. Both members of the winning two-person team were awarded an iPod Touch! The race was intense all the way to the end. When 3:00 AM came around, since they were not needed anymore, the WOLBI students and staff made their way home. However, the teens though starting to feel the effects of no sleep were not about to slow down because Playdium was next on the schedule. For three hours teens were able to participate in free-play arcade and video games, batting cages and more. Six o'clock Saturday morning, the youth groups finally made their way home.

Superbowl is one of many ministry opportunities the students participate in throughout the year.
The sheer number of ministry opportunities at WOLBI is one of the best things about being a student. It's all about taking what you learn in the classroom and putting it to practice in real life. That's why the Word of Life Bible Institute is the perfect first choice for secondary education. It prepares you for a lifetime of ministry wherever God leads you.

 

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Click here for more info on the ministries at WOLBI.

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Upcoming Word of Life Events

Word of Life Fellowship is putting on some fantastic events in the very near future. Be on the lookout for an event on site near you. For information on all Word of Life events in Canada, click here.

Some of the events to look forward to include:

       - WOL Superbowl - This is an all-nighter packed with games, food, prizes and the Gospel.  It's a great night to bring your whole youth group. In Ontario, WOL Superbowl takes place in Mississauga on November 4. Register now!





- Word of Life Bible Institute Campus Days - Come to the Bible Institute campus to check out the school including classes and student life. Stay overnight in the dorms and participate in cool activities. Most importantly, learn more about the year that could change your life.


- WOL Youth Camp Recharge - Register your youth group for an amazing weekend that will not only be outrageously fun but also spiritually uplifting. Recharge Snow Camp is one of the highlights of youth ministry among many of the churches in Central Ontario. Taking place right on the campus of the Bible Institute, Recharge provides an oppurtunity for youth to be changed by the Word of God.

With each and every one of these events, students from the Bible Institute will be taking a major part serving in all areas of the ministry. Word of Life Events are always exciting to be a part of. For more information regarding Word of Life events click here and if you would like to be a part of the ministry by giving financially, click here.

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MIA: Ministry in Action

Look for these posts to learn more about the awesome ministries that the students will be taking part in this year at the BI.

This time of the year involves the start up of all the ministries here at WOLBI.

Already in motion are plans to form the various ministry teams that the students will be a part of this year at the BI. These are the various teams and their purpose:

        Testify: This is a group of students that travel to various churches and perform special music and also lead worship services.

 Testify performs at Word of Life Missions Conference in Schroon Lake, NY.

        Edify: This is the children's ministry team. Several students take time to plan and prepare for a special kids night and then host it in various churches. This year they plan to travel to Olympian groups in Ontario.

Edify 2010-2011 (left to right) Lindsay, Evan, Kevin, Jonathan, Benjamin

       CEO: This team plans out and organizes events for the student body to participate in that would involve oppurtunities to witness.

        Declare: Drama becomes ministry for the students on this team. They prepare skits for events on campus, such as chapels and snow camps.

        Praise Team: This team leads worship in Director's Chapels and Sunday morning services and is involved with Snow Camp praise team as well.
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Praise Team 2010-2011
(left to right) Jaramie, Carmen, Magalie, Bethany, Jamie, Lynae

 

     













        Local Church Ministries: Many of the students will have a weekly ministry in one of the surrounding churches in Owen Sound and Meaford.

       Missions: The Missions team promotes missions to the students, maintaining communication with missionaries and hosts prayer meetings for missions globally as well as locally.

        Missions Trips: Members of our student body will have the opportunity to participate in two mission trips during March Break. One trip takes them to the island country of Jamaica where they minister to the people their in various ways. The other missions trip will actually take place locally. The students will take part in a Vacation Bible School at the Saugeen Native Reserve. For both of these trips the students are required to raise support in order to fund for the expense of either opportunity. Prayerfully consider becoming part of this ministry and donating towards either trip.

Contact Info:
Phone: 519.376.3516     Owen Sound Bible Institute
             800.461.3503     Toll-free number

Fax: 519.376.9893 Owen Sound Bible Institute

Please be in prayer for these teams as they have the chance to not only encourage other believers but also be a witness for Christ. If you would like to be a part of these ministries by having one of the travel teams come to your church please call 519.376.9516 ext. 214.

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Don't Miss Word of Life Superbowl 2011

What better way to spend a night than with sports, games, food  and, most importantly, God's Word. You can get all this and more for your youth group at Word of Life Superbowl Mississauga, Ontario. This event is for students in grades 7-12. Hundreds of youth come from across Canada to this awesome all-nighter.

Included in the night:

        - OHL Hockey Game

        - Prizes, prizes and more prizes

        - Sports and Arcade Games

        - Gospel Presentation

        - And so much more!

Mark your calendar for this November and get ready to have an awesome night for your youth group.

Time: Friday, 04 November 2011- Saturday, 05 November 2011

Location:          Hershey Centre
                          5500 Rose Cherry Pl., Mississauga
                 Then...
                           Playdium Mississauga
                           99 Rathburn Rd. W., Mississauga

Cost:  Get your registration in before October 3rd and save big!

	Early Price	Regular Price	Late Price
	on or before 10/03	on or before 10/24	after 10/24
Teens	$40	$45	$49
Leaders	$37	$37	$37

 




Contact us here!

For information for Superbowls in other locations in Canada, click here.


Look us up on Facebook.

Don't Miss the Flashpoint Conference

Start your church's year of ministry with a Training Conference from Word of Life Local Church Ministries. Word of Life places a large emphasis on leadership training and wants to help out your church with this important factor of ministry. Flashpoint is a weekend conference that involves dynamic teaching, practical seminars (many to choose from), great music, skits, icebreakers, good food, and ministry resources.  We're excited to present to you some new and exciting features to the conference that will only make it more relevant to your needs as a church.

Some of the new features are:

        - New topics chosen by you!

        - Friday night worship concert

        - Now for both youth and leaders

Bring your youth group with you on Friday evening for the worship concert, stay overnight (several motel/hotel accommodations are available nearby) and attend age-appropriate teaching & training sessions on Saturday. The topics will range from Leadership Training to Cults and False Religions for youth and Time Management and Social Media for leaders. Here are the updated prices for the weekend.

• Friday only - $20 UPDATED PRICE! Now only $10

• Saturday only - $40 UPDATED PRICE! Now only $35

• Friday & Saturday - $50 UPDATED PRICE! Now only $40

To register your church email Barry Speck (wolspeck@kwic.com) with your information.

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P31: Women's Conference!!

It has long been known that girls just want to have fun, but this past weekend at an all-girls, all-nighter event called P:31, it was really proven to be true! As the 170 teen girls and youth leaders poured into the church for registration, tons of energy also poured in. The excited girls chattered away with our female Bible Institute helpers and other staff, and friendships were formed even before the event had fully started. We had some lady staff join us from the Word of Life campus in Schroon Lake, New York. Hayley Miller and Ellen Garland were the speakers. These two ladies, along with some other female staff, do ladies conferences in the US, and it was a privilege to have them join us in Canada for our first ever girl’s all-nighter event! The theme this year was “Metamorphosis.” Many butterflies decorated the church to remind us of the beautiful transformation that can happen in a life devoted to God.

            The night kicked off with some fun “Minute to win-it” style activities and oodles of prizes were given away. Then, our opening session began with some praise and worship, a thought provoking skit, and a challenging message spoken by Hayley Miller. She tied the gospel into a message about contentment in our materialistic world. Some of the girls responded to a gospel invitation, and also to a challenge to make God the source of contentment in their lives.

The Praise Team was formed from Bible Institute Alumni from BOTH our Sherbrooke, PQ and Owen Sound, ON campuses!

From P 31

            This session was followed by a short break, and then a split session for Sr. and Jr. High ages. Ellen Garland spoke to the Jr. High girls, while Hayley continued with the Sr. Highers. An evening snack of pizza followed this second session, and then our final session of the night in which Ellen exhorted the girls to learn wait for God’s timing as she spoke on the value and virtue of patience.

            After the sessions were over for the night, the activities began! Different rooms in the church were set up for different types of "girly" fun. There was a room set up like a beauty salon in which the girls could get their hair done. There was a nail painting room, a jewelry making room, a pedicure room, a flip flop decorating room, and even a candy room in which girls could indulge in all the candy, popcorn, and pop their little hearts desired! A favorite was of course the inflatable obstacle course, on which many shrieks could be heard, and many a hair stood on end, due to static. The energy never ran out. Even into the wee hours of the night, the girls were singing loudly at “Don’t forget the Christian Lyrics” and laughing uncontrollably.  It was a great bonding time for the girls to get closer to their youth leaders. The fun environment also made it less intimidating for some of the girls to talk to their leaders or the women staffing the event about things that were troubling them in their lives and their walks with God. It certainly was a blessing to be surrounded by other sisters in Christ, to encourage each other, and praise God together. Many girls heard the gospel, and were reminded how much God loved them.

            Over all, the event went smoothly, it was a great time, and God’s word did its work in many lives!

"It was great to reconnect with girls from snow camp, and was awesome to be able to counsel the girls and to see them go from darkness to light when they started to understand the Gospel.  It was sweet to see that the change in them was actually genuine.  I just loved it because this is the type of ministry that I want to be in!!"

From P 31

"This past weekend was a great time to see God work in the lives of young girls.  Some conversations that we had with them led to the Gospel and opened up opportunities to minister to them and strengthen them in their faith in Christ.  It is sweet to see that even at a young age you can grasp the peace of God."

"It was amazing to be surrounded by other young women all night and be able to just show Christ's love to them!  I loved being able to hear only voices of my sisters in Christ when we were singing during praise and worship time!"

The P31 WOL Staff/Alumni Crew

From P 31

And finally, a big thanks to our Local Church Ministry staff wives, Amy Speck & Lindsey Lyons for coordinating this great night together!

For more P:31 pics and info check out the Facebook page

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Super-Bowl! (not the football kind)

From Superbowl

SUPER-BOWL
So there isn't actually bowling that is super, and it really has nothing to do with the football game you may be thinking of.  It is however, a great event that youth leaders and teens in local churches look forward to every year! An evangelistic "all-nighter" for youth coordinated by Charlie Lyons and the Word of Life Local Church Ministry Department.  Church groups get to start off the night with a hockey game at 7pm, followed by an on-ice rally where the gospel is presented. Tom D.Phillips, from our WOLBI campus in sunny Florida, preached the gospel message and many believed the message that Jesus died and rose again to pay for their sins.  There were about 700 teens and leaders in attendance.  We praise God for the 45 salvation decisions that were made.  There were also about 16 people who made the decision to commit their lives to Christ. 
The night started off watching the Mississauga St. Michael's Major's battle the Brampton Battalion at the incredible Hershey Centre.  Then the on-ice rally of games, prizes, and the gospel were followed by sports and all kinds of activities until 3am when everyone boarded the buses and headed over to Playdium, a giant arcade complete with batting cages.  Churches started loading up their sleepy teens to go home at 6am.  The whole night was a blast!  It was a tiring night but totally amazing to see the gospel shared so clearly and people receiving Christ.  The Admissions team also spoke with over 20 high school students interested in pursuing studies at WOLBI and received 7 Bible Institute applications!

Students involved in this ministry event said,  

"It was really great, I think the teens enjoyed it a lot!"

"It was fantastical! The teens dedicated their lives to Christ and it was amazing to see God work in the lives of young people."

"It was sweet to see so many Christians in the same place, and so many people hearing the Word of God."

"I survived the whole night on energy drinks :) but it was totally worth it to see what God did."