Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts. —Proverbs 4:23, GNT

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he… —Proverbs 23:7, NKJV

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, ² complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. ³ Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. —Philippians 2:1-11 ESV

1. The mindset of Jesus is to be

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. —Philippians 2:3 ESV

2. The mindset of Jesus is to

…Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. —Philippians 2:6-7 ESV

3. The mindset of Jesus is

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. —Philippians 2:8 ESV

4. The mindset of Jesus is to have an

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. —Philippians 2:9-11 ESV

Bottom Line

To have the mind of Christ, we must feed our minds with Scripture and cultivate a daily walk with Christ through prayer.

Make It Matter – a discussion guide for groups and individuals

Series: Become Like Jesus

March 6: Think Like Jesus (Philippians 2:1-11)

Tagline: To Learn, To Follow, and To Be Like Jesus

Start talking. Find a conversation starter for your group. (Choose one)

• Tell us about a great team experience you had or heard about. What made it great?

• Think about a cause that has made a difference in people’s lives. Why did the cause succeed?

• Why do people follow and copy the actions of some leaders and reject others?

Start thinking. Ask a question to get your group thinking.

• George Barna in his book Think Like Jesus said the following: “A biblical worldview is thinking like Jesus. It is a way of making our faith practical to every situation we face each day. A biblical worldview is a way of dealing with the world such that we act like Jesus twenty-four hours a day because we think like Jesus.” What do our actions say about how we think?

• Barna goes on to say: “The most important decision you will ever make is how to respond to Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection in relation to your own mortality. The second most important decision you will make relates to how you will live in light of your first decision.” What do you think the most important decisions are in life? Does thinking like Jesus matter in the “real world”.

• “Make my joy complete by being of the same mind…” Philippians 2:2 NASV For Christians to get on the same page, they must decide which page that will be. Who’s mind is being referred to here when the writer says “the same mind”?

Start sharing. Choose a question to create openness.

• Philippians 2:1-11 gives us a road map to being like Christ. Verse 1: the comfort, tenderness, and compassion of Jesus flows from being united in love with Him. Verses 2-4: this leads us to Think like Jesus, to live like Jesus, and to be humble like Jesus. Verses 5-11: is the road to service that Jesus lived as an example for us. What is the role of the “mind of Christ” in our lives?

• “Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Philippians 2:4 How do you determine when your self-interests blocks you from looking to the interests of others? Verse 5 says: “Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus.” How does thinking like Jesus affect our attitude toward other’s needs?

• In Philippians 2:8-9 it says: “He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death… For this reason God also highly exalted Him…” What should we expect our lives to look like when we Think Like Jesus?

Start praying. Be bold and pray with power.

• Finish this sentence in prayer: Lord help me to Think Like Jesus by…

• Pray for each other, our pastors, and the leadership of Grace Church to lead us to Become Like Jesus in our church, our families, our friendships, and our workplaces.

Start doing. Commit to a next step and live it out this week.

• How will you Think Like Jesus this week?

• Commit to connect with Grace Church through New to Grace, a small group, or a Dream Team.

• My next steps: