Philippians 3:1-11

...I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord...

Read Philippians 3:1-6

It appears that there are false teachers at work in Philippi, teaching the Gentile Christians that to be true Christians they need to be circumcised (and probably to follow the other Jewish ritual purity laws)

• As you read, what is your reaction to Paul's words about the false teachers? Why do you think he is so angry with them?

• What do you think Paul mean by the phrase 'put no confidence in the flesh'?

  • Are there things in your life (in your flesh) that you are tempted to put your confidence in? If so, what are they? Why do we go after these things for confidence?

  • Should we avoid thinking this way? If so, how do we do that in practice?

Read Philippians 3:7-11

• Where does Paul's confidence come from now?

• What do you imagine this kind of confidence would have looked like when life got hard for Paul (like when he was imprisoned...)? (Try to think really practically - what exactly would he do, say, pray about, prioritise, etc. If you can think of any examples from his letters to churches or actions in the book of Acts, you can share those too.)

  • What sort of difference would more of this sort of confidence make in your life?

  • How can we grow in this more and more?

Extended Prayer and Reflection Time

First, spend some time in personal reflection and prayer. Offer over to God all the things you are tempted to take your confidence from, one by one, considering each of them as garbage compared to knowing Christ.

Then, as a group, spend some time praying that God would fill you with faith and a deep knowledge of Christ as the only true source of confidence in your hearts.

Thirdly, bring all your needs before God, trusting Him to take care of you.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Jesus, Matthew 6:33)