Things look bad just a couple of chapters into the Bible. Sin has plunged the world into darkness and death and little hope is found. But a little hope is all God needs. There at the very beginning are the first signs of the miracle of Christmas – God sending his Son into the world to redeem us from the curse of sin! It’s a story God has been unfolding throughout all human history, because Christmas is bigger than just Christmas day!
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Thanksgiving usually means turkey, parades, family, and football. The
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Our culture is built to maximize it’s definition of happiness. The results of this pursuit is often times the exact opposite- stress, busyness, anxiety, and loneliness. How do we fight against this constant undertow of our culture? Paul gives us our battleplan to win the fight against this constant pull that pulls us under.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
The number one rule in grocery shopping is that you never shop hungry. Why? Because our appetites can control us in ways we don’t fully appreciate. Paul warns us that the same thing can be true of us on a much larger scale- where we can let our appetite be our god. Fortunately, Paul gives us a way forward from this trap. We must let our appetites be for things this world can never supply.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
“Oh yeah, life goes on
Long after the thrill of livin’ is gone.”
These lyrics can resonate in new ways as we go through life. Life is hard, but our pain serves the purpose of conforming us to Jesus. When we find ourselves in the midst of that pain, it can be hard to know where to turn. Paul, though, gives us a path forward in order to pursue Jesus even as we share in his sufferings.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
All of us are hardwired to convince the people around us that we matter- maybe even to convince ourselves that we matter. We spend most of our lives building a resume that will make us proud and validate us to the rest of the world. The Gospel, however, frees us from this constant nagging to prove ourselves. Paul had a resume that was spotless, yet for him, his resume was worthless. That can only be true because what he had in its place was priceless.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
You can’t just claim to be anything you want. Certain characteristics have to be present in order to claim something as your identity. Paul lays out the foundation of our faith in Philippians 2 and makes it clear- if we want to identify as a Christian, then there are certain things that need to be true of us. What are those things? How can make those things true characteristics of our lives so that we can truly identify as Jesus’s disciples?
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Turns out, working it out isn’t as scary as you might think. Fear and trembling can be good things. Paul wants us to know that The Living God is working through him – and through you! It’s a glorious thought, and one we need to be reminded of often. Not just for our own sake, but for those who will see the light of Christ as followers of Jesus shine in a dark world.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Our culture has built identities on victimhood and entitlement. However, as Christians, both of these run contrary to our calling. As Paul sits chained, he could claim both of these as his reality. Instead
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Have you ever played the “White Elephant” game at Christmas and gotten stuck with a gift you hated- a gift you never wanted, but had to take home? Paul talks about a gift in Philippians that none of us ever wanted, but one that God uses in our lives in a gracious way. Suffering can produce bitterness, frustration, and anger, or it can allow you to see what you truly value. Suffering can be the very thing God uses to cause us to hold fast to each other and to a gospel that’s worthy of our lives.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Death is something our culture tries to avoid talking about, thinking about, or reflecting on. It is this way in our culture primarily because death is seen only as loss. The removal of something. Paul didn’t see death quite that way though. In fact, he saw death as ultimately gain. How can we live life so that our lives aren’t our own and death isn’t the end?
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Sometimes what you don’t say, says more than what you do. As Paul writes a letter to the church at Philippi, he is under arrest for false charges, but you won’t find any lament from Paul. Instead, you find a man full of joy because of the confidence he has in the gospel that he preaches. He has joy, not because of his circumstances. He has joy because the gospel is greater than those circumstances.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
The Book of Acts has taken us on a journey from the birth of the church from a small band of disciples to a movement that is growing with stunning momentum. It’s ending is abrupt and leaves us with a lot of questions. It ends this way because the story never really ends- in fact Jesus’s disciples are still writing it today. As we look back over this great book, we are reminded of what made this movement so powerful then- and now.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Persecuted, arrested, falsely accused- Paul’s journey to Jerusalem was everything people feared. For most, this would be enough to derail their plans, maybe even their faith. For Paul, it’s just another opportunity to carry out his mission- telling people about Jesus.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Christianity is a faith that’s built for the big questions in life as well as the day-to-day, practical realities that life brings. As Paul faces one trial after another, he needs a faith that’s real and ready for anything that life throws at him. Paul manages to escape one predicament after another all the while trying to figure a way out of this escalating situation. It’s here that God comes alongside Paul and says, “Take courage.”
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS