Sharing in the Gospel

This week we discussed Philippians ch 1:3-5.

The point of these verses is to present Paul's purpose for this letter. This purpose is to express his thankfulness for sharing in the good news that Jesus is Lord and no one and nothing else is lord.

The fact that the people in Philippi joined with Paul in the proclaiming that Jesus is Lord took greater significance because in their context, this equalled treason. They were betraying the ideals of the Roman Empire and the requirement to declare Caesar as lord.

So the question for our community groups this week is:

What are the things that you pay tribute to and that inhibit your declaring Jesus as Lord in our world in our day?

Philippians Revealed Beginning this Week

This week our community will begin looking at the letter from the Apostle Paul to the Philippians. It is interesting that this book emphasizes Paul's joy because of the "gospel". This is interesting because it was on the plains near Philippi where Caesar Augustus defeated his enemies, rose to power, and established a new order in the Roman world.

Under Augustus the Pax Romana was the ideology that brought about the "gospel" of Caesar Augustus. Under his rulership, the empire exalted him to the place of divinity and attributed their peace and well being to his gracious goodness to the people.

It is in this world that Paul writes declaring a gospel about a Divine ruler who gives peace and hope to the whole world. Instead of bashing the Roman empire with negativity, Paul proclaims a new positive message about Jesus. This is the context in which Paul proclaims the "gospel" or good news about Jesus.

For Community Groups:

How do you define "gospel"?

What is the gospel that we buy into in our modern world?

Do you think the gospel of Jesus makes a difference in life today? How?

Covenant Commitments

This week we discussed our "covenant commitments" for 2010.

Anyone is welcome to gather with the Soma family. If you are married, single, engaged, happy, lonely, spiritual, worldly, young, old, pretty, ugly, tall, short, christian, not christian, sinner, saint, rich, or poor you are invited to join a community group or gather with us at a Sunday night gathering. Come as you are with your questions, your doubts, your worries, and your joys.

For those who want to live the ways of Jesus and actively join in the mission of the Soma community of living the ways of Jesus everywhere, all the time, we make yearly commitments to one another called "covenant commitments". The following is what this entails:

As a Covenant Member, I commit to embody the values [Directions] of Soma Church and to support the ministry of Soma with my prayers, my gifts, and my willing financial offerings. I commit to seek an understanding of the story of God and man as revealed in the Bible, to maintain my own spiritual journey and Godly living, to respect the teaching and guidance of the leadership, to live in community with others (giving and receiving support, guidance, and love), to serve those in my community and the greater world, and to celebrate with others regularly.