Sunday, April 3rd, 2022 - 11am Traditional Service - Guest Speaker Florin Ion on Knowing Christ

In one paragraph

Florin, a Romanian-born member of First B Jackson, brought the message on the Sunday of April 3, 2022, preaching from Philippians 3:1-11. He came to the text from his own experience of swinging between rigid rule-keeping and drifting away from God altogether, and he used Paul's words to press one question: do we merely know about Christ, or do we actually know Him? Florin opened by placing Paul's...

Read together

1. Colossians 3:16 quoted before congregational singing to connect worship through song with letting the message of Christ fill your life
2. Philippians 3:1-11 the main sermon text, read aloud in full as the foundation for the message on knowing Christ personally

Talk about it

1. Florin described drifting toward legalism on one side and then away from church altogether on the other side, and said the best place to be is in the center, in the hands of Christ. Have you ever found yourself pulled toward one of those extremes? What did that look like for you?
2. Paul wrote from prison, 'Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord,' and Florin said staying in a state of rejoicing and thankfulness is what gives us the strength to keep going even on hard days. What practices actually help you stay in that state when life is difficult?
3. Florin talked about how material things, achievements, and even our own strength can quietly take the place of Christ without us noticing. Where in your own life do you find it hardest to depend on God rather than yourself?
4. When Florin was in the hospital with pneumonia he said nothing else mattered, and he told God, 'If it is my time right now, you know I am in love with you and I am ready.' What do you think it takes to get to that place of surrender before a crisis forces it on us?
5. Florin said that sometimes we spread the gospel without words, through simple actions or just a smile that makes someone ask what is different about us. Can you think of a time when someone's life, rather than their words, pointed you toward Christ, or when yours may have done that for someone else?