Philippians 2:6-11 details the eight steps of Christ's humbling to become our Savior. He stepped down from the splendor and glory of heaven to become like us in our humanity and thus became the perfect sacrifice for sin. This message examines the result of that humiliation by looking at the exaltation of Christ by God the Father. He is resurrected, ascended, crowned and becomes our intercessor with the Father. Join us as Pastor Ron Burtz celebrates the exaltation of Christ to become Lord of all.

The Bible calls followers of Christ to be as one in a unique unity that only God's people can know. The path to maintaining that unity (which is created by the Holy Spirit) is an attitude of humble service that puts the needs of others above our own. The Apostle Paul shows in Philippians 2:5-11 that Christ is the ultimate model of that unity and calls believers to have the same attitude as that of Christ in His incarnation, earthly life and especially in his death on the cross. Join us as Ron Burtz unpacks from this passage important truths about the humbling of Christ for us.

One of the greatest dangers faced by any church or ministry is disunity. The enemy uses his divide and conquer strategy to great effect among Christians. In Paul's letter to the Philippians he tackles that subject in chapter 2:1-5 by showing believers the motivations, marks and means of Christian unity. In this message Ron Burtz looks at those marks and means showing how the church can maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace.

Christ prayed that his followers would be unified and the New Testament continuously calls believers to be one in Christ. The Apostle Paul also addresses the priority of unity with the Philippian church which apparently had some internal strife. In this message Ron Burtz looks at Philippians 2:1 and pulls out four motivations for Christian unity that are rooted in our mutual relationship with Christ.

Although many don't seem to realize it every Christian is a combatant in a conflict between God and the forces of evil and this world system under the control of Satan. God does not leave us without resources in the battle, however. In this message, Ron Burtz spells out the second pair of four C words that describe the spiritual tools that give us Courage For the Conflict.

As followers of Christ, we are in a battle and we are not alone. We have been placed in a team (which is also referred to as an army) and we need each other. In this message based on Philippians 1:27 Ron Burtz looks at our motivation for serving our Captain and gives the first two of four "Cs" that help us have Courage for the Conflict we all face.

In Philippians 1:20 the Apostle Paul expresses his expectant hope that he will not be ashamed but will have sufficient courage so that Christ will be exalted in his body whether he lives or dies. This message explores the subject of shame when it comes to the Bible and the gospel of Jesus Christ. It also poses the question: "Do churches turn to pragmatics, programs, politics, psychology and performance because they are ashamed to simply proclaim the pure gospel from the Word of God?"

Why are modern Americans so reluctant to talk or even think about death? Could it be that most haven't discovered the source of true life? In this message Ron Burtz discusses Philippians 1:19-26 and what could be considered both the key verse of this letter and the Apostle Paul's life verse: "For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain."

In Part 2 of this message based on Philippians 1:12-18 Ron Burtz shows ways in which Paul's imprisonment in Rome actually served to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ. He also gives practical advice on how we can be ambassadors of the gospel ourselves in in the midst of our own chains and obstacles.