Our passage contains two words that are critical in Paul’s letters: grace and peace. One scholar says that these words express in condensed form the essence of Paul’s theology. Grace and peace need to be defined and understood for us as Christians so understand and enjoy these gifts. The doctrinal truth we are taught in this passage is that grace and peace come from God the Father and Christ the Son. The Christian life is designed that we would grow in grace and peace now that we have now been united to Christ. Further, these gifts are meant for us to grow in together as a local church. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS How do we define the biblical words grace and peace? How would you describe them to a friend who is not a Christian? Why is it important for us to understand that grace and peace come from Jesus? How do we know if we are growing in grace and peace? What is an area of your life that you have experienced the peace of Christ, or an area that you need to grow in the peace of Christ? PRAYER Pray specifically for the members of your home and for our church family that we would grow in the grace and peace of Christ Jesus. Pray for other groups gathered around our community this week for the first time. Pray that the gospel would spread in our community.

In this sermon on Philippians 1:1, we look at the back story of how the church at Philippi was planted. The gospel sends, the gospel saves, and the gospel builds local churches.

Psalm 127 is a song that reminds us that God is the builder of our homes, the protector of our lives, and the cause of every blessing.