Seaside Church Sermons

What does it mean to shine as lights of the world? What will it cost our reputation? What will that mean to the reality we live in?

Paul is in prison. That much is clear. And many, on the outside, are wither saying, "Why didn't you listen to us - we told you not to go to Jerusalem!" or "Serves you right for not listening!" or "Good riddance - now we can get back to the things we want to say without interference" But Paul is not swayed. His motivation is the call of Christ - and in his eyes this temporary circumstance is just one more way for the Gospel to reach into the corners of the world it has not yet reached. This is because Paul sees, in everything, the platform and opportunity to tell the story of the Gospel one more time.

Paul writes to the Philippians, and with all of his affection and love for them, his prayer is that they would not grow cold to the Gospel, but that they would engage with the living savior. But they must pursue the things that are vital - but how do they know what is vital?

We look at this passage, Philippians 1.6-7 in light of Paul's story in Acts 21, to see what he means when he talks about God bringing things to completion, and the tie that must bind us altogether,

So often we give up the long story of God for the short, momentary story of the things we are facing here and now. We are looking at the backstory of the book pof Philippians, looking specifically at the story of Paul's first encounter with Philippi (the city were the Philippians lived) in Acts 16.