Life Group Questions -- Holy Ghost Stories (5): The Mind of Christ -- November 1, 2009

Getting Started:

What section of the newspaper do you read first: funnies, sports, world news, local news, editorial, business? Why?
How does our present passage "flow" with what comes before in 1:1-2:5 and Chapter 3? What common themes do you see in chapters 1, 2 and 3? Does any of it seem disjointed?
How does God's wisdom differ from "the wisdom of this age"? (2:6-16)
In vs. 6 the word translated "mature" (teleoi) is sometimes translated "perfect", but it does not denote those without flaw, but those who have reached their end or aim. What is God's secret wisdom that only the mature will attain?
How does vs. 9 relate to Romans 8:28?
In vs. 14 in the Greek there is reference to "a natural man" (psuchikos) -- and this word actually has reference to animal life -- not anything "evil" or "sinful" per se -- but an absence of spiritual discernment, a person "whose horizon is bounded by the things of this life" (L. Morris). How does that shed light on the contrast between someone without the Spirit, and someone who does have the Spirit?

Application:

The Corinthians were measuring "truth and success" by how powerful, influential and articulate someone was. How is that idea communicated today? How does that square with the Gospel?
What does it mean to have "the mind of Christ"? What can you do to exercise the mind of Christ more fully in your life?