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St. Paul School of Leadership & Discipleship Lesson 172 - DEVELOPING WARRIORS—NOT WIMPS (PART 1) By Frank Eiklor and the Shalom Team The Book of Philippians Chapter 1 I have outlined the entire New Testament for easy teaching to those who hunger for truth and who wish to share it with others. In fact, the first book of the Bible that I memorized was the book of Philippians. Only four chapters in length, it met so many practical needs in my life as a new believer.
Now I share these simple but powerful outlines with you. Apply these truths to your life. Then teach them to those you disciple. Nothing is more life-changing than the pure Word of God studied and taught in its verse by verse context. Here is chapter one as we “follow Paul as he followed Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1) and mature into true spiritual warriors.
1) A SHEPHERD’S HEART—Philippians 1:1-8 Note the love and concern of God that He put in Paul for others—his thankfulness (v3), prayers (v4), fellowship (v5), love (v7) and longing (v8).
2) A SHEPHERD’S PRAYER—Philippians 1:9-11 Pray this for yourself and fellow believers—abounding love and growth in knowledge (v9), learning to choose priorities that are “excellent” (v10), and being filled with actions and fruits of righteousness (v11).
3) A SHEPHERDS’S EXAMPLE—Philippians 1:12-17 See how Paul’s imprisonment did not discourage or intimidate him. On the contrary, negative circumstances only made his light shine brighter and stronger.
4) A SHEPHERD’S GOAL—Philippians 1:18-21 Our consuming desire must be that Jesus Christ will be magnified in our bodies, whatever the cost (v20). Then living becomes Jesus and more of Jesus. And dying becomes gain as we go to be with Him (v21).
5) A SHEPHERD’S DUAL-DESIRE—Philippians 1:22-26 On the one hand, Paul yearned to be with Christ in heaven (v23). On the other hand, he knew that he must still be a blessing to others who needed his encouragement on earth (vv24-26).
6) A SHEPHERD’S REMINDER—Philippians 1:27-30 We are to strive for unity in the body of Christ (v27), be fearless when facing adversaries (v28), and recognize that suffering is an important part of the Christian life (v29).
TO BE CONTINUED— See how delicious the Word of God is when we apply it to our lives and those we teach?! Chapter 2 will be about servant-hood.
"Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ" (I Corinthians 11:1) Related Articles · More Articles Jesus said many would come in His name and deceive the hearts of the simple, sinful and proud. Eastern mysticism and meditation is a big thing in the gullible West. And one day a “world leader” will appear on the scene with the persuasion of a god and the heart of a devil. Jesus warns His children to know the Scriptures, live in obedience to the Father’s will, and stay alert to the signs of the times. They laugh no more. Now God’s description of how He will destroy the old earth and create a
new one makes perfect sense. The splitting of the atom turned many skeptics into believers.
After all, look what man himself is capable of doing with the atom and hydrogen bombs. Now
the fear is that nuclear weapons are being placed in the hands of madmen who wish to annihilate
their enemies. God has blessed man with incredible genius. We stand in awe as we watch men and women in a room full of computers and high-tech instruments guiding and landing spacecraft on distant planets. At that moment, we appear invincible. But then a mammoth tornado comes—or a terrifying hurricane—or rains that flood whole regions and never listen to our shouts to “Stop!”—or the shake that removes from under our feet any confidence or pride we carry, and leaves us numb with hardly enough breath to even utter the paralyzing word “EARTHQUAKE!”. And man is helpless in the face of it all! |
