SCRIPTURE: Philippians 3:12 - 16
CONVERSATIONS
- What is something that you became ‘excellent’ at -- whether big or small? How did you become so good at it? Why did you choose to become good at that particular thing?
- In your mind, how would you define what it looks like to be spiritually healthy and vibrant?
- Read Philippians 3:12. Spiritual maturity is the result of the accumulation of a lot of little (sometimes seemingly mundane) practices over time. What kinds of practices would those be?
- What does Paul mean when he says, “I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me his own”? How does that apply to us?
- Read Philippians 3:13 - 14.What are some things that Christians need to jettison from their life in order to continue to grow spiritually? Dallas Willard said: “Grace is not opposed to effort, but to earning.” What does that mean? Is it wrong to ‘work’ at knowing Jesus more deeply? If we are to ‘work’ at knowing Jesus more deeply, what does that look like?
- Read Philippians 3:15 - 16 Why does Paul say that those who think this way are “mature”? If we are struggling or stalled in our spiritual growth, what does it mean to “hold true to what we have attained”? (v. 16)
