Philippians 3:12-16
Catch up on how things have been over the past week. Then ask group members to: talk about a long-term friendship you have. How has this friendship evolved over time?
Ask for a volunteer to read Philippians 3:12-16 to the group, praying that you’d be deeply impacted by God’s word and then impact others in Jesus’ name.
If you’re not gathered in person, the leader should project the video for the group through sharing their screen. If you’re using Zoom, make sure you have optimised your screen share for video.
Here are some suggested questions to help your discussion:
Some might argue that – if Christians are sure that they are in Jesus’ grip, whatever they do – there is no motivation to persevere in a life of knowing him. By contrast, Paul indicates that his motivation to know Christ is because ‘Christ Jesus took hold of me.’
Discuss how you might view your lives differently if it really hit home that Jesus had taken hold of you in this way.
Today’s Impact video emphasised that it’s impossible to have a dynamic relationship with a dead person. Paul could speak about knowing Christ because he was convinced that he was alive!
Eugene Peterson writes:
The Bible is not a script for a funeral service, but it is the record of God always bringing life to where we expected to find death. Everywhere it is a story of resurrection.
For more, read Chapters 9-10 of Becky Pippert’s Stay Salt, which consider the resurrection and return of Jesus.
The resurrection of Jesus is so important to the Christian faith that there’s a whole section exploring its reliability and significance on the Bethinking website. You might especially like to point Impact Group members towards:
• Alister McGrath’s article addressing three common obstacles to believing in the resurrection
• Tom Wright’s lecture and question time on why Jesus’ resurrection matters
Spend time praying for one another and for friends by name, especially those you know would discover a much-needed new hope should they come to meet the resurrected King Jesus.
Confirm the time you’ll meet next week, and close your time together.
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