Philippians 1:12-26 - “What Makes Life Worth Living?”
- How does Paul’s imprisonment relate to the providence of Gospel? What kind of “imprisonments” are you presently experiencing and how is God providentially using you to further the Gospel?
- What are the key components of the Gospel? To what extent have you planned (and prayed) for salvation to come to your family? campus? workplace? neighborhood? our Ithaca?
- Do you feel “connected” at BG? What should you or the church do differently in order to deepen our relationships with one another?
- How does having a “Christ alone” vision affect our individual and corporate worship? education? community? outreach?
- Why does the Gospel make life worth living?
Ask the Lord to use this meditation of His Word to increase our love for Him and for each other as we seek to live daily by the grace of God.
Philippians 1:3-11 - “Praying For Growth”
- In our study of Philippians, we discover that Paul is in a prison and wants to remind God’s people in Philippi that God is the One who is at work in their lives (verse 6). Why is Paul so confident that God is at work in them? Are you confident that God is working in your life? Why or why not?
- Self-help books abound in our culture. In a recent book, The Secret, the power of positive thinking is portrayed as the answer to life’s greatest quests. This is nothing new. In Paul’s day, people were challenging Paul’s authority as an Apostle because of his imprisonment and experience of severe hardships/beatings along the way. Reread this section of Scripture and discover the attitude behind Paul’s prayer in Philippians 1:9-11. Why does this prayer fly in the face of self-help principles? How does Paul’s attitude compare with ours as we pray?
- Over against raw ambition and power, Paul puts for a request for agape love. Martin Luther describes this love as “left-handed power” which magnifies itself in forgiveness and self-giving. The “right-handed power” of the world is based on force and brute strength. When Paul prays that their love will abound more and more, what is he asking God to do in their lives? As we pray this pray, what are we asking God to do?
- Love is not a blind emotion; rather it involves knowledge and insight. What is Paul referring to when he prays for knowledge? Insight? What is the difference between the two concepts? How does an understanding of God and His ways yield discernment for our lives?
- Each one of us is required to make decisions daily. Discerning what is best involves knowing the difference between “right and wrong” as well as between “right and right”. How do you make priority decisions in your life? With so many opportunities to serve in this broken world, what are some of the important priorities that BG should pursue in the future?
- Paul prays that this love will change the focus of God’s people. How does God change us from self-centeredness to Christ-centeredness? Why does this character transformation include both inner (pure) and outer (blameless) transformation? What is one example of His transforming power in your life?
- How does the content of this prayer (as well as Ephesians 1:15-21 and Colossians 1:9-12) compare with your own prayers? What are the differences? What can we learn from these prayers to help us in our prayer life?
- “Egocentric” prayers have our desire and wishes at their center while “ergocentric” prayers depend on the grace of God to “work” in our lives. What is the difference in the way each prayer is expressed? Why do we need to constantly ask the Lord to stimulate spiritual growth in our lives? At BG?
Ask the Lord to use this meditation of His Word to increase our love for Him and for each other as we seek to live daily by the grace of God.
Philippians 1:3-11 - “God’s Ergonomics”
This morning, the men from Renovation House will visit during the morning service. Listen to their testimonies of God’s grace in their lives.
- One of the best known verses of Scripture is Philippians 1:6: “Being confident of this that He who began a good work within you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus”. What are some of the components of God’s work in our lives?
- Read Acts 16:13-40 and refresh your memory on the way God began the work in three people described in these verses. How did Lydia, the businesswoman, recognize God’s work in her life (16:14)? How did the correctional official respond to the message of the Gospel in his home? How does 2 Corinthians 4:6 emphasize the essence of God’s work in our lives? Have you recognized it in your life? In BG’s life?
- God will see His work to its proper conclusion. How does Paul describe that conclusion by Christ’s action- see Philippians 3:20-21 for help? What does 1 John 3:1,2 add to the promise of His return? Are you confident that Christ will return to end history as we know it? How does that help our daily living?
- What is the work that God carries on between the beginning and end (see verse 6)? Why is it described as “good” when there are so many heartaches in a fallen world? Are you confident that God does not give up on you?
- In physics, the word “erg” describes a force that is applied to overcome inertia. Ergonomics is “an applied science that coordinates the design of devices, systems and physical working conditions with the capacities and requirements of the worker”. Taken from the Greek word for work (ergon) both concepts remind us that God’s good work is not something hidden or only for the future. How is God working in your life right now? How are you cooperating with God’s work in your life?
- In April, Philip Yancey spoke at Virginia Tech two weeks after the shooting rampage that took place on campus. Yancey said, “I wish I could promise you a pain-free life, but I cannot.” What does God promise us? Is this “good work” free of pain or does it include pain and suffering? What is God good for?
- Dallas Willard writes: “For those who love God, nothing irredeemable can happen to you.” Do you believe that? Why or why not?
- What should we pray for as we go though our daily experiences? How is the Gospel applied to our lives? Why is it tied to the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ? What needs to change in our attitude toward God’s work in us?
Ask the Lord to use this meditation of His Word to increase our love for Him and for each other as we seek to live daily by the grace of God.
