Discussion Guide for Sunday, May 17, 2020

THE MISSION MATTERS MOST

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

Big Idea

Philippians 1:27 is the main proposition of the entire book. Everything Paul will say throughout the rest of this book will flow from the exhortation: “Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ”. Philippi was a colony of Rome, and as such enjoyed Roman citizenship. Thus, Paul called on their cultural reality to challenge the Philippians spiritually. What was the challenge? You are a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20), so live like it. How do citizens of heaven live? “…in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” So what is the gospel? The word, “gospel”, means the good news concerning Jesus Christ, but the content of the gospel can be summarized in the words of 1 Corinthians 15:3-4: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” Here’s the bottom line: Each believer must intentionally live a life consistent with what we believe every moment of every day.

This understanding of the opening phrase of Philippians 1:27 makes sense of the rest of this passage. It helps us understand that the mission (the gospel) should matter most in the lives of kingdom citizens. In the first section, we see how the mission matters most to the minister. Paul had a desire to experience the actual presence of God in its fullness. That meant he would have to die, and he welcomed that possibility. However, the more needful thing was that he would continue sharing the gospel for “their progress and joy in the faith.” The second section teaches that the mission matters most to the membership. In these verses, Paul highlights the unity of the body in their progress of the faith He uses 5 ways to describe it: 1) standing together, 2) striving together, 3) being sanctified together, 4) suffering together, and 5) struggling together.

Discussion Questions

• Paul wanted one thing, but he made a decision for the more needful thing for the congregation. In what area have you had to choose the more needful thing over the thing you’ve desired? How did it turn out?
• How can you more effectively represent the kingdom of God in your everyday life?

Want to Get Ahead?

Read and meditate on Philippians 2:1-4, 14-18 in your devotional time this week.