“ALL THINGS”
Conversation Starters
Sunday December 6, 2015
NOTE: If you missed this message, click here to listen or to watch. (The audio/Mp3 is usually uploaded immediately on Sunday afternoons, while the video is usually uploaded on Mondays).
Talk about your experience on Sunday morning.
- How did God speak to you this week?
- Did you meet anyone new?
Read Philippians 4:10-13 together.
- What words, phrases or verses spoke to you as you read this passage? Why?
Jeff spoke about the commercialization and materialization of the Christmas season as well as the dominant cultural narrative of our time, that “Stuff = Happiness.”
- In what ways have you noticed (and maybe even been bothered by) materialism at Christmas time? What, if anything, have you done about it?
- Can you think of an example from your life where you thought that you would be happy if you bought something? (i.e. therapy shopping, a new gadget/phone, a fancy car, a nicer house etc).
- How did you feel once the excitement of that new purchase wore off?
- What makes this “Stuff = Happiness” Narrative so tempting & believable? What, on the other hand, makes it so futile & disappointing?
In Verse 11 and Verse 12, the Apostle Paul talked about how he has learned the secret of contentment (no matter the circumstances of his life – whether he has lots of stuff and things are going really well, or whether he has nothing and things are going really poorly.) That “Christ = Contentment.”
- What makes this idea so counter-cultural? In what ways can “stuff” actually rob you of contentment in life?
- What do you think it means to find contentment in Christ (Christ = Contentment) as opposed to happiness in stuff (Stuff = Happiness)?
- What makes it impossible to live into both narratives at the same time?
In Verse 13, The Apostle Paul gives us the secret of contentment: That we can do (or be content in) all things through Christ who gives us strength. That Christ is enough.
- How has this verse been misunderstood and misquoted by so many in our culture?
- Why is it important that we don’t see this verse as being about ‘achieving our dreams and desires’?
- How does this ‘secret’ (V13) have the potential to bring us contentment in life, even in the face of extraordinary difficulty?
- Can you think of a difficult time in your life where you experienced this kind of contentment in the face of it? Explain.
- How does knowing and seeing that Christ is enough have the potential to change the way we look at our “stuff” in life?
- Which narrative do you find yourself living into these days? Stuff = Happiness” or “Christ = Contentment”? Explain.
- Jeff presented the “One-for-One Challenge” to the congregation, suggesting that for every gift we (and our kids) get this Christmas we should give something away. Will you participate?
Spend some time in prayer as a group. Pray that each person would see that “Christ is enough” this Christmas season.
