07.03.2022 | MORE & MORE | Wk 4: “Emptying Like Christ”
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Breaking Ground
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve ever had to make for someone else?
The Dig
On Sunday, we continued our series More & More, E3’s summer series on the Book of Philippians (Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi).
First, read Philippians 2:1-4. Paul begins this next section of his letter by discussing the critical importance of unity & humility in Christian community, holding up both as central to our way of life & witness to the world.
What imagery & characteristics standout from Paul’s description of Christian community here?
What makes the image of community that Paul describes here so challenging & counter-cultural?
Next, read Philippians 2:5-11. In this second section, Paul moves into the Christ Hymn, which acts as the centerpiece of Philippians. For Paul, the example of Christ found in this beautiful hymn empowers & models for us how to live out the image of community found in the previous verses. Paul depicts Christ as:
- Radically humble
- Utterly self-sacrificial & selfless
- Willing to empty himself of honor, status, & prestige
- Refusing to use his power & privilege as the Son of God for his own advantage
- Exalted through his humiliation/humility (not by avoiding such things)
How do these two sections intertwine?
How does this image of Christ turn upside-down things like power, authority, & influence?
How does this image of Christ impact how we think about our own moments of humiliation & ego-defeat?
Why does Paul believe that this image of Christ is central for empowering us & modeling for us how to create true Christian community?
Why is embodying this hymn in our own relationships & community central to our counter-cultural witness as the Body of Christ?
Where do you struggle & succeed at embodying the image of Christ found in this hymn within your own relationships & community? In what relationship or community situation do you need to adopt it to a greater degree in this season?
Getting Out of the Hole
During this series, take time each week to read & meditate on each section of Philippians that we cover. This week:
- Read Philippians 2:1-11. In particular, focus on the image of Christ found in verse 5-11. Write down or underline key words or phrases in the passage.
- Meditate on where Paul’s description of Christian community & Christ speaks into your own relationships & behavior in your community (either to convict or uplift).
- Journal on where this image of Christ might upend how you engage issues of conflict, control, power, sacrificial service, community involvement, & leadership. Where do you need to embody this image of Christ in your life more & more over this season?
- Read through Philippians 2:1-11 again. Ask God to help you further adopt the image of Christ in this passage so that you can help build the beautiful image of community depicted. Commit to taking a step forward within our E3 community before the end of summer.
Journal, reflect, & pray on how God might be speaking to you through each week’s teaching. Share your experience with your growth group next week!
Additional Resources*
The Story of God Bible Commentary by Lynn H. Cohick
Resident Aliens by Stanley Hauerwas
A Hidden Wholeness by Parker Palmer
TheBibleProject.com
Coming Up This Week:*
Sunday, July 10rd: Join us next Sunday for week 5 of our series More & More, where we will continue walking through Paul’s Letter to the Philippians! * Please see mye3.org for details.