Sasquatch

Q4. (4:19-20) In this context, what is the condition that must be met for the promise to be valid? The condition is the gift or tithe or offering or acceptable sacrifice should be offered with the right motive.....not a selfish motive to remove our sin.....but to please God and express our love for him. What is the limit of the fulfillment of the promise? There is no limit as the extent to which God will meet my needs is relative to the scale of his bank account....."according to his glorious riches"..........God's wealth cannot be depleted and is without bound. In your own words, what does the promise mean to you? When I pray, I should talk to God, tell him my needs, and expect an answer from my Father......an answer that meets my needs fully.

Q3. (4:14-16) How were the Philippians' financial gifts credited to their heavenly account, do you think? The spiritual fruit resulted in men, women and children won to Christ and serving as disciples in new churches. Both Paul and the Philippians share in the reward. How was their giving linked to temporal blessings? Their giving is temporal, but the spiritual blessings and dividends are both in this life and into eternity.

Q2. (4:11-13) What is the basis of Paul's contentment? Paul is not a Stoic or Cynic ethic, but is Christ-sufficient. Paul has "learned the secret" at some point in his journey. Paul knows he can rely on Christ's strength to face any circumstance that comes to him in the course of his life and ministry......and Paul did face a plethora of untoward and difficult situations! Does this contentment undermine ambition? It is opposite of undermining ambition. To say "I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me" indicates strength, ability, and competency. Christ's strength allows us to strike out for new ground with great ambition. What is necessary for us to achieve this kind of contentment? Like Paul, we must "learn the secret".

Q1. (4:11-12) How can a "prosperity doctrine" threaten Christian ministry? A "prosperity doctrine" may distort the message. If poverty is a "curse" does that mean that Paul was a failure? I think not! For example, he writes this letter to the Philippians under house arrest. Paul has no means of support and relies upon others to sustain him. Paul has experienced luxury and poverty in his journey. Paul's inward life is unaffected whether he is thin or flush..........he rejoices no matter the circumstance. To what prime motivation in us does such a teaching often appeal? The "prosperity doctrine" reflects the self, the me, and the temporal possessions of the world. In Lesson 7, Pastor Ralph writes "the Cross of Christ is the life of service, suffering and self denial which is in sharp contrast to the self-indulgent lifestyle that glories in activities of which one should instead be ashamed. To me, the answer balances more on being content like Paul.........that is to "learn the secret" or "the mystery of faith" ..........that is Christ is sufficient for any circumstance. In balance, what does the Bible teach about poverty and riches? Money, greed and power do evil things and are the root of much evil. You cannot serve both God and mammon. ....In this lesson it says God meets all our needs according "to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus". I believe God wants us to live life and live it abundantly. Indeed, God's calling may lead to varying degrees of worldly success. We cannot seek security in the world because we are Citizens of the Kingdom of God and aliens in this world. We must follow the example of the Philippians in giving and seek security in our Christ.

Q3. (4:7) How does making our requests known to God help build a relationship and trust? Relationships are built upon trust and conversation. God wants us to pour out our hearts to him.........He is our Father. What is God's part in the promise of peace? We bring our requests, prayers, and petitions to God with thanksgiving and God will guard our hearts and minds. God will bring us peace that surpasses understanding.

Q2. (4:6) How is a request in prayer altered by the presence of thanksgiving in the prayer? Our prayers are to be made in the midst of giving thanks. Praying with thanksgiving shows we remember God's faithfulness, love, and power. How does thanksgiving affect our faith as we pray? Thanksgiving is the language of faith. In a past lesson, Pastor Ralph writes (summarized)that the core of Christian faith is that we believe Jesus died on the cross for our sins and was raised from the dead for our salvation. Either it is true or it isn't. Either the crucifixion and resurrection happened in history and are spiritual facts or are myths. We believe it happened! It removed sin and guilt from us. So what does faith have to do with it? Everything! Faith confirms what God had done and activates salvation for oneself. Abram believed and God credited it to him as righteousness............there is a clear linkage between faith (believing) and salvation (righteousness) The point is that giving thanks, when we pray, engages God in conversation and confirms what God has done. With our prayers, petitions, and requests in thanksgiving comes the expectation of an answer. This is faith.......the expecation of an answer.

Q1. (4:4-5) Is rejoicing in the Lord a feeling or an action? Both. How should you seek to fulfill this command if you don't feel like it? The lesson explains this very well. Rejoicing is not passive but, as a command by Paul, it is a deliberate action. What is the effect of rejoicing? My high school football coach used to say "90% of practice is just showing up". Nobody wants to practice! You simply have to make yourself show up out of respect or duty or honor. If we do not want to pray or rejoice and put it off we don't show up. We don't show up for God. Once we pray or rejoice, our focus changes from the negative or the distraction or whatever is bringing us down. When we show up and rejoice and obey Paul's command we turn our thoughts to heavenly things. We can find joy in God's love for us, that Christ died on the cross for us, that our names are written in the Book of Life, that the Holy Spirit is with us; and that we have eternal life with God.

Q4. From what you've read in Philippians so far, what seems to be the Philippian church's chief problem? In Philippians 2:14-16, Paul encourages the Philippians to "Do everything without complaining or arguing". It appears there is a lack of unity similar to the Israelites grumbling in the desert. Pastor Ralph writes a complaining, grumbling spirit pollutes the church. So, the church, the congregation must repent and change to allow God to do His best work. Secondly, there appears to be problems with leadership in the church. Paul says he will be sending Timothy and Epaproditus back to the church. Both are examples of service and humility. How does Paul's description of Timothy's character speak to this problem? Paul has entrusted Timothy with many delicate church missions. He describes Timothy as "I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare". Timothy had been proven and tested by fire. Since he is not a novice to the ministry and takes such true interest in the welfare of the church, he is qualified to help the Philippian church. Timothy can help with the bickering and arguing and with church leadership. How does Paul's call to honor men like Epaphroditus speak to this problem? Paul calls the church to honor Epaphroditus as a brother, soldier, fellow worker, messenger, and minister. Epaphroditus has been a slave to the gospel to such an extent that he almost died. Paul points this out to the Philippian church so there will be no question regarding the sacrifices made by Epaphroditus. Both Timothy and Epaphroditus are examples of servants or slaves of Jesus Christ. Both willingly give all they have and both know who is their master.

Q1. (2:19-21) Why was Timothy's selfless concern so rare among church leaders? Paul had a lot of experience with church leaders and said "I have no one else like him" Timothy has a special gift of taking a genuine interest in others welfare. Rather than pointing the finger at others in your church, consider yourself. What things has Jesus had to deal with in your life that has helped you to become genuinely selfless and focused on the concerns of others? How has he refined you? (Of course, he is still at work in us!) I am a work in progress; that is for sure! Many years of my life were spent trying to succeed in the world. A neck injury ended my career and athletic abilities, but opened my eyes to see my life's purpose and function in different light. I realized that my remaining time will be spent working in all things I do for God. I am far from selfless, but with God's help, I am working on it.

Q2. (2:22) Who has come alongside you to teach you? Many people have been instrumental in helping me along the way........my Dad, my high school football coach, my church pastor when I was in dental school in Gainesville, Florida, my wife, my brother, and now especially my Sunday School class. What potential leader in your church needs someone to come alongside them? I am not sure, but I think we all need someone to come alongside each of us. We need Christian brothers and sisters to share with and support us. Do you have a person or two that you are mentoring "as a son with a father" or "a daughter with a mother"? Yes.

In a very minor way at times. I tend to remind everyone when passions run high that "it is not about me". My wife reminds me too!

What do Philippians 1:23 and 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 teach about the state of Christians immediately after death? Verse 23 indicates that Paul believes he is either alive in his body or in the immediate presence of the Lord. There is no intermediate state. How does this comfort you? I should not fear death as I will be with Christ. How does this energize you? "To live is Christ, to die is gain".

Q3. (1:20-21) How can fear keep us from being a bold witness? Fear is our human response to an out of control situation. Fear of death, fear of social recrimination, fear of the unknown and these days fear of lawsuits can hamstring our witness. Why does fear of people bind our tongues? It is easy to be silent. That is why Paul recognizes that "through your prayers" and "the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ" that he will be delivered. Paul also hopes that he will "in no way be ashamed"; that is, that he will not be weak or faint hearted in declaring the gospel. Paul wants courage to speak boldly and plain so that Christ is glorified. People these days are probably no different than in Paul's time. They mock and laugh at Christians beliefs. This is humiliating, of course, only if we allow it to be. Like Paul we must believe God is in control so that we can rejoice, be bold and let God's light shine through us for his glory. How does "losing our life" for Christ's sake actually give us an abundant life? What fear is keeping you from clear witness Like Paul, we must be convinced that if we live, we get to enjoy Christ's presence as we do now. If we die, things get better yet. Knowing this can allow us to live life and live it more abundantly.

Why is our ability to rejoice so dependent upon our faith that God is in control, working even in the midst of difficulty? What must you believe in order to be able to rejoice in the midst of problems? Without our faith that God is in control, we tend to rely upon ourselves. In Paul's case Christians were preachin to cause him pain and strife.......Paul chose to rejoice. Paul chose to rejoice because he is confident that he is "in Christ", that Christ controls his desiny, and he can rest "in trust" towards God. Like Paul, we are free to rejoice knowing God is in control. What is your basis for believing that? The issue of rejoicing is one of control........worry, fear, anger, resentment are responses to out of control situations or events. To the extent we believe that God is in control, then we can rejoice freely, we can be filled with joy....even in the midst of our most difficult times.