WestGate Church Teaching

In the book of Philippians, Paul uses a *very* strong word to make a dramatic theological point. In fact, many scholars think it was a vulgar word that meant “poop” or “filth.” Does that mean that we should act like immature junior high boys? Absolutely! Mark Averill stops by to talk with Dave about Paul’s dramatic language, why he chooses that word, and the broader point Paul is trying to make. We also talk about how to know if you’ve made achievement an idol, what the warning signs are, and why friends are so important (especially for guys).

Author David Foster Wallace once spoke about the gnawing sense that we live in a rat race searching for something that will give us meaning. And in the Bay Area, the answer to the question, “What do I need to feel okay about myself and life” is frequently answered with “achievement.” Although this might have looked different 2000 years ago, the Apostle Paul also understood this drive to “be” and “become” and “do more.” And in Philippians 3, Paul warns us that this “drive to achieve” can derail our lives. Paul urges us to not seek after ultimate fulfillment in anything other than deep, personal connection with God Himself. Paul states that God is so good, and knowing Him personally is more valuable than anything. And we don’t have to try to impress God or earn our way to Him - we just need to humbly come to Him.

Janet Jackson once famously asked “what have you done for me lately?”  And although the sentiment behind this sentence is vastly different, the Apostle Paul also employs this line of questioning to the Church of Philippi, encouraging them to truly examine - really meditate on - all that God has done for them.  But, Paul says, that activity shouldn’t be a mere mental exercise.  It should change us.  Or at least, make us want to change. South Hills Campus Pastor Archie Jackson stops by to talk about Paul’s famous exhortation to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”  We dive into what it means, what it most definitely DOES NOT mean, and why the stakes are too high for Christians to refuse to partner with God to be transformed.

Midway through his letter, Paul encourages the young church family of believers at Philippi to “work out their salvation with fear and trembling.” This term “work out” can make us nervous. Is our salvation dependent upon how good of “work” we do? Because if so, uh oh! But Paul makes it clear that it’s God who does the work in us, through us and for us. Paul isn’t talking about working for or earning individual salvation. Paul is talking about how our already-saved-lives ought to work out in the real world, in our relationships with one another, so that an unbelieving world might see our otherworldly relationships of humility and sacrifice like light illuminating the darkness and be captivated. This isn’t easy - and does absolutely require passion, effort and focus on our parts, but it means that we get to participate with God to bring light to a dark world.

You don’t have to be a sociologist to see that selfishness and self-centeredness seem to be the default setting for us humans. Left to ourselves, people (often) use other people for their own gain. Ruth Nazanin BetEivaz stops by to talk about Philippians 2 and Paul’s incredible passage about the staggering humility of Jesus. We chat about how humility shows up in our world, why it’s so attractive to us and why it’s so difficult for us to live out. Ruth also shares how an act of humility by her sister changed her whole life. And as hip-hop heads, Ruth and David are the *only* theologians in the US talking about how Philippians 2 could solve the ongoing battle between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. Also, David shares a particularly humiliating story about that involves him, a skunk and Safeway.

The Silicon Valley is a place of chasing. Chasing success. Chasing more. Chasing upward movement. But this relentless pace can be utterly exhausting. In contrast to this, Paul says that Jesus provides a different model of what it means to be human and find life. And counterintuitively - Jesus shows us that true life is found not by climbing the ladder for your own gain, but by descending in humility to serve other people. And if we follow suit, and live a life of humility, serving God and serving others, we will find not only joy, not only life, but God Himself.

As children of the 80s, things have changed *quite a bit* in the realm of civic politics for David and Jay. We chat about how changes in technology have shifted the way that people engage with politics - and how that’s not always for the better. We talk about what it means to follow Paul’s instructions in Philippians 1 to “live as citizens of the gospel of King Jesus.” And finally, we discuss author Kaitlyn Schiess’s book “A Liturgy of Politics” which says that the modern political/news machine sends a number of messages to us including:

* The Prosperity Gospel (money is what’s really most important)

* The Patriotic Gospel (requires uncritical allegiance to one party - or one country)

* The Security Gospel (candidate so-and-so will keep you safe from harm)

And then we talk about how the Gospel of Jesus confronts each of these and often, upends them.

Speakers: David Tieche + Jay Kim

When Paul was writing the letter to the church at Philippi, a man named Nero was Caesar. Nero’s favorite titles were “Lord” and “Savior” and his demands of allegiance were total. To declare any other emperor (or king) as lord or savior was dangerous. But that’s exactly what Paul goes all around the empire doing. And Paul’s message to the Philippians is clear: living as citizens of God’s kingdom means declaring an alternative Gospel. This is a message with real edges. It means that in the midst of a false empire, Christians are called to declare the true kingdom. And in the midst of a false emperor, Christians are called to follow a true King. And as citizens of a different kingdom in the midst of this world’s kingdoms, Christians are called to live differently.

Hey! It’s a gift from God that no one in their right mind wants! Suffering! Join David Tieche and David Kim as they dive into the Biblical theme of suffering, both in the life of Jesus and in perhaps the most famous Biblical story of suffering: Job. The “Davids” talk about why we run from suffering (and the common ways we do so) and why suffering is such a powerful tool for spiritual development in the hands of God. They also basically just quote author and pastor Tim Keller (and his book Walking with God through Pain and Suffering) for 30 minutes because he’s SO GOOD on this topic.

Speakers: David Tieche + David Kim

If there’s one certainty in life, it’s that disease, death and disappointment will visit you. And yet, nobody wants to hear that. Let alone deal with that reality. Our secular world - whose consumerist culture screams messages that the goal of life is comfort and pleasure - is simply *terrible* at helping us cope with pain and suffering. In the middle of this, the ancient words of the Apostle Paul help us see how suffering is the Way of Jesus. And that not only does Paul say that suffering can have a deeply redemptive role in the story of our lives (and of those around us) - but he shows us the unlikely key to getting through these times of suffering.