Weekly Wednesdays:
CALLED Men’s Group | Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Meeting# 3| This Week’s Leader: David Goodno (Lane Butt or Tom Landis as backup, if David is unavailable.)
Philippians can be divided into four sections:
1. Paul’s joy in living for Jesus (Ch. 1:1-30).
2. Examples of joyful humility (Ch. 2:1-30).
3. Pressing toward the goal (Ch. 3:1-21).
4. Exhortation (urging, advice, appeal) and encouragement (Ch. 4:1-23).
Introduction:
This is the third meeting of the Fall Semester. The Men’s “Called” Growth Group’s will continue meeting weekly, every Wednesday through November 23, 2024 (11/13/2024); we meet 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm. Everyone is welcome to join; you do not have to have been at a previous meeting to attend.
This semester, Called Men’s Group is conducting a Bible study of the Book of Philippians (Sept.) and Colossians (Oct.)
The Book of Philippians is a letter written by the apostle Paul to encourage believers to maintain joy and hope in times of suffering. As we read Paul’s letter, we should focus on past and current challenges and difficult times that we’ve faced and remember that we should not look at our circumstances as the “final word.” Paul said he could rejoice in everything; that God is always, ALWAYS greater and above anything we may face, and that we should remain planted and faithful to the Lord.
In his letter Paul shows us how to live successful Christian lives. Often, we allow our job titles or careers to define us; Christ’s attitude was one of humility and self-sacrifice; our spiritual growth requires self-discipline and obedience, as we grow and become mature Christians, our identity should be in Christ.
Last week we renewed our commitment to pray every morning as soon as we woke up (before our feet touched the ground). - How did everyone do? Discuss among the group.
This Week’s Prayer:
(Read Mark 4:1-25) Dear Lord, we thank you for allowing us to come together and study your word tonight. Lord help us to remain in you and may we be the fertile soil. Heavenly Father you are the light of the World, may Your light shine on us, and Your word be a lamp unto our feet to encourage us to take action. - Amen
Scripture:
Read - Philippians Chapter 3:1 – 21
Observation, Application & Questions: (Identify/Discuss Among the Group)
The third chapter of Paul’s letter begins with encouragement that no matter what happens, that we should remain and rejoice in the Lord. The Bible, God’s Word is our safeguard, when we read it; when it is read in Church, His Word speaks to us; it identifies areas in our lives where we are doing well and lets us know where corrections are needed.
What does Paul mean by “Watch out for those dogs”? Who are the dogs? Search Google and see what results are found. Some believe that “dogs” was meaning non-Jews, however, in this instance this was most likely not Paul’s intent. Some scholars believe that Paul was warning Christians to stay away from those outside their belief that may try and influence them away from faith in Christ. Some other scholars believe that “dogs” and “mutilators” were likely Judaizers – Jewish Christians who wrongly believed it was essential for Gentiles to follow all of the Old Testament Jewish laws in order to receive salvation. What do we think? – Discuss among the group.
Paul criticized Judaizers because they looked at Christianity backwards, they forgot that Grace given by Christ was and is a free gift, we cannot earn it; work for it or do anything to get it. Grace is freely given; we just have to accept it. It is easy to place emphasis on our efforts, but God values our attitudes above all else. We have to remember that we should not measure our spirituality by fulfillment of duties or our works. No amount of law keeping, self-discipline, or religious effort can make us right with God. Righteousness comes only from God, as we receive right standing with him by trusting in Christ. Agree / Disagree? – Discuss among the group.
Sometimes trying to live a perfect Christian life can be so difficult that it leaves us drained and discouraged. We can feel so far from perfect that we think we can never be pleasing to God. When Paul mentions “perfection” in 3:12, Paul is believed to be meaning spiritual maturity or completeness, not necessarily being flawless in every detail. Those who are spiritually mature in their faith should press into the Holy Spirt and find others to mentor, those who are new or starting out in their faith journey should work on establishing Christ as their foundation and finding a spiritual mentor who can guide them. - Discuss
In 3:14 Paul compares Christian life with running a race. Athletes place themselves under strict training regimens and compete with all their ability.
How can we apply this to our lives? (This means that we should train ourselves, discipline our bodies and minds; there should be no place for complacency, laziness, distractions and moral failure. We should play to win, with the prize being one with Christ.)
Are we training?
Are we playing to win?
Are we even in the race?
In what ways do we need to get more serious about running the race of the Christian life?
Paul considered his past accomplishments worthless for the sake of Christ. How can our past accomplishments get in the way of our growth in the Lord?
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What was the context? What was going on at the time this was written?
What and where is this happening?
What makes what was happening meaningful?
Is there anything special about the location (or locations)?
Who is involved?
How do they respond to God?
What character traits do you notice about them?
What is the significance of their involvement?
What do you think is the key message?
Did anything stand out, or something that surprised you? What was it?
Were there any repetitive words or themes that stood out to you? What were they?
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Is there anything that stood out to you? Share with the group and discuss.
Is there anything that left you with more questions? What were they? Share with group, discuss and research.
Biggest takeaway?
Given Philippi’s strategic location, what kind of city would you expect it to be? What typical problems would you expect to find in the city? What problems would the church in Philippi be having? What similar problems do churches face today?
Prepare for next week’s meeting. Read: Philippians 4:1-23
Is there anything that stands out when reading these verses? Be ready to discuss it at the next meeting.
REMINDER: This Fall 2024 Semester Men’s group will be meeting every Wednesday, 09/04/2024 through 11/13/2024; 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm. Please monitor https://fv.church/events for more information.
References/Acknowledgements:
Elements of today’s Bible study were copied from:
NLT Courage for Life Men’s Bible, New Living Translation (NLT); copyright 2023 Tyndale House Ministries Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation https://www.tyndale.com/sites/courageforlifebible/
ESV Study Bible, copyright 2008. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV); copyright 2001 by Crossway, Wheaton, Illinois.
NLT, Life Application Bible Studies, Philippians and Colossians; copyright 1998, 2009, Tyndale House Publishers Inc, Carol Stream, Illinois.
The Good Book Guide to Philippians, Philippians Shining with joy, by Steven J. Lawson; copyright 2017, The Good Book Company www.thegoodbookcompany.com
Schedule:
Month, Meeting Number, Date, Book/Chapters/Verse/ (Total Verses)
September 2024:
_x_ 001, 09/04 Philippians 1:1-30. (30 Verses)
_x_ 002, 09/11 Philippians 2:1-30. (30 Verses)
_x_ 003, 09/18 Philippians 3:1-21. (21 Verses)
___ 004, 09/25 Philippians 4:1-23. (23 Verses)
October 2024:
___ 005, 10/02 Colossians 1:1-29 (29 Verses)
___ 006, 10/09 Colossians 2:1-23 (23 Verses)
___ 007, 10/16 Colossians 3:1-25 (25 Verses)
___ 008, 10/23 Colossians 4:1-18 (18 Verses)
___ 009, 10/30 Bible Translations (Video and Discussion)
November 2024:
___ 010, 11/06 TBD
___ 011, 11/13 TBD (FINAL MEETING OF THE SEMESTER)