Christ the Center

We are moving forward. Some of you are finishing up the last section of the stewardship book and some of you are moving forward into Philippians. Over the past years, in Life Groups, we have never handled a specific book of the bible to journey though together as a group. I am excited about Philippians because this letter paints a picture of what it looks like when Christ is the Center of your life.

Here’s a fly by of the upcoming five lessons:

Lesson One: Whatever circumstance that we go through, whether good or bad, we can have complete joy in Christ. (1:1-20)

Lesson Two: Our purpose in life is to live as Christ. (1:21-30)

Lesson Three: How do we live like Christ? With humility. (2:1-30)

Lesson Four: We understand the purpose of life. (3:1-21)

Lesson Five: Joy with contentment. (4:1-23)

My hope is that each of you will be able to walk away and understand the truths communicated in the book of Philippians and apply them to your life. I promise you if you apply the truths in Philippians you will be a better husband, wife, coworker, etc… but this doesn’t happen without application and accountability.

Throughout these next coming weeks my goal is to provide you with little illustrations, reminders, or nuggets on Paul’s letter so that we might truly place Christ at the center of our lives.

In closing, keep in mind the words of Paul, “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 1:6

Small Group Etiquette

I saw this advertisement and thought some of you might be interested. For just $65 dollars a class session you or your child can learn the proper etiquette of eating at the table. Amazing right? This might sound crazy to you, but for some reason I still don’t know why some restaurants give you two forks. I always forget which one is for the lettuce and which one is for the main course.

Just like dinner etiquette we need to be reminded about small group etiquette. Unlike the advertisement above my sessions are free! Here are some of my Life Group etiquettes:

Be Committed – Our level of commitment to each other in some way reflects our commitment with Christ Jesus. (Gal. 6:2)
Give A Warning – If you can’t attend be considerate, let your leader know beforehand. Sometimes several people can’t come, and it might be better just to cancel the fellowship until next week.
Be On time – A group that meets together should always try to be on time so as to honor everyone’s commitment.
Know Yourself – Some of us know we are talkers, and enjoy dominating the conversations. If this you, try skipping the next question allowing someone else to respond to the question. Some of us know we are not talkers, and enjoy listening. If this is you, commit to speaking on one of the questions for the lesson.
No Gossip – If someone reveals a struggle it does not mean that everyone you know at work needs to know about it. Keep struggles confidential and encourage one another.
Silent the Phone – We all get annoyed when someone’s phone rings at the theater/class/meeting, and in the same way it is distracting when a group is in prayer and it’s interrupted by someone’s unique ring tone.

To each of you, continue Imitating Christ Together remembering that your involvement in the lives of your brothers and sisters both increases their spiritual walk and your own.