Contentment

This week's discussion centered on Philippians 4:10-13:

 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Some points and questions we discussed:

First of all, what's going on in this passage?

• Paul is explaining how he has been in hard times and good times; no matter the circumstance, God has been with him and he is not complaining.
• Paul loves the Philippian church he is writing to, and he is encouraging them by letting them know where he gets his strength from.

What's Paul's "secret" of contentment?

• He knows that God is with him and will bring him through everything. With God's help, he can suffer and he can rely on God in riches, too.
• Paul has the same attitude no matter his circumstance - he lived completely independent of his circumstances and completely dependent on Christ.
• He trusted in God's sovereignty in every situation - in poverty and in riches.

Paul had to LEARN this secret. How do you learn the secret of contentment?

• You learn it by going through different circumstances: when you're rich, you learn to be content in riches; when you're poor, you learn to be content in poverty, etc.
• As you face new situations, remember past experiences and prayers that God has answered in the past.
• Depend on Christ and have union with Him (think John 15:5 - it's much easier to be content when you don't think you have to do everything yourself, but instead depend on Christ as he lives in you). 
• Have goals and passions like Paul's (in his letter to the Philippians, look especially in chapter 3), and it will play itself out as you enter new circumstances.

What obstacles are there to finding our contentment in Christ?

• Having our faith challenged by things like unanswered prayers or a major loss
• Falling into the trap of individualism and becoming independent, even from God
• Believing the world's message that we always need something better and comparing ourselves to others
• Seeing the "wicked" prosper and wondering why we aren't blessed in the same ways
• This topic is dealt with so much in Job and the Psalms: pay attention to the conclusion of Psalm 73 and also how passages like Ephesians 1:3 define "blessing"

In closing, I'll leave you with these questions again: How well are you living out all these things we talked about? In what areas do you need to grow?

Feel free to leave any thoughts or questions in the comments section.

Building on the Rock

This week's discussion centered on Matthew 7:24-27:

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Here are some of the points and questions we discussed:

What's the point of the passage/what truths can we draw from it?

• Jesus is restating the importance of everything He's just said in the Sermon on the Mount.
• This passage demonstrates that we have a choice between wisdom and foolishness.
• "Streams, floods, and winds" will come no matter what - it's our response and where our foundation is built that makes a difference.
  

Once we understand this passage, what do we do with/how do we react to it?

• Repent of the times we just hear and don't follow God's Word.
  
• Ask God for guidance in following Him.
• Persevere through the storms, remembering that God has provided and has equipped you.
• Know that just hearing God's Word and not practicing it is like just looking at a plate of food and not eating it - you won't get to enjoy it and actually be nurtured by it.
  

What are the rains, streams, and winds in our lives?

• They can be temptations that pull us away from God, taking away our stability.
• Floods/streams that rise may be situations where we're in over our heads.
• They can be worry and anxiety, as opposed to trust in God.
• Recognize the powerful picture here: Someone standing in the midst of a storm, with rain pounding down, floods rising, and winds blowing. No one can withstand that on their own. But by God's power, those who follow Christ do.

What practical measures can we take to make sure we are putting Christ's teachings into practice?

• Remind ourselves of God's Word/Christ's teachings by writing ourselves notes and reminders (using sticky notes, writing on the mirror, putting reminders in our cell phones, etc.).
• Memorize Scripture and meditate on it.
• Discipline yourself in getting into God's Word - though it can seem mundane and routine sometimes, it's during these times that we build our relationship with Him.
• Surround yourself with people who will hold you accountable, challenge you, and encourage you. Be that person to others as well.

And finally, I wanted to add some of my own thoughts.

I chose this as sort of the "kick-off" passage for the semester because I think it really gets at the vision of SG. SG is never meant to be just a Thursday night thing. What we do on Thursdays should impact the rest of your week, so that you are a better disciple on all levels. And a disciple is someone who follows Christ, who puts His teachings into action. This is also the evidence of our love for Christ: "For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands" (1 John 5:3a  HCSB).

In fact, I think love has to precede the following in some way. Following and obeying Christ involve a lot of risk. So there's got to be a strong motivation behind it. Here are some questions to think through that I might have asked if we had more time for discussion:

• What makes us willing to risk for Christ/to trust Him by obeying Him? 
• How has radical trust through obedience been modeled for you? 
• What things are hardest to trust God with, or what would you be least willing to risk in order to follow Christ?

We had a great conversation. But of course, that's not the point. We can hear God's Word and have great discussions about it, but if we don't do anything, we're comparable to the demons (James 2:19-22). So the questions now become, How well are you living out all these things we talked about? In what areas do you need to grow? Let us not be hearers only, deceiving ourselves, like a man who looks in a mirror and forgets what he looks like (James 1:22-25)

As you have other thoughts that relate to this passage/our discussion, add them to the comments of this post. Let's continue to learn from one another.

First Post

Hey there, Brinsfield SEEKers (can I call you that?),


As I shared in our SG time, I'm initiating this blog so that we can take our conversations beyond Thursday night. If we're really going to learn from each passage we're studying, we can't just discuss it on a Thursday night and then leave it there. If we want to be good disciples, we have to live out God's Word and think on it all the time. So I want this to be a resource and an avenue for us to do that. As we discuss passages and you have thoughts or questions later, add them here in the comments.

I simply want this blog to be a tool for you to become a better disciple by sharing thoughts and questions.

Each week, I'll try to include our text, some of the questions and points we discussed, and possibly some resources for looking further into the week's passage/topic.

For now, here's an overview of the passages we will discuss for the semester:
Jan 21 - Matthew 7:24-27
Jan 28 - Contentment as seen in Philippians 4
Feb 4 - Convocation week - A time of worship
Feb 11, Feb 18, Feb 25, March 4, and (tentatively) March 11 - A series on Paul's letters to Timothy
March 18 - SPRING BREAK!
March 25 - A special event with a guest speaker
April 1 - EASTER BREAK!

Anything after April 1st is still up in the air. And obviously, these plans may change somewhat as well.