Discipleship Week 5: Gospel-Centered Goals and Aspirations

Philippians 1:12-18a

“I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.” (1:12-14)

Paul writes to the Philippians from prison in Rome, and he is in prison because he had gone to Jerusalem where he was not popular, got arrested, and ultimately appealed to Caesar (Acts 21-26). It would appear that his actions led some Christians to question him and whether getting arrested and appealing to Caesar was the best thing for the advance of the gospel. But Paul is clear that his imprisonment is furthering the gospel. The guards watching him have heard the gospel, news of the gospel has spread throughout the entire imperial guard (thousands of men), and because of Paul’s imprisonment others are preaching the gospel more boldly. Even those with mixed motives are preaching the gospel (i.e. “Look at me. I’m not like Paul who got himself arrested. What a waste! I’m still out here so I can preach the gospel.).

What is fascinating about Paul here are his goals and aspirations… His primary goal is not to get out of prison, nor to have everyone like him, or even to try and justify himself and his actions in appealing to Caesar. His primary goal is to see the gospel advanced. Because of this he rejoices in the various ways the gospel is being preached. Therefore the advance of the gospel must be at the center of our goals, aspirations, and dreams as well. D.A. Carson puts it this way:

“What are your aspirations? To make money? To get married? To travel? To see your grandchildren grow up? To find a new job? To retire early? None of these is inadmissible; none is to be despised. The question is whether these aspirations become so devouring that the Christian’s central aspiration is squeezed to the periphery or choked out of existence entirely.” –D.A. Carson, Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians

There are so many good and worthy things that we can aspire to in our lives. But we cannot aspire to those things at the cost of the advance of the gospel. So we may need to rearrange some aspirations so that the advance of the gospel is at the center. And we may need to sacrifice and give up other aspirations so that the advance of the gospel can be at the center. So what are you willing to sacrifice so that the gospel can advance, both where you live and to the ends of the earth?

1. What are your goals, aspirations, and dreams for your life? Finish this sentence: “In twenty years, I want to _____________________________.”

2. Do these goals, aspirations, and dreams have anything to do with the advance of the gospel? If not, why not?

3. Of these goals and aspirations, which ones need to be rearranged so that the advance of the gospel is central? Which ones need to be sacrificed?

4. What are you willing to sacrifice for the advance of the gospel? And how can you participate in the advance of the gospel?

Discipleship Week 4: A Gospel-Centered Prayer Life

Philippians 1:9-11

“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

Often our prayer life focuses around the circumstances of our lives: Health concerns, financial worries, relationship struggles, and more. And the bible tells us to pray for these things and ask for what we need (Matthew 7:7-11). We can and should pray for these things! But if these circumstances are at the center of our prayer life, than our prayer life will inevitably become self-centered, simply a checklist of personal needs that we go through and not much else.

But Paul’s prayer for the Philippians is explicitly gospel-centered, and the priorities of the gospel are clear in his prayer: 1) For their love to abound (both for God and for each other…you can’t have love for one without love for the other!), with 2) knowledge and discernment (love is not a fluffy, sentimental thing; to love God and others we have to truly know God and others, and have that love encompass our entire being), so that 3) they continue grow in spiritual maturity and towards perfection, for the glory of God (the gospel should constantly be transforming us, and we should never be satisfied with a spiritual plateau or spiritual mediocrity in our lives).

So our goal should be to have a gospel centered prayer life, and pray these gospel priorities for ourselves and for each other: 1) Grow in love for God and for each other, 2) have that love encompass our entire being (heart, soul, mind, strength), and 3) allow the gospel to continually transform us and not to settle for spiritual mediocrity.

1. How do you pray? Are your prayers more self-centered or more gospel-centered? How can your prayer life become more gospel-centered?

2. What are some practical ways you can grow in love, either for God, for others, or both?

3. What are some ways that your love is inconsistent (i.e. you say you love God but have hatred towards someone, you say you love God but show no obedience to his commands, etc…)? How does this inconsistency impact you sharing your faith with others?

4. What are ways you are on a spiritual plateau and not allowing the gospel to transform you?

Discipleship Week 3: Gospel-Centered Fellowship

Philippians 1:3-8

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (1:3-6)

Paul is thankful for the Philippians Christians, particularly for 1) their partnership in the gospel and 2) God’s continuing work in their lives. The word for partnership is the same word that is used to describe fellowship throughout the bible (koinoneia)…indicating that fellowship goes far deeper than the coffee hour at church on Sundays, or believers getting together to eat food, although that is certainly part of biblical fellowship! Christian fellowship is a far greater investment than most of us think about! Therefore, true fellowship between Christians must at its core be centered around a deep self-sacrificial commitment to the gospel and partnership in the gospel. And true fellowship between Christians must show a deep interest in each others’ spiritual health and continued spiritual growth.

1. When you are with other Christians, what do you focus on? What do you talk about? What are ways you can have a deeper level of fellowship with your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ?

2. What are reasons that you shy away from a deeper fellowship with other believers?

3. D.A. Carson offers several practical ways we can have our fellowship be centered around the gospel, the good news that in Jesus Christ God has reconciled us to himself… “This means that in our conversations we ought regularly to be sharing in the gospel; that is, delighting in God, sharing with each other what we have been learning from his Word, joining in prayer for the advance of the gospel (not least in the lives of those to whom we have been bearing witness), encouraging one another in obedience and maturing discipleship, bearing one another’s burdens, and growing in self-sacrificial love for one another for Christ’s sake.” –D.A. Carson, Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians

Which of these areas is already a part of your fellowship with other believers? Which areas do you need to grow in? How do your relationships with believers need to change so that these things are at the center of your relationships?

Discipleship Week 2: Put the Gospel First

Philippians 1:1-26

“I would like to buy about three dollars worth of gospel, please. Not too much— just enough to make me happy, but not so much that I get addicted. I don’t want so much gospel that I learn to really hate covetousness and lust. I certainly don’t want so much that I start to love my enemies, cherish self- denial, and contemplate missionary service in some alien culture. I want ecstasy, not repentance; I want transcendence, not transformation. I would like to be cherished by some nice, forgiving, broad- minded people, but I myself don’t want to love those from different races— especially if they smell. I would like enough gospel to make my family secure and my children well behaved, but not so much that I find my ambitions redirected or my giving too greatly enlarged. I would like about three dollars worth of gospel, please.” –D.A. Carson, Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians

Paul references the gospel throughout this first section of his letter to the Philippians. It is clear that the gospel, the work of Jesus dying on the cross for our sins in our place in order to reconcile us to God, must be at the center of our lives. The gospel should radically transform us and shape every part of our being. But so often, as D.A. Carson notes above, we don’t want a gospel that radically transforms and messes up our lives, but want a watered down, domesticated version of the gospel that looks nice and feels nice, but that brings very little change in our lives. So the challenge in this first part of this book is to put the gospel first in our lives.

1. Why do so many Christians want a domesticated gospel?

2. How does our culture encourage us to have a domesticated gospel?

3. In what ways do you want to have only “three dollars worth of gospel?”

4. If the gospel was truly first in your life, how would your life look different from how it is right now? What needs to change so that the gospel truly is first in your life?

Discipleship Week 1: Living for the Glory of God

Philippians 4:20

“To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

It is critical that we begin this study of Philippians by studying God’s glory, because it should be our top priority in life. The Westminster Shorter Catechism begins with this simple question: “What is the chief end of man?” And the answer: “To glorify God and enjoy him forever.” Our main purpose in life is to glorify God. Therefore everything that we think, say, and do should be for God’s glory. In Isaiah 26:8 the prophet cries out to God: “Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.”

God’s glory should be at the center of this book on living the Christian life because if it is not, then when we do live out the challenges and teachings of this book, then we give glory to ourselves and not to God. When these teachings are seen as a goal themselves, and not a means to a goal, namely, to glorify God, then this book becomes a checklist of spiritual accomplishments to feel good about and not a way to lovingly pour ourselves out to God. Living for God’s glory is the difference between this book radically transforming our lives for God and having this book become a burdensome spiritual chore list.

1. What are ways that you are living for God’s glory? And what are ways that you are viewing the Christian life more like a checklist? What difference do you notice when you are living for God than when you are living for yourself and the checklist?

2. How can good things, like ministry, service, bible study, worship, and more become bad things?

3. What are areas of your life where you have said, “No way God! Absolutely not!” Missions? Sexual purity? Time? Hobbies? Future? Career? Control? If you life was more oriented around God’s glory, how would your view of these things you have said no to God about change?

4. What is keeping you from living completely for God’s glory? And what do you need to do about that this year?