Philippians/Colossians

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BACKGROUND

Well, I just LOVE, LOVE the book of Philippians. To me, it's the sweetest, most tender, uplifting, and motivating epistle that Paul wrote. It’s apparent that the Philippians held a special place in Paul’s heart. Actually, they had cared for Paul financially during his second missionary journey and had been some of his most ardent supporters. The epistle of Philippians was written while Paul was imprisoned in Caesar’s Palace. No not the one in Las Vegas, but Caesar’s palace in Rome. He mentions that in 1:13. Interestingly enough, even though it was written from prison, Philippians is probably the most upbeat, positive, and encouraging letter of Paul. This makes the message of this book that much more impactful when you realize the circumstances under which it was written. The setting and context of the letter augments its meaning.

ICEBREAKER

To introduce the major theme or thrust of this letter, and as an icebreaker, I like to start out a study of Philippians with a little mental exercise that I remember my father doing with me. And I invite you to take part in this same mental exercise as I describe it to you. He said, imagine yourself in a room, a very dark room with only a small amount of light visible. Just enough to make out the outlines of some furniture and the walls around you. You can tell the room is in disarray. There is a couch haphazardly shoved into a corner with the cushions spread everywhere on the floor. Two chairs are overturned and a table with some legs missing is lying upside down in the middle of the room. A floor lamp without its shade is propped diagonally against the wall. As you survey this scene, you hear a voice. And the voice says, “clean the room”. So you get to work. You slide the couch against the wall and gather and replace all of its cushions. You set the chairs on their legs and move them to the other corners. You find the lamp shade and place it on the floor lamp and set it upright. You determine that the table is unrepairable and so you throw it out of the room. Now as you look around that room now, you determine that it’s clean. So you call out to the voice saying, “The room is clean!” To which the voice responds. “Well done, thou good and faithful servant, your reward is more light, clean the room again”. And with that, the room becomes a bit brighter. And with the added light, you can see some things that you couldn’t see before. You notice that there’s a lot of trash and paper on the floor. There was a picture upside down in the corner that you missed before, and the end of a rolled-up rug is poking out from under the couch. So you clean up the trash, hang the picture on the wall, and roll the rug out in the middle of the room and you say to yourself, well there, the room is clean. Then you hear the voice which says: Well done, though good and faithful servant, your reward, is more light, clean the room again.” And with that, more light brightens up the room. And with the added light now, you notice that the floor is covered in dirt, the chairs and couch are dusty, and the picture is hanging a little slanted on the wall. So you straighten the picture, sweep the floor and dust all the furniture. Now you look around and say to yourself, surely now the room is clean. The voice responds, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Your reward, is more light, clean the room again.” The lights come on even brighter than before. Now you start to think about what more you could do. You think to yourself, well I could mop the floor and really make it shine. Those walls have a lot of smudges and dark spots on them, I’ll repaint them. I could vacuum the rug and perhaps I could reupholster the couch and repaint the chairs to match. So you do all those things, and you call out to the voice: “The room is clean!” To which you hear the voice say, “Well done thou good and faithful servant, your reward is more light, go and clean again.” Now you wonder what more you can do, but then a thought strikes you. I could get a new table, those other walls could use some beautiful pictures, perhaps I could add a vase with flowers and some new chairs. And on and on this could go. Every time you report, you are given more light and told to clean again. Pretty soon you’re knocking out walls, and adding wood floors, and upgrading the rug and furniture. You are filled with a vision of what the room could someday be, and you find fulfillment and purpose in adding to and improving it.

This is the parable of the room, and I believe it’s a good representation of the approach to mortality that our Father in Heaven wants us to have in this life. He is always inviting us to move higher, to become better and to move forward in the world. And every time we’re obedient, every time we sacrifice, every time we put forth effort to learn and grow, He blesses us with increased light and understanding. We’re given an even greater capacity and freedom to act and improve. God does not want us to plateau or become complacent in our discipleship, or feel that we’ve arrived. If Jesus Christ is our standard, and the measure of the stature that we should aspire to, then we all have a lot of work to do. We never want to be satisfied with “good enough.” Our lives and our discipleship are not about just becoming good people, but becoming Gods. C.S. Lewis felt this way, and I love this quote of his:

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself."

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Also, a great cross reference to this idea comes to mind from Doctrine and Covenants 50:24

24 That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.

Now I know that was a bit of a lengthy introduction, but I really want my students to connect with and grasp this idea, because to me, that is the Spirit and message of the Book of Philippians. It’s all about becoming a greater disciple. Many of the other epistles we’ve studied so far and many that will still follow are focused more on solving problems. But not with the Philippians. They ARE doing well. They’re not plagued with a lot of the issues that the other branches of the Church in the area are facing. Therefore, Paul is able to lift them higher. I know that sometimes people complain about the messages of General Conference being repetitive or same kind of thing every time. Perhaps if we collectively as a Church followed and lived those basic counsels and commandments a little better, we wouldn’t need so much repetition. But Philippians is a message where Paul felt like he could go a deeper, he could lift them a little higher because the people WERE living the basics. It’s an epistle filled with vision. So I suggest you pull out a colored pencil and make a label at the top of the title page for Philippians entitled “higher discipleship”. That’s the hook. Everything you mark in that color here will represent something that will lift us higher as disciples of Christ. Something that will take you to the next level of discipleship.

TRANSITION

And you get a sense of that message right at the get go. In chapter 1 as Paul greets the Philippians with praise and gratitude in the initial verses and then says this in verse 6

6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

What’s he saying? He says that he’s confident that Jesus Christ, that’s the “HE” in this verse, Jesus has BEGUN this good work in them. But they’ve only started their journey. They haven’t arrived. That good work that was started will now will just continue in you until you’ve completed or accomplished it. If you look at the footnotes, that’s what the word “perform” means in this instance. And that’s a message for all of us. Right now, we are not complete, but one day we will be. Christ will perform or complete every good work in us. But until then, we keep striving forward, we keep cleaning the room.

Then jump down to 9-11:

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;

10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.

11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

Did you see that key phrase in there? Abound yet more and more in knowledge and judgment. Remember the room. The more righteous we are, the more knowledge and light and judgment we receive, until one day we will become “without offense” or pure and spotless, as the footnotes suggest. One day we will be completely filled with the fruits of righteousness. Right now, we’re only in the planting stage. We’re working and growing and being nourished until one day we will eat fully of the fruit of the tree of life . . . “Unto the glory and the praise of God.”

So how do we get there? How do we live? The rest of the book is chock full of amazing advice on how to grow that tree. On how to clean the room. On how to build the palace. Paul’s going to teach us how to elevate our discipleship. And it’s so good. It’s like scriptural self-help.

SEARCH

If I wanted to turn this book into a class activity, I would introduce it in the way that I just did, and then maybe I would play a bit of a game with my students. But, I would want my students to understand that more than just a game, we would want this book to be a discussion as well. And so after each set of verses you highlight, I would take some time to talk about the verses and ideas in a bit more depth. The game I would play is called Principle Hunt. I have a list of 13 different possible principles on elevating discipleship taught by Philippians out of order on one sheet. Three of the principles are extra and won’t have matches at all so as to keep the game interesting all the way to the end. But I would divide my class up into teams of four and hand them each a small whiteboard or a piece of paper. I would also display the Principles up on the screen or provide each team with a piece of paper with the principles on them. Then I would call out one of the verses and award a point to the team with the correct match first. Between each question though, I would have a short discussion about the significance of those verses. Allow me to walk you through those verses now with the answers.

1. 1:27

2. 2:3

3. 2:4

4. 2:14

5. 3:7-8

6. 3:12-14

7. 4:4-6

8. 4:8

9. 4:11

10. 4:13

1:27

27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

The answer is M. One possible message from that verse comes from that first line. Let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ. This is an invitation from Paul for the Philippians to upgrade their language. One thing we can do to elevate our discipleship is to seek to purify our language. Now hopefully, at a bare minimum, our language is free of expletives and obscenities. But can we do better? Can we take our language to the next level? To speak as it becometh the gospel of Christ and not just be satisfied with having clean language. What could we eliminate from our communication, and what could we add? Some suggestions. We could eliminate lying, backbiting, gossip. Maybe we could rid our conversations of sarcasm (that’s one that I struggle with sometimes). I don’t imagine Christ ever being sarcastic. Most humor these days in movies and television is all about sarcasm, making fun of others, and clever put downs. Can we learn to have a sense of humor without resorting to these baser tactics? We could stop interrupting people, blaming, and boasting.

But then, what could we add to our conversation? How about more encouragement, honesty, positivity, and compliments. We could build people up rather than tear them down like Jesus did. He gave people positive nicknames and compliments, like Peter “the Rock”, John “the Beloved”, he called James and John the Sons of thunder, and told Nathanael that he was “without guile”. He was always building people. It’s amazing what a sincere compliment can do for somebody. I still remember a compliment that an elder on my mission gave me. I still get mileage out of that compliment. He saw something positive in me, and I still want to reflect that.

So counsel #1 for elevating our discipleship is: Upgrade your language:

2:3

3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

The answer is B. So we all know the golden rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. But remember, Philippians is about going higher and taking things to the next level. Cleaning the room even more. Paul says to treat each other better than you would even treat yourself. Maybe we could call this the Platinum rule. Esteeming others better than ourselves would definitely help to keep us humble which is a characteristic essential to our spiritual growth. Now, I don’t think Paul means we should de-value ourselves or have low self-worth and think that everybody is better than us. There is a difference between humility and being a doormat. Humility recognizes the infinite worth that all souls have, and they treat them as they can and should be, in the hopes that they become as they can and should be.

Counsel #2 for elevating discipleship: Treat others better than yourself

2:4

4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

The answer is K. In a nation where the standard rule is look out for number 1, dog eat dog, survival of the fittest, I’ve gotta get mine, me first, your problems are your problems. Paul comes at us with this refreshing approach. To not only look after our own things but also the things of others. Make the needs of others your concern. And this is really hard to do, because we are all naturally self-interested. This is a higher form of discipleship. I love the line in Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol” where Ebenezer Scrooge tells the Ghost of Jacob Marley that he was always a good man of business. To which Marley responds with “’Business!' cried the Ghost, wringing its hands again. Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!’”

Are WE about the business of mankind? Or are we too wrapped up in our own business to see the good that we could do in the world? If we wish to be better disciples, we must seek to look after “the things” or well-being of our fellowman.

Counsel #3: Work for the good of others, not just yourself.

2:14

14 Do all things without murmurings and disputing

The answer G. It’s one thing to do the right things, it’s completely another to do the right things with the right attitude. To do them without murmuring or complaining. Remember Laman and Lemuel in the Book of Mormon? They ended up doing most of the things that Nephi did, right? They left Jerusalem, they went back for the plates, they helped build the boat, they traveled to the promised land, all the same things as Nephi. So why weren’t they blessed like Nephi? Because of their attitude. They murmured the whole way and eventually turned their backs on God and the gospel. Nephi’s attitude turned his experiences into a blessing and a privilege while Laman and Lemuel’s turned it into a curse. And really, what good does complaining do anyway? It just makes us miserable. It makes the people around us miserable and changes nothing. There’s no vision in complaining, no plan to overcome, no recognition of God’s blessings. Complaining has to be one of the most useless things we can do with our time. And sadly enough, many of us get to the point where we even complain about our blessings. It’s one thing to complain about our trials, but it’s absolute insanity to complain about our blessings. We may complain about what’s set before us for dinner. Do we forget that half of the population of this world is either malnourished or starving to death? Sometimes my kids complain about school or homework, and I think, “Is having the opportunity to gain an education a trial? No! It’s a blessing. There are millions of people on the planet that would love to be able to get an education. Maybe we complain that our home isn’t bigger, our cars nicer, our phone the newest model. We turn our blessings into curses. I’ve been able to travel to a lot of places in this world, I lived in some of the poorest neighborhoods in Brazil on my mission, and if my life has only taught me one thing thus far, it is that I have no right to complain, about anything. I’ve been too blessed. How dare I snub my nose at God by complaining about my circumstances, even if they could be more ideal.

So counsel #4. To elevate your discipleship to the next level, stop complaining!

3:7-8

A quick introduction before we read these verses. When Paul became a Christian, he gave up a lot. He had a pretty easy life pre-Christianity and a bright future as a Pharisee. He was a Roman citizen, he had a decent income as a tentmaker, and knowing his ambition and intelligence, he really could have made a name for himself in the Jewish hierarchy. Instead, he gave up all of that to do what? To criss-cross the ancient world, teaching, facing persecution, criticism from other members, hardship, physical pain, beatings, and to wallow in prison after prison. Remember he is writing this very letter from prison. He had an incredibly difficult life. Remember him listing all his hardships back in 2 Corinthians 11? One might ask him how he felt about losing all the money, the prestige, the ease of life, and success to face such hardship. How did he see it?

7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.

The answer is J. That’s pretty vivid imagery there. How did he view all he lost? As mere dung. Poop. To know Christ, to work for Christ, to represent Christ, to suffer for Christ, was a far more valuable thing to him than all that earthly gain. What’s Paul teaching us? A joyful disciple looks at all the possessions, honors, achievements, and worldly successes as just so much manure. I love that perspective. We live in a world where everyone is running around trying to accumulate more—more money, more recognition, more fame, more power. What are they accumulating? Just more dung. Some people have more dung than others.

Which remind me of one of the most disgusting animals on earth. The dung beetle. Now what dung beetles do is they gather the dung (or poop) of other animals into a round ball and roll it behind them. And why do they do that? What do they do with it? They eat it, and lay their eggs in it. And you know, you’d think it would be easier and quicker to get around without lugging a giant, stinky piece of dung behind your rear right? They don’t seem to see it that way. I think a lot of us are like the dung beetle. We burden ourselves with the cares and the achievements, and the baggage of the world. By example, Paul has shown us what is most important. Faith, family, service, work, and Christ.

Counsel #5 Remember Discipleship over Dung. Realize that what you gain as a disciple of Christ outweighs any earthly reward you lose.

3:12-14

12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

The answer is F. This is one of my favorites. Here we get Paul’s philosophy on living the gospel. It’s so good. He recognizes the fact that he is not perfect. He hasn’t “ATTAINED” or “APPREHENDED” or arrived at perfection. He knows he hasn’t fully reached the measure of Christ’s character or reached the level of discipleship that he would like to. He’s not content to just be a good man. He wants to be like Christ in every way. But how does he do it? He doesn’t look to the past. He forgets those things which are behind and reaches forth to the future. He’s not going to dwell on the past. That’s some wise council for us. Don’t . . . look . . . backward. Keep your eye single to the glory of God. And you could see that in two ways. Don’t dwell on the bad things in your past. Now yes, we should always seek to learn from our mistakes, but if we get too wrapped up in what happened yesterday, or last week, or last year, we may get discouraged, or beat ourselves up, or feel that we will never measure up. On the other hand, we shouldn’t dwell on all the good things we’ve done in our past either. If we dwell too much on those, we may be tempted to grow content in our progress. To feel like we’ve done enough, to rest on our laurels. Instead, Paul, presses forward toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. He never gives up, he keeps pushing forward, he keeps trying. He’s determined, relentless in his pursuit of Christlike perfection. It reminds me of this verse in the Doctrine and Covenants. Section 67:13

13 Ye are not able to abide the presence of God now, neither the ministering of angels; wherefore, continue in patience until ye are perfected.

That was Paul’s motto. He always continued in patience. Patience with God, patience with others, but perhaps most importantly, patience with himself. One day we will be perfected by the perfect atonement of Christ. Until then, reach forth, press toward the mark for the prize and one day, you will attain and apprehend. Remember, on a car, you have a huge windshield, and a tiny rear-view mirror. Why? Because what’s ahead of you is 10 times more important than what’s behind you.

Counsel #6 Put your PAST behind you (both bad and good) and press forward toward the prize.

4:4-6

4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

You could probably summarize these verses into one pithy statement. The answer is A. Don’t worry, be happy.

Paul was a happy man. I love how he tells them twice to rejoice. I don’t think we are as happy sometimes as God intends us to be. He wants us to be happy. I love the footnote for 6a that tells us another translation for the phrase “Be careful for nothing”. It means “Don’t be unduly concerned about anything”. Stop worrying so much. By worrying too much about the possible problems that might come tomorrow, we sap today of its potential joy. Today has enough of its own concerns and problems, focus on those. Why add tomorrows concerns to the load? Plus, if we add all our past problems to our worries, no wonder we get so discouraged and miserable. We aren’t meant to deal with yesterday’s, today’s, and tomorrow’s problems all at once. Live your life one day at a time. And rejoice in it. Worrying, like complaining, is a complete waste of our energy and time. We have been given an amazing gift from our Father in Heaven. AGENCY! That’s more than just the ability to choose what we do, it’s also the freedom to choose how we will respond. We can choose to be controlled by what happens to us, or we can choose to control our response to those things. It is possible to be happy regardless of our circumstances. We just need to stop worrying and start living. Life is not just meant to be endured, but enjoyed. Men (and women) are that they might have joy (2 Nephi 2:25).

Counsel #7 Elevate your discipleship. Don’t worry, be happy.

4:8

8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

The answer is E. Now that should sound familiar to you. Where have you heard that before? Yep, the 13th article of faith. Remember how it says in that declaration that “Indeed we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul”. Well this is the verse that that’s referring to. This is the admonition of Paul. Here is what a joyful disciple seeks for. We spend our lives seeking for things that are pure, lovely, praiseworthy, and of good report. So, think of the last movie that you watched, book you read, piece of music you listened to. Would it fit this description? If not, next time, consider. There is so much out there in this world that we can enjoy that does fit that description. Don’t waste your time with the garbage. There are a lot of crummy movies out there, bad music, rubbish books. We don’t want those. And how can we tell if they’re garbage. Hold it up against the admonition of Paul. Is it pure? Is it lovely? Is it praiseworthy? Is it of good report? That’s a good measuring stick. Don’t just read any book, read the best books that are of good report, don’t just watch any movie, seek for the ones that are praiseworthy, don’t just listen to any music, listen to music that is virtuous. And with the experiences you seek, hobbies you engage in, relationships you develop, make sure they are lifting you closer to heaven and not the world.

Counsel #8 Seek for the best in all things—things that are pure, lovely, praiseworthy, and of good report.

4:11

11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

The answer is D. This one coincides well with some of the statements we have already spoken about. We need to learn to be content with what we have and where we are. It’s not our circumstances and environment that should control our attitude. We can choose to be content no matter what the circumstances. I once read a book called “Man’s Search for Meaning”, by Victor Frankl. It’s about a man that was a holocaust survivor who found that he could still choose contentment and meaning even amidst the most horrific of circumstances. It’s the one thing the Nazi’s could not take from him, his response to his circumstances. He could choose them, no matter what. And I don’t imagine that any of us will ever find ourselves in a situation even close to a situation like his. Even though we face difficult times, and trials, and even tragedies, we can still find contentment even in those situations. I mean, just consider the circumstances under which Paul is saying this. He’s in prison. He eventually will be executed by the Romans. He’s led an incredibly difficult life. But do you want to see this attitude in action? Jump with me to chapter 1:12

12 But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me (me being sent to prison, and from what we know, life in a Roman prison was no picnic) have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;

13 So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;

14 And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

So he’s looking for the positive in this situation. Hey, I’m ok with being shut up here in prison, because it’s actually furthering the gospel. People here in the palace and those that know I’m in here understand that I’m here because of my testimony of Christ and that sends a message about Christ. And strengthens his name all over. And those that are my brethren, members of the Church are strengthened in their faith knowing that I’m willing to be in here because of my bonds. It gives them more confidence to speak about their faith in Christ with boldness. So how could this be a bad thing. Paul could see the silver lining even within while languishing within a Roman prison.

And then later in that same chapter. His attitude towards whether he will be executed or not. Is there a silver lining there? Let’s see.

19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.

21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.

23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

24 Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

25 And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;

26 That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.

Do you get what he’s saying there. It doesn’t matter whether I live or die. Both will bring glory to Christ, so why should I worry. If I die, then hey, I get to be with Christ . How could that be a bad thing. But if I live, then I get to go out and continue teaching people about Christ. Win, Win! In fact, it’s hard for me to decide which I’d rather have happen. I am in a strait betwixt the two options. But I imagine I’ll be released and then just think of how sweet our reunion will be. Even sweeter because of the hardship and the separation we’ve suffered. Do you see here how Paul walks the walk and doesn’t just talk the talk. He lived his counsel. More than that, you get the sense he really believes it. He’s sincere. He’s content in “whatsoever state [he’s in], therewith to be content.”

I like this quote from Elder Uchtdorf, "Could I suggest that we see gratitude as a disposition, a way of life that stands independent of our current situation? In other words, I’m suggesting that instead of being thankful for things, we focus on being thankful in our circumstances—whatever they may be.” (Conference Report, April 2014, Grateful in any Circumstances”). I love that thought, I always used to think that gratitude was about being grateful “for” things. But more importantly, gratitude is about being grateful “in” all things, even trial, pain, and suffering. Paul understood that principle.

So counsel #9 Learn to be content and grateful regardless of your circumstances.

4:13

13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

The answer is I. I love this one. What a powerful final statement. Paul has great confidence in what he can do, in what he is able to accomplish. But it’s not a selfish, ambitious, self confidence that drives him. It’s a recognition of where his true power comes from. From Christ. We can draw on that same power. So, we can obey that difficult commandment, we can endure that grueling trial, we can serve in that overwhelming calling, we can bear up under enormous responsibility. How? By our own efforts and abilities? No, we may not have the power to do it on our own, but we have Christ. Christ can give us the strength that we need. If we turn to him in prayer, scripture study, worship, and service, he will help us do all things that God has placed in our path. We can do it! You can do it! Just turn to Christ.

Counsel #10 Elevate your discipleship by seeking strength through Christ.

Which leads us to one of the most beautiful portions of the book of Philippians. And that is Paul’s poetic tribute to Jesus Christ. Paul found power through Christ and through his example. How was Paul able to give up so much in order to serve? Well, that’s exactly what Christ did but on a much grander scale. And so in chapter 2:5-11 we hear Paul say:

5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Hopefully, we too can have THAT mind in us. The mind of Christ. A mind that is able to make itself of no reputation and take upon itself the form of a servant. A mind that is humble. A mind that is obedient. And God promises to take those with that kind of mind and highly exalt them, just like he did with his beloved son. Armed with that kind of mind, WE can do all things through Christ. His example will provide us with the strength to do it.

Can you see why I love Philippians so much?! So many phenomenal ideas in just five short pages. Life changing counsels here.

TRUTH/LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

Well, take a look at all these incredible teachings and truths in one place. And then to liken the scriptures. Two questions to consider and ponder. Which of these truths and counsels did you need to hear most today, and why?

What are you willing to do this week to elevate your discipleship in that area?

CONCLUSION

I sincerely hope that the book of Philippians has encourages, inspired, or motivated you in some way today. I am so grateful for the truths taught by this little book. I encourage you to find some way to lift yourself to the next level of your discipleship. It’s time for an upgrade. It’s time to clean the room again in search of more light. I pray that we can all stop looking at our discipleship as a checklist of rules and regulations, but to see it as the grand quest of our lifetimes. To always strive upward. To press forward for the prize, finding joy in the journey, contentment in all circumstances, and strength through Christ. Armed with that attitude, with that mindset, nothing can hurt us then. Nothing can discourage us. We can do all things through Christ which strengthens us. I believe this is truly the best way to live.

COLOSSIANS

BACKGROUND

Well, Colossians now. A little background

Paul didn’t establish the church in Colossae and to our knowledge, never visited it. But wrote this letter to strengthen and encourage the branch of the church there.

He wrote it after he was visited by a man named Epaphras, a leader of the church in Colossae who told him some of the church’s problems in that city.

Like other cities, the church was coming under the influence of false teachers.

The people in Colossae were blending different religions with Christianity.

One popular belief that was infiltrating the church was that Jesus was just one of several deities through which one could approach the Divine.

I’m not going to do as much with this book I’m afraid. There are many of the same ideas here that we’ve already dealt with in some of the other epistles. He speaks a bit about the role of faith and Christ’s grace in our salvation just like in Romans. He mentions the fruits of living the gospel and our ability to become new creatures in Christ like he taught the Galatians. He teaches them how to create unity amongst members of the church and amongst their families like we saw back in Ephesians.

But there is one idea I would like to teach you from the Book of Colossians that is unique. And I’d like to introduce that idea with the following icebreaker activity.

ICEBREAKER

Based on what you know about these cities and what is at their center, what would you say is important to the people that live in them?

Washington DC. Politics and Government

Manhattan. Business/Money

Las Vegas. Gambling/Sin

Salt Lake? The temple is at the center. In fact all of the streets in the Salt Lake Valley are based off of the location of the temple. Some people are confused by the streets in Salt Lake, but it’s really very simple. If I live at 90th south and 7th East, that just means I live 90 blocks south of the temple and 7 blocks east of the temple. It’s kind of a cool reminder that the temple should be central to our lives.

Then how about this city?

Rio De Janeiro. I love the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio. Even though I would say that Rio is not the most righteous of cities, it’s a nice thought, that a reminder of the Savior is always there visible to them.

TRANSITION

Now to get us into the Book of Colossians, Can you find the word in Colossians 1:16-20 which means the same thing as “Most Important” or “Superior”

And the answer is in vs. 18. The word is preeminence. To have preeminence means to have supremacy or priority in things. That’s the major theme of Colossians in my mind. That’s my hook for this book. We need to learn to put Christ at the center of our lives. To give him priority, or preeminence.

How do we do that? Well, just read through the entire book looking for and marking those things.

You could make a label that looks like this and place it on the title page of Colossians.

SEARCH

To make it a little more fun and challenging though, you could do this activity if you like. I call it the Colossians Crossword. And I’ll make this available to you for download at my Etsy shop. The link will be in the description below.

This adds a little bit of a twist to just a mere marking activity. You fill in the crossword puzzle with each of the answers, as well as marking those phrases in your scriptures in a specific color. When you’re done, you will have a lot of great suggestions on how to put Christ first in your life, as well as some of the things that can get in the way. In fact, one more instruction for you. If the clue begins with the phrase: Don’t let this spoil you, then mark that particular phrase in a different, second color. We’ll talk about this in a minute.

And I’ll go through the answers with you now.

Across

1. put on ____________ (3:14) charity

3. Let the _________ of God rule in your hearts (3:15) peace

4. Don't let this spoil you. _______ deceit (2:8). Vain

7. being ________ together in love (2:2) knit

8. Don't let this spoil you. ___________ of the world (2:8) rudiments

11. _______ in the faith, grounded and settled (1:23) continue

12. Giving __________ unto the Father (1:12) thanks

13. _________ ye in him (2:6) walk

14. Walk _________ of the Lord unto all pleasing (1:10) worthy

15. Forbearing one another, _____________ one another (3:13) forgiving

Down

2. Don't let this spoil you. ___________ of men (2:8) tradition

5. Don't let this spoil you (2:8). Philosophy

6. whatsoever ye do, do it ____________ (3:23) heartily

9. Let the word of Christ _______ in you (3:16) dwell

10. ____________ with grace in your hearts (3:16) singing

So I feel that should give you a pretty good idea of some of the big ideas in Colossians.

One, it helps you to see some practices and counsels that will help us to keep Christ at the center of our lives. And two, it tells us what kinds of things might get in the way of our doing that. There was one verse that highlighted four different things that can strip Christ away from our center. Those ideas were found in verse 2:8 which says:

8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

These are the kinds of things that can spoil us—spoil our discipleship

2:8 philosophy, vain deceit, tradition of men, and the rudiments of the world.

Yet, if we can keep Christ at our center. What does Paul promise us? 3:4

4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

TRUTH

The major truth that I would wish to highlight here then? If I place Christ at the center of my life and keep myself from being spoiled from the world, then I will appear with Christ in glory.

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

Have you let any of the following things take preeminence in your life? The ideas in 2:8

I want you to ask yourself, have you let any of these things take preeminence in your life? Have the opinions, and philosophies and traditions of the world clouded your vision? Have the rudiments of the world started to take priority in your life?

I know of a man who left the church because the arguments of atheism convinced him there was no God. He was spoiled by the philosophies of men.

I know of a woman who left the church because she spent hours pouring over anti-church articles and books. She was spoiled by vain deceit.

I remember teaching a young couple on my mission who received spiritual confirmation that the Book of Mormon was true and had experienced a healing through the power of the priesthood, but yet chose not to pursue membership in the Church of Jesus Christ. Why? Because their family was Catholic, they were born into the Catholic Church, and didn’t feel they could break with it. Now I recognize how difficult that can be for somebody, but, they were spoiled by their tradition

I know of many a young person who have cut ties with their religion because they've gotten caught up by the opinions, and lifestyle, and indulgences of the current age. They have been spoiled by the rudiments of the world.

Don’t let that happen to you! Don’t get spoiled! Let Christ have preeminence in your life.

I want you to do this little exercise in your mind. If your life were represented by a city, what would be at its center. Like Rio, If there was a giant statue in the middle of your city, what would it be of? What takes preeminence in our lives? What takes priority over all other things? For some it might be a giant statue of a dollar bill, or maybe a football, perhaps a social media app, your office, or a 250 ft statue of yourself? If you are in your youth, perhaps a giant Xbox, a skateboard, your friends, the opposite sex, or some music group or celebrity? Have you allowed the rudiments of this world take center stage?

And do you need to re-prioritize a little? Do you need to make more time for Christ in your life? Do you need to get back to church? Do you need to serve a little more diligently in your calling? Do you need to give up some worldly form of entertainment or indulgence? Do you need to make time for prayer and scripture study? Do you need to get to the temple?

CONCLUSION

I’d like to conclude with the following verses from Colossians and encourage you to do as Paul suggests in chapter 3:1-4

1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

That is my prayer for each of you as well. That you will seek for things above and not below, and if we do I look forward to the day when we can all appear with Him in glory.