Hello all you readers on the interweb, first I want to apologize for the lack of updates, we are REALLY REALLY SORRY SORRY!! We are going to try and update this retroactively… so as a result some posts are going to be more or less detailed than others, please please just bare with us!
Working on our theme for the year “Renewed mind and Reformed living” we started moving into the reformed living part for the summer by looking at the heart of outreach. The passage of study for that week was found in Phillipians 2: 1-11
1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
We continued with our inductive style approach of Bible studies in which we each first looked at the passage ourselves and made notes of what jumped out at us and any questions we had. Then we brought those notes and questions back to the big group and discussed them. Questions discussed during the night included:
Why does Paul state these ‘prerequisites’ before commanding us to have the same attitude in our service to God? (v. 1)
- note that he states “if” in the beginning à he’s saying that any act of service or external righteousness must flow from our internal relationship with God (v. 1 “united with Christ, comfort from His love, fellowship with the Spirit..”)
What does it take to be in the right place to serve God? (v. 3-8)
- what does it mean to be made nothing?
àhumility, emptying ourselves, acknowledging that we are nothing until we allow ourselves to be instruments of God
- example of Jesus, who is the son of God already, made himself nothing; he chose NOT to be on his throne in order to become a servant
Why do we need to be “united” in mind, love, spirit and purpose? (v. 2)
- see Romans 12:4 – 4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others
- we need to be aligned in our purpose in order to serve effectively, supporting each other in his/her calling or work
The main point we were trying to drive home that night was that before we can even begin to start outreaching, we need to first humble ourselves and what better model of humility than Jesus Christ?
Application questions:
1. How can you considers others better than yourselves and still keep an accurate view of who you are in God?
2. In what practical ways can you “look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others”?
3. Read John 12:24-25.
24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
How does Philippians 2:5-11 parallel with this passage? Are there things in your life that you need to let go of in order to advance God’s kingdom wholeheartedly?
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