SEE GOD, Be Real! (Part 1)

FULL SERVICE: See SERMON ONLY below

SERMON ONLY:

Please click on link below to download and print Lifegroup questions.

1. The letter of Paul to the Philippians requires lots and lots of reflection. As they say, you can lose the forest for the trees. And it is no different for this wonderful passage. So, read this section a few times and ask the question, ‘What is Paul’s main purpose in this section?’ (1:12a – Now, I want you to know, brethren.)
2. The background is Paul’s journey to the center of the world – Rome! And here, he will bring the message of Christ to Caesar himself! (Acts 23-28). As homework, read these chapters and pinpoint the different leaders on the journey from the Council to Caesar. For now, the main point is in Acts 23:11, it says that “on the night following, the Lord stood at his side and said, ‘Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also.’” How do you think Paul was learning to ‘See God’ in it all?
3. A really big theme in these passages (Acts 21: 33, 22:29, 26:29, and Philippians 1:7, 13, 14, 17) the concept of ‘chains.’ Other than the obvious meaning of imprisonment, what do you think the concept means? Think upon this for a minute. What are our chains today?
4. Paul calls his house-arrest ‘circumstances.’ Sometimes it is easy to separate ‘circumstances’ and ‘presence and sovereignty of God.’ Why is that more than possible in your experience?
5. So, in understanding our witness, why is it important to understand God’s ways in our circumstances?
6. For a number of months now, we have been hinting at the idea that ‘CBC is to be a community of servants.’ How does that line up with ‘the ministry of community infiltration?’ It nearly sounds like a military expedition, except ours is a mission of loving servanthood. Imagine yourself as the commander. How would you go about the mission? (Matthew 28:18-20)
7. I said that ‘Paul’s claim that the circumstances were so advantageous that, he could only do there, what he could never do otherwise!’ how would that be an encouragement to think differently about what God is calling us to? (Romans 8:28)
8. Paul is now in Rome. He is chained up to the Praetorian Guard. These are King-Makers. If you don’t have their support, you have a very short reign indeed! They are the elite. The are really the most influential people in the world at that time. Paul speaks before paupers and kings, no problem! Is it just that he is knowledgeable? Compare 1:12 and 1:13. He mentions Praetorians and then he mentions brethren. Think upon this while reading 1 Corinthians 1:18-29. How are we empowered to do the same in light of these things?
9. Lastly, I quote, “Mission will hurt, but only if we look at the chains and not look through the links of the chains to see God’s purpose and ways.” See God! How can this change your thinking about the witness of the church in the world? How can this change the way we think about our personal ‘circumstances?’