Monday September 21, 2015

Bible Study Notes are in recess this week due to School Holidays.  They will recommence next Monday the 28th.

All Daily Bible Study Notes can now be accessed through our new updated website.  You can access the Bible Study Notes section at http://www.christlife.org.au/dailybiblestudynotes

Saturday September 19, 2015

Read Philippians 1:12-18

Paul’s attitude throughout Philippians and throughout his entire life is one of  praising God and rejoicing in Him. As he sits in gaol for his faith he praises God and rejoices in Christ Jesus because the gospel is being preached.

Such rejoicing is not feigned or a put on. It is neither deceptive nor for show. Its very easy to put on a mask each Sonday morning to pretend that all is ok and that you are rejoicing in the Lord. When you walk in through the safety of your own doors at home, you can take off the mask and return to wallowing. Paul’s rejoicing comes from a deep and consistent walk with the Lord. Such rejoicing comes from knowing God intimately and intensely. Such rejoicing is the outflow of a life lived in conformity to the will of the Lord. 

As we consider this rejoicing, think about what effect it has on the non-believer. As the non-believer sees you genuinely rejoicing in Christ through tough and trying times they will be challenged to consider following Jesus as well. They will initially be somewhat non-fussed with your rejoicing but over time they will be challenged to the core. The key is rejoicing in Christ. We are not to rejoice in the situation or the hoped for deliverance from that situation but in Christ Himself. Rejoicing in anything else can be misleading. As the non-believer sees you rejoicing in Christ and clinging to Him, he or she will be challenged about the reality and majesty of Christ Jesus. History is replete with examples of people who came to Christ in repentance and faith because they witnessed believers rejoicing in Christ through their sufferings.

While the world likes to see the underdog rise up to victory and while it applauds success through times of difficulty and past failure, it generally cannot cope with rejoicing in Christ through tough and trying times. The world can cope with rejoicing in self-achievement or self-sustenance but it can not cope with rejoicing in Christ. The world will be deeply challenged as you genuinely rejoice in Christ through tough times. Those who sought to make trouble for Paul while he was in gaol expected him to be bitter, to seek vengeance and perhaps to be jealous of their success while he languished. Imagine their surprise and challenge when they heard or read V 18 - And because of this I rejoice!

Rejoicing in the Lord makes for a dangerous faith. Some non-believers and perhaps some believers will be antagonistic towards such rejoicing. Some will question you. Some may mock you. Others may ridicule your faithfulness. Others may push against you even harder to see if they can topple you from this rejoicing. They’ll want to see how far you’ll go in being so ‘brave’ and resilient.

If you and I are going to be men and women with a dangerous faith that challenges the world we need to cultivate our relationship with God. We need to build time with God where we can grow in love, in knowledge, in faith and trust of God. We need time with God individually and corporately. We need to be with God and to let His love and mercy, His grace and His word seep deep into our soul. We need this so that our lives are an outward rejoicing even through the toughest of times.

Prayer:

Using today’s Bible passage and notes write down points for

Adoration:

Confession

Thanks

Supplication:

· Pray that Christ would be clearly and faithfully preached this weekend in your local church. Pray too that Christ would be preached from a pure heart and from sincere motives.

· Pray that Christ will be exalted in your service this weekend, that the saints would be edified and brought closer to God and that the non-believers would be challenged to repent and believe in Jesus. 

 Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. Why do you think genuine sustained rejoicing challenges and confronts the world?

2. How can you build this kind of rejoicing into your own life?

3. How can this kind of rejoicing be built into your congregation?

Friday September 18 2015

Read Philippians 1:15-18; Galatians 1:8-9

It’s possible to misread Philippians 1:18 as meaning that Paul doesn’t really care about the content of the gospel that is being preached. If one church preaches that you are saved by faith plus works and another preaches that you are saved by faith alone, that’s fine. If one church preaches that you have to speak in tongues to be a real Christian while another preaches that you have to have faith alone to be Christian, that’s fine. If one church preaches that you have to have works while another abhors any works, that too is fine. After all, doesn’t Paul say that it doesn’t matter in Philippians 1:18?

Unfortunately it’s not that simple. Paul is very concerned about the content of the Gospel. To the Galatian church he writes very sternly and forcefully. He says twice that if any person or even an angel changes the gospel from what he himself preached to them, then that person is to be eternally condemned.

The repetition is a sign of Paul’s forcefulness.

Galatians 1:8–9 (NIV84)

“8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!”

In Philippians 1:12-18 Paul is not saying that he’s okay with a perverted gospel. We simply cannot have one passage of Scripture contradicting another. Galatians 1:8-9 makes it abundantly clear that Paul hates the idea of a perverted Gospel. What Paul is saying is that the motivation or reason for preaching the gospel can change. In a narrow sense, Paul doesn't care why people are preaching the gospel, as long as they are preaching the gospel!

Again, we must avoid extending our theology into error. We cannot say that motivation is irrelevant. We cannot say that rivalry and envy and stirring up trouble are good and okay reasons for preaching the Gospel. Like Paul we should want people to preach the gospel from pure motives, from a heart that is pure and sincere. We should want believers to love God and to love mankind so much that they preach the Gospel to all who might listen. But if people choose to preach the Gospel with impure or insincere motivations we must be content that at least the Gospel is being preached. If an opportunity arises to lovingly challenge them or rebuke them we can take that opportunity but in the meanwhile rejoicing is the best and godliest option.

The bottom line is clear. If the Gospel is getting out around the globe we should be filled with praise.

Prayer:

Using today’s Bible passage and notes write down points for

Adoration:

Confession

Thanks

Supplication:

· Pray that Christ would be clearly and faithfully preached this weekend in your local church. Pray too that Christ would be preached from a pure heart and from sincere motives.

· Pray that Christ will be exalted in your service this weekend, that the saints would be edified and brought closer to God and that the non-believers would be challenged to repent and believe in Jesus. 

 Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. Given the content of today’s Scripture and the reading notes, what implications are there for unity among churches across different denominations?

2. What should inter denominational unity be built upon?

3. If you had to write a list of beliefs that multi denominational churches could stand unified on, what would your list include?

Thursday September 17, 2015

Read Philippians 1:15-17; Acts 15:1-5; Galatians 6:12-13

Unfortunately there are many reasons why some people and some churches preach the gospel. As Paul sits in gaol he reflects on some of those reasons. In Philippians 1:15-18 we read of some negative and positive reasons. In V 17 we see the several negative reasons.

“The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.”

Selfish ambition is a desire to promote oneself above and beyond someone else. While Paul languishes in gaol, some believers think that they can gain an advantage over Paul by preaching the gospel. Perhaps they desired to make more disciples for themselves. They also want to stir up trouble for Paul while he’s in prison. Their goal may have been to have Paul removed from the scene and to elevate their own position at the expense of Paul.

Acts 15:1-5 and Galatians 6:12-13 expands on this somewhat. From the first passage it is clear that many in the early church taught that Judaism was the only means to becoming a Christian. One had to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses to be a true believer. In Galatians we see that these Judaizers, as they were called, preached a watered down gospel to avoid being persecuted (presumably by the Jews) and so as to be able to boast in the flesh of the new believers. Paul reveals in Philippians 1:15 that their motives are impure or insincere. Their true motives are hidden behind the preaching of the gospel. They seek to build themselves up and to make life even more difficult for Paul.

While I doubt that any church or individual believer would be so callous today, it’s still plausible that many have an insincere motive and approach to gospel preaching. How many across the Christian spectrum preach the gospel out of selfish ambition and rivalry, wanting to be as big as that other church or to have music like the other church or to….? How many are jealous of the “success” of that other church or preacher? How many young in-training preaching students secretly desire to be the next globally known and recognised preacher whose sermons are read on the internet world wide? How many pastors secretly yearn for the fame and renown of these worldwide preachers?

Yet there is another group preaching the gospel out of love, knowing that Paul was imprisoned for the defence of the gospel. That love is contextually both a love for Paul and a love for the Lord. These believers continue to preach the Word week by week, month by month, year by year. They continue serving and giving, preaching and teaching even if no one thanks them or even if only small numbers turn up to hear them.

As both individuals and as congregations and even as denominations we need to look long and hard at ourselves, engaging in some helpful and healthy self evaluation to make sure that we are preaching the gospel out of love and goodwill. We need to make sure that our motives are pure and holy, pleasing to the Lord.

Prayer:

Using today’s Bible passage and notes write down points for

Adoration:

Confession

Thanks

Supplication:

· Pray that both your congregation and your denomination would have a pure heart in preaching the gospel. Pray that it would do so in love - love for God and love for all mankind.

· Pray that many people would see the love of your church and your denomination and that they would be drawn to Christ in repentance and faith because of that love and because they hear the gospel being preached clearly and powerfully.

 Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. What are good motives to preach the gospel?

2. What are some bad motives to preach the gospel?

3. If someone asked to explain the gospel, what would you say?

Wednesday September 16, 2015

Read Philippians 1:15

As Paul suffered for his faith in gaol he was under no pretences or false impressions. Paul had spent many years already being dogged by false believers who sought to make his life difficult and to destroy his ministry. In Acts 17 for example Paul is sent quickly from Thessalonica to Berea because the Jews made life decidedly difficult for him. The same Jews followed Paul and made life difficult in Berea as well. Now as he sits in goal he tells the Philippians that some people actually preach the gospel out of envy and rivalry.

The Greek word translated as ‘envy’ in verse 15 means an ill will towards someone because of a real or imagined advantage experienced by the other person. As such we see that this particular group of people are ‘jealous’ of Paul because he is making and gaining disciples and their own particular sect is not. How sad it is when churches today are motivated by such envy or jealousy. One church eyes another with suspicion and angst because that has grown rapidly. One minister seeks to put down another minster whose church has seen growth and vitality and new ministries spring up. One denomination looks suspiciously at another because they are adding another church into the town. As the body of Christ we need to give up our petty differences and rejoice as the gospel is preached from church to church across the town, city or nation.

The Greek word for rivalry in verse 15 means strife or discord, often verbal, such as saying bad or negative things about each other. Again we see this kind of rivalry in churches today. Congregations in the same denomination may have only negative things to say about each other because the style of worship service may differ. Denominations might speak ill of each other because of suspicion and a desire to out grow or out perform each other. In other passages of Scripture such rivalry proves that the person or congregation or denomination is being worldly rather than scriptural, godly or Christ-like.

Others though, preach the gospel out of goodwill. The Greek word here refers to being gracious or pleasing to someone/thing. It implies that a good outcome is in view.

I once spoke to two separate congregations in the same region and in the denomination. One ran a traditional service while the other ran a more contemporary service. Unfortunately they eyed each other off with suspicion and distrust. There was envy and rivalry between the two bodies. It would have been relatively easy for these two congregations to work together with good will if they simply realised that the older people wanting a traditional service could go to the traditional congregation and those wanting a contemporary service could go to the contemporary congregation. Such good will could have seen both congregations grow substantially.

Our congregations should be preaching the Gospel out of good will, out of love for God and love for our fellow man. We need to let envy and rivalry drop to the ground and take up this good heart towards God and our fellow man. When we preach out of good will we preach the gospel out of love - genuine love for God and love for others. When we preach the gospel out of goodwill, we will have innumerable occasions to rejoice and to praise our Lord and Saviour.

Prayer:

Using today’s Bible passage and notes write down points for

Adoration:

Confession

Thanks

Supplication:

· Pray for the churches in your area/city that each church would be preaching the gospel out of good will and not out of envy or rivalry. Pray that competition and distrust between Christian churches would reduce and that love and good will would grow tremendously.

· Pray that God would be glorified by this growth and that we’d see many more people coming into the fold as they repent and believe in Jesus.

 Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. If you sense this envy and rivalry among churches in your own denomination or group of believers, what should you do?

2. What does rivalry and envy look like in the Christian church?

3. Why should we seek to stamp it out?

Tuesday September 15, 2015

Read Philippians 1:14; 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Your first thought as you read the heading today ‘Read Philippians 1:14’ was probably something like, ‘But I read that yesterday! There must be a mistake’. Rest assured there is no mistake. Verse 14 is so filled with golden truth that it deserves another look and a great deal more study.

I sat recently with a Christian friend and shared of a struggle in church I had many years ago. After I finished sharing he was greatly encouraged and blessed. I didn't realise at the time but sharing how God worked in me and through me in that situation blessed my brother because he was currently going through a tough time. He was emboldened and encouraged to continue ministering and serving in his local church because of the way in which God had worked in my own life.

The principle is clearly enunciated in Philippians 1:14.

Philippians 1:14

“Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.”

Paul’s imprisonment has served to encourage the believers throughout the region. Word has spread rapidly that Paul is in chains for the gospel and that through this suffering the gospel is advancing. The principle is relatively simple. God is so sovereign and so majestic that He can and does use our trials and temptations to encourage and bless others. In fact, 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 suggests that a mark of maturity in the Christian life is when we can serve, comfort and bless others by using what God Himself has allowed us to suffer.

Even more particularly, God uses our suffering to enhance and further the spread of the gospel both directly and indirectly. Yesterday we saw the direct result as many in the palace guard knew that Paul was arrested, tried and gaoled for his faith in Christ Jesus. The indirect result is that Christians everywhere have been more emboldened to share the gospel. They have been stirred into action by Paul’s personal suffering.

As we suffer for our faith we should never seek to go underground or to hide away. Even though it’s natural and somewhat desirable to want to hide, God wants to use our suffering both directly and indirectly. God wants to encourage others through what we have endured and because of this we should rejoice. Because of this we should praise God. Because of this we should endure with great confidence.

Added to this, we need to realise that having purpose in pain brings a whole new dimension. Suffering without purpose, which is what all other world views have to offer us, is demeaning and heart breaking. Suffering without purpose removes all hope and creates a hollow emptiness inside the suffering. But the Christian never suffers without purpose. The Christian never suffers in isolation of meaning and value. Suffering, through God’s sovereignty, serves to advance the gospel and to encourage the brotherhood of believers.

As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ you can approach even the hardest times of life with patience, endurance and even with great joy because of what God is doing both in you and through you. You can rejoice because through your suffering the gospel is advancing.

Prayer:

Using today’s Bible passage and notes write down points for

Adoration:

Confession

Thanks

Supplication:

· As you think about the people in your congregation who are suffering, ask the Lord to reveal to them the good that He is working in and through them. Pray that there would be a spirit of encouragement and joy building up in them as they see the Lord at work.

· Pray this for the Chinese House Church leaders who have been imprisoned for their faith and who are suffering greatly in gaol and in labour camps.

 Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. What is a biblical response to suffering?

2. How can we find joy in suffering?

3. What role do our Sonday services have in producing joy in suffering?

Monday September 14, 2015

Coming Up Sonday September 20, 2015 

Philippians 1:12-18. Suffering Suffering & Trouble Makers

Read Acts 16:24-25; Philippians 1:12-14

How do you cope with trying or difficult times? How do you endure through times of suffering? What’s your “normal” mode of existence when life goes sour? These are vital questions if we are to grow and develop a dangerous faith.

Paul endured many prison sentences. We read of one such imprisonment in Philippi on Paul’s first journey to that city. After driving out a demon from a slave girl and removing the owners’ means of making money Paul ended up in gaol. Even though this is not the gaol sentence he refers to in Philippians 1:12-14, it clearly exemplifies his attitude towards suffering. While Paul is in stocks in gaol he, together with his fellow prisoner Silas, prays and sings hymns to God. Paul’s prayers and hymns are not whispered prayers or prayers of the heart but rather are loud enough for all the prison to hear! Paul unashamedly bellows out his prayers and songs to the Lord. Do you and I unashamedly pray and sing to the Lord in tough times?

As Paul writes to the Philippian church he’s again in gaol. This time it’s more than likely a Roman gaol. Paul’s letter could have been filled with the injustices he has suffered. It could have contained a prayer for legal help. But rather than any of these Paul looks for reasons to praise God. And being gospel minded, Paul rejoices that the gospel is advancing by his being in gaol. Do we look for reasons to praise God in our trials and tough times?

There are two gospel results flowing out from Paul’s imprisonment. Firstly, Paul praises God that the entire palace guard and everyone else knows that’s he’s in gaol for the gospel. He’s not being punished for being a thief or a meddler or even for being a murderer or extortionist but for being a Jesus-follower. As such, many in the palace guard and many throughout the region/city would have been challenged to think seriously about following Christ Jesus. Do we rejoice as people see us suffering for the Lord?

Secondly, those in Christ Jesus have been emboldened and spurred on to preach the Word more courageously and fearlessly. If Paul is suffering for the gospel we can too. If Paul can go to gaol for the Lord, we can too. Our suffering for the Lord almost always leads to a blessed encouragement for others if we stand up under the trial and give glory to God.  Do we rejoice that our suffering encourages and blesses others and urges them to be more courageous and fearless in their preaching?

If we are to cultivate a dangerous faith within our Christian world we need to stop looking at ourselves and we need to start looking at Christ Jesus and the effect our suffering has on others. We need to learn to rejoice and to consider our sufferings of many kinds as pure joy.

Prayer:

Using today’s Bible passage and notes write down points for

Adoration:

Confession

Thanks

Supplication:

· Spend time praising God for the good He brings out through our suffering.

· Pray for the people in your congregation who may be suffering in some way. Pray that they would be Jesus focused and able to praise God through this time.

Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. Consider how you might be able to encourage Johan who is a member of your church. Recently he got kicked off the local football team because in a controversial penalty against his team he chose to tell the truth (because of his Christian conviction). His team was subsequently beaten and he was sacked from the team. He now has no chance of making the state and national teams.

  

One on One
Sarah was unexpectedly “arrested” in China for producing a Christian newspaper. She was interrogated for unduly long periods and was humiliated and treated poorly because she loved the Lord Jesus Christ.

Throughout her ordeal she was ordered to sign a document that incriminated both herself and her fellow believers. Refusing to sign the document caused much fear and heartache for Sarah. At one point her feet were chained with a heavy chain like a murderous criminal and she was ordered to walk around the cell for the entire night, even though her ankles and feet were deeply lacerated. She walked in her own blood for most of the night.

Reflecting on her ordeal Sarah said, ‘I think of Christ and how he was beaten before walking to Golgotha, how he must have also left a trail of his own blood. He also was hated by this world. In a small way I now suffer for him. I am not alone. I am with Christ who walked this path for me and this gives me the courage to go on.

Sarah never signed the document and was imprisoned for 6 years.
You can watch Sarah’s Story at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUpp-M4ECBs

If we are to suffer suffering well for Jesus’ sake and if we are to endure trouble makers without retaliating like the world does then we have to take Colossians 3:1-2 seriously.
Since then you have been raised with Christ set your heart on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above not on earthly things.

By taking Colossians 3:1-2 seriously we resolve to meditate upon Jesus’ work for us at Calvary and His victorious ascension to the right hand of God the Father. We need to know deep within ourselves that Jesus suffered for us, shed His blood for us and died for us even while we were His enemies. We need to know and appreciate that Jesus’ love has been fully given to us, even though we were undeserving of His  love.

But this mediation and setting of our heart and mind cannot be something we resolve to do when life gets tough. It’s something we must do daily, consistently as we journey through life. If we were asked to run a 30km marathon tomorrow, most of us would fail. So too with suffering. We have to be prepared and ready. Focusing our heart and mind on things above is training for the day of suffering. It is marathon training.

Only in Christ will we endure well. Only in Christ will we show love and compassion to our enemies. Only in Christ will we be victorious.

You can and will endure. You can and will walk through the fire but only as you live in Christ Jesus.

Personal Questions

1. How’s your prayer life?

2. Describe your current thought life?

3. How’s your relationship with your spouse or your parents?

4. Discuss how and if you’ve struggled with sin/temptation this week.

5. How are you worshipping God through work, family and social networks?

 Pray

· for endurance and guidance for those who are suffering for the gospel.

· pray for those like Sarah in jail for their faith, that they may endure and make many disciples for Jesus even while in jail.

 Reflection:

1. What will setting your heart and mind on things above look like in your life?

2. List 5 things you can be doing every day to refocus your heart and mind on Christ Jesus?

3. If you find yourself being distracted by life, by busyness and by other things, what can you do?

4. List 2 other people you can encourage this week to endure through tough times and pray for a meaningful way to encourage them.