Verses Used:
- Philippians 2:12-18
- Ephesians 2:8-9
Takeaways:
Expect to Put in Effort
- We don’t work for our salvation, we let it show. God has worked it in, we work it out.
- Our effort is not motivated out of fear of what God might do to us, it is motivated out of love for what he has already done for us.
- There is a biblical expectation to put in effort into our discipleship. Being a Christian is not a passive thing - we put in effort, but not to earn.
Expect to Live Different
- Our lifestyle as followers of Jesus communicates a message to those that don’t yet know him.
Expect Joy
- Kingdom Joy is experienced when we celebrate someone else’s joy with them.
- Paul reminds us once again, that the secret to finding joy wherever you are is to focus on other people, God’s work in the world, and have a good attitude
God’s Expectations for us:
- God saves us by grace, but wants us to put in effort to show the results of our salvation.
- Our lifestyle should look different than everyone around us because of our attitude. We are not complainers or argumentative.
- We can find joy when God’s kingdom expands.
Discussion Questions:
- How does complaining and arguing impact your daily life and relationships with others?
- Why does our collective witness as Jesus’ people matter to the world around us?
- Why do many Christians struggle to experience the joy of the kingdom expanding through other churches?
- How would finding our joy in God’s work bring stability to our Christian life?
