Update - January 26

Hi all,

Wednesday's meeting was another interesting installment on Philippians with Amy facilitating the discussion. We read the 3rd chapter and discussed these questions:

-Are there present-day enemies of our faith? If so, who?
-What might we be tempted to boast about?
-How does our righteousness come from Christ?
-Am I having trouble leaving anything behind as I move towards the goal God has set before me?
-How does following Christ impact my life?
-Do you know a leader who imitates Christ to the point that you might feel comfortable imitating him/her?

Questions to think about this week:
-What seems like common sense in this chapter?
-What seems impossible in this chapter?
-How do these verses relate to life today?
-Do you disagree with Paul at this point? If so, why?
-What is confusing about these verses, if anything?
-According to these verses, what does "following Jesus" look like?

Next Wednesday night Amy will conclude her study of Philippians. Please read chapter 4 in preparation. I believe Amy has some very interesting questions and possibly answers/facts that will make you go hmmm. Come check it out!

Upcoming Event:
Thursday, February 15 @ 7 pm = Join John Hayes, the founder and director of InnerCHANGE, as he signs copies of his just-published book, sub-merge: Living Deep in a Shallow World, and recounts his journey of service, justice and contemplation among the world’s poor. Discover how building authentic faith-based relationships is changing the world one person at a time. Although this is an open event which everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend, your RSVP with the church office would be helpful.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Yours, Rachel

Update - January 19, 2007

We had another great meeting with Amy at the helm on Wednesday night. We delved into our 2nd installment of our focus on the book of Philippians. We discussed the end of the first chapter and most of the second.

Here are the questions that directed our discussion:
What seems like common sense in this chapter?
What seems impossible in this chapter?
How do these verses relate to life today?
How are we like the believers in Philippi?
How are we like Paul?
Do you disagree with Paul at this point? If so, why?
What is confusing about these verses, if anything?
What steps can we take to be more like Jesus according to these verses?

Things to ponder this week:
-How can I stand firm in my faith?
-Does faith relate to suffering in my life?
-Why is humility, counter-cultural though it may be, imporant in the lives of followers of Jesus?
-Why is harmony (unity) among believers important?
-What small step might I take to allow these verses to change my life this week?
-How can I be like a star shining in the universe and considerate of the needs of others at the same time?

Please read Philippians chapter 3 for next Wednesday night.

Have a great week!

-Rachel

Update - January 11, 2007

Happy New Year!

We had a fantastic meeting last night with Amy leading us in the first installment of a 4 part Bible study on Philippians. I, for one, enjoyed it and look forward to the rest of the series.

If you will be able to join us in the next three weeks, please take a moment when you can to read through Philippians - it is a very short book with 4 chapters. We almost covered the full first chapter last night. Amy gave us a flier of information before we began. Here it is...

What was going on when Paul wrote this letter?
-It was near 61 CE (current era)
-Nero was in power
-Paul was in prison (probably in Rome)

Some Themes found in Philippians:
-Joy/Happiness
-Harmony
-Perils to and enemies of the faith
-Dangers of Pride
-Humility/Jesus' incarnation

Characters found in Philippians:
Paul - Apostle of Jesus Christ, missionary, author of the letter
Epaphroditus - Messenger from Philippian church, recovering from serious illness
Timothy - Ministry partner of Paul, also associated with Philippian church, loyal
Euodia - Leader in church encouraged to resolve conflict with Syntyche
Syntyche - Leader in church encouraged to resolve conflict with Euodia
Syzygus - Partner with Paul encouraged to help Euodia and Syntyche
Clement - Leader in the church who also knows Euodia and Syntyche as leaders

About Philippi:
-Part of Macedonia (northern Greece)
-Possibly Paul's first place to visit in Europe
-Associated with Paul for more than 10 years
-A Roman Colony

Where do we find information about Philippi in the New Testament aside from this letter?
-Acts 16:6-40
-Acts 18:5
-Acts 20:6
-1 Thessalonians 2:2
-2 Corinthians 8:1-2 (Macedonia)

Amy gave us some questions to ponder after reading the first chapter, in preparation for next week. Here they are...

Philippians 1

Where do you find hope in this chapter?
What worries you about this chapter?
Where do you find yourself in this chapter?
How does this part of this leatter relate to life today?
How can we apply what we learn here to our daily lives?
How are we like the believers in Philippi?
How are we like Paul?
Do you disagree with Paul at this point? If so, why?
What is confusing about these verses, if anything?

To carry beyond these walls:
-May my love abound more and more...
-Is their fruit in my life resulting from the righteousness of Jesus?
-The motivation of others may not actually be my concern...
-How can I live in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
-How can I stand firm in my faith?
-Does faith relate to suffering in my life?
-Who do we thank God for when we remember them?

Huge thanks goes out to Amy for all of her work on this!

I hope to see many of you next week - same time, same place.

Yours in Christ,

Rachel