Welcome to the Mariners Church Life Group Leader Podcast. This weekly conversation is designed to equip and resource youth to build a healthy life group community that studies God's word, practices spiritual rhythms, and changes the world together. Welcome back to the Life Group Leader Podcast. This is week five of Fighting for Joy, our study through the book of Philippians.
Today we're going to be looking at the sermon, becoming who God called you to be, looking at chapter two versus 12 through 30. It's week five of our 10 week series here. So we're rounding the corner here of the halfway point. Just been a great series looking at this very impactful book of Philippians.
I got my buddy here again joining from last week. This is Dallas Biba. Everybody, Dallas, how are we doing, dude? I'm great.
I love the series. It's like going through all these different areas of our church. I see it getting popped up. The theme of joy is just spreading every, it's marinating into our DNA of who we are.
It's beautiful. Which is one of the reasons we encourage your leaders to do the sermon based discussion questions, right? You might be leading your listening to this just because you're curious, maybe you're leading your listening to what's there. Before you think, I want to do now because we're talking about the sermon based discussion questions, what would you say to Dallas, who are you listening, who's maybe not currently doing them or maybe is disengaged from them?
Why is this important for a life group leader to study these together? There's so much unity in our church with this. We talked last week about man camp. If you went to man camp, we talked about fighting for joy.
We talked about the book of Philippians. When you go to all these other events, it's being talked about because that's where our church is going. That's where God has led our senior pastor. So much is flowing out of that.
There's something that happens when we're all aligned and we're all learning together. It's beautiful to be on the front line. That's right. It keeps you engaged with the overall vision of what's happening in and out of the church.
It also takes a little bit of relief off of you as a leader to think about what are we going to study? What are we going to do? What are we going to do? Bible study do I have to create sermon to preach.
We have a Bible study every week. It's here at your sermon and we study the Bible every week in our weekend message. You know that you're going to be in God's Word. You're going to be interacting directly with the Scripture.
There's so many different reasons for that. So if you're new, not sure, man, we want to encourage you to jump in. This is a great resource for you weekly. Let's start off with our lean in question.
I'm going to summarize those two different questions here. Maybe that my own words. And leaders, by the way, you should do that. These questions are a guide for you.
You're not a strict turn by turn map. They're conversational. They're told they're not to be read. They're in conversation.
I've been in groups where, you know, later, maybe feel like I got to literally read the question line for line and in the right order that you should have some fluidity with how you meet your group. But what does that mean? What does that mean? What does that mean?
What does that mean? What does that mean? What does that mean? What does that mean?
What does that mean? Well, they need to spend some time with the question. Yeah. Like I get it.
Life is full and busy. You might be rocking up right now. Listen to this before you go to your group. But you should.
I mean, just take much time. 10 to 15 minutes. Okay, okay. I will speak to you every year.
But Melayan question. I would probably reward it. I would be rewarded a reward it from a, hey, we're areas in your life where you see like the rewards your effort in the what are areas in life where you maybe have it sing that yet. Anything come out for you?
Yeah, when I when I get on the peloton. Okay. And I'm all right about it. And I am kids and I'm one of those.
There's crossfitters and then there's peloton users. Do you have the hat and everything else? Where the hell that indoor peloton, please tell me get it. Yes.
Great, just me first. I have a life vest on too because I'm sweating so much. But when I am committed to writing and eating well, I see the fruit of my labor. And when I do not do that, I also see the fruit of no labor.
Yeah, that's right. Where do you want to fit this challenge right now? It worked right? And we're logging all of their walking habits and everything else.
And I'm with you too, man. I've tried to do something about four or five times a week. But if I don't supplement it with good rest of diet, it doesn't really go over. It has nothing.
It's kind of right. Yeah. So why are we asking this question? What are we wanting people to begin to think about here?
Get them thinking about the passage in general, where we're going as we work out our salvation and just getting people engaged in the conversation. There could be someone in your group coming from a meeting at work that didn't go well or a phone call on the way over that they got some bad news. And how do you get them engaged in the conversation instead of just getting them, okay, what's wrong with you? Maybe you have that relationship.
That's not how I would approach it. But maybe a question like this really allows them to open up a little bit more. Yeah, get them thinking about, and then this whole like return on interest, right? Our life, we are an effort driven culture and society, goal setting, and goal setting is great.
We should run after these things for sure. But often we calculate how much effort I'm going to put into it versus how much game I effort is going to yield, right? So this is what we're getting to think and how that can come into our understanding of our own spiritual formation. How much we put into it, what we think we're doing that calculation all the time, a lot of different areas of life and certainly in our growth and development.
All right, shall we read the passage as you go to look down? Why don't we do that? The 12 verse 12 13? Yeah, why don't you read all the way 12 through 16?
12 through 16. Okay, therefore my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, so now not only in my presence, but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose. Down to verse 14, do everything without grumbling and arguing. So that you may be blameless and pure.
Children of God who are faultless in a correct and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world by holding firm to the word of life. Then I can boast in the day of Christ that I didn't run or labor for nothing. It's beautiful. I love this passage, man.
There's so much of it that seems a bit aspirational. Yeah, it says, even if it's 12 by dear friends, just as you have always obeyed. No, who are we talking about? Yeah, it's not written to me.
Yeah, I know, right? I know that's not me, but that's who Paul is. He's such an encourager painting this picture of not, you know, all that you bring to table book, what Christ has done that we're even able to obey because of the grace that we received. I love what he's saying there.
And then do everything without grumbling and arguing. You know, that's like a bit of a whiplash. Hey, yeah, you've always obeyed. And by the way, do everything without grumbling and arguing which you probably say that because there was some grumbling and arguing, you might have been taking place, right?
So it's something that has been around grumbling and arguing has always been around and it always will be around. Right. We're always going to be a people that grumble and argue and complain totally about our current situation. We're going to bring such damage to our soul, right?
We'll stop like gratitude in our life and gratitude out. It's like a catalytic force for everything else that's happening around us. So yeah, that's good. A couple of little questions here.
What does it mean? This is a great passage. What does it mean to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling? Those are some interesting words there that you must worked out your salvation.
What would you say to somebody that? Well, what do you mean? I thought it was grace not works. Like, is Paul contradicting himself here?
No, no, no, no. I think I've said it. Everybody's already said, like we don't, our works don't save us, but our works are able to tell us it shows that we are saved. Because I'm saved, I am going to pour out.
I'm going to be selfless. Like we learned last week. I'm going to pour out. I'm going to love my neighbors.
But I'm not doing it because I want the accolades. I think that's where I can even get caught up in that too. Yeah, that's right. And then Eric walks us through.
You spend some time, go back and listen to how we really dissected this part of the sermon where that work out to be here work. And immediately it's like a trigger word for, ah, oralistic religiosity. What is he talking about? But the phrasing of it is important.
It's work out, not work for. It's not earned. It's an outworking, like you said. It's a sign.
It's worship really what it is. It's showcasing with gratitude for how you live your life, what you've already received. It's not working for, it's working out. And then he says, work out your own salvation.
Yeah, I love that. It's not the salvation of somebody else. It's not judgmental comparison. And sometimes you can be in a situation and you're reading and you're like, I have no idea what that means.
I have this app, Logos. It's free. You're going to get your login? I have the free version.
And I just have a study Bible on my phone. Because there's sometimes where I'm reading something and I'm like, oh, I wonder what that means. And as I pulled this up and it emphasizes that obedience is intentional and purposeful. Paul's point is that salvation, once received, must be put into practice through obedience.
Right, let's get in reverence and I'll be forgotten. That just helps me having another resource that's quick and easy on my phone. That I can go research the passage. Okay, help me.
Let's take it another step further to understand. That's amazing. So well, in bed, Dallas is Logos login credentials to this episode so you can also go and get it. The free version, go for it.
Yeah, the free version is great. Awesome. That's right. So work out, work out, not work for your own salvation, not comparison and judgmental, other people's salvation.
And then he says, with fear and trembling. With fear and trembling. What do you think Paul's trying to get us to know there? Yeah, fear of God is actually like a respect for God and a reverence, more of a reverence for God of who he is.
So I think sometimes at first glance, when I see that word fear, it's like, oh, I should run and hide and be afraid, but really in honoring God and having reverence toward him and trembling because he is a holy God. What the C.S. Lewis quote with the lion, like of course, of course, Azan is not safe, he's a lion. I think it's just, I always think of that.
It's just beautiful. But he's good. He's not safe, but he's good. He's good.
He's good. Yeah, fear and trembling reverence for sure. This understanding that what we've been brought into is the most important thing. It's the most important goal.
We've all got lots of different goals in our lives and we all run after these things, but he's the goal. He's the price. He's the ultimate one. And there should be this sense of awe and trembling and fear and reverence when it comes to encountering who he is and what he's done.
Absolutely. Another down question here says, what does Paul reveal is the key to our character development and shining brightly for Christ in the world? What's the key to our character development and shining brightly for Christ in the world? It's here in the past 16.
Is it 16? By holding firm to the word of life. What does that mean? Word of life.
God's word, holding firm to the teachings of Scripture. That's right. His spoken word is logo swear, his declaration over creation. Jesus, the word in flesh, everything that Jesus is, holding on to that.
The word of life, holding on to the central source. The thing that gives us life and substance and everything else. That's the only way that we can have our character really developed. That's the way that we learn how perseverance, we learn what perseverance looks like, not because of our own experience about culture teaches us, but because of Bible teaches us.
Every time I see that, I'm always like drawn back to Eric's teaching on the Book of Jude. Yeah, drove back. Here we go. He had that, that he had told a story of his daughters in the pool and it wasn't them holding on, even though his daughter thought, oh, I'm holding on to Dad.
When reality, it was him holding on. And it's no matter how hard we try to hold on to God, it's him holding us. I tell my little ones that when I throw them out of the pool from my shoulders, it wasn't me throwing you on to the pool. It was you throwing yourself.
Yeah. That doesn't work the same way, right? That was great. Look out question, what do we got here, Dallas?
Which one of these one I like? Oh, how would you respond to a friend who said, I'm not good enough to be an example of Christianity? Oh, yeah. How would you encourage that person?
I'm not good enough. Right. Or where does that, where does that response even come from? Yeah.
What does that say about their understanding about Christianity and how would you interact with someone? Yeah, it's like, let's get down to the lie, the lie that they're believing. Like, yes, in reality, we are not good enough on our own, but it's what Jesus has done through us. So how can you, like for me, this is a, I can't wait to speak life and encouragement into you to tell you that you can be an example, that you can go out and live your life.
And maybe there's a few things you need to rework, but let me just encourage you of who Jesus is and what he has called you to be. That when the father looks down on you, he doesn't see you for your sin, but he sees his son, Jesus upon you. Yeah. And then the question would be, well, how good is good enough?
What do you think it is? What is that line? There is a line. The cross is the left hand.
It involves that line. The cross is even, it totally brings that gap for sure. There is no such thing as good enough. Yeah, it's like a legalism ledge then, of like, oh, this is good enough, but this, this is, this isn't.
Right. And so, and then look out then, that's our understanding of grace and Christianity and our relationship, our formation, then what ways should Christians then be different from the world? What should it be our motive and seeking to be shining examples of Christian women? What should be different about us then?
If our motive is not like our effort in the accolades, how should we be different? Be viewed as different? And I've taught this with 20-30s. Like, how can we be people that's different?
That, you know, when there's a line, we're not the ones like honking like, hey, hurry up. They're the patient ones. When we see someone struggling, we're helping that. We don't walk in with a limp.
Like we're not trying to hide our limp that if we are walking with a limp, that we're the first ones to run over and help our friends. That we want to be ones that cut a roof, cut a hole in the roof and drop our friends down. So that what it looks like is to be different. That someone says, you guys were the best group I've had all day at brunch.
You were so kind and courteous. Like that being different is every area of your life. It's going to be different. That's great.
Let's get a minute in. In the look in the final question here, what are some reasons believers might fail to grow spiritually? And puts it in our modern context. What are those things that prevent a spiritual growth?
That sounds a little bit more like a lookout question. You could personalize it like for you or the things that you know are obstacles for your own spiritual growth. And then I would call back into the passage too, right? Well, where am I working for versus working out?
Where am I not working out my own salvation, but I'm comparing it to other people? Like when I look at people that seemingly got their stuff all together, like, you know, I'm feeling mobilized because I don't measure up or it's a lack of fear and trembling. Maybe I take it for granted. There's a lack of reverence and appreciation there.
Those are those are two things that they could come up. Anything else come to mind there for you or how you might do that question out? Yeah, I think it's that comparison trap. Yeah, you know, you can listen to someone like Eric, or seeing your pastor, like walk through how much he reads and how much he does.
And you're like, oh, like he does all of that. And I don't do that. So I'm just going to give up. I'm just not going to do that.
And I had a conversation with someone who just recently said, I believe, like, hey, what do you do? And I kind of walk through what I do is like, oh, I could never do that. Like, I guess I'm not. This isn't for me.
So the comparison trap actually hurts us when the reality is, okay, you could read a couple passages of scripture and still get the same, like God can still speak to you the same way if you read for three hours, like whatever is working for you, but you have to be able to put in the work. You got to be able to sit down and pray. You got to be able to read your Bible. I don't know.
I don't know how many people. I haven't heard anybody who's growing spiritually without being in some sort of community. So the people in your group, you holding them together as a leader is actually helping all of them grow spiritually. Yeah.
And you see that beautifully through all of Philippians, through Paul highlighting his relationship with Timothy, to Ephraiditis that came from Philippi, to check in on Paul that he sends back with genuine love and care. You see his sincere love and appreciation for the church in Philippi that there is this real sense of continuity and gospel center community that's happening there that is becoming an ecosystem where growth can become possible. We don't make the growth. We don't cause the growth.
God causes the growth. But we can cultivate the environment where growth becomes possible. Right. And so how do we cultivate the environment where growth becomes possible, holding on to the words of life, moving from selflessness to self others, serving other people, humility, humility, all the need to grow, there is growth that can still happen to me.
Totally. We have the temptation to think that it is just all grace. And by some sense, the standpoint, that is true. It's the grace that we receive.
But was that old quote of Dallas, Dallas Willard, Grace's, and I'm opposed to earning. It's opposed to the effort. And sometimes we can have this temptation where we're safe by grace, but we also can feel paralyzed by it. Well, I'm saved by grace.
So I don't have to do it. I don't have to do it. I can do it. I want it totally.
Where grace becomes the fuel that propels you into Christian community, holding on to God's word, practicing the spiritual rhythms that over time, you don't do to grow the crazy environment for growth to be possible. And that's the, that's the reality of Christian formation. We receive it. We make the environment and the Holy Spirit causes the growth.
Awesome. All right, guys. Well, thanks again for joining us. We'll look forward to tapping in here next week as we continue our series with you all together.