Philippians 2 Bible Study with Brian Housman 3/10/2010

Philippians 2 (New International Version)

1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

12Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. 17But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

19I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. 20I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. 21For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. 23I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. 24And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.
25But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. 26For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. 27Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. 28Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. 29Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him, 30because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me.


Interesting points of Discussion:

• Theme of attitude of the mind characterizes the passage, more specifically, being like-minded as Christ
  
• [See verse 3] To Jesus, 'humility' was not being equal with God and being human
  
• 'Humility' was also being obedient to death- how far would we go to be obedient ? Are we willing to sacrifice ? To be obedient despite circumstances ?
  
• [See verse 12] 'Continue to work out your salvation'- God is enabling us to do what He wants and it's up to us to work hard at it
  
• [See verse 12] 'With fear and trembling'- We have to sober up and take it seriously and be aware because even if we do work hard we may fail
  
• Paul gives this journey towards salvation a "joint effort" feel to it i.e. God and us, Paul and the Philippians
  
• In Philippians 1, Paul was more concerned about the preaching of the gospel than the underlying motivations behind it; in this passage [see verse 3], Paul makes it clear not to preach out of 'selfish ambition or vain conceit'- that is, self desires or pride
  
• Paul has higher ideas this time and gives commands instead of the hugs and kisses of encouragement he gave in the first letter (Philippians 1)
  
• Philippians are Paul's work (except the rival preachers) and he has expectations and hopes of them
  
• [See verse 4] To be humble you have to pay attention to your own problems and not those of others
  
• Timothy, who is sort of Paul's ambassador, is being cultivated as his replacement
  
• [See verses 19-23] Paul prepares the Philippians for his arrival by raising Timothy's profile by singling him out as the only one being with him in Jesus
  
• His impending arrival after Timothy has the built-up tone of "Wait until your Pops gets home"
  
• [See verse 21] Looking out for the interests of Jesus Christ seems to literally mean "Do unto others as they would unto you"
  
• Paul once again has a mentality that is comparable to that of an athletic coach; his message to the Philippians can be summed up with this statement: "I did this for you, so now go run your race"
  
• A good coach is one that believes in the kids' potential
  
• Paul's approach in this letter is more distant from God than it was in the first letter (Philippians 1), shifting the focus to his relationship with the Philippians
  
• Paul's relationship with the Philippians is a joint effort and he seems to be suggesting, "I'm doing something for you, so do something for me"
  
• [See verse 9] Jesus' exaltation by God was not preordained; rather, it was consequential because of Jesus' choices to not be God, to instead be a servant (slave) and to accept the ultimate humble act of death on a cross (restricted to the lower class)
  
• Thus, by lowering ourselves, we open ourselves up to be raised by God
  
• [See verse 17] 'Poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice'- this was a ritual where wine was poured out onto the meat to be burnt; Paul seems to be implying here, "I'm waiting for the match, it's up to you"
  
• In prison, Paul displays a surreal joy awaiting his fate
  
• Epaphroditus, Paul's messenger, thought of Paul and the Philippians when he was dying
  
• [See verse 27] 'Sorrow upon sorrow'- In much the same way, Paul thought of Epaphroditus and the Philippians (and the Philippians of Paul and Epaphroditus); everyone was looking out for the interests of the others- and behold, everything worked out and Epaphroditus did not die thanks to the Lord!
  
• Paul gives Timothy and Epaphroditus as examples of those who 'shine like stars' [see verse 15] because they embody the humbleness that Paul is preaching
  
• A way to gauge our own humbleness in our lives is by seeing how much we complain or whine- this often has a spiral effect that moves us backwards rather than forward
  
• The solution is to work together and don't argue
  

Philippians 1 Bible Study with Brian Housman 3/3/2010

Philippians 1 (New International Version)

1Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:

2Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3I thank my God every time I remember you. 4In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
7It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. 8God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

12Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. 13As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
15It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. 20I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.

27Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel 28without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, 30since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.


Interesting points of Discussion:

• Paul is writing a letter from prison (location is uncertain) into which he was thrown into because he casted out a demon in a girl
  
• The letter is written to the Philippians, who reside in Philippi, a Roman colony in Greece; thus they had all the privileges and rights of Roman citizens
  
• Paul had found some Gentiles (non-Jews) and begun a church in Philippi with no synagogue to worship in
  
• 'Christ' in Greek means anointed, commissioned, king, holy, etc.
  
• Gopi: Theme of encouragement and praise about suffering is prevalent throughout passage.
  
• Robert: Rejoicing in suffering becomes motivation to spreading the gospel. It is ironic that someone being arrested gives confidence to the believers.
  
• Douglas: [See verse 2] Seems to be a revelation of God's word from the Holy Spirit.
  
• Danny: [See verses 9-11] Somehow ties the idea of love with righteousness, with love growing into the fruit of righteousness.
  
• Suffering for the 'day of Christ Jesus'-Paul could either be talking about a universal day or the day of his own death- is stressed and prioritized
  
• This day is coming soon to the Philippians
  
• Paul shows lots of affection with words like 'share' and 'partnership'
  
• The spirit and tone of Paul's letter is one of encouragement, exhortation, unity, perseverance and reassurance
  
• Paul's upbeat, free-spirited mood while in prison is a bit striking
  
• [See verse 19] The 'deliverance' Paul is referring to is not physical but spiritual
  
• Robert: Paul admits he'd rather be dead and be with Jesus- there seems to be an underlying hardship involved with living.
  
• [See verses 24-26] Paul displays selflessness, sense of duty and recognition of his calling- all Christ-like characteristics that he calls to be alive for the Philippians
  
• Paul doesn't seem to care about whether the Philippians preach the gospel out of envy or for Christ because he is more concerned about the "bigger picture" which is the gospel being preached
  
• [See verse 15] The Philippians' 'envy' is geared towards trying to compete with Paul; the 'rivalry' is between the preachers who are envious of Paul and Paul himself
  
• These preachers think they can get ahead of Paul because he is in prison but Paul is not bothered by it at all because he is actually winning due to the spreading of the gospel and the new auidience (Roman prison guards) he has gathered
  
• Paul encourages the Philippians that they will win because their enemies don't even know the rules of the game- winning actually doesn't mean winning in the end
  
• The Philippians are getting the idea that believing in Jesus may involve going to prison
  
• Paul trys to explain why he is in prison, that being the message of Jesus
  
• Paul never whines or becomes bitter about the situation but is focused squarely on accomplishing the mission
  
• [See verses 27-30] Paul says that as citizens heaven we will run this place (Earth) on the day of Christ as opposed to being destroyed; it's like he is saying, "If we stay together, what they don't know will come true"- he is encouraging them to be stronger witnesses
  
• Paul has a coaching mentality e.g. "You're doing well", "Keep on going", "I believe in you", etc.
  
• [See verses 9-11] The Philippians' 'love' is there but is uninformed; it's like Paul is saying, "It's good that you care about me but you'd be happy that I was in prison if you had the discernment to see things through to the end"
  
• 'Depth of insight' means the ability to see beyond the immediate situation or circumstances
  

Pursuing Your Call in Life

Genesis 8:15-9:17 (New International Version)
15 Then God said to Noah, 16 "Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives. 17 Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground—so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number upon it."
18 So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons' wives. 19 All the animals and all the creatures that move along the ground and all the birds—everything that moves on the earth—came out of the ark, one kind after another.
20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. 21 The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though [a] every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.
22 "As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease."

Genesis 9
God's Covenant With Noah 1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. 2 The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. 3 Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.
4 "But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. 5 And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man.
6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.
7 As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it."
8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: 9 "I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you 10 and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth."
12 And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."
17 So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth."

Key Notes of Discussion:

- Noah acts whereas previously receives instructions as he choses to build an altar to honor God. How do you chose to honor God?

- Do you make your sacrifice out of love and obedience? How do you ensure that you are not acting with ulterior motives?

- Do you purpose to involve God in your decision making process? The bigger decisions seem to be key, what about the little ones? How do you see God making a difference?

- What does God mean in Genesis 8:4-5 "But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. 5 And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. ' Is there any relation to Acts 10 when Peter receives the vision from God that he shall call nothing that he is created common?

- The importance of obedience to God which results to greater things with blessings flowing through to family. As we keep our covenant with God that brings us closer to our call or leads us to our call.

- Bigger picture is God's grace and mercy. Grace being what you received but don't deserve. Whereas mercy is not receiving the punishment you deserve. We receive God's grace that removes our sin from Adam and Eve, result to God's blessing on earth. However, the flood presents no mercy. God choses to have everything renewed.

NB: If we do not listen to God's call in our life, this may reduce our abundance. It is important to look up to God to receive His blessing that gives abundance. Also, there is need to recognize how sin makes things less fruitful, so we need to live each day seeking the Lord's sanctification.

- How well do we keep our covenant with God? How do you respond to God's call of filling the world with abundance, goodness and order? Do you appreciate the seasons of life?\

- How does God ensure things do not get out of control following his promise to Noah never to destroy the earth with a flood? How does a flood differentiate from hurricane?

Official Beginning of Agape Vineyard Blog

This blog's official name is "Agape" which is defined as "Christly Love". I chose a harbor as the background theme as I think the lighthouse tower represents the sense of duty we should have as Christians who stand out for those trying to discover the truth, the light, as it is referred to as in the Bible in John 5:16, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven".