ADORATION – Reflect on God’s Greatness
God is a Trinity
God exists as three persons, yet he is one being. Each person of the Trinity—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—has a separate identity while yet possessing the full nature of God.
Genesis 1:26 Let US make man in OUR own image.
Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (In this passage each person of the Trinity is given equal authority. Even though the word trinity is never used in the bible, it is implied here.)
Praise the Triune God
Praise the God who is love. He could not be loving if the trinity were false. Praise the God who is perfect and complete. Praise the God who enjoys endless fellowship. Praise the Son who took on the human flesh to be our substitute on the cross. Praise the Holy Spirit for his work to convict of sin and reveal the truth.
CONFESSION: Confess your sins to God and receive his continued mercy.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
THANKSGIVING: Giving thanks to God for his specific blessings in our lives.
“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100
SUPPLICATION: Bringing our requests to God.
- Bring your personal prayer requests to God.
- Pray for unchurched friends. Ask God to give you opportunities to have gospel conversations with those who do not know Him.
- Pray for those in our church who are sick. Ask God to comfort them and bring healing.
SCRIPTURE READING:
Philippians 1:1-26 Christian Standard Bible
Greeting
1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus:
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons.
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3 I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, 4 always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 Indeed, it is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart, and you are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how deeply I miss all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, 10 so that you may approve the things that are superior and may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.
Advance of the Gospel
12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually advanced the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard, and to everyone else, that my imprisonment is because I am in Christ. 14 Most of the brothers have gained confidence in the Lord from my imprisonment and dare even more to speak the word fearlessly. 15 To be sure, some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of good will. 16 These preach out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; 17 the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, thinking that they will cause me trouble in my imprisonment. 18 What does it matter? Only that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice 19 because I know this will lead to my salvation through your prayers and help from the Spirit of Jesus Christ. 20 My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all courage, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death.
Living Is Christ
21 For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me; and I don’t know which one I should choose. 23 I am torn between the two. I long to depart and be with Christ—which is far better— 24 but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. 25 Since I am persuaded of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that, because of my coming to you again, your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
This chapter shows how the gospel was the singular passion of Paul’s life. In whatever circumstance he was in, Paul’s desire was that Christ would be magnified in his life. Paul lived a truly “gospel-centered” life. Paul’s understanding of the gospel implied the advancement of the gospel. Gospel means “good news,” which means the gospel and evangelism (the sharing of that news) go hand in hand. The more we love the gospel, the more we love evangelism. The major theme in the book as a whole and in chapter one especially is that the Philippians would grow their faith for the sake of advancing the gospel. There are so many news stories that dominate our social life at present. What news story are we allowing to dominate our speech? News in our country operates on fear and division. But we are called to live as people of hope, to be filled with the fruit of righteousness. We have such an opportunity during this time to live as people of hope. In what ways is God challenging you to grow in evangelism? Don’t think you’re alone in this. Talk to your small group. What are ways your small group can help you grow in evangelism? How can your small group grow in evangelism together?