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.
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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?
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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.
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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
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.”
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As Paul says his goodbyes to his friends, every stop they beg him not to take the final stop on his journey. Through tears, they beg, and through tears, he tells them he must go even though it’s almost certain to end poorly for him. What compels Paul to go in the face of certain suffering? How can we go when it means we die? Paul’s secret is our key to living out the Christain life- we’re already dead.
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Every church takes on its own personality and culture. That culture is shaped by all kinds of different inluences: situation, leadership, members, external factors. As Paul leaves the Ephesus church, he tells the leaders what kind of church they need to be and how it needs to be led. Then we see a beautiful picture of just what the church can be when it works how it is designed.
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Success is a funny idea. Everyone wants it, but defining it can be trickier than we want to admit. What makes for a good life? Is it money? Security? Happiness? Fun and enjoyment? As Paul gives his farewell address to the Ephesians, he lays out what he thinks has made him successful. You can boil it down to one word- Faithful.
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As Paul goes on his 3rd missionary trip, we start to see what happens when the Gospel takes root in people’s lives. New disciples are baptized, idols are broken, and entire economies begin to shift as people begin to follow Christ. As lives are changed and idols challenged, those idols won’t go down without a fight.
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The Apostle Paul loves God. This much we know and can easily affirm, but sometimes we miss just how much he loved people too. There was no sacrifice he wouldn’t make, no persecution he did not endure, and no right he would not lay down for the sake of others. Do we love people all the same? Can we reproduce what we’ve seen in Paul? Ben Willings, one of our Elders, shows us that we can and we must.
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