Ancient Roman attitudes toward life and death were bleak. Death was the inevitable end of life, and suffering in life was just a prelude to that grim fate. Capricious and cruel gods exacted inconsistent divine “justice” with impunity. Humans had no option other than to simply accept the ultimate futility of their aspirations and wishes. In writing his letter to the Philippians from a place of exceptional suffering, Paul actually reflects that cultural background… with one crucial difference: he offers joy from that place. He writes to the Philippians to show them that his imprisonment had not impeded the spread of the gospel but had actually hastened its expansion. Paul draws attention to the significance of suffering in the growth of God’s kingdom and offers the Philippians that same joy-in-spite-of-suffering if they will embrace that gospel message. We invite you to join us this summer as we walk through Paul’s letter.
Philippians | Aug. 11, 2024
This morning Kristi Gill closed out our series in Philippians. As Paul concludes this letter, he leaves us with the secret to contentment, being wholly satisfied regardless of circumstances. The key is union with Christ. It is to align our hearts to the truth that He is all we require. It is not about denying our needs and wants, but rather not letting them control us. It is choosing again and again to rehearse the characteristics of who God is, maintaining steadfastness in the unity with Christ, and believing the truth of what Scripture says. As you go about your week, we encourage you to consider what this contentment looks like in your life.
Philippians | Aug. 4, 2024
What a joy it was to come together in encouragement and worship with you as our friend Patrick McDonald continued our series in Philippians. This week, we looked at Philippians 4:1-9. As Paul begins to wrap up his letter, he calls us to stand firm in Christ because He is the one who brings true peace, a sense of true contentment no matter what is happening in our lives. Paul emphasizes unity, prayer, and a focus on Jesus that moves us toward God’s presence and a peace that comes from no where else.
We invite you to reflect on these things as you go about your week.
Philippians | July 28, 2024
How wonderful to come together this morning in worship of our Father. This week Pastor Steve walked us through Philippians 3:12-21. Oftentimes, we try to gain God’s grace or favor or attention through our accomplishments, but these things fade. Why do we work so hard to chase after glory we can’t hold on to? From Paul’s perspective, we don’t strive for what we don’t have, we strive from what we already have in Christ. Regardless of past success or failure, Paul is saying, “Look forward. All that matters is Christ.”
Pastor Steve encouraged us to follow Paul’s example, to press on toward the goal, to strive for Christ instead of what the world is telling us to chase after by:
Reflecting often and realigning our selves with Jesus regularly
Remaining persistent under pressure because pressure produces character
Being determined in disappointment because disappointments redirect us, they do not define us
Gaining clarity in chaos by remembering our unyielding allegiance to Jesus.
As you move throughout your week, we invite you to reflect on these things with our Father. What are you striving for?
Philippians | July 21, 2024
It was a blessing to come together this morning as Pastor Dale took us through Philippians 3:1-12. In this section of scripture, Paul is imploring the people of the church to pay attention to Jesus and empowering them to join him in this work. His desire is for the people of the church to intimately know Jesus, to know with intimacy the power of His resurrection. This resurrection is not something that simply happened to Jesus. It is the dynamic power which operates in the life of the individual Christian. It is the guarantee that this life is worth living, that death is not the end of life, and that nothing in life or in death can separate us from him. As we look for intimacy with Jesus, to increase our intimacy with Jesus, we invite you to sit with the Father and ask, “What do I need to let go of? What burdens do I need to lay down?”
Philippians | July 14, 2024
What a joy to worship with you this morning as Pastor Dale took us through Philippians 2:19-30. In this passage, Paul takes the time to talk about authentic friendship. Friendships and people shaped like Jesus reflect three things: Availability, Sensitivity, and Reliability. These are the people who show up, care about the things Jesus cares about, and do so time and time again. As we strive to be with Jesus, be like Jesus, and do what Jesus did, we encourage you to reflect on these attributes and ask, “Where are you asking me to show up, Lord? How can I bring Your heaven to earth? What can I do next?”
Philippians | July 7, 2024
It was a blessing to be together with you this morning and hear from Pastor Dale as he took us through Philippians 2:12-18. If there is a simple phrase to summarize what Paul is saying in these verses it’s this, Get out of you what God has put in you. There is work that is to be done, from the inside out and Paul is directing that we are to keep going with this work until all that God has placed in each of us has had its full effect.
Philippians | June 30, 2024
What a joy to come together this morning, engage with our Heavenly Father, and hear from Pastor Danny as he took us through Philippians 2:1-11. In the passage, Paul is asking the church of Philippi to be like-minded with one another, being one in spirit and of one mind, to do nothing out of selfish ambition, to value others above themselves. How would the church in Philippi, how do we as followers of Jesus, love each other completely, unify and link arms with one another, pressing forward together? The way we approach that unity is through relying on the Spirit and taking on the mind of Christ – the inner conviction that determines the outer behavior. We cannot do this in our own strength, but it is possible by this incredible uniting force, this supernatural force, that is God’s very Spirit living in each of us.
Philippians | June 23, 2024
This morning we were blessed to hear from Pastor Danny as together, we looked at Philippians 1:21-30. In the passage, Paul introduces that to live as citizens of the Kingdom, to live our story in light of Jesus’ story, is often backwards to the way we’ve been conditioned by the world. Paul is encouraging the Philippians not to stay away from others with different views, beliefs, ethnicities, socioeconomics, or otherwise, but to enter into culture and stand firm together, giving allegiance to the good news of Jesus. This encouragement and opportunity is the same for us today; to enter into culture as loyal citizens of the Kingdom of God. We invite you to listen to the message below and hear more about how we can live our story in light of and aligned with Jesus’ story, facing whatever lies ahead with confidence, as our allegiance shifts from the kingdom of the world to the Kingdom of God.
Philippians | June 16, 2024
This morning Pastor Steve continued our series in Philippians as we looked at the possibility of living life with more joy, perspective, and less fear and regret. The Apostle Paul, even while imprisoned, fixed his eyes on the hope found in the good news of Jesus. This unwavering focus gave him a sense of purpose and joy regardless of his circumstances. We invite you to listen to the message below for practical steps to live with hope in difficult circumstances, perseverance through adversity, and eternal courage in the reality of our own mortality.
Philippians | June 9, 2024
This morning we were blessed to come together, engage with our Heavenly Father, and hear from Pastor Dale as he began our summer series in the book of Philippians. We looked closely at grace and peace, examining what it would look like to live our lives speaking grace and peace to others. This week Pastor Dale challenged us, what would it look like to take a posture of learning this week? As we interact with others, as we engage with others who are hurting or experiencing injustice, what if we began a conversation and asked them “What does grace and peace look like to you? What would that mean in your life? What does it look like?” And then, as we listen to their response, would we be willing to take action?
