NASHVILLE (BP) — This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.
This week’s Bible study is adapted from the MasterWork curriculum.
Bible Passage: Philippians 2:1-11
Discussion Questions:
— Would you say most people have a sense of meaning and purpose in life or are searching for it? Does purpose seem to be an easy or difficult thing for people to attain? Explain your answers.
— Where do people frequently look for purpose in life?
— Does the concept of purpose or meaning in life more suggest having others serve your needs or serving the needs of others? Explain your rationale.
Food for thought:
Questions are a part of life. A young child overflows with questions: Why is the sky blue? Why is water wet? Why are kittens soft? As the child ages, the questions turn to: Why do I have to …? Everybody else …, why can’t I? Teens ask about where to go to college or what kind of work to undertake or whom to marry. Questions change for adults, but they do not end.
Some questions are situational. One who has never seen a car does not ask, “When can I get my driver’s license?” One whose living arrangements include an outhouse spends little time weighing the pros and cons of English Tudor versus Mid-Century Modern architecture. We are all asking what a year ago would have never crossed our minds: When will COVID-19 end?
But other questions are universal. They are questions all people of all cultures and all times have asked. Those who might not have consciously sought an answer will have unconsciously assumed an answer.
One such question relates to one’s purpose. It might be: Why am I here? Or What is the meaning of life? Or What am I supposed to do with my life? Each of these address one’s purpose. Pastor and author Michael Catt points out that for the Christian, that question cannot be fully answered apart from embracing one’s servant role.
First and foremost, we are servants of the King. He has made the way and provided the price for our redemption. Without Him, we are slaves to sin; but He has freed us to be His servants. If we fail to acknowledge and live according to this servant role, we will constantly be adrift on the sea of questions, looking for a safe harbor of purpose.
But our King has also deemed that we are to serve one another. We are to “adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, who … [assumed] the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:5-7, CSB). Until we learn to serve both the King and others, we will remain lost in the sea of questions.
MasterWork
MasterWork is an ongoing Bible study curriculum based on works from a variety of renowned authors and offers pertinent, practical messages that adults will find uplifting and enriching. The list of authors and their books to be studied in upcoming months can be found at [URL=http://www.lifeway.com/n/Product-Family/MasterWork]
NASHVILLE (BP) — This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.
This week’s Bible study is adapted from the MasterWork curriculum.
Bible Passage: Philippians 2:1-11
Discussion Questions:
— Would you say most people have a sense of meaning and purpose in life or are searching for it? Does purpose seem to be an easy or difficult thing for people to attain? Explain your answers.
— Where do people frequently look for purpose in life?
— Does the concept of purpose or meaning in life more suggest having others serve your needs or serving the needs of others? Explain your rationale.
Food for thought:
Questions are a part of life. A young child overflows with questions: Why is the sky blue? Why is water wet? Why are kittens soft? As the child ages, the questions turn to: Why do I have to …? Everybody else …, why can’t I? Teens ask about where to go to college or what kind of work to undertake or whom to marry. Questions change for adults, but they do not end.
Some questions are situational. One who has never seen a car does not ask, “When can I get my driver’s license?” One whose living arrangements include an outhouse spends little time weighing the pros and cons of English Tudor versus Mid-Century Modern architecture. We are all asking what a year ago would have never crossed our minds: When will COVID-19 end?
But other questions are universal. They are questions all people of all cultures and all times have asked. Those who might not have consciously sought an answer will have unconsciously assumed an answer.
One such question relates to one’s purpose. It might be: Why am I here? Or What is the meaning of life? Or What am I supposed to do with my life? Each of these address one’s purpose. Pastor and author Michael Catt points out that for the Christian, that question cannot be fully answered apart from embracing one’s servant role.
First and foremost, we are servants of the King. He has made the way and provided the price for our redemption. Without Him, we are slaves to sin; but He has freed us to be His servants. If we fail to acknowledge and live according to this servant role, we will constantly be adrift on the sea of questions, looking for a safe harbor of purpose.
But our King has also deemed that we are to serve one another. We are to “adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, who … [assumed] the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:5-7, CSB). Until we learn to serve both the King and others, we will remain lost in the sea of questions.
MasterWork
MasterWork is an ongoing Bible study curriculum based on works from a variety of renowned authors and offers pertinent, practical messages that adults will find uplifting and enriching. The list of authors and their books to be studied in upcoming months can be found at lifeway.com/n/Product-Family/MasterWork.
Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at LifeWay.com/SundaySchool or ordered at LifeWay Christian Stores.
