Phos Church Messages

1.) Why is it that we sometimes do what we do not want to do and do not do what we want or should do? Why is living by the flesh so appealing? Are we truly slaves to it or can we break free? How and why?

2.) What does living by the Spirit mean to you? What does it look like in your every day life? What is the goodness of God and how do we get the opportunity to experience it? What can the goodness of God do for you this week? What do you need His goodness to do for you this week?

3.) Is there some thing, some brokenness, some habitual sin, some nagging fleshly desire still fighting for control of your life? Would you share that with your small group, your friends, your family or would you not? Why? And if you will share it, how can we pray for you and come alongside you to help support you in your battle with it?

1.) What is the perfect peace of God? How would you describe it? Have you ever experienced it and how were you able to experience it?

2.) Is all “anxiety”, caring for something or someone, bad? What is bad anxiety in your life? How does it affect life negatively? How do you handle it? Is there something that you church/small group can help you with?

3.) Take some time to work through “the list” in Phil 4: 8-9 and talk through what each of those descriptors mean and where and how you can find them in your life!

1.) What is the joy of the Lord? Have you ever experienced it? What is it like? Does it truly give us the strength to act/move/live like Jesus?

2.) Have you ever been through a period of refining fire? How did it affect you? Where you able to “rejoice” about it later or even during? How and why?

3.) Why does God allow us to go through hardship? How does His joy empower us with His glory? How do we make the invisible qualities of God, His nature, His ways real to a very visible and broken world? Are you going through a period of refinement or weakness now? How can we help you?

1.) Who is the Holy Spirit to you? What do you know about Him and have you felt His working in your life? Was there anything in particular that stuck out to you about the Holy Spirit from the sermon this week or in your personal time with God? Something that perhaps you learned new or that you were reminded of or that you disagree with?

2.) What does the word of God say about our “standing” or condition with God? What does it mean that we are no longer condemned but are free from the law of sin and death? Do you feel this freedom in your life daily or do you struggle with guilt/shame/doubt? Why? How can the Holy Spirit help you with that? How can we help you with that?

3.) Why is love such a key component to our relationship with God and the fruit of the Spirit? How do we love an unloving world/our neighbors, when they sometimes put themselves against us and God? What are practical ways we can do that this week?

“Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others” 

—Matthew 23: 1-7

Here are some questions to think through this week:

1.) Have you ever had a “mountain top/valley” experience with God and/or in life in general? If you are willing to share about it with your group, please do! What did you learn from it?

2.) Why is it so hard to see/hear from God when we are in the valley vs the mountain? Do you think God is near or far from you while in the valley? Or is it that we have drawn away from Him?

3.) Do you believe God cares about your valley moments/failures in life? Do you believe that despite our failures to see/hear from Him or learn from our mistakes/hardships, God wants to restore us back to Him? Why?

4.) Where are you in life now? Are you hearing/seeing God clearly or do you feel like He isn’t there? What do you need help/support with and how can we do that for you?