On this week’s episode, Brian and Chris join Philip Nation, the Pastor of First Baptist Church in Bradenton, Florida. Brian, Chris, and Philip address the following questions:

* What constitutes “personal holiness”?

* How do we pursue holiness in earnest without falling into the ditch of legalism?

* Culturally, personal holiness and set standards of living have seem to be abandoned. Where group life is concerned, how do you see pursuing holiness offsetting these cultural trends?

* In what sense is pursuing holiness done in community?

* As a group leader, how do I help my group members see the pursuit of holiness as important?

* What is holiness as obedience in “real time”? How do we pursue this in our groups?

The Group Answers Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study and discipleship expert in Lifeway’s Groups Ministry, and Chris Surratt, the small group and discipleship specialist at Lifeway and author of Small Groups For The Rest Of Us.

GUEST: Philip Nation is the pastor of First Baptist Church, Bradenton, Florida. He has been a publishing director, church planter, and frequent speaker for conferences. He earned a Doctor of Ministry from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also serves as the Assistant Professor of Leadership and Biblical Studies at Houston Baptist University. Along the way he has written Habits for Our Holiness: How the Spiritual Disciplines Grow Us Up, Draw Us Together, and Send Us Out as well as the new study for groups Pursuing Holiness: Applications from James. He is the happy husband to Angie and father to Andrew and Chris. You can follow Philip on Twitter here.