How does a church relate to its leadership in the times of "celebrity pastors" which cause Christians to become skeptical of leadership to the point of leaving the church? The letter of Hebrews says to honor the ministers and authority the Lord has put over His church while remembering the true cornerstone, the only head of the Church. The author reminds us that the church is secure and safe, not because of those in leadership, but because Jesus Christ is her unchangeable ruler and guardian.

This week we will look at Philippians 3:17-4:1 and how discipleship affects our walk. What does Paul mean when he tells the Philippian church to imitate him, and how does this translate to us today? Are we discipling and are we being discipled? How do new reconcile our earthly existence in the flesh with the goal of our citizenship in heaven?

This week we will look at what the Apostle Paul means when he says he is “pressing on” and “forgetting what lies behind” and what gives him the strength. We will look at how sanctification brings us to the prize of the upward call of God through Jesus and how our mindset changes as we are sanctified and leave behind lesser things.

This week in part two of the sermon, “The Fight For Joy” we will look at the “surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus” and the difference between righteousness and self-righteousness through a joyful perspective, a joyful pillar, and a joyful passion which comes from further knowing Christ.

In chapter three, Paul warns of the evildoers; those who put confidence in the flesh. He counters with the reasons he is “qualified” through the flesh, but explains the futility of putting confidence in anything but the Lord. We will look at why it’s so easy to take confidence in the flesh and learn the benefits of putting our confidence in the Lord.

This week, we move to chapter three of Philippians where in the opening line, Paul reiterates what he has said before regarding joy. This important reminder is because we can easily let our present circumstances rob us of joy. How do these circumstances impact our joy and how can we rejoice in the Lord daily?

This week in Philippians 2:19-30, Paul tells the Philippian church that he is sending two faithful workers to them: Timothy and Epaphroditus. He commends both men for their genuine service to the Lord, contrasting that with others who worked only in their own self-interest. We will look to see why Paul speaks of being anxious and how in sending the two faithful servants, it will ease his anxiety.

This week in Philippians 2:14-18, Paul urges the church to not grumble and complain and we’ll look at the roots of both. In our broken world, it’s easy to do, but how can we fight the urge to grumble and complain and how do those two things affect our witness to the watching world? What does it mean to “hold fast to the word of life” and how might that have been encouraging to Paul, despite facing the prospect of his own death?

This week as we look at Philippians chapter two, we will see that the Philippian church is facing difficulties and Paul encourages them to work out their salvation rather than to give up or try something new. We will look at what it means to fear and see the difference between working out our salvation and working for our salvation and where we get the strength to continue on in the faith.

This week through Philippians 2:1-11 we will look at how our union with Christ impacts our communion with one another and discover the two threats (selfish ambition and conceit) to Christian unity and community and why they are so detrimental? In addition, we will see how to combat these threats and how Jesus’ example of humility is the model for us today.