- What would you like to change? Think of an area of your life you would like to change. It can be an attitude, a behavior, or a Christian virtue or fruit of the Spirit that is lacking in your life. Be specific.
- Is your change project about changing your behavior or emotions rather than someone else's or maybe a specific circumstance? (You don't have to answer, just think about it)
- What would it mean for you to be more like Jesus? What would Jesus think or be like in your situation? Can you think of any teachings or stories that illustrate that?
- Write a summary of what you would like to change.
When we meet we will talk about the Philippians passage you read.
Q1: Spirit-filled humble obedience to Christ regarding sexual purity.
ReplyDeleteQ2: I think it is about me.
Q3: Warmly embrace believers when we disagree over issue of conscience (Rom 15:7), serve believers w/heart attitude that they are more important than me, same mind as Jesus (Phili 2:1-11), glory/boast only in the cross, not in me or my flesh (Gal 6:14), Christ became poor that we could be rich, we should give liberaly (2Cor8:8-9, Christian love is self-sacrificing and giving (1John3:16)
I think I am answering Q3 incorrectly, lets try again. In regards to the change project: think about 1Thes4:3, think about how Christ paid the penalty for the sin I am thinking about, remember the cross, how my sin was settled there, recall the resurrection, how that gives me victory over sin, pray that I would be filled with the Holy Spirit and that I would "...walk in the Spirit." Matt 5 comes to mind, "cut of sexual lust, stay far away from where she breeds her offspring, and have the humility to run away from her" paraphrase, not what Jesus said, but I think it might be said ok.
Q4: Relish in the cross (showing justification, and how I am bankrupt apart from Jesus) and relish in the resurrection (progressive sanctification only possible by being Spirit-filled and kill the idea of legalism).
Tim Keller:
ReplyDeleteLike CJ Mahaney, both state the Scripture reference and recite the Bible verse from the Bible.
Defined the singular fruit, but plural words to describe the singular fruit. Edwards concantalgon (spelled it wrong), but the truth that all the "characteristics" Paul gives must all be present and accounted for to be the singular fruit. Described how possible to have gentleness, but not courage is of the flesh, not Spirit.
Keller spent a lot of time defining growth. Example of acorn taking on cement slab, how this is organic/botanical growth and not mechanical growth.
After this, he spent time discussing how mechanical growth is not Holy Spirit filled growth.
I found his lengthy discussion of repeating the single point of fruit to be helpful.
Yeah...I really liked Keller's sermon too; especially how he broke down the differences between natural dispositions or behavior that can be confused with spiritual growth because they might *look* like one of the "fruit(s)" that Paul describes in Gal. 5:22 even though they might be motivated by sin or self.
ReplyDelete