Discussion Guide for Sunday, April 26, 2020

MEETING PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE

Series: Choose Joy:
An Exposition of the Book of Philippians

Big Idea

This week, Pastor Mickles began a new sermon series on the book of Philippians with a study of the church’s origins in Acts 16. We learned that the story began with a series of closed doors. After season of tremendous ministry success, the Apostle Paul was “forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak in Asia” and was “not permitted” to go into Bithynia (Acts 16:6-7). An easier way to wrap our minds around this is to say that the Lord allowed hindrances to Paul’s plan, and if he would have continued anyway, he would have went without the Lord’s approval and blessing. Through these experiences, Paul learned (and we should too) that when God says no He typically has something greater in mind. God’s plan for his life was much greater than his plan for his life.

God put a dream in Paul’s heart for Macedonia. He concluded “that God had called them to preach the gospel to them” (Acts 16:10), and as a result the church at Philippi was founded. Paul’s ministry philosophy was simple: Meet People Where They Are. On the Sabbath day, he went out of the city down to the riverside. There he found a group of Jewish women praying. He sat down and talked with them about the Word of God. As Paul opened the word to the people, the Lord opened their hearts to the gospel. Open hearts led to open homes. That’s the first principle we learned: meeting people where they are means sharing the message. Eventually, Paul would rebuke the demonic spirit in a slave-girl being used for profit. This was an act of mercy. This young lady was possessed by a devil and oppressed by devilish men, and it “greatly annoyed” the Apostle. So much so, he had to do something about it. That’s the second principle: meeting people where they are means showing mercy. The powers that be did not appreciate Paul’s act of mercy and had him and his ministry companion beaten and thrown in prison. There they made a conscious decision to sing and to pray while the other prisoners listened in. When an earthquake came in the middle of the night loosing everyone’s chains and opening all of the doors, the jailer prepared to commit suicide, but Paul saw an opportunity for ministry. That opportunity led to the salvation of the jailer and his entire household. That’s the third principle: meeting people where they are means stepping in with ministry.

Discussion Questions

• Has someone ever meet you where you were? What was your experience? What was the end result?
• Have you made a conscious decision to choose joy regardless of the circumstances? Can you remember a time when you sang your way through a trying time? Has it ever been hard to pray through a struggle? How did the experience strengthen your relationship with God?

Prayer Focus

You are the God of closed doors, and I am grateful. Your plans for me are always greater than anything I can ask, think, or imagine. Help me to stand still until Your will is clear. I want to be sensitive to the God-sized dream that You have for me, and when the time comes, I don’t want to hesitate. May my answer be an immediate yes! May I follow You into great adventures of faith that change the course of history…even if it’s just mine.

Next Steps

Paul concluded that his mission in Macedonia was to preach the gospel to them, but we don’t ever read of him preaching a sermon. He had a conversation with the women down by the riverside. He showed mercy to the slave-girl on the way. He (and Silas) sang and prayed loud enough for the other prisoners to hear, and he simply answered the jailer’s question – with one sentence. The word used for “preach” in this passage simply means to share the good news about Jesus. This week, find a creative way to preach. No, I don’t mean taking a text with three points and poem, but I do mean finding a way that fits your context to share the good news about Jesus with someone who may need to hear it.

Want to Get Ahead?

Read and meditate on Philippians 1:1-11 in your devotional time this week.