Sermon Recap: Different Boats, Same Storm
Group Leader Discussion Guide
Read: Philippians 1:6-7; 2:1; 3:10
Group Questions:
What does it mean to be “partakers in God’s grace?”
What do you think it means to be “participants in His Spirit?”
How do we share in Christ’s suffering?
What are some “spiritual checkboxes” that God may want us to eliminate?
What are some lessons that the disciples may have learned in their storms? Which lessons are relevant for us?
In what ways do you think we can partake in Christ’s mission?
In this storm, how can we fellowship if we are not in church?
It was said that the best thing to do in a storm is to “lower the sails and row at the waves.” What does this mean to you and how can we apply this concept to our current coronavirus storm?
Sermon Recap:
God began a good work in each of us at salvation and will be faithful to complete it. In the middle of the beginning and completion, He takes us through a maturing process, called sanctification and desires to work through us in service. The maturing process is not always easy or fun, and may come in the form of a storm. But the ultimate goal is for us to become more like Jesus.
Throughout the process, God desires that we have fellowship with Him and with one another. In general, this means that we are to have a sense of togetherness and comradery. We often think of fellowship as something we do in church. But it is possible to be close to people physically, but not together spiritually and vice versa; we can be distant from others but still be connected. The Greek word for fellowship, “Koinonia,” is expressed in Scripture in several ways. Phil. 1:7 tells us that we are “partakers” of God’s grace; Phil. 2:1 tells us that we are “participants” in His Spirit; and Phil. 3:10 says we have “fellowship” in the sharing of His suffering. Of these three, sharing in Christ’s suffering is perhaps the most challenging, but as we go through experiences the way Jesus did, we will mature and become more like Him.
When we are suffering, we are taking part in Christ’s mission. While in the storm of the coronavirus, staying at home and social distancing, it may be difficult for us to see how we are taking part in Christ’s mission. Some of us may yearn to go back to our “regular” life and to go back to church and fellowship the way we used to know it. Could it be that God wants to use this global crisis to eliminate some of our spiritual checkboxes? Could it be that God wants us to stay engaged in the mission of the church which will never change, but recognize that methods will change and that things will never be the same? Jesus and His disciples were engaged in several storms. Although they were with Him as He taught in the synagogues and ministered in the streets, the disciples learned their most significant lessons in the storms. As we go through this storm, let us learn how to stay spiritually connected. Let us partake in Christ’s mission, and let us lower our sails and row at the waves