Saturday

Week 9 – Saturday – Drink Offering

Go read Philippians 2:17 and 2 Timothy 4:6.

<> What is the context in which Paul refers to himself being poured out as a drink offering in 2 Timothy?

Drink Offerings
Drink offerings are a traditional Old Testament offering that would be made to God by taking some amount of fine wine or perfectly pure drink and pouring it on an altar. In much the same way that a burnt offering or a meal offering offered the first and the best food as a gift to God and communicated our love for God is bigger than our love for food – our need for You God is bigger than our need for our best food; the drink offering also communicated this same idea of preference – God, You are more satisfying than our favorite refreshing beverage.

Go read 2 Samuel 23:15-17.

<> What do the mighty men in order to get the drink for David?
<> What does David communicate by offering it as a drink offering instead of drinking it?
<> Does anything in your life communicate that you prefer God to your own pleasure?
I think in terms of pure modern practical application fasting is a relatively untaught but extremely beneficial spiritual discipline. In a fast, as God’s people we abstain from something good that God has blessed our lives with to proclaim that Jesus is more satisfying that His gifts. We protect our hearts from falling to the idolatry of worshipping creature over creator. There are many ways to fast but the goal is that by removing a normal, regular and appreciated part of our lives, our physical hunger/thirst/desire will help us understand our spiritual hunger, thirst and desire for God.

Check out Matthew 6:16-18 for more instruction on fasting.

Symbolic Significance
The significance of a drink offering can be thought of in terms of the way that the entire liquid is consumed. A drink offering is the same picture that is referenced in Phil. 2:7 when it says that Christ “emptied himself”. The picture is that we are pouring out the entirety of our love and our life at the throne of our King in humble servitude. In Philippians 2:17 and moreso in 2 Timothy 4:6, Paul references the end of his life and his ministry. He’s making the point that if his entire life is poured our for sake of Christ, then so be it – that is the goal of his life.

In the story with King David sending the mighty men for the water from the well in Bethlehem, there is a certain notion of waste. You have to imagine that the mighty men might have been a little bit curious to say the least when they risk their lives to get their king a drink of water and he pours it on the ground instead of drinking it.

<> What would you have thought if you risked your life for the water and David poured it out?
<> What other purposes could the water have been used for?

I think there is a major point here: No matter what seems pragmatically best, our lives being poured out in worshipful service and praise of Jesus is the BEST and ONLY GOOD use of our lives. Paul echoes that idea in Philippians 2:17, “If I am being poured out like a drink offering […] I am glad and rejoice.”

<> How is your life being poured out in worship of the one and only God?

Friday

Week 9 – Friday – Hold Forth the Word of Life

Go read Philippians 2:14-16.

<> According to vs. 16 what is Paul’s goal?
<> How do the lives of the Philippians impact him?

If You Got It, Flaunt It:

Go read Romans 10:13-15.

<> How did you come to know Christ?
<> Who specifically held out the Word of Life to you?

Go read John 1:1-5.

<> Who is the Word of Life?

There is a huge distinction that needs to be made in regards to the last two days posts. Hopefully in the language that was used within them, this distinction is already being made clearly but the goal of today’s post is to clarify just in case there has been any confusion. Here are two possible reactions to the last two day’s posts:

Reaction #1: Ok, I’m supposed to be powerful because the light of Jesus is powerful and it’s supposed to be in me so I need to try to be very light-esque and very powerfully light-ish. I’m supposed to live in the midst of the crooked and depraved generation and so I’m going to try to do that without becoming sinful in the process. I’m going to try really hard to go be bright light in the darkness and my life will be this directional becon like a star is for a sailor, if I can JUST try hard enough to shine and not to sin and to be around people who need a spiritual-follower-of-Jesus-who-is-like-a-star-guidance-system. Wow, the world needs me. That must be why He leaves me here and doesn’t take me home yet. Well, now it’s off to work to go be light and direction and guidance and to walk perfectly in balanced in the world but not of the worldness.

OR

Reaction #2: I’m been entrusted with the Word of Life and called to shine like a star in the midst of darkness. I’m not good at that on my own. Jesus I’m going to need some help if I’m even going to think about walking through this generation without becoming completely addicted to sin again. Literally all I have is that which has been given to me. So I’m going to hold out the Word of Life in front of me so much so that no one will be confused into thinking this is some new thing I’m doing – that I’m trying to do. Why does my life look different now? Jesus – the Word of Life that was preached to me. How can your life look different now? Jesus – He is the Word of Life that I’m holding out to you.

<> In terms of you shining like a star in the midst of a crooked and depraved generation, how much of that depends on you?

Being a missionary in this city is not about how good you can be at life. It is about how hard you can hold onto Jesus and proclaim Him as your lifelong and daily hope for holiness and grace.

The Word of Life:
Too many of us don’t know, don’t respect and don’t digest the Word of Life on a regular basis. In terms of holding it forth to a crooked and depraved generation, we’re holding out two verses we memorized when we were six. The Word which is the Bible which is Jesus who is our life – is not an optional pursuit if we say that following Jesus is what we are all about.

<> How much time do you spend in the Word?
<> Do you pursue it – sit with it, meditate on it, revisit it and apply it to your life – or do you read it passively and act happy that you read it?
<> Is it possible to hold forth the Word of Life if you aren’t well-versed in it?

Thursday

Week 9 – Thursday – Shine Like Stars

Go read Philippians 2:15.

“. . . shine like stars in the universe. . .”

This is an absolutely beautiful picture. I want to talk about two aspects of stars that directly effect what it means for us when Paul uses this metaphor.

The Power of Light
If you think about Paul sitting in a jail cell as he writes to the Philippians, you have to imagine he had a good bit of time to sit and look out the bars of his cell at the stars in the sky. Sunday night Dustin referenced nights when you feel like the stars are only a few feet away and if you just reached up you could grab them. In passing he mentioned that the truth is stars are light years away. Let’s unpack that a little bit. One light year is almost SIX TRILLION MILES!!! I sound like a politician lying about deficits and tax cuts. SIX TRILLION miles of darkness can’t stop the light of a star from cutting through. This is the power of the light that lives inside of you if you.**

Go read 1 John 4:4.
Go read John 8:12.
Go read Matthew 5:14.
Go read Matthew 5:16.

<> How do you allow Jesus to shine through you?
<> Do walk in the understanding that light is more powerful than darkness?
<> If the Holy Spirit lives in you – the same Spirit that raised Christ from death – what are you afraid of?

A balanced understanding of the power of God in you is to humbly and equally accept that Jesus is incredibly powerful and you are incredibly not powerful. Out of that humility, if Jesus says He wants His Spirit to shine so brightly through you that His light cuts through and reveals darkness, then so be it. We don’t think we’re powerful on our own. We don’t think the light is ours. We don’t think the power is something we can wield or control. But we DO humbly accept that Christ might want to do things through our lives that will blow our minds because He is powerfully capable and He has this thing about hating darkness.

The Directional Use of Stars
When Paul wrote Philippians, GPS wasn’t invented yet. Google Maps was still a few thousand years off and boats were the fastest way to get around. Road maps on the open seas aren’t so useful. But stars are. Stars are a sailor’s best friend and with simple calculations and seasonal star charts, you can literally sail almost anywhere you want to. To the Philippians (who lived in Philippi just a few miles from the Aegean Sea) when Paul told them they shine like stars in the universe, they knew that stars helped people get where they needed to go.

<> Does the light of your life direct people towards where they need to go?

Tomorrow we’re going to talk more about how we are directional, but remember Matthew 5:16 that you read just a few minutes ago. The actions that flow out of a transformed heart with the power of the Holy Spirit alive and breathing inside of you SHOULD point people towards glorifying your Father in Heaven. That’s the goal.



**The light only lives inside of you if you honestly confess that Jesus is Lord and that you aren’t with your mouth, repent (change your mind and your actions) from thinking that sin is a good way to go through life, and believe in your heart that Jesus was raised from the dead so He has the power to birth life in you where there was spiritual death before.

Wednesday

Week 9 – Wednesday – In the Midst

Run a google search on bioethicist Peter Singer. As a professor at Princeton, Singer has recently made claims that children under the age of two years old have no self-awareness and therefore it is ethical to kill them and harvest them for organs. In an interview he stated that over the next few decades only the most backwards of religious fundamentalists would continue to believe that life is sacrosanct – sacred.

Go read Philippians 2:15.

Crooked and Depraved:
Paul is giving a very distinct contrast between the phrase he gave to describe Christians, “blameless and pure children of God without fault” and the environment that we live in, “a crooked and depraved generation.”

<> What marks our culture?
<> When you think about the actions and customs of our culture, what comes to mind?
<> What are the underlying values that define our culture’s actions and beliefs?

Go read Deuteronomy 32:5

<> Is this issue of being a crooked and depraved generation a new issue?

We need to go ahead and accept the fact that sinful people are addicted to this thing called sin. Outside of God changing our hearts and sending His Holy Spirit to live in us and give us a new mind and new desires, we are helpless against sin’s power over us. According to Romans 7:14 we are slaves to sin outside of Jesus’ work in our lives. When we expect culture to be holy and righteous, it exposes that we don’t understand what the gospel says in terms of how much sin we live in. Outside of Christ we are crooked. Outside of Jesus we are depraved.

Living In the Midst
Sunday night Dustin talked about the fact that we are supposed to live “IN A” crooked and depraved generation. Far too often, children of God believe that their roll in society is to flee from a crooked and depraved generation – to boycott and picket and protest. Once we remove ourselves from society, we are failing to obey Phil. 2:15. We are no longer IN the crooked and depraved generation.

<> In what ways have you removed yourself from the generation that you live in?
<> What benefit does seclusion give you in your walk with Christ?

The balance issue about living IN A crooked and depraved generation is that you are to do so while remaining absolutely pure and blameless and without fault. With absolute love and humility you are called to walk in the midst of a generation that is sinful to it’s core, and yet to remain absolutely holy as you do. This is a hard balance. BUT it is commanded. Jesus wants you to learn how to walk in communion with Him in the midst of a generation that knows nothing about Him.

<> In what ways have you fallen into the generation that you are supposed to be distinct from?
<> How are you allowing Jesus to teach you the balance of remaining holy and living in the context of a crooked and depraved generation?

Tuesday

Week 9 – Tuesday – Blameless and Pure Children of God Without Fault

Read Philippians 2. Re read vs. 14-15
<> What is the goal of “do[ing] everything without complaining or arguing”?

Throughout the Scriptures there are a lot of descriptions of who we are as Christians and what our lives are supposed to look like. This one is one of the most concise and complete descriptions I have found.

Blameless and Pure:
This is the second time in Philippians that Paul has used this phrase. The first time was in Philippians 1:10 when he was talking about the goal of the love he wanted them to have for each other. Go check out the post from April tenth for a refresher on the idea. Essentially, these two words holistically sum up that your heart should be purely/solely devoted to one thing – Jesus – and that your actions should be so upright that no one would be able to accuse you of secret sin. As Christians when we sin, we are to walk in honesty both with God and others so that there is never any confusion. “Hey did you hear about Oscar??” “Yeah, I heard about Oscar from Oscar. He’s working out his issues and getting the help he needs. . .”
<> Is your heart purely devoted to Christ?
<> Are you walking in a way that no one could accuse you of hiding sin?

Children of God:
For some of you this is a very tough idea. Your concept of being someone’s child involves a lot of painful memories, abuse and brokenness. The only encouragement I can give you is to take all your frustration and imagine how you would have wanted it to be – moreover, how it was supposed to be – loving, compassionate discipline, wise guidance and the completely invested devotion of a strong and gentle Father.

On the other hand, some of you have the exact other problem. Your parents spoiled you until you were blue in the face and gave you the notion that life and the entire universe is all about you. Whether you’ve come to realize it or not yet, that can be as abusive as the more active vicious kind. In your relationship with God He is never going to allow you to think that this universe revolves around you. He is going to constantly rip that thought from your brain and do whatever it takes to teach you that it’s much better for you to understand this whole thing is about Him. He loves you – because He is amazing, not because you’re amazing.

<> When you approach God, how does your attitude reflect that you understand you are His child?
<> Find some parents and ask them what their favorite moments with their children are. How do you share these kinds of moments with your Father in Heaven?
<> Are you more of a spoiled brat or more of an abused/abandoned child? (I don’t want to ignore those of you out there that had great parents – Without idolizing them, take all of your relational beauty with them and apply it to how you interact with God. Unfortunately, you seem to be the rare case these days.)

Without Fault:
The gospel. Blameless and Pure have to do with your actions and your attitude. Without Fault has to do with the fact that Jesus has washed you of all your sin; past, present and future.

Go read Psalms 103:8-14

<> Take some time and just work through the passage.
<> What do our sins deserve?
<> How is God described in this passage?
<> What does He do with our sin?
<> If that’s true, how does that change your life and the way that you approach Him?

If you have put your whole hope faith and trust in Jesus, you are WITHOUT FAULT. You are not living under the burden of your sin any longer. You do not have to carry what He has already carried. You can not have to pay for what He has already paid for. You are clean. Live like it.

Monday

Week 9 – Monday – Complaining and Arguing

Go read Philippians 2:14.

<> Is there any lack of clarity in this verse?
<> Are you more of a complainer or an arguer?
<> What areas of your life create complaining and arguing in you instantly?

Complaining
When you complain, the underlying heart of what you are saying is that you think you deserve something better than what you are getting. Thinking you deserve better than what you are getting is an attitude of pride and entitlement. It is the exact opposite of where Paul started the chapter.

Go reread Philippians 2:5-11.

<> What is the connection between Philippians 2:5-11 and vs. 14?

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the greatest news the world has ever seen. You are loved despite what you deserve. When you complain and act like your life is LESS than what you deserve – you reject the gospel. You actively, accidentally, and atrociously REJECT the gospel with your mouth. This is a huge problem. Romans 10:10 says that both the heart and the mouth are involved in salvation. Complaining is the opposite of confessing. Rather than use my mouth to speak the truth of the gospel, I’m going to waste my breath letting everyone around me know that I don’t really trust the gospel yet – by complaining.

With your mouth you need to start picking one or the other: gospel or complaint.

<> When you complain, how do you kill your own opportunity to preach the gospel?
<> When you complain, how are you failing to live the gospel?

Arguing
When you are an argumentative person, the underlying heart of what you are saying is that there are differences between me and other people that I REFUSE to reconcile. I’m going to argue at every chance I get because I think I’m better than other people. What I think is smarter than other people. The heart behind an argumentative person is divisive whether it realizes it or not. This is the exact opposite of what Paul started the chapter with.

Go read Philippians 2:1-4.

<> How does your argumentative personality submit to Phil. 2:1-4 at all?

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the most unifying good news the world has ever seen. It undercuts every social barrier by teaching us that ALL men are sinful traitors who have destroyed our relationship with God and have no hope other than that Jesus lived and died on our behalf. Regardless of your understanding, maturity, ethnicity, gender, etc. you like me NEED Jesus.

When you remain argumentative and refuse to be united under the banner of the cross of Christ – you REJECT the gospel.

<> When you are argumentative, are you accepting your and other’s identities in context of the gospel?

The Power of Our Mouths
The problem is that the Scriptures are going to speak very HIGHLY of the power that is in our mouths. Spiritually speaking you speak truth and life into people’s lives or you speak death and complaint and negativity and argumentative nature into other’s lives. When the Holy Spirit is moving in you towards obedience, your mouth will swing towards truth and life. If your mouth is constantly pointing towards complaint and argument, something is breaking down in your relational submission to the Holy Spirit and your grateful thankful understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Friday

Week 8 – Friday - Both to Will and to Act

Go read Philippians 2:12-13.

So yesterday we spent all day just thinking on what God is doing in our lives. It’s an incredibly important discipline to sit and think about where you can see Him actively working in your life because it is both humbling to remember that you are not the one doing the work and encouraging to recognize that He is at work. Today is going to continue that trend of humility and confidence in the gospel.

“For it is God who works in you to will and to act . . . ”

When There’s No Will
We’ve often heard the phrase, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” The frustrating thing in trying to follow Jesus is if we would be completely honest, there are some days when we have NO WILL. If you aren’t playing some ridiculous religious game where you force a smile on your face regardless of the circumstances of your life and lie constantly so that people will think you’re a good Christian – then you can admit with me that there are days when you have no will to follow Jesus. No desire. No yearning. No goose-bump causing intimate feeling with the Holy Spirit. No ability to do anything about it.

<> So what do you do?
<> When was the last time you felt stuck with no will to follow God?
<> Are you there right now?

I have very encouraging news. He doesn’t run out of desire for you even when you run out of desire for Him. He doesn’t fail to want His holiness and His design for your life, even when you want to go run amuck in all of your old sin.

Go read 2 Timothy 2:13.

<> How good is it to know that He is faithful even when you are faithless?
<> How does that birth both humility and confidence in you?

Two Possible Reactions
When you really start to grasp the concept that God wills for your life even when you don’t will for His life through your life – there are a couple of reactions.

The WRONG reaction: “Well if God’s the one who is supposed to will and act in me, then I’m going to sit on my spiritually proud and lazy butt and do nothing until He changes me.”

The RIGHT reaction: “God I’m sorry that the truth is I don’t even want You right now. I don’t want to obey – I don’t want to surrender – I don’t want to submit to what You say is best, and the truth is I don’t even care that much. So I’m in desperate need of you to change my backwards heart of stone. Please give me the desire to want holiness. Please put a new heart in me. I can’t do this on my own.”

When actions are wrong in our life I think most of us are starting to figure out that we recognize it as sin and then we repent and then we get accountability and whatever kind of help we need to absolutely kill it in our lives. The truth is though that God wants more than just our actions. He wants our hearts. He wants our will. He wants complete control. So just as with our actions, when our will is wrong, we recognize is as sin and then we repent and then we get accountability and whatever kind of help we need to absolutely kill apathy in our lives.

<> Have you given up because you don’t have the will to seek Jesus?
<> Do you think God doesn’t want to talk to you because you don’t really want to talk to Him?
<> Have you tried to humbly ask God to give you the very desire to obey as well as the ability to obey?

Wednesday

Week 8 – Thursday – God Works in You

Read Philippians Chapter 2.

“For it is God who works in you. . . ”

This one is going to be short. All I want you to do is get some paper and a pen and be honest with yourself.

<> How have you seen God at work in you? Consider the past week, where have you seen Him? Look back through the past month – pull out a calendar – what’s He been doing? Think back to Christmas – how can you see evidence of His work in your heart? Finally, plunge back a whole year and write down what God has done in a year’s time in your life? How has He changed you? How has He provided? Where is He at work in you right now?

<> If you’re frustrated or struggling to answer the above questions, there are two likely possibilities: 1.) You aren’t a Christian or 2.) you’re failing to recognize where God is present in your life even though He’s there. If that’s the case, think about how you’ve changed? Where are you more Godly? Where has He put you in relationships that have pushed you more in love with Him?


Rather than spend 20 minutes to read and learn, I think we all need to talk a few moments to read over the list and praise Jesus that He is at work in us. Thank Him for what He’s doing in your – for maturity He’s building in your life. Ask Him where you still need to change.

Week 8 – Wednesday – Good Fear and Trembling

Go read Philippians 2 the whole chapter. Now reread Phil. 2:12

Different Types of Fear
There is an adrenaline-rush-funny-thrill-seeking type of fear. It is the motivation for why people love scary movies, why they ride down raging rivers in tiny little plastic boats, ride roller coasters, etc. It gets your blood rushing and your heart pounding.

There is a paralyzing-bad-will-destroy-your-life-if-you-are-not-careful type of fear. It’s best friends are mindless worry and fretting. It is the motivation for why your mom calls you twenty-three times a week to make sure everything is ok. Seriously though, this type of fear can be very dangerous when people get paralyzed by irrational fears and can’t make needed decisions or progress in their lives.

There is also a good fear. There is a type of fear that is accurately based and that motivates to healthy movement. It is the fear in a child’s eyes when his parent is freaking out because he is in danger. It is the kind of fear that will save your life.

<> What types of fear do you see in your life? What makes you afraid?
<> Can you see examples of each of these fears in your life?

The Good Fear
Go read Matthew 10:28-31
<> In what ways do you fear man and act based on what people think about you?
<> Who is worthy of fear?

The good fear is established and based on understanding who deserves fear. God is WORTHY of fear. If you take a few moments to meditate on who God is – on what God can do – on the shear power of His complete control of the universe, and the only reaction you have is, “Wow that’s neat”, then you should trade your brain in for a couple gumballs. Gumballs would be more beneficial to you right now than your brain is. SERIOUSLY, God’s nature, power, actions, abilities – His GOD-ness has to strike a little fear in your heart if you are alive. He can send you to hell after you die, AND be completely justified in doing so.

Wait, but doesn’t vs. 31 say “don’t be afraid”??? Yes, it absolutely does. This is the nature of the good fear. Based on accurate understanding of who God is, we fear Him in response. AND, He tells us that He loves us more than the sparrows and takes complete care of us, so we stop walking in fear of Him. The good fear is more about understanding who deserves fear and less about cowering in fear.

<> Do you have a healthy understanding of how worthy of fear God is?
<> How in your actions do you treat God like He is small and/or undeserving of fear?

The healthy balance is learning that God is in and of Himself completely worthy of IMMENSE fear, AND relationally He chooses to love us so we don’t have to walk forever in the what-would-be-well-deserved paralyzing fear of Him.

Why Does It Matter?
Obedience. Obedience hangs in the balance. If you never understand how worthy of fear God is, then you will ignore what He says. The Scriptures will come in one ear and fall out the other because you don’t think that is God is really worth listening to – or that He is trustworthy. On the other hand, if you don’t understand that He relationally loves you and doesn’t abuse His power like a bully to try to beat people into worshipping Him out of fear – then you’ll still end up disobedient. You will either live as a pious, penitent religious person who can’t imagine any goodness in life because you don’t get God’s goodness and so you’ll obey rules but never walk in relationship with Him. OR equally bad you will rebel against God and mock Him. You will live in the adrenaline-rush-exciting fear of challenging God to His face and seeing where it turns out. It won’t turn out good. He’s worthy of good fear. He loves you enough for you to walk in confident obedience.

Extra Resources – Matt Chandler Sermon – “The Good Fear”

Extra Resources – Matt Chandler Sermon – “The Good Fear”

For a whole sermon specifically on the idea of fearing God, check this out:
http://thevillagechurch.net/resources/audio/20060312DA01S_MattChandler_HebrewsPt10-TheGoodFear.mp3

Tuesday

Week 8 – Tuesday – Work out Your Salvation

Go read Philippians 2:12-13

I think for most of us, we are disobedient to Philippians 2:12. Blame the Bible belt culture, blame the weakness of our communal relationships, or just blame your own sin, BUT as a whole as a people group, we just need to accept that we do not work out our salvation regularly. So first we admit. And then we repent. And then we need to start striving towards salvation showing up in every area of our lives.

<> Where are you currently working out salvation in your life?
<> If you aren’t, what stands in the way of you repenting?

Limiting the Gospel
If we are not extremely careful in this Bible-belt culture that we live in, we will become just inoculated enough with the gospel that we STOP CARING about it. Apathy and spiritual stagnancy is death in your bones. I think there are two main ways that we can be guilty of limiting the gospel and both are equally deadly and both will kill our ability to work out our salvation.

LIMIT NUMBER ONE: Leaving the Gospel Behind.
Go read Revelations 2:1-5

<> Overall, how is the church at Ephesus doing?
<> What is wrong with the church at Ephesus?

It is amazing to think that someone could be persevering and suffering well for the name of Christ and at the same time – in the very midst of intense spiritual maturity – they are failing to remember their first love. JESUS. Please don’t be confused on this issue: You will NEVER stop needing the gospel. You will NEVER grow past needing to sit and meditate on and be re-blown away by the love of Christ poured out for you on the cross.

LIMIT NUMBER TWO: Gospel Restricted Areas.

Along with leaving the gospel behind as we strive to become some kind of religiously mature Christian who is impressive to everyone around us, another major danger is that we mark off certain areas of our lives and restrict Jesus’ access to those parts of our heart. Subconsciously we’re saying, “Jesus you can have my relationships and you can have my hobbies but NOT my finances . . . You can have my time and I’ll live crazy busy for you but I don’t want to talk about my addictions . . . I don’t want to talk about my patterns of sin that are comfortable like old friends . . . You CAN NOT talk to me about my relationship with her . . . with him . . .”

In no way do I mean to imply that Jesus is unable to wreck and rebuild our proud-dumb hearts if we won’t let Him in – but what I have seen Him do in my life and what is quite terrifying is that He seems to be very patiently willing to let me kill myself up to a certain point. What I mean is that He urges and pulls and pushes me the entire time and if I ignore and shut Him down, He often says, “ok. If that’s what you want, I’ll let you taste it and when it all falls apart, you’ll come running back to Daddy.”

<> What are areas of your heart/life that you have restricted Jesus’ access to and refused to do work?
<> Are there areas of unnecessary suffering where God is allowing you to taste the fruit of your disobedience?

Work it Out
Repent. Stop. Change. Beg. Plead. Run to His feet and humbly throw yourself to Him needing Him and offering all of you. He doesn’t fail. He is faithful. He forgives. And now, in reconciled relationship with Him, get to work. Sit down and write some of this stuff our. Call some friends and say, “hey I know this has been jacked up, I need some help. What do you see in my life? Where do I need to do work?” You working out your salvation will be the main way that you learn to rely on Jesus – your salvation.

Monday

Week 8 – Monday – Conscious of our Spiritual Mentors

Go read Philippians 2:1-13. Focus on Philippians 2:12.

Anytime you read the word “therefore” in Scripture, what do you do? That’s right. You ask yourself why it’s there. Therefore is a connecting word throughout the scriptures that implies a causal relationship – because of this, therefore this – because of a, obey b, etc. You cannot understand Philippians 2:12 without understanding Phil. 2:5-11. Until you’ve been blown away by Christ’s willingness to humble Himself to the point of death on a cross because He loves you in such a personal way that you are willing to give up your whole life to worship, trust and obey Him from hear on out, Philippians 2:12-13 doesn’t matter to you yet.

<> Have you experienced salvation? Has God met you and whispered love in the exact moment that your eyes were opened to your deepest desperation?
<> If no, what do you think stands in the way of God providing for your deepest needs?
<> If yes, how often do you return to that moment (or month) and remember and relive what God did in your heart when He saved you?

In My Absence as in My Presence
There’s a really interesting concept that Paul seems to mention in passing in the beginning of vs. 12. He says the words, “not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence.” Paul is too honest for me to be able to hide from him. In twelve words Paul just summed up a problem known as a heart that has no integrity. Here’s the concept he’s getting at: Of course you obey when I’m around. I’m like your spiritual father or big brother. I’m your mentor. What I want to know is will you continue to obey when I’m not around looking over your shoulder?

<> Who are your spiritual mentors/accountability?
<> Is it easier to live correctly when you know they are around and you can’t hide from them?

Paul in passing notices a tendency in humanity that our willingness to obey is inverse proportional to our ability to hide. The more I can hide what I’m doing the more of an idiot I’m willing to be. The more I know I’m going to be exposed to people I love and trust, the less of a fool I’m willing to live like. What’s amazing about the quote from Paul in vs. 12 is that our attitude is completely wrong. “Now MUCH MORE in my absence,” keep on obeying BECAUSE I’m not around to look over your shoulder. Look, since I’m NOT there, is the EXACT reason that you need to be MORE careful, not more frivolous.

<> Are you building systems and people of accountability in your life so that you cannot hide?

The Ultimate Mentor
The connection between the “therefore” and the notion of integrity Paul is mentioning is that Jesus is our true mentor and He is NEVER not with us. We start to live in a completely backwards and worthless way when we think that Jesus is gone sometimes. He never leaves you. If He has birthed life in you and changed your heart and your mind and your soul and satisfied your deepest hunger, then He’s going to begin a really annoying habit of never leaving you alone. It’s incredibly comforting . . . WHEN you have a heart to surrender and obey. It’s incredibly obnoxious WHEN your heart is bent toward the old flesh nature of sin. In both situations Jesus is exactly what we need. In the same way that it’s easier to live right when you know that your mentors are around and you are not going to be able to hide anything from them, this is always the case because Jesus, your mentor never leaves you.

<> Do you live in the spiritual awareness of Jesus’ presence?
<> What does it change about your attitude toward sin to know that when you give in to temptation, Jesus is not far from you in that moment?

Friday

Week 7 – Saturday – Knees and Tongues

Go read Philippians 2:1-11

<> Considering the humility of vs. 1-8, what is the tone of vs. 9-11?
<> What word does vs. 9 start with?
<> What is the connection between vs. 1-8 and vs. 9-11?

Important Body Parts
The two most important body parts you have are your tongue and your knees. No offense to the rest of you, but your knees and tongue are the most important because they are the quickest indicators of your heart. Knees that bow and tongues that confess reveal hearts that trust and hope in loving God. Stiff knees and silent tongues reveal hearts with no trust and no hope.

<> Based solely on your knees and your tongue as indicators, what is the condition of your heart?

Here’s why knees matter so much. If you are anything like me, you are tempted to overanalyze and turn spiritual truth into a mental issue. On the other hand, you can never logically reason your way out of whether or not your knees are willing to bow in surrender to God. At the end of the day knees that won’t bow reveal a heart that doesn’t trust, REGARDLESS of how smart you think you are. Who cares if you know the right answer, but you are unwilling to submit to God? All the answers in the world cannot make you live a life surrendered to Jesus.

<> Take a minute to analyze your knees.
<> How often do you hit them to pray?
<> Regardless of whether circumstances are good or not, how often do you humble yourself on your knees as a picture of surrender?
<> Have you become content with knowing the right answers while you refuse to submit to and obey your Savior and Lord?

Here’s why tongues matter so much. In the mental-cognitive spiritual game we like to play, I often let an issue float around in my brain with no answer acting like I am trying to seek God, but in reality I’m just lazily NOT DEALING with the issue. When I force ideas out of my brain and into real words through my tongue, they become real. I can’t hide in the mental maze when I put stuff into words. A confessing tongue is important in three contexts: 1.) Our personal relationship with God (Romans 10:9-13); 2.) Our relational interactions with other believers (James 5:16) and 3.) Our relationships with nonbelievers (Romans 10:13-15).

<> Take a minute to analyze your tongue.
<> What is the confession of your tongue to nonbelievers? Could friends of yours who don’t know Jesus answer clearly what you believe to be true based on your words?
<> Do you take time to encourage and build up believers?
<> Are you honest with God? Do you talk to Him about what’s really going on in your brain?

The Worship of Knees and Tongues
At the end of the day and as a result of His humility and death on the cross, God the Father will lift up Jesus as the rightful name above all names. We will watch and our knees and our tongues will know what to do. The important question is going to be whether our knees and tongues are well-practiced or not. At the moment when our knees have no other option other than to bow, will they be used to the idea and eager to continue – or will they be stiff and awkward and confused at the thought of humble submission? When our tongues have no other option other than to sing out in praise and confess that Jesus is Lord, will it be a continuation of what our tongues have been doing throughout our whole lives?

A hard thought is the fact that this day will not be joyful for everyone. EVERY knee will bow. EVERY tongue will confess. But for some, it will be a horrifically unexpected confession. So, that begs the question – “and how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” – Rom. 10:14.

<> Are your knees and tongue surrendered to as many possible being ready for the day when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess?

Week 7 – Friday – Obedience to a Point

Go Read Philippians 2:8 and skim back through Wednesday’s post from this week.
I know we already studied Phil. 2:8. Go read it again.

Commitment Phobia
<> What is the divorce rate in America?
<> Is the divorce rate any better amongst Evangelical Christians than society at large?
<> What are the implications of these statistics?

When a nation gets to a point that more than half the time, the second biggest commitment we ever make in our lives ends up completely failing, I think it’s time to do some soul searching. I don’t just mean on an individual level – I think our entire country and generation is suffering from a commitment-phobia epidemic. When church-subculture is indistinguishable from the society at large, we have some HUGE issues. Before you go arguing -- “Well hey, a lot of people who claim to be Christians aren’t and haven’t you heard about the sheep and the goats and the wheat and the. . .” -- calm down. Let’s all take a deep breath and just admit the truth: We don’t commit to anything.

Or worse. We commit to everything and we commit to everything in a half-committed way. Environment? Sounds good – I’ll recycle and use my 12 miles to the gallon SUV to bring my trash to the landfill. Education? SURE! I’ll try out 5 or 6 degree programs, especially while mom and dad are paying for it. Church? Love it. I love it so much I go to 4 and I get something different from each one of them. Marriage? That looks like fun. We’ll give it a go for 7 years or so, and since I hear that that’s when things get rough, no one will question me if things don’t work out – I can get over the fact that breaking my vows means I have next to no integrity at all.

<> Are you a commitment phobic?
<> Are you overcommitted to the point that everything in your life is getting half-commitment? (Here’s a good way to know: If you are constantly breaking your commitments but always have the PERFECT excuse to justify it because everything in your life is completely and validly important. . . )

The Commitment-Obedience Connection
The amount you are committed to something is directly related to the amount you will sacrifice for it. A father who is completely committed to the well being of his wife and children will lay down his life to protect them. A member of a church who is connected intimately and completely bought into the mission God has given to the church will do incredibly sacrificial things with their time, money and lives for their church family.

This is what Jesus modeled for us. His commitment was complete. He was bought into the mission and call of His life to the point that even death didn’t stand in the way.

<> Is there anything in your life you would die for?

Obedience to a Point
I think a lot of us are suffering in our relationship with God and in the practical working of our lives because we are obedient to a point. We are willing to change and repent and to sacrifice up to a certain level and then something clicks inside of us and says, “Ok, that’s enough God.” We give up a certain amount of our materialism and a certain amount of our selfishness and we serve in some volunteer position so people can see the fruit of Jesus at work in our lives – but when it comes to that ONE thing – NO. I’m not giving it up. It’s mine.

The problem is that half commitment isn’t commitment. Half surrender is no surrender at all. Half obedience is disobedience. And Jesus modeled a better way for us. Jesus obeyed to a certain point – the point of death.

Go read Hebrews 12:1-4

<> Where have you broken your commitment to Jesus and to hating sin because it was costing you to much?
<> What is the point at which your obedience fails?

Thursday

Week 7 – Thursday – What Humility Does

Go read Philippians 2:1-11. Now reread 2:6-8

<> What are things in your life that you grasp onto and are unwilling to let go?
<> When is the last time you were frustrated at someone? What did they do to annoy you?

A Stark Contrast
Philippians 2:6-8 is one of the most startling contrasts ever. It goes something like this. Jesus was in very nature God. As such, Jesus deserves glory, worship and that the whole world bows at the very thought of His name. BUT, He did not choose to hold onto His rights as if they were something to be grasped onto. Instead He emptied Himself and took the form of a servant – obeying His Father’s perfect plan even to the point of dieing the most horrible death ever imagined.

On the other hand you are NOT God. You are a very small human. You can’t even run your own life very well. As such you are worthy of no glory or worship. You turned your back on God and proudly acted like you could live life on your own. You deserve hell. When you both claim Christ and His example and still take time to demand your rights, you end up looking like a fool.

Pride
Go Read Proverbs 16:18 and 1 Peter 5:5

Pride is one of the sneakiest forms of sin in the world. When you have it, you can barely see it because you’re often too proud to admit your own sin. It sneaks in under the guise of “self-esteem” and rears its ugly head anytime we fail to acknowledge the gospel in our lives. Jesus both points out our own sin and humbles us in comparison to His complete majesty. Pride teaches us to resist drawing near to God. It makes us think that we can handle life on our own. It destroys our relationships by making us feel entitled to certain kinds of treatment from people. Rather than humbly repair relationships, we proudly wait for apologies. The Scriptures

<> Where has pride snuck into your life?
<> Are you proudly ignoring your need for God or neglecting time with Him?

What Humility Does
Jesus stands as the most beautiful contrast to the deathtrap that is pride. Despite His rightfully deserved rights, He emptied Himself. He literally took His own life and laid it down so that others would have a chance. This is the attitude that Phil. 2:5 commands us to have. Jesus demands, models and offers to us an entirely new way of looking at life. Our gain is no longer tied based on getting what we want, but rather we gain when Christ is glorified and others are served.

<> What actions and attitudes would change if your ultimate goals were that God would be glorified and others would be served?
<> What steps can you take toward practicing humility?
<> If your pride makes it difficult to see evidence of pride’s presence in your own life, how could you go about diagnosing areas where its taking root?

Wednesday

Week 7 – Wednesday – Impossible Commands

Go read Philippians 2:5.

Did that give you a good laugh? Take a big breath.
<> Is the Bible joking?

Let’s be honest with ourselves. The scriptures are hilarious at times. “Your attitude should be the same as that of Jesus Christ.” That’s a laughable idea. It’s laughable because I know me. I know my lazy, proud, disrespectful, uncaring, apathetic attitude. I know that I generally sacrifice for one reason alone: me. Even deeper than the initial laugh, Philippians 2:5 causes a certain pang of doubt and frustration deep in my soul. It sounds something like this: “Why tell me I should do something that I know I CAN NOT do?!?” I know without a shadow of a doubt that if and when I have set out and tried to have the same attitude of Jesus Christ, I fail within the first few moments of trying. I am not capable of having Christ’s attitude.

<> Why would the Scriptures command something impossible?

Impossible Commands
I don’t think this is the only time the scriptures command impossible things for our lives.

Go read 1 Thess. 5:16-17; 1 Peter 1:14-15; Philippians 2:14; Matthew 22:37 and 39.

Those are just a few of many examples where if we honestly read the scripture and take it for face value – our only correct reaction is “Wait, that’s impossible.” So why would God command things that we cannot do? Why would God set the moral behavioral standard for our actions, our attitudes our thoughts and words so high that we can barely even imagine what it would be like to live the way we are commanded to live?


Relational Obedience
Go read Romans 1:5

Paul uses the phrase “obedience that comes through faith” or the “obedience of faith” depending on what translation you’re reading. As I was recently reading through Romans, this phrase threw me off. Why would Paul’s goal for the gentiles be obedience? That sounds very religious. It doesn’t sound like grace and the cross and the gospel. So I looked up the word in Greek. It’s not a rules or law-based obedience. The most accurate definition of the word would be “to listen attentively”. Paul’s goal for the Gentiles is that they would start listening attentively.

<> Is your obedience rule-based or is it listening attentively?

The phrase gets even better. The faith referenced in Romans 1:5 is specifically the saving faith from a relationship with Jesus based on His gift offered to us in the cross. So, the obedience of faith is listening attentively because the cross convinces us that God is for our good. At every level our obedience is relational in nature. We aren’t glad Christ died on a cross and now trying to follow a list of rules on our own. We are blown away by what Jesus has done for us, and the fact that He keeps working in us to live the way He wants us to live.

<> How does relationship with Jesus actively change your life?
<> How does faith based on the cross change your heart in obedience?

The Connection
Impossible commands force you to obey by faith. When scripture commands that we do things outside our ability, our only reaction is to hit our knees. God wants us to want Him. He wants us to seek Him relationally. He’s not afraid to command us to live impossibly, if that makes us come running back to Him.

Tuesday

Week 7 – Tuesday – Humility’s Enemies (vs. 3)

Go read Philippians 2:1-4. Reread and focus on vs. 3

Having just set up the passage with a dramatic emphasis on the importance of unity, Paul is ready to launch into one of the most beautiful, deep, and challenging passages ever written. He is about to describe how unity can be accomplished through humility. He is about to command and describe in detail what it looks like to humble ourselves in the same way Jesus did.

And right before he launches into his treatise on humility, he calls out humility’s enemies.
<> According to vs. 3 what are the two enemies of humility?
<> Do you know the difference in the two? Do you struggle with one more than the other?

Selfish Ambition
I wish these two enemies were a little more complicated – a little bit harder to understand so I could feel like I had an excuse. They are not complicated at all. Selfish ambition is desiring and wanting gain, success, or advancement for the benefit of you alone. Whether it is in the area of your career, your position in some organization or just in daily motivations for your everyday activities, selfish ambition is when you want to “get yours” at the expense of anyone else.

<> Are there areas of your life where you selfishly want advancement no matter what it might cost someone else?
<> Does ambition get in the way and cloud your ability to obey God when He directs you somewhere other than where you want to go?

I think there are two main problems with selfish ambition. 1.) It kills our ability to humbly promote other’s interests ahead of our own. When our thoughts, motives and actions are obsessed with achieving our own glory, popularity or success, we become unable to see and serve others around us. 2.) It is like an addiction. Selfish ambition is almost like the ring in the Lord of the Rings. You think you have it and can hide it in your pocket, but truthfully, it takes over you and turns you into a person you never wanted to be.

Vain Conceit
The term vain conceit comes from the Greek word “kenodoxia”. It means empty, groundless, self-esteem or pride. This isn’t just being proud of some valid accomplishments or talents you have to offer. This is pride based on absolutely nothing -- puffed up estimation of yourself in complete denial of how empty the claim is. It is useless. It is ungrounded. It is me way too often.

<> If you analyzed your life, in what ways would you see this idea of vain conceit showing up?
<> What are indicators that you are allowing vain conceit to creep in and reign in your life?

These two ideas of selfish ambition and vain conceit are very overarching ideas. They are umbrellas with a lot of examples underneath. For instance if you find yourself looking in the mirror dozens of times a day or for very extended periods of time – at a surface level you are dealing with vain conceit. On a deeper level, if you are struggling to trust God in what He says is best, or find yourself feeling entitled, complaining to God for what He’s not doing well in your life – you are still dealing with vain conceit. Selfish ambition could show up when you want a promotion at work and are willing to step on people to get it. It could show up in a room full of people when you are trying to one up everyone to get all the attention in the room. On a deeper level, selfish ambition shows up when you try to barter with God for what you want or get mad at Him when He doesn’t bring the gain that you want to see in your life.

Hope
We’re going to talk about it in much more detail throughout the week, but for both of these issues the only way to fight them is going to be to wrestle with Jesus. Taking your selfish ambition and your vain conceit to the foot of the cross is the only way to really start to kill them. It’s going to take humility to do that, so you’re going to want to ask Him for help even in the initial stages. These are two very sneaky enemies to your joy and you probably won’t be able to see them on your own. You will probably need to ask a friend to help point out areas of your life where you struggle with either or both.

Extra Resources - Website - One Prayer

Check out this website for some really cool upcoming ideas on what it could look like for hundreds of churches to unite around the cross.

www.oneprayer.com

Monday

Week 7 – Monday – Reclaiming Unity

Good-bye Chapter one. Chapter two here we come. Go read Philippians Chapter 2.

Now re-read Phil. 2:1-2
<> In the if-then statement Paul writes, what is the conditional part (the “if ____” part)?
<> What is the resulting command part (the “then ______” part)?
<> How do we accomplish the command?

Making His Point
Philippians 2:1 almost makes me laugh. Paul is being pretty overdramatic. I’m going to script it out as a dialogue so you’ll see what I mean:

Paul: If being united with Jesus gives you ANY encouragement AT ALL . . .
Philippians (or us): Well of course being united with Jesus is encouraging Paul.
Paul: Yeah yeah, I know . . . and if understanding the love of Christ is even the TINIEST bit comforting . . .
Philippians (or us): What do you mean IF the love of Christ is comforting? It’s the only comforting thing I’ve ever known Paul!

Paul: Yeah I know -- I know it is. . . but think about it, if you have hung out with or heard from the Holy Spirit even for a MILLISECOND in your entire life. . .
Philippians (or us): DUDE. Yes, Jesus is encouraging. His love IS comforting. There IS fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Why are you making me want to punch something or curse?!
Paul: Oh, ok . . . well in that case, then you should go ahead and be unified.

Oh snap. To me it almost has the sound of a wife looking at her husband and saying, “If you have any shred of love whatsoever in the entirety of your heart, then fulfill my every desire and make me complete by getting me a yogurt.” Wait, what?!? The condition seems to outweigh the resulting command. But, Paul did not make a mistake here. (Especially seeing as He was inspired by the Holy Spirit of God according to 2 Timothy 3:16) Paul is using dramatic language to make his point:

WE DON’T VALUE UNITY ENOUGH.


<> Is there ANYONE in the body of Christ that you are separated from – any relationship where friction reigns instead of unity in Christ?
<> What is the reason for the friction?
<> When you hold up that reason and compare it to the encouragement of being united with Christ, the comfort of walking in His love and the fellowship of His Spirit, does it hold any water? Does it really matter at all?

Underrated Unity
I think Paul’s dramatic language is aimed directly at our American misunderstanding of the importance of unity. Being like-minded sounds like one of those secondary commands – right down there with not complaining or gossiping. You know, things that are commanded by Scripture but since our society doesn’t really care about them, we shouldn’t and Jesus probably doesn’t either. Right? Wrong.

I think we need to let Paul’s dramatic language rattle our cage. I think we need to repent of our American misunderstanding of unity’s value. I think Paul’s language here demands that we ask the questions, “Why is unity so important Paul? Why do being like minded, having the same love, and being one in spirit and purpose matter so much?”

<> Why does unity matter?

These are just a few thoughts to get you started., and you should feel free to search the Scriptures and let the Holy Spirit impress more on you.

1.) Unity destroys personal pride. To walk in unity with others means you have to get over the fact that you are wrong sometimes.

2.) Unity protects our joy. When you are walking in broken relationship with people who you are supposed to be united with in the love, spirit and purpose of Jesus, your joy starts to erode. As your joy erodes, your worship erodes. As your worship erodes, your missional heart to love others erodes. Fighting for and protecting unity with believers in your life just could be VITAL to you obeying God in your life.

3.) Unity promotes dreaming. When we really start to combine our resources and our brains and our lives in spiritual and emotional and physical unity, God’s dreams start to take shape. Think about how many people have been given a vision of what God wanted for their life and failed to obey because they had no support from other believers. When God gives us dreams and visions for His kingdom, He wants other citizens of the kingdom to be involved in revising and encouraging and helping accomplish those dreams.

4.) Unity is Jesus’ hope for the church. He prayed for it in John 17:11, 21 and 22. He wants His church to unite across and around WHATEVER issues used to divide us, and loudly proclaim “JESUS IS BETTER THAN ANY REASON I USED TO HAVE TO NOT LOVE THESE PEOPLE.” He wants it because that is a radical statement that the world does not know what to do with. We are not uniting for unity’s sake. We unite for the sake of Christ being worshipped in the world.

<> Do we have any excuse to continue thinking that unity doesn’t matter?

Saturday

Week 6 – Saturday – Mutual Experience

Go read Philippians 1:30.

<> How important is it to have someone walk alongside you during pain?
<> What effect does it have when someone who has been through a similar situation opens up and encourages you in the midst of tough times?

I love Paul’s comment Philippians 1:30: “since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.” Can you hear the loving paternal tone? It’s like Paul is saying, “hey you’re not alone in this. I’m here with you. Actually, I’m glad that you’re here with me now.”

What Suffering Does
Matt did a great job on Sunday night of talking about what suffering does. I think one of the strongest and most unique aspects of suffering to apply to our lives is that “suffering gives us credibility with Christians and non-Christians alike.” Here’s the thing though, suffering can only give you this credibility if a few things happen:

1.) You have to learn and heal and grow as a result of the suffering you’re going through.
If you are becoming more faithless as a result of your suffering, then you’re not going to be able to use it to encourage anyone. Until you submit yourself to trusting a loving God, it’s pretty much impossible for Him to use hard times in your life the way He wants to. This DOES NOT mean you are supposed to act like everything’s ok when things are very much not ok. It means you are supposed to honestly face your issues and deal with them and deal with Jesus so that He can bring healing in your life. If you need accountability and encouragement of Christian peers – FIND IT. If you need wise older counsel and assistance – FIND IT. If you need professional counseling – FIND IT (and Midtown is willing to help you with that.) But more than anything for most of you, you probably just need to have a good open honest conversation or thirty with Jesus and see what He’s got to say in the Scriptures.

<> Do you need peers, mentors, or professional help in areas that you have been unwilling to look for?
<> What conversations do you need to have with Jesus for healing to start?

2.) You have to be willing to be honest about the suffering you’ve been through.
The pain you’ve experienced will never help anyone as long as you are stuffing it deep down into your soul and acting like it doesn’t exist. Being honest about what you’ve been through involves a willingness to let others learn in an easier way, what you learned in a hard way. It also involves being vulnerable about the struggle and pain along the way. While you have to have learned and grown before you will be helpful to others, you don’t have to be done learning and growing. Being honest about the process that God is taking you through can be one of the most powerful encouragements in someone else’s pain.

<> Are there areas of your life that have taught you huge lessons that you are unwilling to talk to other people about?
<> When you share about hard times in your life, do you sugarcoat the situation or act like it’s all over when really you’re still working through it?

Sharing in Suffering
Go read Romans 12:15.

The whole idea of mourning with those who mourn is that we as Christians should be the most sympathetic people in the world. Following Christ’s example, we are practicing what it looks like to die to ourselves daily (Luke 9:23) and love each other more than ourselves (Rom. 12:10). When we see our family in pain our natural instinct should be to walk through it with them – to share our experiences so they can avoid some of the pain we’ve already been through AND so that we can see how God is able to use our suffering for good and for His glory.

You are not alone in this thing.

<> Are you living your life in a way that helps others know that they are not alone?

Friday

Week 6 – Friday - Suffering for Christ’s Sake

Go Read Philippians 1:29 and 1 Peter 4:1-2, 12-19.

Megaphone
Suffering is a megaphone for what matters most in our lives. If the most important thing in your life is you and your safety and your comfort and the safety and comfort of those around you, then when you suffer, “WHERE’S MY COMFORT?” will come blaring through the loud speaker. If you are most concerned with your own well-being, then you will complain and shake your fist at God for taking away what is most important to you. Everyone who knows you will hear it. They will hear it in your attitude and they will hear it in your words. They will not say anything because you are suffering. They will not say anything because as good polite Christians we don’t know what to do when someone’s suffering reveals their own selfishness. But despite their silence, you will be tangibly discouraging their faith and revealing that your life is more about your own glory than anything else. Suffering doesn’t leave room for whispers or implications – It magnifies the theme of your life.

On the other hand, if the most important thing in your life is Christ’s glory, His kingdom – just Jesus himself -- then His name is what will be magnified through your suffering.

<> Think about the last time you suffered in any way. What came out of the megaphone?


Practical Suffering
I think we need to get a better grasp on what suffering is. It’s easy to think of suffering in terms of cancer, terminal diseases or major tragedies in our lives. It’s easy to think of it because it’s the most extreme example. But it doesn’t necessarily change all that much about our daily lives. The truth is there are many different scales of suffering – from tiniest inconveniences to life altering tragedies. The amplification on the megaphone is directly tied to the gravity of the suffering experienced. Here’s the problem: if we think that someday when we get the diagnosis that we have a horrible terminal disease, THEN we’ll all of a sudden start praising Jesus’ name for suffering when we aren’t practicing at all now, we’re full of it. Everyday we experience thousands of minor inconveniences that give us a chance to practice for when real suffering strikes. We are daily confronted with opportunities to scream out “MY LIFE IS ABOUT ME” or “MY LIFE IS ABOUT JESUS – HIS FAME.”

<> What are your regular everyday annoyances in life?
<> How do you respond?
<> If we polled your co-workers, (your classmates) what would they say your life is about based on how you handle practical everyday junk?

The Grace of Suffering
Pure and simple, it has been granted for us to suffer because suffering is good for us. It teaches and reminds us that life is not all about us which makes us glorify Jesus. It puts us on our knees crying out for help, which drives our intimacy with Jesus. It puts us in places where Jesus alone can relate to our suffering and be there to comfort us. Are you noticing a theme? Suffering helps you know Jesus more, and if that’s the goal of your life, then suffering is a gift.

<> Have you ever seen suffering grow your intimacy with Christ?
<> What does your response to suffering reveal about your desire to know Jesus?
<> What would have to chance for you to accept suffering as grace in your life?

Extra Resources - Video - John Piper on the prosperity gospel

This thing is ridiculously intense and encouraging. Watching it alongside the post on Suffering for Christ's sake would be a good combination.

John Piper's thoughts on the prosperity gospel

Wednesday

Week 6 – Thursday – Believing for Christ’s sake

Read Philippians 1:29. Now go read Psalm 23:3, 106:8, Romans 1:5, and Ephesians 1:11-14.

We’re going to do that NASB thing again for Philippians 1:29 -
“For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.”

Did you notice a theme in those verses? We need to clear up a misconception. Jesus didn’t die because of you. His sacrifice is offered to you. But it wasn’t because of you that Christ died on the cross. He didn’t need to reconcile Himself to you. He wasn’t lonely. He isn’t needy.

Jesus died on the cross because of Himself.

Why Does it Matter?
Without understanding that Christ’s death on the cross and our belief in Him is for His glory – we are in incredible danger. We are in danger of thinking that life is all about ourselves. The only problem with that is that it’s what we already thought.

Jesus is not in the business of letting us think that life is about us. When we take the cross and make it about us, the very thing that should kill our pride convinces us to have more.

<> In what areas of your life do you struggle with pride?
<> What are ways that we make the cross out to be about us instead of Jesus?
<> How does the cross destroy your pride?

Believing for Christ’s Sake
It’s not too hard to think of the ways we think that Christ died for our sake. He is our way into heaven. He promises us life abundant. He gives us comfort. He is satisfying. He is our portion. He is our hope. Some false teachers would even argue that He desires for us to be wealthy and healthy for all our days.

<> But what would it look like for our belief to be for Christ’s sake?

The idea of His sake or His name’s sake is the idea of Christ’s fame. According to Philippians our belief in Christ is for the sake of Christ. Here’s how it works: When our lives become radically transformed by the gospel, two things happen. 1.) We worship and 2.) other people notice and over time they come to worship.

By both of those processes, Christ is glorified and made famous. Louie Giglio once told a story of two teenage guys who camped out for multiple nights in order to buy the brand new Xbox 360. The newspaper covered the story and had Bill Gates face on the front page as the creator of the system. Their lives were changed in a peculiar way and the creator of that change received the glory.

Week 6 – Wednesday – Alarmed Mentality

Go read Philippians 1:27-30. Now reread vs. 28.

Normally we quote from the NIV on this blog, but sometimes other translations simply put things better. Philippians 1:28 (NASB) – “in no way alarmed by your opponents.”

Anticipating Opposition
Yesterday we talked about accepting, contending for and standing firmly united in the mission of Jesus on this earth. As you do so, you WILL experience opponents. It’s not a question of “if?” – it’s a question of “when?”

<> What opponents have you met because you were living in a manner worthy of the gospel?
<> What is your reaction when you meet opposition?

The surprising thing is the massive variety of forms that opponents can come in. Matt talked about traditions, ideas, ourselves and satan. Let me translate what that means – the entire rhythm in which you were raised and trained can be against you. External mentally stimulating, new ideas can be against you. Internal desires, thoughts, weaknesses, pride, laziness and temptations can be against you. AND there is a personal external opponent masterminding all of it named satan. Anybody excited yet?

Traditions can be incredibly hard to see because we are so used to them that we don’t even notice them. Traditions can be like a bad boyfriend who even though he beats us, we don’t remember what life is like without him so we just stick out with him. Comfort can kill us.

<> What are traditions that you obey and adhere to without having studied the Scripture to check for their validity?
<> Have you ever taken time to go through Scripture and analyze what you believe like Matt encouraged us to?

External ideas are generally easier to see because they are things that we disagree with. The danger here is that some proponents are incredible thinkers and orators and can trick and confuse you EASILY if you are not well-grounded in the Word (Eph. 4:14). Something to be wary of in America right now is the idea of “intellectual tyranny.” Essentially it is the idea that academically, all spiritual notions are foolish and should be mocked. Purely scientific explanations are the only reasonable explanations. That’s not true, and someday God will show people who believe that how foolish they are.

<> What external ideas are attacking your faith in Jesus?
<> Are you building a foundation in the Word that the best orators in the world can’t shake?

Internal ideas are hard because “if I feel it, it must be true.” No, my friend, that is not the case. There are thoughts, ideas and desires that come out of you AND that are bad for you. Go read James 4:1-4 and Romans 7:15-20.

<> What internal desires and ideas are hindering you from knowing Jesus intimately?


Alarmed Mentality
What I love about the NASB translation of this verse is the word alarmed. This may just be a personal pet peeve, but I get really aggravated by Christians who are extremely alarmed by the world. I think it reminds me of my own sheltered upbringing. Let's just all agree on something: the world is a dark place. The darkness goes further and deeper and is more pervasive than we can probably imagine. My heart is that you would stay pure and unblemished by this darkness as you learn to walk in holiness following Jesus.

AND.

If you are constantly being alarmed by your opponents, you are probably walking around with your eyes completely closed to the hurting, broken, dieing world all around you. The truth of the matter is that we need to be learning to walk in an intricate balance: 1.) We understand the weight of sin in our own lives and in the lives of others. The weight of sin is that it put Jesus on the cross and is disgusting, destructive and ultimately separates us from Him! AND 2.) We need to be completely unsurprised by the fact that people sin. It's our expectation of fallen broken humanity. The life of Jesus and His cross teach us that He isn't afraid or alarmed or surprised by sin. He faces it head on.

<> Are you constantly alarmed, offended and closing yourself off to the darkness of the world?
<> How can you keep yourself pure from sin while being able to keep your eyes open to the darkness of our opponents?

Tuesday

Week 6 – Tuesday - Standing firm and Contending

Go read Philippians 1:27.
<> What does Paul command?
<> What does Paul expect?

The Result of Proper Conduct
Paul describes a beautiful if-then relationship between conduct and unity. “Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel. . . THEN . . . I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel.”

If you conduct yourselves in light of the gospel . . . then you will stand firm in one spirit.
If you remember who you are . . . then contend as one man for the faith of the gospel.
If you are in love with Jesus . . . then you will be unified.

That’s an awesome causal relationship. You want to be unified? Easy. Just live as if the gospel has changed your life. On the other hand, if you’re alive and have eyes or ears, unity within the Christian church doesn’t seem to be that easy. Easier said than done.

<> How does the gospel unify us?

That is not a question with only one quick easy answer. In fact, when you really break it down it’s a very complete answer.

Stand Firm in One Spirit
<> What is the attitude of our spirit in light of the gospel?
(Go check out Week 4 – Friday from April for a refresher)

When you really consider the gospel – the good news of Jesus – that you were separated from God, a run-away traitor with no hope of restoring the relationship – that you were covered and bound by your own sin, by your selfishness – AND that Jesus chose to love you anyway (Romans 5:8) and came to earth to die for you – offering His righteousness in place of your own that all you can do is trust in Him by faith – the attitude of our spirit has to be humility, gratefulness and immense joy.

Proper reaction . . . really just honest reaction to the gospel is a very unifying force. Humility destroys pride that separates and divides based on “I’m smarter than you”. Gratefulness destroys a sense of entitlement that separates and divides based on “I deserve something better than this. I shouldn’t have to put up with other people.” Joy destroys despair that divides and separates based on “This will never change.” Joy unifies us in celebrating what Jesus has done in us individually, and brings us together dreaming about what He will do in our city.

<> Where has the attitude of your spirit caused disunity with other believers?
<> How are you allowing the gospel to humble you?
<> Are you learning to walk in daily gratefulness for what Christ has done?
(1 Thess. 5:18)

Contending for the Faith
Last night in my LifeGroup we were talking about Matt’s sermon from Sunday night and we talked about the idea of “remembering who you are.” We asked the question, “who are you in light of the gospel?” There were a lot of good answers but one of my favorites by far was “we are carriers of the message.”

Along with uniting us in Spirit, the gospel unites us in purpose. We are a group of people bound together by one single mission: to contend for the faith of the gospel.

<> How are you contending for the faith of the gospel?
<> Do you have healthy relationships with non-believers where you are pushing, prodding and pleading with them toward Jesus?
<> Does the way you live your life around people who don’t know Jesus cause them to ask you questions about Him? (Matt. 5:16)

Having a single mission is an incredibly unifying idea. When we are on mission together, we lock arms and encourage each other. We share battle stories and we pray passionately for each other because we know personally the struggle others are facing. One of the most amazingly encouraging things in the world is to have someone else who is on mission in this city tell me that they are praying for the people I’m trying to love toward Jesus. I don’t even have to tell them what to pray. They already know.

On the other hand missional laziness is divisive. When we fail to accept Christ’s mission for our lives and devote our lives to the personal way he wants that to play out in our lives, we frustrate and discourage those who are on mission. We don’t know how to pray well for each other because we haven’t experienced what they’re experiencing. We start to think that all manner of things (carpet color, musical style, etc.) are primary matters of utmost importance and we forget that there are thousands and thousands of people in our city who would go to hell if they died right now.

The great questions that will mark Midtown’s success and health as a family will be:
1.) Can we humbly unite in one overjoyed spirit that has been radically changed internally by the gospel?

- and –

2.) Will we accept Christ’s mission for our lives and lock arms together to contend for the faith of the gospel in our city?

Monday

Week 6 – Monday - Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel

The end of chapter one is in sight people! In the same way that I devoured the last piece of key lime pie for breakfast this morning, we are going to demolish the last few verses of Philippians Chapter 1.

Go read Chapter 1 for review.
<> What are the main points of Philippians Chapter 1 if you had to summarize it?
<> Now reread Philippians 1:27-30: at first glance what does it say?

Trust Fund Kids
Some of the most frustrating people in the world are people who don’t appreciate what they’ve been given. I’m not saying this is always the case, but surprisingly, a child who could live off of the interest of his trust fund for the rest of his life without ever having to work a day – sometimes that kid turns our lazy. To people who work hard to try to earn enough money to eat and pay the bills – that kid gets under the skin. If you check your heart well enough, there could be some jealousy in there somewhere but on a bigger level there is a notion that “of him who has been given much, much is expected.” The child’s frustrated parents wouldn’t be off in looking at him and saying, “Billy! Conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the trust fund that allows you to own a small petting zoo in our backyard!”

<> Does a child have to do anything to earn the trust fund?
<> Have you ever known anyone who lived lazily as a result of being given a lot of money?
<> Have you ever known someone who conducted himself well in light of what he had been given?

Jesus is not like any other anything in the world. Every religion in the world teaches you how to earn your daily spiritual allotment. Jesus is offers freely a spiritual trust fund. He offers forgiveness, holiness, hope, life and a His indwelling Spirit for new life FREE OF CHARGE.

AND . . . the trustfund comes with some expectations. (Read Philippians 1:27) If there is nothing more obnoxious than a kid who doesn’t understand what he’s been financially given; there is nothing more annoying spiritually than someone who claims Christ but lives in a manner that says they don’t really care about what they’ve been given.

<> What have you been given according to the gospel of Christ?
<> Do you live in a manner worthy of the gift you have received in Christ?
<> If you analyzed the behavior of your life, what parts scream out “DO YOU KNOW WHAT JESUS HAS DONE FOR ME?!” ?
<> If you analyzed the behavior of your life, what parts scream out “I AM A SELFISH KID WHO ABUSES WHAT I’VE BEEN GIVEN!!!” ?

Inside Out Transformation
As long as Midtown exists, part of our mission will be to fight religion. Religion teaches that if you change the external behavior consistently enough for long enough, eventually you can change who you are internally in your soul. The Bible does not teach this. Scripture teaches us that we are desperately in need of internal life change -- that we need new hearts. After Christ changes our hearts, the only proper response is to behave in a way that screams out what he has done.

<> In a daily way are you allowing Christ to change your heart?
<> Are you growing internally in your spiritual maturity or only externally?
<> Is your external behavior a reflection of what Jesus is doing internally?