Philippians 3:12-16 - “Persevering for the Sake of the Gospel”
- For what purpose did God create you? Do you know what kind of life God has called you to live for Him? List a few practical ways to assist you in determining your calling.
- What kind of “emotions” and “issues” weigh you down? Identify ways your “past” can negatively impact your present life?
- What role do our three enemies (flesh, world, Satan) play in the process of “enslavement?” How can we break free from our past defeats and pains?
- In order to win the prize we must understand the “price of winning.” Identify four principles that will help you “persevere” for the sake of the Gospel.
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 3:1-11 - “Knowing Christ Transcends ‘I Do.’”
- How does Paul depict the enemies of the Gospel? What are the implications of pseudo people, pseudo worship, pseudo glory, and pseudo salvation?
- Identify four ways Paul challenges the “ego-salvation” view. How can we share the Gospel with these “type” of people?
- What does it mean to have faith in Christ? Have you made a decision to trust Christ for your salvation? Why or why not?
- To what extent have you experienced “fellowship” with Christ’s suffering? How did this experience deepen your relationship with Christ?
- Identify four principles for “knowing Christ” (in a more intimate manner). What are the benefits (or spiritual fruit) for knowing Christ?
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 2:12-30 - “Seeking Christ’s Interests Together”
- In an era when Caesar was considered “lord”, Paul proclaims that Jesus Christ is the Lord over all creation. How would the Philippian people understand that claim? What did the Lordship of Christ mean to the Philippian church? To each one as individuals? What does this same reality mean today?
- Philippians 2:12-13 emphasizes the need for each Christ-follower to experience an ongoing reconstruction of one’s heart and mind by cooperating with God’s Spirit. What are some areas that need reconstruction work (hint see 2:14,15)? How will you cooperate with the Holy Spirit?
- As we are transformed by grace, Paul writes that we are to “hold out” and “hold onto the Word of Life”. What is the Word of Life? How does the Gospel of Jesus Christ make us shine like stars? (verse 15, 16)
- What are some ways you “hold out the Word of Life” in your daily life? How do you “hold on to the word of life” as you walk through each day? How are these actions central to any church’s vision?
- Scottish essayist Thomas Carlyle states that “History is the essence of innumerable biographies.” Why does Paul include examples of life together at the end of this chapter? How do these examples encourage BG’s life together?
- Paul had a wonderful relationship with the Philippian church as they gave wholehearted support to the spread of the Gospel. In what ways did their faith lead them to sacrifice and serve Paul? (verse 17) Why did Paul want them to rejoice with him?
- Timothy was described as one who takes a genuine interest in the welfare of the Philippian church. How does Timothy differ from others (see verse 21)? What are Christ’s interests that we should pursue as a congregation?
- The Philippian church sent Epahroditus to Paul for encouragement and support. How does Paul describe this man (verse 25)? How does Paul demonstrate the grace of Christ toward this man and the Philippian church? What qualities are needed for sharing life together at BG?
- Each one of us needs to invest in the spiritual growth of another person (or several others) and to receive encouragement for our personal growth. Who is your Timothy? Who is your Epaphroditus?
- Are you willing to be a part of a small group at BG that will foster spiritual growth and outreach to the Ithaca community?
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 2:12-17 - “Shining Like Stars”
- Have you ever made a discovery in your life that prompted you to take action on your discovery? What was it? (hints: falling in love, visited the Grand Canyon, realized your need to extend forgiveness, found a short-cut to solve a problem, etc.) What did you do?
- What does Paul mean when he encourages Christ-followers to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling”? Why “fear and trembling”, if the Scripture tells us that “perfect love casts out fear”? What does this heart attitude look like in practical terms?
- If we are told to work out what God has placed in our lives, what role does God play in the process and what role do we play (see verses 12-13)? What is the gift that God gives to His children? How does one’s obedience and faithfulness illustrate our response to that gift?
- Are you a grumbler? A complainer? Do you find pleasure in a good argument? What do you think is at the root of these actions? What effect do they have on relationships? On families? On the local church? On society? How can Christ-followers offer a different quality of life by not pursuing these attitudes or actions?
- How does Paul’s metaphor of God’s children “shining like stars” offer a vivid word picture of the role of God’s children play in our world? In the church? What does this word picture say about the power of Christ’s character in God’s people?
- In Paul’s day, stars provided navigational guidance for sailors. How might Christians point people to Jesus if they shine like stars (see verses 14-16)?
- Why does Paul encourage the Philippians to hold fast to the Word of Life? Why must we do the same twenty-one centuries later? How does the message of Christ act like a lamp to our feet and light for our paths?
- It is said that we must preach the Gospel to ourselves daily. What does that mean? Why might that be an important daily action for a proper perspective on life? How will it help the world see God’s grace and truth in His people?
- Rejoice! In Philippians, Paul uses this word often and encourages Christ-followers to exhibit joy in daily life and joy for what God is doing. How joyful are you? What brings your joy? What robs your joy? If joy is based on self-centeredness, why is it tempting to use others to provide us with good feelings? If joy is about purposes and goals in our lives, then what does unity in purpose and goals look like?
- How joyful are we at BG? Does the joy of the Lord exhibit through our lives? If people outside the church encounter us, are they surprised by our joy? Why or why not?
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 2:1-11 - “The Mind of Christ”
- Paul wrote this letter to God’s people in Philippi, a proud city because of its favored status as a “colony” of Rome. How does cultural, professional, and ethnic pride seep into the way that we live our lives? What impact does this attitude have on God’s people in the way they live out their faith in the world and together in the church?
- What is the church’s foundation for unity? In verses 2:1-3, one discovers that encouragement, comfort, fellowship and compassion are traits of God’s work among us. How should this grace and truth of Christ impact our life together?
- When Paul writes that we should “consider others better than ourselves”, what is he asking each one of us to pursue? If humility is not doormat thinking or self-loathing, what does humility look like in everyday life?
- How does Christ’s Gospel change the way we see ourselves? In contrast to moralism (I can do it on my own) and relativism (no one tells me how to live), we are to continually apply the Gospel by seeing the example of Christ. Why is this so difficult for us to do?
- How does the attitude of Christ impact our thinking? The hymn of Christ, found in 2:5-11, is a sweeping picture of the humility and power of Christ’s action for humanity. How does this illustrate the idea that the way down (humility and not pride) is actually the way up?
- Christ displayed his grace and truth in everyday life. How did His incarnational presence display itself in practical terms? How is the church called to an incarnational ministry of grace and truth in our community?
- Christ served by giving His life for others. In what ways does the Lord desire that His people serve others? How is BG serving others in this community? How are you contributing to the ongoing presence of the Gospel in Ithaca?
- The Lordship of Christ means that because all of our lives come under His authority, we are called to live lives worthy of the Gospel. How does this reality impact the way we work, raise a family, go to the supermarket, or relate to our neighbors? What needs to be changed, by God’s grace, in your life as you worship Christ as Lord? In BG’s life?
- Having the mind of Christ is not about perfection of thought, but about an attitude of the heart. How is the Lord honored when His church lives out this heart attitude before a watching world?
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.
