Philippians Bible Study: Chapter Two

Rejoice in the Lord: The Letter to the Philippians

CHAPTER TWO: Think Like Christ

 

Paul urges the Philippians to live Christ-like lives by pointing them to Christ. In verse two and in verse five, Paul talks about the mind (literally, "thinking") in connection with Jesus. In verse two, he talks about believers as "being of the same mind" and "being…of one mind." Then in verse five, he uses an imperative ("Have this mind among yourselves…") which means, "you (believers), think this way, the way Christ Jesus thought…" And the way that Jesus thought was like a servant, even though He was and is God.

FOR DISCUSSION: We often talk about our hearts in our relationship to God, but where do our minds fit into the picture? What is Paul saying about thinking as it relates to discipleship?

How does Paul describe a Christ-centered servant mentality in verses three and four? What would a congregation look like if it put these ideas into practice?

WORD STUDY: "form" in Greek: "morphe," from which we get words like metamorphosis, morphology and "morphing" (changing shapes)

So, if we are going to think the way Jesus thought about servanthood, what might that mean?

WORD STUDY: The "name that is above every name" is Jesus, which means "The Lord saves." In the end, everyone will bow before Jesus, in either faith or submission.

In verse twelve, the "fear and trembling" (in Greek, phobos and tromos) that accompanies the "working out" (or "achieving") one's salvation comes not from an uncertain outcome. The "fear and trembling" is in the realization that "God exists working in you." The unapproachable Holy One Himself approaches us—and is working in us—to want and to work in behalf of His goodwill.

WORD STUDY: Verse fourteen: "Do all things apart from gongysmos (behind-the-scenes talk) and dialogismos (dialogue; in this sense, debate) that you may be blameless and pure…"

FOR DISCUSSION: In verses fifteen and sixteen, the description of believers "shining like stars in the cosmos (world)" is directly related to "holding fast to the word of life." What is the connection?

FOR DISCUSSION: What is Paul rejoicing about in verse 17? About what does he urge the Philippians to rejoice in the next verse?

Finding Life

"Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Matthew 10: 39

On May 27, 2001, Martin and Gracia Burnham were having a wonderful time at a luxury resort in the Philippines celebrating their 18^th wedding anniversary. This was an extravagant change of pace from their everyday lives as Christian missionaries working in the jungle regions of the Philippine islands.

Martin was no stranger to the area—his parents had also served as missionaries in the Philippines, and he had grown up there. He came to the United States as a young man, and met the woman who would become his wife at a Bible College in Kansas City. Martin and Gracia were married in 1983, and two years later, they became missionaries to the Philippines themselves. For Martin, it was a homecoming of sorts; for Gracia, it was a whole new world.

Martin became a missionary pilot flying passengers and supplies for a Christian missionary organization. They were blessed with children: Jeff, Mindy, and Zach. They labored to make Jesus Christ known to the tribespeople they served. And in late May of 2001, they decided to take a rare vacation to celebrate the 18 years God had given them as husband and wife. So on May 27, 2001, the two of them happened to be at a resort in the Philippines when radical Muslim gunmen stormed the place and abducted them along with 18 others. A day later, the Abu Sayyaf group claimed responsibility for the kidnappings. Abu Sayyaf means "One Who Holds a Sword," and the group's stated objective was to carve a Muslim state out of the southern Philippines. Thus began a year-long nightmare that would test the Burnham's faith again and again.

In the beginning, the members of Abu Sayyaf laughed in disbelief at Martin, who would offer to carry things for his captors and the other hostages. Every night, when he would be chained to a post in the jungle, he would thank the guard and wish God's blessings upon him. And as the weeks dragged into months, his abductors became quietly awed by his faith in Jesus. In fact, Martin had lengthy discussions about Jesus with the group's leader and others, and at times it seemed as if their hearts were softening, just a little. But all was not well with the Burnhams. The mental and emotional pressure was enormous. Gracia said that every time she heard a twig snap, she thought it was a gunshot. When the couple appeared on video after many months of captivity, they appeared gaunt and ill. Martin was rumored to be suffering from malaria. But even with all that, Martin still sang to his wife every night to calm her fears. They prayed with other hostages. They endured this day after day, until one day Martin looked over at his wife and said, "We might not leave this jungle alive, but at least we can leave this world serving the Lord with gladness."

On June 7^th, 2002, Martin and Gracia prayed together and then laid down for a nap. They were awakened by the sharp sound of gunfire and shouting. U.S.-trained Philippine soldiers were raiding the jungle hideout in which they were being held. Bullets were flying everywhere. One of them passed through Gracia Burnham's thigh, but she was rescued and underwent surgery for her wounds. The members of Abu Sayyaf were under orders to execute Martin Burnham if ever such a raid occurred, orders which they carried out. Martin Burnham did not leave the jungle alive, but he did leave this world gladly serving the Lord to the very end.

Jesus said, "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." If we take Jesus at His Word, then we know that Martin Burnham, along with every other Christian who has been martyred for the faith, has found transcendent, heavenly life. This is discipleship at its most extreme—and most Christ-like. It begs the question, if you were in Martin or Gracia Burnham's shoes, what would you do?

That isn't easy to think about…and we can wiggle out from under the weight of that thought by telling ourselves that we'll probably never be put in a situation like that anyway. But, let me suggest that there's more to Jesus words here than meets the eye. When Jesus talks about losing our lives for His sake, we tend to go right to examples like Martin Burnham. That's understandable. But what if losing our lives to find them in Jesus means more than that?

Here's what I'm trying to say: what part of your life do you sense God is asking you to lose? What do you sense God is asking you to lose? Is he asking you to lose the tendency to take it out on your loved ones when things don't go your way? Or the need to always have the last word? Is he asking you to lose the hesitancy to share your faith with the people you know? How about a love for possessions that outweighs your love for the things of God? A secret addiction that's eating away at your insides? A willingness to say or do anything in order to seem cool to your friends? Is he asking you to lose a basic self-centered approach to life? You know better than I do. What part of your life is He begging you to lose?

Your first reaction to this line of questioning may be anger mixed with fear. We don't want to lose those parts of ourselves. They may be wrong and they may be sinful, but they're ours, doggone it, they're familiar. We're afraid that if we lose those things God is asking us to lose, we won't be as happy as we are now, but do you see how messed up that is? Our sins don't make us happy, not really. Trusting in your sins to make you happy just compounds your misery. You don't have to think that way, not anymore, because Jesus says to you today, "Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." There is a new kind of life that is findable. It's obtainable. Jesus says so right here. And this is what it boils down to.

If you lose your selfishness (and when I say "lose" I mean consciously reject that attitude), if you lose your selfishness and turn to Christ, you will find an outlook that centers on the needs of others. If you lose your pride, consciously stop it and reject it and look to Jesus, you will find true humility. If you lose your attachment to material things and seek Jesus, you will find fulfillment in things of the Spirit. If you lose your reluctance to be a spokesperson for God, if you surrender your silence to Jesus, the Holy Spirit will help you find your Christian voice. If you lose your stubborn self-reliance, Jesus will teach you to find peace when you rely on Him. If you lose old ways of life for Jesus, then you will find the best kind of life, because He will fill you up with Himself. And nothing can separate you from Him. He gives you victory over tragedy and terror and disease. This is the life Jesus wants you to find. What do you have to lose? Amen.

A Good Mystery: The Holy Trinity

There's something to be said for a good mystery. When somebody says that, it means there's some story that has captured their imagination, with a number of twists and turns and usually a satisfying ending. Some of my favorite stories have a strong element of mystery to them. Maybe yours do too..
However, it seems you either like mystery, or you don't. You're either OK with not knowing something, or it bothers you. Are you one of those people who goes to the movies and spends your time asking the person next to you, "What's happening now?" It's human nature to want to know "why;" to want to have things explained; and if something doesn't fit into a nice, tidy box; if it doesn't "make sense," we have a strong tendency to reject it out of hand. This happens in every part of our lives, including the spiritual part, and that's a problem. It's a problem because the Bible describes a reality that, on the surface, doesn't "make sense." It describes a God that doesn't fit into anybody's box. A person who is uncomfortable with mystery is a person who is going to be uncomfortable with faith. Are you that person?
In some ways, we all are. We don't like it too much when we hear about a God who demands things. Who is He to tell me what I can and can't do? We don't like too much when God doesn't act the way we think He ought to. When He's late on answering a prayer, or answers it in a different way. Sometimes the problem is not so much that God is a mystery--the reason why He does things is a mystery to us, and we think we know a better way. We hate the fact that God doesn't always let us in on things, we resent Him for it, we really think we know better than Him, so we do things our way. And we think we're onto something.
Here's the tug-of-war: we think we ought to be able to define our own reality, but we're not. We didn't make this reality. Someone else did. He gets to define reality, set the rules, create the way things run. We don't like God's mysteries because they humble us. There are things we will never know, never understand, and never control. Part of what it means to repent is to let go of the need to figure out every last little thing, as if our figuring it out makes it true. Even better, repenting means we let God define reality and stop trying to do the job ourselves.
When we repent this way, we're then ready for God to tell us who He is. We won't be threatened by mystery. There's no other way to encounter God. Think for a moment—imagine you are looking down at an anthill on your driveway. You're watching the ants go back and forth, doing their ant tasks. Now imagine that you had an overwhelming urge to explain yourself to those ants. You really want those ants to know who you are and what you're about. How could you, a human being, possibly communicate in a meaningful way with these insects? Good question. Here's the analogy—if that's the gap between you and the ants, imagine the gap between God and human. There's no comparison. Except…
…we hear in Genesis that man and woman were created in the image of God. Even in our fallen state, we bear more of a likeness to God than the ant does. More than that, God can communicate with us through language. He can tell us things. We can listen and react. And the most important thing God tells us is that He closed the gap between God and humanity. He did that in His Son, Jesus. Now that's absolutely a mystery, but that's what He says, and remember, we're letting him define things.
He also says that He is to be known as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He says that through the Son, Jesus, He reconciled the world to Himself, not counting sins against people. He says that the Holy Spirit gives us what we need to embrace the mystery of a Father who would give up His Son; the mystery of a King who would not cling to his throne, but instead come down to become one of the ants—the Creator becoming one of His creatures! The same Holy Spirit gives us what we need to embrace the mystery of God and man together in one person—the mystery of God and man dying as the ultimate sin sacrifice—the deepest mystery of Jesus—alive after dying. And perhaps most mysterious of all—all of it was done to benefit you; for your rescue; for your redemption; for your life after dying. The Holy Spirit works in your heart and mind to convince you that there is a terrible price to be paid for your sin. The Spirit also moves you to trust that Jesus alone is responsible for paying that price, seeing you out of hell and into heaven. He is God—knowable and lovable. This good mystery is our life and joy forever.

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