Lesson Notes:  Philippians 2:1-4 (NIV based)

READ:  Philippians 2:1-4, with vv.27-28a and v.5 for context

v.1
How important is unity in the church - the body of Christ?  In what ways?

What qualities are listed here from our experience with God and describe why each one is important?
- - "encouragement from being united with Christ";
- - "comfort from his love";
- - "fellowship with the Spirit";
- - "tenderness and compassion".

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vv.2-4
What are the results that should flow out of our Christian experience?  And describe the impact that each result will have on the individual believer and the group that believer is in.
v.2
- - "being like-minded";
- - "having the same love";
- - "being one in spirit and purpose";
v.3
- - no "selfish ambition";
- - no "vain conceit";
- - "humility";
- - "consider others better than yourselves";
v.4
- - "look to the interests of others";
v.5
- - developing a Christ-like "attitude";
vv.2-5
- - all of these together would contribute to "making joy complete" (v.2) for every believer in that group;
- - and all of these together would likely be extremely attractive to unbelieving visitors and attenders.

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What is being stated in each verse in this passage about the influence that community has on the functioning, health, interactions, and dynamics of a group?

What would a church be like, its characteristics, if most of its members exhibited these virtues?
- - no cronyism, nepotism, favoritism;
- - have sound doctrines being taught and followed;
- - a majority of the people would be doing ministry - not just a few, which is typical;
- - no divisive disputes;
- - a highly respected leadership who each have a servant's heart;
- - a majority of the members would be earnest and eager students of the Word - they would faithfully attend Bible studies, Sunday School classes, home life groups, etc.

What would it be like for you to be in this kind of church?

Is our church this kind of church?  And if not, what would be necessary to become this kind of church?
- - A revival of Christ-likeness would have to occur, beginning at the top with the leadership and then including the majority of the members; this revival starts with a massive dose of humility - vv.3-4.
- - But one bad apple in a key leadership spot can spoil or effectively prevent the achieving of this ideal as a whole, as a group.

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MAIN POINT:  What would you say is the main point in these verses?

IMPORTANT SUB-POINTS:  What are some other important points God is making here in these verses?

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APPLICATIONS:  What applications can you think of for how we should respond to the concepts in these verses? 

PERSONALIZED APPLICATIONS:  From these verses, what do you think God wants you to learn, or know, or remember, or put into effect in your life?  How are you going to do that?

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Works Cited:
Bible. “The Holy Bible: New International Version.” The Bible Library CD-ROM. Oklahoma City, OK: Ellis Enterprises, 1988.
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Copyrights:
Scriptures taken from Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®
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Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Copyright © 2014 Mel W. Coddington, and permission is hereby granted that this document may be used, copied, and distributed non-commercially to non-profit organizations, individuals, churches, ministries, and schools worldwide, provided the copies are distributed at no charge and retain this sources documentation as supplied herein. This document is not for sale, resale, or for use as a gift or premium to be offered in connection with solicitations or contributions.
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File name: Philippians2_1-4-LessonNotes.___ (.htm, .doc, .pdf)
Translation used: NIV, quoted or referred to in various places within this document
Source: www.BelieverAssist.com
Updated: December 9, 2016