Monday, 29 May 2017

CCP SERIES STUDY WEEK 6 – PRAY FOR A CHANGE… FOR GROWTH IN HOLINESS

10:32 Posted by Matthew Beaney No comments

COMMUNITY GROUP/FAMILY AND DAILY STUDIES BASED UPON OUR PREACHING SERIES AT COMMUNITY CHURCH PUTNEY)
You can listen to all the messages at 
COMMUNITY GROUP/FAMILY STUDY NOTES
In September 1962 President Kennedy set an ‘impossible’ goal which he was never to see fulfilled,
“We choose to go to the Moon in this decade… not because it is easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win...Many years ago the great British explorer George Mallory, who was to die on Mount Everest, was asked why did he want to climb it. He said, "Because it is there." Well, space is there, and we're going to climb it, and the Moon and the planets are there, and new hopes for knowledge and peace are there. And, therefore, as we set sail we ask God's blessing on the most hazardous and dangerous and greatest adventure on which man has ever embarked.”
Scaling summits and doing great exploits is in the nature of mankind. This appetite reflects on part of our reason for existence and the greatest ‘mountain’ – to know God and grow in likeness to God.
Growing in holiness (sanctification) is to become more and more like Jesus in thought and action (See Romans 8:29) and this requires God's power. 
Read Philippians 1:6
  • What is Paul confident about?
  • What does this verse say about God’s role in salvation and sanctification?

Read Philippians 1:9-11
  • What are the various things that Paul prays for them?
  • Paul prays that we would be ‘Pure and blameless’. ‘Pure’ speaks of our inner thoughts and motives, which only God can see whilst ‘blameless’ refers to our visible activities, our conduct bringing glory to Jesus.
  • ‘Fruit of righteousness’ – this term points of the ultimate source of our change: our sanctification (righteous living) is something we do, but it is ‘fruit’ in that our motivation and transformation are empowered by the Holy Spirit.
  • How often do you pray for your own and others’ growth in holiness?
Read Colossians 1:9-10
  • What does Paul ‘not stop’ praying for this church?

In pairs (or as you would like to organise things) share and pray about areas in which you would like to become more holy - ‘pleasing’ and ‘fruitful’. Add your personal growth challenges to your prayer list also.

GOING DEEPER PERSONAL DAILY STUDIES 
Monday: Are we a work in progress?
Begin by meditating (reading slowly, repeatedly, with feeling) on this text:
Philippians 1:3-5 I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
Paul often begins his prayers by looking at existing fruit as the reason for his confidence that God is working in them (see 1 Thess. 1:4-6) – Salvation and fruit always go together, a church or a Christian is a work in progress.
To ‘partner in the gospel’ is to believe (together) the truth of the gospel; but it s also to work with this apostle (we work with Newground) in order to spread the good news.
Pray for your own partnering in the gospel. Pray that you would be a cause of thanksgiving as you partner with your Community Group, CCP and Newground.
Tuesday: Confidence and compassion lead to prayer
Begin by meditating (reading slowly, repeatedly, with feeling) on this text:
Philippians 1:6-8 Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
What is Paul confident about and what does this text say about God’s love for us?
What do these verses also say about Paul’s love?
How does knowing God’s love for a person or church and being filled with the same heart inevitably lead us to pray passionately and consistently?
Using this text as a guide, Pray, giving thanks for God’s faithfulness and love, and asking for the Spirit to fill your heart with ‘the affection of Christ Jesus’.
Wednesday: Growth in holiness has to emphasize growing in love
Begin by meditating (reading slowly, repeatedly, with feeling) on this text:
Philippians 1:9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.
To become more like Jesus requires that we learn to love like Jesus. Our love (desire for the good of others) matures as it is shaped by ‘knowledge’. Without knowledge love becomes weak and shaped by our sinful culture. One must allow scripture to mature our love. If our affection is to be like Jesus it must be applied with ‘depth of insight’, that is wisdom. It’s not enough to know the truth, one must also apply it correctly with wisdom.
What is your current bible reading practice? Pray for yourself, people you know, those who preach at CCP, that we would ‘abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.’
Thursday: Holiness is choosing what is best
Begin by meditating (reading slowly, repeatedly, with feeling) on this text:
Philippians 1:9-10 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.
Knowing the bible deeply and prayerfully seeking to apply it will help you to choose ‘what is best’ and become ‘pure and blameless’. Seeking to mature as a Christian is learning to choose what would be best for our growth and God’s glory.
Are you faced with any big decisions at the moment? Would you simply like to choose what is best on all the small decisions you make each day? Let’s pray using this text as a model.
Friday: Holiness is goodness inside and outside
Begin by meditating (reading slowly, repeatedly, with feeling) on this text:
Philippians 1:9-10 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.
 God wants us to be ‘pure’. This means that our inner thoughts, motives and loves are devoted to pleasing God alone, our allegiance being unmixed.
Purity of the inner-person will lead to a life that is ‘blameless’ in its conduct, becoming beyond disrepute. It’s not just doing what is correct; it’s doing what is exemplary! It is visible conduct that would bring glory to Jesus.
Pray that God would search your heart and conduct: How is your inner and outer purity in regard to sex, money, ambition, mercy and joy…?  Ask for wisdom, forgiveness and repent where needed.
Saturday: Growth is about bearing more fruit by God’s grace
Philippians 1:11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
Jesus likens being a Christian to being joined to God - and so bearing fruit - as a branch joined to a living vine bears grapes (John 15:5).
So to, Paul knows that no matter how much we are to make an effort to ‘choose what is best’ it is only by God’s grace at work in us that we are enabled to become more holy/fruitful.
Self-confident discipline will crush motivation and dishonour God with its self-reliance. Christians are to make every effort to grow in holiness whilst relying on God for their development resulting in ‘glory and praise to God’. This is why Paul prays, and this is why it is vital, if we want personal growth, or maturity in others, that we also pray.
Read Galatians 5:22-23 and pray for such fruit in yourself and others.

Monday, 22 May 2017

CCP SERIES STUDY WEEK 5 – PRAY FOR A CHANGE… FOR PROTECTION

17:43 Posted by Matthew Beaney No comments

COMMUNITY GROUP/FAMILY AND DAILY STUDIES BASED UPON OUR PREACHING SERIES AT COMMUNITY CHURCH PUTNEY)
You can listen to all the messages at 
COMMUNITY GROUP/FAMILY STUDY NOTES

How often do we feel in danger from attack? When our queen is on a public engagement she isn’t living in fear of attack, but she is a potential target! Therefore, she drives in a bulletproof car and is surrounded by security operatives. Being royalty makes one a target! As God’s children we are under threat from dark spiritual forces that wish to discourage God’s people and defame Jesus if the enemy can catch us unprotected. Prayer is a mighty weapon. Let’s learn from Paul to defend ourselves and take ground from the devil.
Discuss/think/pray about
Read Romans 15:30-33.
  • Paul asks this church to ‘join me in my struggle’. In what way are they to realise that solidarity?
  • How would you respond to someone who emphasised practical support over prayer support?
  • For what does Paul enlist their prayers?
  • How often do you pray for the protection of yourself, your family, your church…?

Read 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5
  • What are the two ways that people can respond to the gospel message?
  • Oftentimes people will change the gospel message in order to protect themselves from being offensive; how does Paul ensure that he is faithful and protected?
  • What does Paul believe and encourage this church to believe about God, and how does this kind of confidence help us to keep loyal to Jesus even when we’re under pressure to compromise?
  • Did you notice the paradox of prayer in this passage? Do you see that Paul asks for protection whilst already believing that God will protect. To become great in prayer one must trust God and His promises and then turn them into prayer. In this way we pray in accord with His revealed character and will.

Finally, Paul tells us to, ‘Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.’ Earlier (Week 4) we emphasised thankfulness, so also let’s ensure that we are ‘watchful’ – alert to problems and dangers over which we can pray. We are soldiers, armed with the mighty weapon of prayer, let’s use it!

GOING DEEPER PERSONAL DAILY STUDIES 

Monday: We are only safe if we know we are in a fight
Begin by meditating (reading slowly, repeatedly, with feeling) on this text:
Ephesians 6:10-12 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Who has ‘schemes’ against us, against whom we ‘struggle’ and how do we ‘stand’? (See James 4:7 also)
To ‘put on’ speaks of making effort; we must apply faith in God as the devil works to undermine our joy and confidence. Using Ephesians 6:10-11  as a guide, spend some time in prayer.
Tuesday: Know your enemy – He is a liar
Begin by meditating (reading slowly, repeatedly, with feeling) on this text:
Ephesians 6:13-14 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist
There are ‘days of evil’ when demonic activity is particularly strong. In order to stand one must put on the ‘belt of truth’. What is the ‘belt of truth’? This ‘belt’ is choosing to believe the truth of scripture and being truthful in our dealings with others. Our enemy, the devil, is a liar who wants us to believe lies and live deceitfully.  (Read John 17:17 & Ephesians 4:25)
What is your practice for reading the bible? Does it match the idea of putting on the belt of truth? (Read Colossians 3:16) Are you truthful at all times?
Wednesday: Prayerfully put on the ‘breastplate of righteousness’
Begin by meditating (reading slowly, repeatedly, with feeling) on this text:
Ephesians 6:14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place.
What is the ‘Breastplate of righteousness’? Like the belt, it also has two elements: the gift of righteousness given to us through faith in Christ; but it is also living a righteous life as a result of the powerful work of God in us.
See both aspects as you read Romans 1:16-17 & Romans 6:13
Using Romans 8:1 as a guide, confess and rejoice in your righteous standing before God.
Secondly, pray that you would be the sort of person that Jesus speaks of in Matthew 5:6.
Thursday: Pray to take gospel action
Begin by meditating (reading slowly, repeatedly, with feeling) on this text:
Ephesians 6:15 Stand firm… with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 
In referring to ‘feet’ and ‘readiness’ Paul is emphasizing a readiness to take action with the gospel. Let’s be alert and ready for opportunities to share the ‘gospel of peace’ – the good news of how Jesus has died for our sin to give us peace with God (Romans 5:1). But it is also a protection for us; sharing the gospel keeps our own hearts strong in the gospel.
Use Ephesians 6:19-20 as a guide for your prayers.
Friday: Pray to take up the shield, helmet and sword
Begin by meditating (reading slowly, repeatedly, with feeling) on this text:
Ephesians 6:16-17 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
To ‘take up the shield of faith’ is to actively choose to believe truth over and against lies. It protects from temptation (the ‘flaming arrows’) and extinguishes temptations’ ‘fire’ (our lusts) as we persevere in believing.
Paul commands us to ‘take helmet of salvation’: to fill our minds with what Jesus has done to save us, how He is with us as our protector and how He will finally ‘save us’ as he returns, completing His work at the end of history.
The ‘Sword of the Spirit’ is the use of scripture (‘word of God’) to attack lies and weaknesses in or lives; in Matthew 4:1-11 we see an example of Jesus using the sword.
Pray for yourself and others and the church that we would be full of faith, having heads full of the knowledge of our salvation, being active in learning and using the bible as a sword.
Saturday: And pray…
Begin by meditating (reading slowly, repeatedly, with feeling) on this text:
Ephesians 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Prayer is not another piece of armour. This is clear in that Paul stops using the analogy of armour. To ‘stand’ a Christian must pray! And we will only pray, and pray effectively, if we are wearing the armour. To pray effectively, to recap, one must put on:
1.    Belt of truthbelieving the truth of scripture and truthfulness in our dealings with others.
2.    Breastplate of righteousness – In Christ, we are righteous as a gift, and live righteously – without which we will have no confidence to pray.
3.    Gospel shoes – being ready to share the ‘gospel of peace’ – knowing we have a mission and that we need God’s power will cause us to pray.
4.    Shield of faith – Is to actively exercise faith in God when we are under assault – without this we will not pray because we lose confidence in God.
5.    Helmet of salvation –  a mind full of the hope of salvation and Jesus protection
6.    Sword of the Spirit – The ’Spirit-led' (prophetic) use of scripture to attack lies – this also means using scripture on which to model our prayers. 



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