Belonging

"And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." - Philippians 1:6

-THIS SUNDAY'S TEXT- Belonging & the Joy of Belonging

There are numerous desires in the heart of man; many of those desires are placed in the heart of man by God and can only be fulfilled by God. One of those desires is the desire to BELONG. But what does this mean?

As I think about BELONGING, I think about being a part of or accepted into a group of people, a people united together for a purpose. This BELONGING or unity of people may require a number of things such as – purpose, transparency, acceptance, grace, forgiveness, use of giftedness, communication, leadership, love, trust. The list could go on and on. But most of us desire to BELONG – to accepted and loved and united and participating together for a purpose.

In preparation for Sunday: Read Philippians 1:1-11

Focus on verses 3-5 and consider the following questions:

1. With what does Paul say his prayers are filled with?
2. For what reason does Paul give for his joyful prayers? (Hint: it follows the word because in verse 5).
3. Define the word – what does partnership mean? The Greek word for partnership here is Koinonia. Look up what this word means.
4. What does verse 5 say the partnership (Koinonia) is in?
5. How is this partnership, koinonia, or belonging different from all other belongings or partnerships?

The church has always and will continue to experience numerous difficulties, yet there is no sweeter joy than belonging to Christ and His body. This is true because there is nothing sweeter than oneness with Christ, and oneness with Christ Jesus commands a oneness with the body of Christ – His church. Christ and His body will be separated. Christ will faithfully see to all He has commanded. Look at verse 6 – And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. This should give us great confidence and hope.

True joy resides where there is confidence in the great hope in Christ. Joy is…

1. the result of a secured belonging to Christ and His church.
2. the result of belonging to Christ and His church in fulfilling the purpose of bring God glory.

-CONSIDER & MEDITATE- Questions to think about:

1. What group of people do I long to belong to?
2. Why do I long to belong to this people?
3. Is this group of people focused on temporary things or that which is eternal?

PRAYER & THANKSGIVING

Read Philippians 1:9-11 and make this your prayer for your church family.

Pray specifically for people that God brings to your mind from your SS Class or Life Group.