LifeGroup Study Questions:

Look Back (5-10 minutes)

Open your group with a moment to connect and look back.

1. How is everyone doing? Did anything notable happen this week?
2. Did anything in the reading for this week impact you?

Discuss the Message (30-45 minutes)

We’re in a study of Philippians, a letter written by the Apostle Paul from a prison cell. This letter is a powerful picture of a life fully centered on Jesus—where every circumstance, every relationship, and every decision is shaped by one defining reality: Jesus is everything. Philippians invites us out of a life of observation and into a life of participation. It calls us to reorient everything around Jesus—to say with Paul, “For me, to live is Christ.” And as we do, we discover that this kind of life isn’t a burden—it’s where real joy is found. This week, we are in Philippians 3:2-11, and the big idea is: Being a part of God’s story rewrites our own stories.

Use these questions to discuss the message from Sunday, focusing on how you can grow as an everyday follower of Jesus and how you can go accomplish what Jesus calls you to do.

1. Have someone read Philippians 3:4-6 and Acts 22:3. Paul lists his impeccable credentials, including the right family, pedigree, education under Gamaliel, zeal, and blameless law-keeping. Why are religious or moral achievements often the hardest things to surrender when coming to a gracious God?
2. Have someone read Philippians 3:7-9. Paul describes his former gains as "loss" and "dung" so that he might gain Christ and have a righteousness based on faith rather than the law. How does exchanging our own resume for Christ’s righteousness fundamentally change where we find our daily value and meaning?
3. Have someone read Philippians 3:10-11 alongside Matthew 13:44. Rather than protecting his own comfort, Paul eagerly desires to share in Christ's sufferings and the power of his resurrection. How does an eternal perspective of resurrection give us the joy and courage to let go of earthly comfort?
4. The sermon warns against the false belief that our worth comes from what we achieve rather than from knowing Jesus. In what specific area of your life do you need to grow in resting in Christ’s righteousness instead of trying to prove your worth through your performance?
5. Since Jesus can rewrite anyone’s story and make them a new creation, how can you go to someone in your sphere of influence this week who feels trapped by their past and point them to the hope found in Christ's story?

Close and Pray (5-10 minutes)

As the discussion comes to a close, transition to a time of prayer. Praying together is one of the best ways for your group to connect. Often, splitting into smaller groups for prayer can be beneficial. This can look many different ways, but the goal is for your group to be comfortable praying together, sharing what is really going on in your lives, and asking God to work as you follow Jesus together.