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Text: Philippians 2:3-5

Prepare

1. I cut us off last week. We covered three priorities of the Gospel-worthy life, but there are four. What's the fourth (2:3)? And how does it relate to the first three?
2. In verses 3-4, it seems Paul states the practice(s) of Gospel humility. He states two, both negatively and positively. In verse 3, what's the negative practice (compare with 1:15-17, 4:3)? What's it's positive? How might this apply? How does it confront our own lives? How might it reshape the church's life together?
3. In verse 4, what's the negative practice? What's it's positive? Does Paul tell us not to consider our own interests at all? What exactly does he exhort?
4. In thinking about the interests of others, there seem to be three sorts: false needs, felt needs, and foremost needs. When it comes to foremost needs, consider what Paul says of Timothy in 2:21. Are we seeing to those needs?
5. In verse 5a, Paul seems to command us to have something which, strangely, we have in Christ? What is it? If we have it, what does Paul mean by his exhortation to have it? This leads into what's called the Christ Hymn. It's the explanation of 'Christ's mind,' the one we're to have and do have in Him. Why does Paul put it here? What's the connection between what we see in Christ and what Paul exhorts in 2:3-4? Think in terms of what we covered last week about the relationship between Gospel indicatives and Gospel imperatives, it's facts and our formation.