Warehouse 242 : Sunday Talks

At the end of Jesus’ earthly life and ministry, he met with his disciples in the Upper Room. As he compassionately comforted his disciples he said, “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.”

To bear witness is to show that something is true. Or, in a different sense, to speak of the truth that one has seen or experienced. God within us allows us to bear witness because His indwelling Spirit is the Spirit of truth and is constantly manifesting “truths” deep in our bones. There is truth in us - let’s allow it to leak.

Scientific studies have shown that patients who pray are more likely to heal physically in comparison to non-praying patients. What is the connection between prayer and physical healing? How does it mean to claim that God heals through prayer and how do we process God’s action when prayer does not result in immediate healing? In addition, how does prayer cultivate the healing virtues of faith, hope, and love?

While prayer is not merely therapeutic, scientific studies have been revealing ways in which prayer has powerful potential to expose, heal, and reshape our emotional life. What if prayer was one of God’s ways of healing our minds and reshaping our emotions? In what ways does prayer contribute to both our spiritual and emotional health?

A message from Ashley Flowers on Philippians 4:2-23 and the joy of God's provision. 

A message from by Wes Vander Lugt on Phil 3:12-4:1 and the joy of pressing on together. 

A message from Philippians 3:1-11 by Mike Lawrie on the joy of knowing Christ.

A message from Philippians 2:12-30 by Wes Vander Lugt on the joy of offerings up ourselves with excerpts from A Reclamation of Joy with José Humphreys by A Work of the People. 

A message from Philippians 2:1-11 (MSG)  by Nate Ledbetter on the joy of humble unity with audio excerpts from the Mennonite Mission Network's "Jesus Wasn't White". 

A sermon from Phil. 1:12-30 on the joy of making Christ known by Wes Vander Lugt.

Following Jesus is an invitation into a joyful life. Or as Jurgen Moltmann writes: “Christianity is a unique religion of joy.” But what does it actually mean to have a joyful life and to “rejoice always” (Phil 4:4)? If embracing joy is far more than warm fuzzies, how is it related to feeling happy and secure? How does joy persist amidst the brokenness of life and stay honest in the midst of injustice and loss?

Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi is jam-packed with joy. For Paul, joy is the feeling, mindset, and way of life flowing from union with Christ and deep partnership with others. A joyful life does not ignore or avoid pain and suffering, but rather incorporates these experiences into the goal of living with and for Christ. As Jack Gilbert says in his poem “A Brief for the Defense,” “we must have the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless furnace of this world; to make injustice the only measure of our attention is to praise the Devil.” Joy is a matter of being seized by the Spirit and swept up into the gracious movement and restorative mission of God.

As we walk through this seven-week series in the book of Philippians, we are doing so through the lens of joy. Our prayer is that the Spirit will lead us into deeper joy as we contemplate and practice our life together with Christ. Our first message in this series is taught by Ron McClelland from Philippians 1:1-11 about how partnership for the sake of the gospel means sharing in joy and grief, leading to sincere friendship.