Lesson from May 31, 2009
Philippians 2: 19-30
“Christians today often feel that society is hostile to them…As Christianity moves from being the dominant religious perspective in Western society to being only one perspective that competes equally with many others, feelings of exclusion and mis-representation is inevitable…. As the veneer of outward Christian piety drops from the larger society, it is perhaps a spiritual advantage that Christians see clearly what the larger society has actually been all along.” (NIV Application Commentary, Frank Thielman, 1995)
Travelogue, Dialogue, or Something Else?
- What is the major change in “tone” that occurs starting with verse 19?
- What strikes you as significant in verse 19?
- What are the “qualifications” that Paul attributes to Timothy that uniquely qualify him for the mission to Philippi?
- What strikes you about verse 24?
- What differences do you see between the qualifications of Timothy and those of Epaphroditus?
- What strikes you as significant in verses 29-30?
How do we apply the “message” or “lessons” from verses 19-30 to our lives today?
- How would our lives be different if we followed the example of Timothy and Epaphroditus in our everyday lives?
- How can these verses speak to the modern church, what is the message?