Paul addresses a couple of issues in this portion of his letter. 1. The believer's conduct. 2. Consistent living. 3. Common struggles. Each of these are vital components in the walk of every believer.

What or who do you life for? What is it that your energies are consumed by? It's highly likely that there is something or someone in our lives which is of a very high priority to us. It is Jesus? Paul's life was wrapped up in Christ. In this section of Paul's letter, he also brings up death. Do you have a proper perspective on death? I believe a biblical perspective on life and death will lead us to say with Paul, "To me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

The call of God for every believer is to advance the Gospel. For centuries, the Gospel has moved forward. I'm reminded of the old hymn we sang growing up, "Onward Christian Soldiers." My life is to promote Jesus and advance the Gospel. The Apostle Paul understood that and shared this with the believers at Philippi. The result of his circumstances promoted the Gospel and it encouraged others to advance the Gospel. Is your life advancing the Gospel of Christ?

God has a history of doing good. The Scripture teaches that He does good work in us. One thing we know about God is that He does nothing with mediocrity. And He always finishes what He starts. Has He begun a good work in YOU? Join us as we are reminded of the work God does in us.

Do you pray? What is your prayer life like? Is it a priority? The Apostle Paul revealed quite often that he prayed for those believers in various cities where he had ministered. Quite often, these believers were in difficult situations. We discover that Paul's prayers for them are different than we might expect. I believe we can learn from Paul the priority of our prayers. And it may surprise us.

Christmas Eve Service

Everybody likes good news. I've never met anyone who wants bad news. Sometimes good news for one person isn't necessarily good news for someone else. The Bible tells us of good news that is for all the people. This is what the angel said to the shepherds in Bethlehem. The good news is for you. And, as the carol says, "O tidings of comfort and joy." There is comfort and joy in the good news contained in the Nativity story.

We love the Christmas story. Christmas carols bring back memories this time of year. We may miss the message of the carols if we don't slow down and pay attention to the words. In the familiar carol "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!" there are many theological truths. Our focus this Sunday will be on two main thoughts. 1. What was Jesus' purpose for coming to earth? 2. What qualifies Him to fulfill His purpose?

Are you curious? I believe we must all answer "YES" to this question. We like to know things. We want to be in the "know." And if we can know something before someone else does, then that's even better. In the story of Christmas, we find shepherds being told about some exciting news. Do you think there was some curiosity, some questions they may have had about the news about the Christ, the Messiah? The writer of the carol "What Child Is This?" had some questions...or maybe a question: What Child Is This? We will attempt to answer this question, based on what the angel said to the shepherds.

Expectations can be disappointing. People make promises and we expect follow through, but nothing happens. What if God promised something and hundreds of years passed and it still had not come to pass? Would you stop expecting? The people of Israel had an expectation based on God's words. A Messiah, a King. But generation after generation looked for the Messiah, but never saw Him. He did come! And many missed Him. Believers are expecting Jesus to come again. Are you ready? Are you anticipating His return? Join us Sunday as we begin the Advent season by considering the Long Expected Jesus.