[The discussion guides through Philippians are more experiential than interpretive for this series. The text is highly relational, rather than didactic or theological, so our discussion/reflections should follow that relational tone.]
Discussion Questions:
1. What is your impression of the tone of Paul’s greetings and introduction? What kinds of feelings does Paul communicate? Do you usually associate this kind of emotional writing with the Apostle Paul? With Christians in general? Why or why not?
2. What kind of greeting is “grace and peace to you”? Have you ever had grace and peace extended to you, or how do you extend it to others? What does that look like?
3. In verse 7, Paul says, “all of you share in God’s grace with me.” What kind of relationship does Paul express through this statement? Have you “shared in God’s grace” with someone before? What is that like?
4. What holds us back from sharing this kind of affection for one another? How would we overcome these challenges?
5. Reread Paul’s prayer in verses 9-11. Reflect on it for a minute or two, and then write your own paraphrase of it with your own understanding and imagery. (If meeting as a group, would anyone like to share what they wrote?)
6. What kind of life does Paul want for the Christians at Philippi?
7. Do you ever lose hope of becoming the kind of person you long to be and that God wants you to be? What events or decisions have possibly led you to think this? How does this passage help or give you hope that this will change for you now?
8. Reread verse 6. What is Paul saying, and what does that mean for you? For us?
Close:
Pray individually or as a group according to the promise of verse 6.
Children’s Ministry – The Miracles of Jesus continued
Jesus Heals the Paralysed Man – Luke 15:17-26
Jesus Heals the Blind Man – John 9:1-41
Jesus Heals the Man with Leprosy – Matthew 8:1-4
Hope you all enjoyed a fabulous Father’s Day last Sunday and the miracles we heard about from Grandma Maybeth and Luarna earlier. These were miracles of God’s protection of a family in hiding with a young baby in China and a miracle of God supplying the money needed for Luarna to go on a mission trip to Romania.
This week and next we have more exciting miracles that Jesus has done for us! Our church family is sharing with us their stories of Jesus healing people! We’ll be hearing about a miraculous story involving Iain’s brother falling off a cliff and breaking so many bones in his body, including his skull, neck, back and leg! Judy will share with us how she and some friends prayed for a lady who was about to have an operation to save her life. Plus, Luarna will share her miracle story after doctors told her she would never have a baby.
We are also looking at stories in the bible about Jesus healing people. There will be cartoon bible stories for Junior Primary and scenes from ‘The Chosen’ for Senior Primary!
Don’t forget, you can still be a “Memory Verse Champion of the Term!” You just need to learn the verse each week and be able to recite them all at the end of term.
Week 7 Memory Verse (12 Sept) Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
I’ve also set up just for you a KIDS CENTRAL VIDEO CHANNEL on Right Now Media. There are loads of fun videos for you to watch. Parents just need to login. If you don’t have a login you can create one here. RightNow media link
Video testimonies – Next week we’ll be showing you some more videos of wonderful testimonies of God’s healing miracles! Miracles that Jesus is doing today; just as he did in bible times.
If you have experienced a miracle, please make a short video of your story so we can share it with others. You could use a cell phone and record yourself in selfie mode. (Landscape is best for our screens).
What have you learned so far in this study that has made the biggest impression on you? Have you seen changes or growth?
READ & PRAY
Open your Bible to Revelation 3:14–22. Pray that God will open your ears to hear what he says through these words.
DISCUSS
The Laodiceans had it good. They were the richest and most comfortable of all the churches in The Seven. Yet what does Jesus say about them in these verses?
These seven letters say a lot to Christians facing suffering. But affluent Christians face their own challenges. How can comfort and a sense of self-reliance threaten a vital faith?
How are you doing in this area? Have you ever felt as if a focus on self-reliance and your own achievement has kept you from realizing your need for God? Does a love of comfort ever interfere with your commitment to serve God?
If you have been revitalised from a period of being “lukewarm,” what happened? How was your heart turned toward him?
Jesus tells the Laodiceans to realise life’s true treasures. What are the “hidden treasures” that affluent people can sometimes undervalue?
Jesus also tells them to receive his correction. It’s easy in our pride to think every word of correction in the Bible applies to someone else, and not us. Why is this so? How can we overcome this tendency?
Jesus ends with an almost heart-breaking picture of himself, the Lord of the Universe, patiently standing at the door of our hearts, knocking, waiting for us to open up. What does this tell you about Jesus?
It’s interesting that this invitation to open the door to Jesus is written not to unbelievers, but to Christians. How is it possible to be saved, to be a believer, and yet not have fellowship daily with Jesus? Have you ever been there? What helped you?
What main images or ideas from this study have impacted your life? What do you hope to make a part of your daily life with Christ?
Children’s Ministry – The Miracles of Jesus continued
The Parable of the Prodigal Son – Luke 15:11-32
Today is Father’s Day! So don’t forget to say Happy Father’s Day to the dads out there! They also love it when you make them a card, write them a letter, or even draw them a picture.
You know we all have a father in heaven who is just the best dad you could possibly imagine. So as today is Father’s Day we’re going to celebrate your and my Heavenly Father as well! And his love for us is so miraculous! It’s unlike any love we could ever experience on earth.
This week we are looking at the passage in the Bible where Jesus told the parable of the prodigal son to a crowd of people. Luke 15: 11-32.
Jesus told this story as a way of explaining God’s love for us and I’m not just talking about the imagery of our Heavenly Father running toward us with outstretched arms; before we’ve even said sorry. Yes, the father in this parable was waiting and hoping for his son’s return.
We were told he spotted his son way off in the distance. Yes, the father called out immediately for the best robe to be put on his son and for the fattened calf to be used for a great party celebrating his son’s return. The son was also given a ring which is like giving his son a credit card today. The ring was used as a seal and was binding in financial transactions. But this is not all that I mean when I say Jesus used this parable to explain our Heavenly Father’s love for us. Please read on…
In this crowd listening to Jesus were Pharisees, tax collectors and others of questionable moral character. Remember the Pharisees were the people who taught the Jewish law from the Old Testament. They also judged other Jews for how well they kept the Jewish religious law. Remember there were over 500 laws the Jews had to keep. The Pharisees walked around in priestly robes and believed they were better than the regular Jewish people.
The tax collectors were outcasts and were hated by their own Jewish people. They were seen as traitors. They worked for the Romans collecting tax money from the Jews to give to the Romans. This made the Romans wealthier while the Jewish people often suffered in poverty. Tax collectors also had a reputation for not being honest and charging their own Jewish people more than was required in taxes and then
keeping the extra money for themselves. So, tax collectors were wealthy and known for being dishonest traitors of the Jewish people. Roman guards would guard their tax booths to protect the money and the tax collectors. The Jews really hated tax collectors.
So, the crowd whom Jesus was preaching to have both Pharisees who followed the rule of law and those who didn’t. So how does Jesus talk to such a diverse crowd?
He uses a parable. A parable is a story, or analogy which explains what Jesus wants us to know about the Kingdom of Heaven and God. This parable is teaching us about our Heavenly Father’s love for us. This parable is often referred to as ‘The Prodigal Son’ but I think it could be called ‘The Prodigal Sons’ (plural), because there are two sons in this story we can learn from. One son represents the people who keep the rules, like the Pharisees and the other son represents the rule breakers, like the tax collectors and those of questionable character.
It’s good to try and put ourselves in the story while we watch. Some of you will see yourself like the lawbreaking son and others of you will see yourself like the son who keeps the rules. Jesus has a lesson for us about both sons and therefore you. No matter whose story you relate to better.
Let’s take a look.
It’s not good to behave in a bad, unrighteous way, like the younger brother. However, it’s also not good to behave in a self-righteous way, believing you deserve the best of everything from God, like the older brother. Self-righteous people can fall into the trap of believing God somehow owes them blessings for their good behaviour and that others should be punished. (Like the older brother) They find it difficult to celebrate the blessings of others.
God’s miraculous love is for all of us, no matter what we have and have not done! God’s goodness draws us to repentance, which means turning from our bad behaviour and following him. Our Father in Heaven loves you more than can be described. Our Heavenly Father’s love for you in miraculous! …and he wants you to turn away from things you know are bad for you. God wants you to follow him and live forever with him, your Heavenly Father, in Heaven.
Don’t forget, you can still be a “Memory Verse Champion of the Term!” You just need to learn the verse each week and be able to recite them all at the end of term.
Week 6 Memory Verse (4 Sept) John 3:16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
I’ve also set up just for you a KIDS CENTRAL VIDEO CHANNEL on Right Now Media. There are loads of fun videos for you to watch. Parents just need to login. If you don’t have a login you can create one here. RightNow media link
Philadelphia is the newest of the seven cities. It was located on a major trade route to Sardis and it had flourished. It was located in a fine agriculture area, especially for grapes. The god Bacchus, or Dionysus, was one of its chief deities. It was also an active earthquake area and was destroyed in the huge quake of AD 17, which also destroyed ten other major cities of the area. However, the after-shocks continued in this area and the population moved to the surrounding countryside. It was also a centre for the Emperor’s cult (as were Smyrna and Pergamum) which was possibly the source of much of the Churches’ persecution in the provinces. It was a major centre of Hellenistic culture and aggressively exported its influence. It seems to have been founded for this very purpose on the border of Mysia, Lydia and Phrygia.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Jesus says that the Church in Philadelphia has only a little power. What is an area of our life in which we don’t have full control of the outcome of things? How do you trust God in those areas of life? What have you learned along the way?
Have you ever been discouraged when one thing after another seems to go wrong in life? What helped you?
Jesus tells these discouraged people, hammered by earthquakes, bad government, persecution, and more, some very encouraging things:
a. First, he tells them that he is the “true” one, meaning he will stay true and faithful. He will not betray them. How would this encourage you if you were in their situation?
b. Next he tells them he “knows your works.” How is it encouraging to a suffering, persecuted minority to hear that God knows what good they are doing?
c. He promises them that they will be “pillars.” How was this an image of comfort particularly to these people?
d. Then he says he will write on them three things: The name of God, the name of the city of God, and Jesus’ own heavenly name. It’s a poetic way of reminding them what to “tattoo” on their hearts. The worship of the true God, the hope of the eternal city, and the love of Jesus for us is where we find our strength. How is this a comfort to suffering people?
When you face trials, are you more likely to pray to ask God to remove those trials from your life, or to give you the strength in the midst of those trials? Can you ask for both of these at the same time? Read Matthew 26:39 to see an example from Jesus.
If you have undergone times of suffering, what particularly was it about your faith that was important for your endurance? Does it relate to any of the things Jesus tells the Philadelphians here?
What can Christ’s words tell us about how to pray for and comfort those going through times of trouble?
How does it encourage you to know that this tiny band of suffering Christians became a consistent witness of Christ, sending missionaries to the world for centuries after this was written?
WRAP UP
Take time now to pray for Christians suffering persecution around the globe, and for those we know are suffering locally as well.
Children’s Ministry – The Miracles of Jesus continued
Jesus Feeds the 5000 – Matthew 14:13-21
How is the second week of lockdown going for you?
This week we are looking at the bible stories of when Jesus performed the miracle of feeding thousands of people at once with just a few loaves and a few fish! There are two times noted in the bible where he did this. Jesus fed 5000 men, plus women and children on one occasion and on another he fed 4000 men, plus women and children. It was a miracle of multiplication and both times there was food left over!
Don’t forget, you can still be a “Memory Verse Champion of the Term!” You just need to learn the verse each week and be able to recite them all at the end of term.
Week 5 Memory Verse (29 Aug) 1 Peter 4:10 “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.”
I’ve also set up just for you a KIDS CENTRAL VIDEO CHANNEL on Right Now Media. There are loads of fun videos for you to watch. Parents just need to login. If you don’t have a login you can create one here. RightNow media link
How do you tend to respond to storms in your life—with panic or peace? Or both?
Can you think of any times in your life when doing the right thing (obeying God)…
…led you into a storm?
…led you out of a storm?
We hear this phrase quoted by many in our culture today in a variety of difficult or confusing situations: “Everything happens for a reason.” How accurate do you think this statement is?
What was the worst “life storm” you have ever experienced? How did God see you through that event? How does that encourage you now?
Take some time to silently pray and meditate on God’s power to calm the storms in your life and who Jesus is in your life.
Children’s Ministry – The Miracles of Jesus continued
Jesus Calms the Storm – Matthew 8:23-27
Hi guys! How is lockdown going for you? Some people love it. You get to stay home with family and perhaps do some things together like baking, playing games, reading books or watching movies. For others, it can be unsettling, but one thing is for sure, we can always count on JESUS. He is always with us and will never ever leave us! That’s his promise to us.
This week we are looking at the bible story of when Jesus calmed a storm! He’s pretty powerful. Take a look at the fun videos at the bottom of this message. And here’s a link to lots of different online storybooks on Jesus’s Miracles and much more. https://bibleforchildren.org/languages/english/stories.php
UPDATE: The online service will be posted here at 9:50. Pastor Dr. Brian Krum will speak on Jesus Calms the Storm. You can still join the WCBCWorshipWatchParty by clicking the link just before 10am.
Kia ora Whanau,
With our Level 4 lockdown now being extended through Tuesday next week, I wanted to let you know that even though we can’t meet in person, we are excited to meet online this Sunday Morning at 10am. It will be a bit shorter than our norm, but it will include everything that makes a Sunday together both hopeful and Christ-focused.
You can watch our service on your own with YouTube, here on the website, or on our FaceBook page.
Or you can join our “watch party” on Zoom and attend our worship service together. During the service you can type comments and after the service we’ll turn on everyone’s computer cameras and mics and share what stood out from the service for each of us and finish the morning by praying together.
To join our worship watch party, simply click WCBCWorshipWatchParty. And while you shouldn’t need it, here is the “passcode” to join just in case: 796691
And as always, don’t be hesitant to ask for help, offer help, or simply call someone that comes to mind while we weather this lockdown in our homes.
