Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

Todaywe are continuing in Philippians 1, and we are looking at verses 15 and 16.This is a very searching passage of Scripture where the Apostle Paul says: “Someindeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will. Theone preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction tomy bonds.” This is a sobering statement. The Apostle Paul is saying thatthere were some people actually preaching Christ, but doing it with the wrongmotives. Wecould have entitle our chat today: “What kind of motives do you have as youserve Christ?” Are we serving Christ with the right motives, or are we servingHim for the wrong reasons? Paul said, some were driven by envy, jealousy, andselfish ambition. He says they were not sincere. In fact, they were hoping tomake Paul's situation even more difficult while he was in prison. Thisreminds us of a very important truth: it is possible to do the right thing, butfor the wrong reasons or the wrong motives. As we understand, Paul even goes onto say that although some preach Christ for the wrong reasons, he stillrejoices that Christ is being preached. So yes, Paul rejoices that the gospelis going forth. But this does not mean that God ignores the motives of theheart. One day, every motive will be examined. In1 Corinthians 3:12–15, we are told that our works will be tested by fire: “Ifany man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall besaved; yet so as by fire.” This is not a judgment of whether or not we aresaved—that was settled at the cross when we trusted Christ. But it is a matterof our works and our motives. The fire will reveal what kind of work it reallywas. Thenin 1 Corinthians 4:5, Paul writes: “The Lord will bring to light the hiddenthings of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts.” Didyou catch that? Not only what we did, but why we did it will be revealed. Jesusspoke very plainly about this in Matthew chapter 6. He warned about giving,praying, and fasting just to be seen by others. And each time He said: “Theyhave their reward.” In other words, if the praise of people is what theywanted, then that is all the reward they will receive. There will be no rewardfrom our Father in heaven when we do things just to be praised by men. Thisbrings to light the words of Jesus in John 15:5: “Without Me, you can donothing.” That does not mean we cannot stay busy or accomplish thingsoutwardly. It means we can do nothing of eternal value apart from Him—nothingthat will count for eternity, nothing that will stand the test when it passesthrough the fire at the judgment seat of Christ. Sowe must continually ask ourselves the question: Why am I serving the Lord? Am Iserving Him out of love for Christ? Am I serving Him for His glory? Or is therea desire to be seen, to be recognized, or even to be compared to others? I knowsome people serve Christ out of what might be called “religious compensation”.They are trying to make up for the wrong they did before they were saved. Myfriend, we can never repay Christ for what He did for us on the cross. That isa wrong motive and a wrong reason to serve Him. InColossians 3:23–24, we read: “And whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as tothe Lord, and not unto men;Knowingthat of the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for you servethe Lord Christ.” Wemust always remember that one day we will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ,and everything will be revealed. The things done for Him, through Him, and independence upon Him will remain—and they will be rewarded. But the things donein the flesh, for self, or for the praise of men, will be burned up. MayGod help us to serve the Lord with a pure heart, in full dependence uponChrist, and for His glory alone. For in the end, that is all that will matter. MayGod help us to do that today. Godbless and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day!

“I am in prison, but thesethings have happened to me for the furtherance of the gospel” (verse 12). Nowin verse 13-14, he writes, “So that it has become evident to the wholepalace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and most ofthe brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much morebold to speak the word without fear.” Paul is saying that everyone there inthe prison now clearly understands that he is there because of his testimony inJesus Christ. He is in chains because of his witness for Christ and hiscommitment to share the good news of Jesus Christ. As a result, he says thatothers, because of his boldness, have been encouraged to also share the gospelwith boldness. Paul'ssuffering did something very powerful—it gave others courage to speak up forJesus in their own chains, in their own situations. Possibly even the guards inthe prison who may have been afraid are now telling others about Christ becausethey saw his boldness, his faith, and his confidence in Christ. They werestrengthened. Myfriend, do not ever underestimate the influence you have in helping others dowhat they ought to do. When you remain faithful in difficulty, it encouragesothers to do the same. Your courage can spread. Never underestimate what Godcan do through you and your example when you stand with courage and boldnessfor Jesus Christ. Oneof the most powerful stories in the Old Testament—and one of my favorites—isfound in 1 Samuel chapters 13 and 14. The Philistines had surrounded the nationof Israel and the armies of Israel. Saul, who was king at that time, wasabsolutely afraid—trembling. The Scripture says in verses 5–7 of chapter 13: “ThePhilistines gathered together to fight with Israel: thirty thousand chariots,six thousand horsemen, and people as numerous as the sand on the seashore. Theycame and encamped at Michmash, to the east of Beth Aven. Whenthe men of Israel saw that they were in danger, for the people were distressed,they hid in caves, thickets, rocks, holes, and pits. Some of the Hebrews evencrossed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he wasstill in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.” The people were in adesperate situation. They had no weapons. The Philistines had them surroundedand were preparing to attack. Butthen there is Jonathan in chapter 14, the son of Saul. He says to the young manwho bore his armor, in verse 6: “Come, let us go over to the garrison ofthese uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will work for us. For nothingrestrains the Lord from saving by many or by few.” His armor bearer said tohim, “Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according toyour heart.” Hereis Jonathan saying, “We are going to take on these Philistines—just me andyou.” And his armor bearer says, “I am with you all the way.” God gave him oneperson to stand with him. As you read the story, they formed a plan andattacked the garrison of the Philistines. God caused the ground to tremble. ThePhilistines became terrified, began turning on one another, and startedfleeing. Just two men, with one sword between them, fighting a whole army—andthey began to win a great victory. Asthe story continues, you find that the people who had been hiding in caves,dens, and rocks—the ones who had deserted—came back into the battle. They cameout of hiding. They found courage to stand up and fight. Why? Because of thecourage of one young man, Jonathan, and his armor bearer as they fought againstthe Philistines. Myfriend, you never know how God will use you when you exhibit courage to sharethe gospel. Your courage may be the very thing that encourages someone else tostep forward and do the same. That is what Paul is talking about here. Thecourage God gave him spread to others, and now they are more bold to share thegood news of Jesus Christ.

Todaywe are continuing to look at Philippians 1:12.Icould not help but think yesterday, as we were finishing up the chat on thisverse, about the story of the Good Samaritan. You know that story in Lukechapter 10, where a man—a lawyer—asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” TheLord had just spoken to him about the great commandment: “To love the Lordyour God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. Thenthe second commandment is of equal importance: to love your neighbor asyourself.” So the lawyer asked, “Who is my neighbor?” Then the Lord toldthe parable—the story of the Good Samaritan. Aman had gone down from Jerusalem to Jericho, to gamble or to pursue whateverworldly and ungodly desires drew him away from the holy city. He was going downto a place that was not good. Along the way, he was beaten by thieves, who tookeverything he had and left him on the side of the road half dead. You rememberhow a priest and a Levite came by, and in essence said, “What is mine is mine,and I am going to keep it. I am not going to share it with you.” But finally,this Good Samaritan came by, and he took what he had and helped the man. Youknow the story. Jesus said this man was the one who helped his neighbor. Jesuswas answering the question, “Who is my neighbor?” Here is the answer to thelawyer's question: Your neighbor is whoever is closest to you with a need. Nowthink about that—whoever is closest to you with a need. You may be thinking,“Everyone around me seems to have it all together.” But my friend, if thosearound you do not have Jesus Christ in their heart, they have the greatest needanyone could have in life. That is the need to know Jesus Christ, to hear thegospel, to be lifted out of a life of brokenness and sin and brought to asaving knowledge of Him. Yourneighbor is the closest person to you in need. Sometimes it might be the guardyou are chained to. He may be mistreating you, but he has needs in his life—andhe needs Jesus. My friend, I do not care what the circumstances may be or whereyou find yourself in life—who is the neighbor next door to you? I remember alady who had a neighbor next door, and they were constantly fighting overthings like who was mowing whose grass and other small matters. She finallywent to the preacher and said, “I just cannot take it anymore. I am trying tobe a good Christian. I have even tried to cut his grass, and it is just notworking out very well. I have used up all my Christianity praying for him. Icannot take anymore.” Myfriend, maybe you feel like that. But that may be the very opportunity God isgiving you to truly show the love of God to someone who is veryunlovable—someone who is very unkind. That person next to you, who may bedisplaying the worst attitudes, may actually be the one crying out for help theloudest. Weshould be like the Good Samaritan, who took that poor, broken man out of theditch, put him on his own donkey, took him to an inn, paid his bills, and said,“I will come back and pay the rest—just let me know what it costs.” That issomeone willing to give up time, resources, energy—whatever it takes—to helpthe person closest to them in need, even when they do not know them. But myfriend, you come to know them when you show them you care and tell them aboutJesus. SoI want to encourage you, be like the Good Samaritan. Look for the neighborclosest to you—anyone at work, at the grocery store, at the gas station,wherever it may be. In the most unlikely circumstances—even in prison—you mayfind that person who is waiting for you to tell them about Jesus. I trust that,as Paul said, this is happening for the furtherance of the gospel. And we needto understand that everything in our lives, God is using to guide our steps forthe furtherance of the gospel. May the Lord help us to be alert to that.

Philippians 1:12 Todaywe are continuing to look at Philippians 1:12. The Apostle Paul is writing backto the church of Philippi from prison in Rome. He is in chains, and he writes, “ButI want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me haveactually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel.” You can imagine hisfriends back at Philippi are concerned. Paul is in prison. He might be beaten,like he was when he was in jail in Philippi years ago when he founded thechurch there. Paul might be hungry. He might be terribly hurt. He might betortured. Maybe he is even facing death. They could have been so concerned. YetPaul writes to them this letter of encouragement. He says, “But I want you toknow, brethren, that the things that have happened to me have actually turnedout for the furtherance of the gospel.” Theymight have been thinking that Paul is such a great minister. He has otherchurches and cities to go to. He has churches to plant. He is a church builder.He is a church planter. Now he is in prison. How could God allow that tohappen? Yet Paul is saying, “No, no, that is just the opposite. God has me herefor a purpose.” Overthe years, I have talked about divine appointments. One of the most excitingthings in my life over the years—especially as we traveled, or even in everydaylife—is that I believe we should be looking for divine appointments. God hassomebody, somewhere in our path, that He wants us to tell about Jesus Christ.Sometimes it ends up being in the strangest places. Iwill never forget when I went to visit a man in the hospital. I had his name.He was a friend of mine, and I had known him for years. I looked up his name atthe hospital, found his room number, and went to that room. I looked in, and itwas not him. There was someone else in that bed. I went back down to thenurse's station and said, “Hey, listen, I am looking for so-and-so. I know heis here. Here is his name, and this is the room number.” They looked it up andsaid, “That is the man. He is in that bed. He is in that room.” I said, “No, heis not. I know him. He is not in there.” They said, “He is too. That is the manin that room.” Iwent back and looked, and sure enough, the man in the bed had the exact samename as the man I was wanting to visit—but he was a totally different person. Isat there and began talking to him and asked him where he went to church. Hesaid he did not go anywhere. I shocked him by saying, “That is great. That isreally good.” He said, “What? You are a pastor. You would expect me to go tochurch.” I said, “Oh no. One thing I do not have to worry about is that you arenot thinking going to church will get you to heaven.” I had the opportunity towitness to him, lead him to Christ, and later baptize him and his wife. Adivine appointment. I never would have expected it. I was not in the wrongroom—I was in the right place at the right time, on God's timing, in God'sdivine appointment.  Thereare so many opportunities that take place. Paul says, “I want you to know,brethren, that the things that have happened to me have actually turned out forthe furtherance of the gospel.” Doors open for us that would not have openedany other way. God places us in unexpected situations—not to stop us, but touse us. It might be the workplace. It might be a hospital room, as we said. Itmight be a difficult season in our life. Iremind you of Proverbs 16:9: “A man's heart plans his way, but the Lorddirects his steps.” Proverbs 20:24: “A man's steps are of the Lord; howthen can a man understand his own way?” And then Psalm 37:23: “The stepsof a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.”  

Todaywe are continuing to look at Philippians 1:12–18. Paul is talking about hiscircumstances here. Paul had other plans, no doubt, for what he thought Godwanted him to do. Yet the Holy Spirit of God had other plans for him. God hashim in prison for a purpose. We are talking about what happens when life doesnot go as we planned it. Yesterdaywe began telling the story about Joseph. Joseph was thrown into a pit by hisbrothers. Then he went to Potiphar's house in Egypt as a slave. Then he endedup in a prison in Egypt. But the next thing you know, God reveals and unveilsthe vision that Joseph had for himself. He becomes next to Pharaoh, ruler overall of Egypt, and saves not only the land of Egypt from a great famine but alsohis family. Nowwe are looking at Philippians 1:12, where Paul says, “But I want you toknow, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned outfor the furtherance of the gospel.” Paul is in prison. He is in chains. Heis chained between guards, but there he has the opportunity to share the goodnews of Jesus Christ. So even in our setbacks, even in our disappointments,even in situations we never would choose, God is working. God can use it allfor His glory to bring about the furtherance of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Anothergreat story after the book of Genesis is in Exodus—the story of Moses. Moses,when he is 40 years old and has been trained in all the arts and military waysof the Egyptians, thinks he is going to deliver the people of Israel. Thishappens some 400 years, after Joseph and Moses now is going to deliver them. Hestarts that process and kills an Egyptian. Then he ends up running for hislife. For the next 40 years of his life he lives in a desert. He thought Godwas going to use him earlier. He had all the equipment. He had all theknowledge. He had all the background—everything. Yet God wanted to put him outthere in a desert, watching smelly sheep. Moses would have never planned that.But God had a plan in preparing Moses to become the great leader of the nationof Israel, to bring them out of bondage, to be their deliverer, to take them tothe promised land, and to lead them for the next 40 years through thewilderness. Ohmy friend, it is awesome how God works in our lives through the strangestsituations and circumstances that we would never choose. Thenyou think of David—little David, maybe 12 or 13 years old—out playing his harpon a hillside, praising God, worshiping, and getting to know Him. He is lookingat creation, watching God's sheep, and thinking, “Man, it is awesome takingcare of these sheep.” He begins to dream about what God might want to use himfor. He ends up being anointed king by Samuel when he was around 15 years old.He has no idea what that means, but wow, something good is happening. The nextthing you know, he kills Goliath, and everybody is excited about David. Butthen Saul gets jealous. For the next 12 to 15 years, David is fleeing for hislife—something he would never choose. But he gathers a band of men to followhim. He begins to learn how to trust God as his life is at risk every day. Godis preparing him to be the great King David of Israel for the next 40 yearsafter he becomes king at 30 years of age. Sometimesthings happen that we think are bad, but God is preparing us. God is working inour lives. So do not throw in the towel. Do not quit. Keep on keeping on. Godwill continue to do something that will amaze you. Paul says, “Here I am inprison, but it has turned out for the furtherance of the gospel.” We will talkmore about that in the next few days. Today,think about what God might be doing in your life today, despite yourcircumstances.

Todaywe are continuing in Philippians 1and we will be looking at verses 12–18 overthe next few days. Here in verse 12 we are talking about when life does notgo as planned—when your plans fall apart and it seems like nothing ishappening the way you dreamed or thought God intended for your life. You mayfind yourself wondering, “What is this all about?” TheApostle Paul could have asked that same question, but he looked at it in adifferent light. He begins talking about his circumstances here in verse 12. “But I want you to know, brethren, that thethings which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of thegospel" Thinkabout it—Paul is in prison. He is in chains. He is restricted. His plans havebeen interrupted. If I remember correctly, he had even planned to go on toSpain, but now he is in a prison in Rome. He is writing to his beloved friendsthere at Philippi. Yet he says that what has happened to him, as he sits in aRoman prison, has actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel. It hashelped move the gospel forward. Youknow, my friend, life does not always go as we plan it. The truth is, God isstill on the throne. God is still at work. Even in our setbacks, even in ourdisappointments, even in situations we would never choose for ourselves, Godcan use it all. What looks like a detour to us is often part of God's designand God's plan. Oneof the best stories in the Bible that illustrates this is the story of Joseph.God had a plan for Joseph to save his family. Even as a child, he began to havevisions and dreams of how God was going to use him in a special way. One day,he went to check on his ten brothers. What he saw was not good. He returned andgave his father, Jacob, an honest report about them, but it was not a good one.As a result, his brothers—already envious of him because he seemed to be theirfather's favorite—grew to hate him. Later,when they had the opportunity at Dothan, they threw him into a pit. At first,they even considered killing him, but instead they sold him into slavery andmade money on him. Joseph ended up in Egypt. Now obviously things were notgoing according to Joseph's plans. He had seen visions and dreams ofgreatness—of the stars and even his family bowing before him. Yet now he was aslave in Potiphar's house. Fora time, things went well. But then Potiphar's wife tried to seduce him. Herefused, and she falsely accused him. As a result, he was thrown into prison.Again, things did not seem to be going well. Yet even there, the hand of theLord was with him, and he made the best of his situation. Eventually, as youknow, he was brought before Pharaoh. He interpreted Pharaoh's dreams and waselevated to a position of authority—second only to Pharaoh in all of Egypt.  Yearslater—about twenty-two years later—his brothers came to Egypt to buy foodduring the famine. Joseph recognized them, and instead of seeking revenge, hehelped them. He provided for them and eventually brought his entire family toEgypt. After their father Jacob died, his brothers feared that Joseph mightfinally take revenge. They came to him and pleaded for forgiveness. But Josephsaid, “No, no. You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.”(Genesis 50:19-20) Myfriend, when your plans fall apart and life does not go as expected, rememberthis: God still has a plan. God is still at work. He can use you right whereyou are, no matter what your circumstances may be. As you think about thesethings today, be encouraged—God is still on the throne. Godbless and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day!

Todaywe are continuing to look at Philippians 1:9–11. This is the prayer of theApostle Paul for the saints there at Philippi. He concludes that prayer withthese words: “to the glory and praise of God.” Thatis why we were created—to praise and glorify the Lord. Everything we do—everydecision, every action, every attitude—is meant to bring glory to God. Notglory to ourselves, not recognition from others, but glory to Him. Now let meask you a question. When we talk about the glory of God, what comes to yourmind? What do you picture? AsI study the glory of God in the Bible, I am overwhelmed with the thought thatliterally the entire Bible—from Genesis 1 to the last verses of Revelation—isall about the glory of God. I used to say the Bible is the story of redemption.It is, no doubt, the story of redemption—God redeeming man from his sin andrestoring him to a right relationship with Himself. Yet behind all of that, andeven before all of that, it is about the glory of God. WhenI picture the glory of God, after studying both the Old and New Testaments, Ifind that the glory of God is the expressed presence of God Himself. In the OldTestament, when the glory of God came down on the tabernacle, the Shekinahglory cloud descended. It was the presence of God in the midst of His people.The glory of God rested over the cherubim—on the mercy seat, between thecherubim—in the Most Holy Place, where no one could enter except the highpriest once a year. There, he would encounter the manifest presence of God. Thenwe read in Psalm 8:1, “O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in allthe earth, who have set Your glory above the heavens.” And in Psalm 19:1, “Theheavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.” Oh,my friend, do you realize that all creation cries out and declares the presenceand the glory of God—the One who created all things? Why? For His glory, tomanifest His presence. Creation is a display of God's handiwork.  Thatmeans when we glorify the Lord, we are magnifying His presence—we are makingHis presence known. As a matter of fact, Jesus Christ Himself came for thatvery purpose. Remember John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Wordwas with God, and the Word was God.” Then verse 14: “And the Word becameflesh and dwelt among us.” John says this “flesh” is none other thanChrist—God Himself in our midst. John goes on to say: “And we beheld Hisglory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace andtruth.” Jesus was the manifest glory—the very presence of God—among thepeople. Joseph was told by the angel in Matthew 1:23; "Behold, thevirgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His nameImmanuel," which is translated, "God with us." Nowthe Bible teaches in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 that: “our bodies are the templeof God. Therefore, we are to glorify God in our body and in our spirit,which are God's”. In other words, everything we do—every word we speak,every attitude we display—ought to reflect who God is. God is in our lives. Godis in control of our lives. That is why the Holy Spirit was sent. If you readJohn chapters 14 through 16, the Holy Spirit was sent to glorify Jesus Christand to glorify the Father in us and through us. Read Revelation chapters 4 and5. All of creation and everyone in it one day will be declaring His glory! Myfriend, this changes everything about how we live. We do not serve to be seen.We do not give to be praised. We do not live for applause. We live for anaudience of One. Let me ask you today: Is your life pointing others to JesusChrist, or is your life pointing others to you? Which of the two, my friend? Itrust your life is reflecting the presence and glory of God to the people aroundyou. A life filled with the fruit of righteousness brings glory to God, becauseothers see God in us. That is what the world needs to see today in His people.

 God desires that our lives producefruit. Taketime to read the entire chapter of John 15. It is in this chapter that Jesus isin the upper room with His disciples, and one of the things He speaks of thereis abiding in Him. If you abide in Him, He says that you will bear fruit. Inverse 5, “I am the vine, and you are the branches. He who abides in Me, andI in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” Inverse 8, He goes on to say, “By this My Father is glorified, that you bearmuch fruit; so you will be My disciples.” Then verse 16: “You didnot choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bearfruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Fatherin My name He may give you.” Wefind that the desire of the Father, the desire of Jesus Christ, is that weabide in Him and live a life that bears fruit—not just activity. So many of usbecome so active doing things for the Lord that we try to produce fruit by whatwe do. Activity is not the same as fruitfulness. We get so busy that weactually forget to take time to abide in Christ, to fellowship with Him, and toremember that our strength, grace, and power come from Him alone. Thisis real spiritual fruit. Remember Galatians 5:22: “The fruit of the Spiritis love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, meekness, kindness, temperance,self-control.” All these things—these are the fruit of the Spirit. Thefruit of the Spirit is something God produces within us. When we yieldourselves, when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, when we are filled with theWord of God, then we begin to see the fruit of the Spirit being produced in ourlives. Whatis the outward evidence of this fruit in our lives? It flows from an inwardrelationship with Christ. It is Christlike character. It is godly attitudes. Itis righteous activity. I cannot help but think of Psalm 23: “The Lord is myshepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leadsme beside the still waters.” Notice next: “He leads me in paths ofrighteousness for His name's sake.” Whenwe are following Jesus—our Shepherd, our Good Shepherd, our Great Shepherd, ourears are attuned to what He wants us to do. We are on mission with Him. We donot have our own agenda; we are His servants. We follow Him. We do what Hecommands us—to love one another, to love our neighbors as ourselves, and toshare with the world around us the wonderful good news of Jesus Christ. Thesefruits of righteousness, as you see in verse 11, “which are by JesusChrist.” Literally, it is the life that Christ is living in and through us.That is why Paul would later write, “I am crucified with Christ;nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me. And the life which Inow live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me andgave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Thatbrings me to James 3:13–15. We have been talking about the wisdom of God thatis in Christ and the knowledge of God to know Him. James asks the question, “Whois wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that hisworks are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy andself-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. Thiswisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, and demonic. Butwhere envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle,willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and withouthypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those whomake peace.” Myfriend, that is the wisdom that is from above. “If you lack wisdom”—James1:5—"let him ask of God”. It is yielding your life to Jesus Christand allowing His life to live through you, and you will live a life full of thefruits of righteousness. Help us, O God, to have that kind of life.

Todaywe're looking at Philippians 1:9–11. These verses teach us how to pray. Paulprayed these words for the believers at Philippi. This is a powerful prayer—aprayer that we can pray for each other. But I think it is also a prayer that weneed to understand can be applied even to ourselves.  Todaywe want to look at this phrase: “that you may be sincere and withoutoffense till the day of Christ”. Till the day of Christ—sincere andwithout offense. Of course, sincere carries the idea of being pure and genuine,without hidden motives. Did you realize that one day, when we are standing atthe judgment seat of Christ as believers, we will be judged? There we will bejudged for our works—not so much for what we did, but why we did what we did.What was the motive behind our work? (Read 1 Corinthians 3:9-15). Didwe go to church? Oh yes, we went to church. But why did we go to church? Did wego so people would see us and think, “Oh, you're a good Christian,” and we wantpeople to notice that we're trying to be a good Christian? No. The motive isnot to go to church to show others what kind of Christian we are. The motivemust be to glorify the Lord. Why did we tithe? Why did we teach Sunday School?Why did we go on the mission trip? We will be judged and rewarded not for whatwe did or didn't do, but for our motive behind the act of service or giving. That'swhy Paul ends this prayer by saying that “we are being filled with thefruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise ofGod”. Whatever we do, we are to do to the glory of God through JesusChrist. Remember, it is not so much what you do—it is who you are. That's whatJesus said in His first recorded message in the Gospels, in Matthew chapter 5.We call it the Beatitudes. I often say these are the attitudes that humanbeings ought to have—the attitude of Jesus Christ. Rememberwhat they were in Matthew chapter 5. He says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,for theirs is the kingdom of God.” It is the spirit of humility, not of pride.That's the first thing that must be going on in our hearts. We are totally,absolutely dependent upon Jesus Christ. “Blessedare those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” We are broken over our sin.The first words we have recorded that Jesus preached in the Gospel of Matthew4:17. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” We have anattitude of turning from our way to God's way. That's what it means to repent.Then we become sincere, and we are without offense in our motives—genuine, withno hidden motives. “Withoutoffense”means living in a way that does not cause others to stumble. We can say toothers, “Follow me as I follow Christ,” and we say it in humility. “Blessedare the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” The word meek means thatwe are totally, absolutely yielded to the Lord in every aspect of our lives.We've given up ownership of our lives. We've given up the right to ourselves toJesus Christ. He is Lord of our lives. Whenwe live in sincerity and without offense, it is “until the day of Christ”.Remember in verse 6, Paul used this same thought: “Now, being confident ofthis very thing that He who began a good work in you will perform it until theday of Christ.” One day, we're going to give an account for our works—notjust what we did, but what we were. Did we do them in the name of Jesus Christ?Remember John 15—Jesus said, “Without Me you can do nothing.” Asyou think about these things today, ask yourself, are you living a life that issincere and without offense till the day of Christ—that is honest,transparent, and consistent? And why? Is it all to the glory of God?Godbless and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day!

Todaywe are continuing to look at Philippians 1:9–11. This is a prayer that theApostle Paul prayed for the church at Philippi—for the believers there. He waspraying that God would help them be the best they could be for the glory ofGod. Oftentimes we ask the question: How do I pray for my family? How do I prayfor my friends? How do I pray for my pastor? My friend, there are severalprayers in the New Testament where the Apostle Paul prayed for believers indifferent churches. Take time to look those prayers up. Make them your prayers.Write them out. Maybe memorize them, and pray those very scriptural, biblicalprayers for those you want to see the Lord work in. In doing so, you are askingthe Lord to fill them with His Holy Spirit and to give them what they need tobe all that they should be for the glory of God. Asa matter of fact, that is exactly what Paul says in this prayer. Read itagain—Philippians 1:9–11:  Now,as we look at this prayer, we have already talked about how he first prayedthat their love would abound more and more. He prayed that they would have alife of knowledge—living in the understanding of who God is and dedicatingtheir lives to His glory. Then he prayed that they would have discernment. Howimportant it is to have spiritual discernment—to know what is right and what iswrong, what path you should go down, and which path you should avoid. Myfriend, that kind of discernment only comes from being in the Word of God andallowing the Word of God to be in you, guiding your life.  Nowtoday, we come to this next phrase: “that you may approve the things that areexcellent.” This takes discernment one step further. It is not just knowingwhat is right and wrong—it is choosing what is best. You see, there are manythings in life that are not necessarily wrong, but they are not the best use ofour time, our energy, our focus, or our resources. So Paul is praying thatthese believers would prioritize what truly matters in life. Some have calledthis living a life of significance. Too many of us today live on the level ofsuccess—we are always looking for something more or something better for ourselves,our families, and even our grandchildren. When instead, we should be asking,“What does God want for our lives?” Rememberwhat Jesus said: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, andall these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). My friend, we areliving in a day of what could be called “weapons of mass distractions.” Ourtelephones, our emails, our text messages, our iPhones—all of these things canpull us away from what truly matters. Let me encourage you: do not think oflife as a list of priorities—God first, family second, church third, and so on.Instead, think of it as a circle. In the very center of that circle is God—theHoly Spirit, the Lordship of Jesus Christ. ReadRomans chapter 14, where it speaks of Christ being Lord of all. Is Jesus trulythe Lord of your life? Is He at the center of everything you do? This does notmean you simply rank one thing above another. It means that whatever you do,you do it for the glory of God, under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and withHis blessing upon your life. That is what Paul is talking about here—“thatyou may approve the things that are excellent.” Choose carefully the thingsthat are best for your life. Youmight consider reading Charles Hummel's The Tyranny of the Urgent, which speaksabout how urgent things often crowd out what is truly important. They demandimmediate attention, and as a result, we neglect the important things thatmatter most. So I encourage you, my friend: read the Scriptures. The Bibletells us that these things are given to help us become men and women ofGod—complete and equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Let the HolySpirit of God take the Word of God and help you not only to do what is right,but to choose what is best. “Approvethe things that are excellent.”

Todaywe are looking at Philippians 1:9–11. Here we have a prayer that Paul prays forthe believers at Philippi. Remember Paul is in prison. He is in chains back inRome. Many people would think, “Wow, you must feel useless. You are in prison.What can you do?” My friend, you can pray. Paul prayed and he sent a letter tothese people—his friends, the church at Philippi—to encourage them. Thereis never a time in your life when you cannot pray. As long as you have breathin your body and your mind is working, you can call out to God in prayer. Youcan pray for others even when you are in dire straits like Paul. You can alwayspray. What did Paul pray? In these verses, he prayed several things. In verse9, he prayed that they would have a love that grows—a love that overflows. Heprayed that they would have a love with knowledge. He also prayed that theywould have a love with spiritual discernment. Howimportant that is—not only to say, “I love you,” but to have a love that isgrowing for someone, a love that is based on truth—the knowledge of God'sWord—and a love that has discernment to know how to give, how to pray, and howto do what needs to be done to encourage those we are praying for. Paul ispraying for these people to have that kind of love. Paulprays for them to have a love that grows in knowledge. As we were talking aboutknowledge yesterday and what that means, I could not help but think of a versein Psalm 9:10. It says this: “They that know Your name will put their trustin You. For You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.” To knowGod's name—Jehovah, Yahweh—to know His many names. We know Jehovah Jireh, theLord who provides, and the list goes on and on. We have given lessons aboutthat on Pastor's Chat. Whenyou know His name, and you know who God really is, and you experience Hisholiness—as Isaiah did in Isaiah chapter 6—he fell on his face. He confessedhis sin of having unclean lips. He was cleansed by an angel and the Word ofGod. Then he heard the voice saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for Me?”Isaiah responded, “Here I am, Lord. Send me.” Manypeople believe this love with knowledge means a love that dedicates itself tothe glory of God, to the purposes of God, and to the mission of God. It says,“Here I am, Lord. Send me.” That is knowledge. That is dedication. That isdoing what is right. This knowledge, though, must be accompanied bydiscernment. We find that in this verse as well. Discernmentis the ability to see things clearly—to know what is right and wrong and whattruly matters. We live in a world that is constantly blurring the lines betweentruth and error. Today more than ever, we need spiritual discernment. It helpsus make wise decisions, avoid deception, and stay aligned with God's will. Discernmentdoes not come automatically. It grows as we walk with God, as we study HisWord, and as we listen to His Holy Spirit. We do not need to ask God for moreinformation; most often, we need to ask for discernment. Becauseknowledge—knowing what is right—is good, but choosing what is best is evenbetter. Thatis what real discernment will give us. We will not only know what is right; wewill know what is best—and how to do what is best in the right way. How we needto pray for our friends, our family, our church members, our church leaders,and even our country's leaders to have discernment—so they will not only knowwhat is right but will choose what is best with what is right and do it theright way. MayGod help us to do that, even today. Godbless and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day!

Notice the next words: “in knowledge”—that their lovewould abound in knowledge. Nowthis is very important, because all love is not the same. Some people have whatwe might call an emotional love or emotional affection for someone. I amconvinced that this is what Peter had when he began following the Lord. He sawsome miracles and was excited about the external. As he began to follow theLord Jesus Christ, we find that even after three years, he had many failures.He was following externally. Butone day, something happened that changed him on the inside after a majorfailure. He realized that he needed the truth—that to know the truth would sethim free. That is what Jesus said: “You shall know the truth, and thetruth shall set you free.” You see, Paul is talking here about an informedlove—a love that is guided by truth, not by our feelings. In other words, themore you know God, the more you will love Him. That is why Paul would laterwrite, “That I might know Him and the power of His resurrection, and thefellowship of His sufferings.” That means to be intimately acquainted with whoGod is—who Jesus is. Thatis why, in Colossians chapter 2, Paul writes to the church there, saying: “thattheir hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining toall riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge ofthe mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ. In whom are hidden allthe treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Jesus said, “You shall knowthe truth, and the truth shall set you free.” It begins with knowing the truth.Your knowledge must be based on truth, and your love must be founded onthe truth of God's Word. Godso loved you. His love will never change. Nothing can separate us from the loveof God that is in Christ Jesus. As we come to know the Word of God, we come toknow Him. That is why it is so important to have a love that is based on thetruth of God's Word—from Genesis 1:1 to the very end of the book of Revelation.As you study through the Word of God, you come to know God. Thatis why I love 2 Peter 1:2–8. Carefully read these verses, and look for the word“knowledge.” “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in theknowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. As His divine power has given to usall things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Himwho called us by His glory and virtue by which have been given to us exceedinggreat and precious promises that through these you may be partakers of thedivine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.Now for this very reason give all diligence to add to your faith virtue and tovirtue knowledge and to knowledge self-control to self-controlperseverance to perseverance godliness to godliness brotherly kindness tobrotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound you willneither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”An amazing change has taken place in Peter. He now understood theimportance of loving in knowledge! Paul,go on to say in Philippians 3:8, “Yet indeed I count all things loss for theexcellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I havesuffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gainChrist.” I just want to encourage you today to make sure that your love isbased on knowledge—that you love in knowledge and that it abounds in theknowledge of Jesus Christ. Because, my friend, the more you know Him, the moreyou will love Him. Itis a love that is based and rooted in truth. It is strong. It is wise. It issteady. It comes because we are in God's Word and are thinking on His truthrather than simply listening to what our feelings are telling us. I trust todaythat your love will abound more and more in the knowledge of our Lord andSavior Jesus Christ. Godbless and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day!

Weare continuing to look at Philippians 1, and today we begin looking at verses9–11, where the Apostle Paul tells us how he prayed, and what he prayed for,when he prayed for the Philippian believers. Remember, he had already said thathe gave thanks for them in every prayer of his (v. 4). So Paul was someone whofaithfully prayed specific prayers for these dear people. What do we pray forwhen we pray for others? TheApostle Paul, in these verses, prayed that they would have abounding love withknowledge, that they would have spiritual discernment, that they would havesincerity and be without offense, that they would have the fruits ofrighteousness, and that they would live for God's glory. Wow—whata wonderful thing to pray for believers, that they might find real joy as theylive the kind of life this prayer would produce in them. We see in verse 9 alove that grows and overflows—a love that is joined with knowledge and guidedby spiritual discernment. “And this I pray, that your lovemay abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment…”   Now,my friend, I would encourage you—if you are thinking, “I don't know how to prayfor my wife. I don't know how to pray for my husband. I don't know how to prayfor my children. I don't know how to pray for other believers at church”—openyour Bible to Philippians 1, read verses 9–11 out loud, and make this yourprayer for your friends, your family, and fellow believers. Noticethe first thing Paul prayed for when he prayed for them. He did not pray thatthey would have more success. He did not pray that they would have morecomfort. He did not even begin by praying for knowledge itself. He first prayedfor their love. Now, this love he is speaking of here is agape love—God's love.It is God's love flowing through us. It is a love we do not naturally possess,but one that comes as we are filled with the Spirit. Remember Galatians 5:22—thefruit of the Spirit. The first aspect of the fruit of the Spirit is love. Thatmeans that God Himself is loving through us. It is Christ loving those aroundus through us. Jesussaid to His disciples, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, ifyou have love for one another” (John 13:34). What kind of love was that? Hetaught them to love one another as “I have loved you” (John 13:35). AsGod loves us, as Christ has loved us—remember He died for us. He gave Himselfon the cross. It was an unselfish love. It was an endless, limitless love. Ifyou want to read about the quality and characteristics this love, look in 1Corinthians 13. He gives a description of God's love:“Love suffers long and is kind; love does notenvy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely,does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice ininiquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things,hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”Thatis the love of God. Herein verse 9, Paul is praying that their “love would abound still more andmore”. That word “abound” means it would grow—it would grow deeper andstronger. It would grow wider. It would grow more intimate. And that love forothers only grows as our love for Jesus Christ grows. Rememberwhat Jesus said to the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2:1-5: “You are a greatchurch. I know your works, your labor—everything is commendable—but I have thisagainst you: you have left your first love. Return to your first love.” Thatlove that is from the heart—that love that is intimate, genuine, sacrificial, andsincere. That is what Paul was praying for. Oh, my friend, let us pray that wewould abound in love—for Jesus and for one another.  Letme ask you: Are you growing in love? Are you more in love with Jesus today thanyou were yesterday—than you were last year? Godbless and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day!

Todaywe are moving on to verse 8 of Philippians 1. The Apostle Paul has already toldthem in verse 7, “Inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense andconfirmation of the gospel, you are partakers with me of grace.” We havebeen talking about being partakers with him of grace. We are partners togetherin the grace of God as we serve the Lord Jesus Christ wherever we are. TheApostle Paul is in prison. He is in chains. So in verse 8, he goes on to say, “ForGod is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of JesusChrist.” Thisis powerful for us to understand because here the Apostle Paul says that hislove for them is not just human affection, but it is the affection of JesusChrist. In the original language of this passage, where he talks about“affection,” the word there comes from the idea of the bowels—deep within mybowels, deep within my inner being. There is a love that overflows for you. Whatlove is that? It is not human love. It is supernatural love. It is the love ofJesus Christ. When we become a follower of Jesus Christ and accept Him as ourLord and Savior, and we begin to deny self, take up the cross, and follow Him,something supernatural takes place. There is a love in our heart for others—Imean everyone around us. Nowsometimes it seems impossible to like certain people because of their attitudesand their actions. But no matter whether we can live peaceably with them or not, we are to lovethem. We are to have an affection for them. NowI have always pictured this as understanding that God Himself is love. “God islove” (1 John 4:8 &16). I am, by nature, selfish. I am looking out for me.But God is love. When I now have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ,I have available to me the reservoir of God's endless, limitless love. TheBible teaches us in Romans 5:1-8: “Therefore, having been justified byfaith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” So it allbegins with salvation and justification. Verse 2: “Through whom also we haveaccess by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of theglory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowingthat tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; andcharacter, hope. Now hope does not disappoint.” Nowhere it is: “Because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts bythe Holy Spirit who was given to us. For when we were still without strength,in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (v.5-6). Now Paul puts thistogether, I believe, helping us understand that as we go through trials—rememberPaul is in prison, he is in chains, he is going through a time ofsuffering—when we go through those difficult times, the tendency is to focus onourselves: our pain, our hurt, our suffering. But Paul says that when all thisreally happens, it should cause us to focus on God and His strength—His greatreservoir of love that is available to us. And the Holy Spirit supernaturallynow pours out that love. SoI picture it this way: I reach up into that reservoir of God's love, and I takeHis love—and whether I feel it or not—I give His love, His grace, His kindness,His gentleness, His affection, His compassion. I give it to the person whoneeds it closest to me. Who is my neighbor? It is the person closest to me whoneeds God and needs to experience His love. What kind of love is that? Here itis: “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8). Thatis how much He loved us. He gave His own Son. That is the love we nowgive—supernaturally. Not our love, but God's love to those around us. Thatis why Paul said, “I have God as my witness. That is the kind of loveand affection I have for you.” And that is the kind of love and affectionwe should have for those around us as we gather together—even with otherbelievers who are sometimes hard to love.

Ihave good news. They have finally scheduled the surgery for May 7th. On top ofthat, it will be an in-and-out procedure. It is not highly invasive. They willperform the surgery, and when I wake up and begin to feel a little better, Iwill be able to get in the car and come home. Please continue to pray that everything goes well. Now,we are looking at Philippians 1:7. In the previous verses the Apostle Paul hastold the church at Philippi and how thankful he is for them, how he prays forthem with joy, and is confident that God will complete the good work He hasbegun in them. Now Paul says in verse 7, “Just as it is right for me tothink this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in mychains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakerswith me of grace.” Today,I want to talk about what Paul means when he says, “in the defense andconfirmation of the gospel.” The Apostle Paul saw his mission in life asproclaiming Jesus Christ and Christ alone. That meant he defended and confirmedthe gospel. What does that mean for you and me today? He says, “You arepartakers with me in this mission of defending and confirming the gospel.”  Todefend, of course, means to stand up for the truth. The Apostle Peter, in 1Peter 3:13-17 addresses this same subject: “And who is he who will harm youif you become followers of what is good?” He is talking about suffering. “Buteven if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. And do notbe afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. But sanctify the Lord God in yourhearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reasonfor the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience,that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct inChrist may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to sufferfor doing good than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered for our sins.” Basically,what he is saying is that suffering gives us the opportunity to stand up andproclaim the gospel. It confirms the gospel. And we need to always be ready togive a defense of the gospel because they will be amazed at the hope that youhave and they will ask, “How do you still have joy and peace when you aresuffering wrong?” Ialso like what Jude wrote in the book of Jude, verse 3: “Beloved, while Iwas very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found itnecessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faithwhich was once for all delivered to the saints.” Why? Because certain ungodlymen had come in and were trying to undermine the deity of Jesus Christ (v. 4).  Now,my friend, in this world today that mocks and derides the Christian faith, youand I have the opportunity to defend and confirm the truth of the gospel. In 2Corinthians 5:17 we are told if we are in Christ Jesus, everything has changed.We are new creations. In 2 Corinthians 4 our conduct should reflect the “lifeof Christ in our mortal flesh” in the midst of our suffering. We have thistreasure in earthen vessels. It is often through suffering that the goodness ofGod, the grace of God, and the mercy of God are most clearly seen—and thatgives us an opportunity to contend for the faith. Not to be contentious for thefaith, but to contend—to speak up for it, to defend it, and to live it out soothers can see Christ in us. Thisis so important. People are watching. What do they want to know? They want toknow if what you have is real. It is real when you have Jesus, and He is livingHis life through you in the midst of difficult times. That is what Paul isspeaking of in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. “You arepartakers with me.” Let us be partakers with Christ and with the ApostlePaul, even today, in a world that desperately needs the reality of JesusChrist.

Myfriend, I am convinced that this is the day that Psalm 118:24 propheticallypoints to—that day, the first day of the week when Jesus Christ came out of thegrave victorious over death, sin, the devil, and hell itself. Jesus rose fromthe dead, alive, never to die again, eternally living because He is the eternalGod. Thisis the day that the Lord has made. That very special day 2,000 years ago, whenJesus came out of the grave, changed everything. If Jesus had only died and wehad been told that He died for our sins, we could say that is good. But whatbrings authenticity, effectiveness, and justification to that truth is the factthat He rose from the dead. Romans 4:23-25: “Now it was not written for his sakealone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to uswho believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who wasdelivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.” Theearly disciples, when they preached, referred to the resurrection of JesusChrist again and again in every message. My friend, until the disciplesexperienced the resurrection of Christ, they did not have the courage theydisplayed afterward. Before that, they were fearful. They were hiding. Theywere in fear for their lives. But when they encountered the resurrected Saviorduring those 40 days before He ascended into heaven, something changed. Whatchanged was that, after waiting those 10 days in the upper room, the HolySpirit of God came upon them. The Holy Spirit is the One who made the truth ofthe resurrection of Jesus Christ personal. He made that truth come alive intheir souls, and they were willing to be martyred for the cause of Christ. Allbut one of those disciples were martyred. John is the only one who survivedmartyrdom and died a natural death. My friend, that is the difference theresurrection makes. Thatis, in a sense, what Paul is speaking of in Philippians 1:7 when he tells thechurch at Philippi, “Just as it is right for me to think this of you all,because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in thedefense and confirmation of the gospel”—remember the gospel is the death,burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ ( Corinthians 15:1-11)  Paul is in chains. He is suffering. He has been through much. Hedoes not know exactly what the future holds while he is in those chains. But hehas grace in the midst of his struggles and his problems. He is talking aboutgrace—grace that gives him everything he needs to be all that he should be,with the peace of God, the joy of God, and the completeness of Jesus Christliving in him and through him.  John1:1-14 tells us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,and the Word was God… and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and webeheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full ofgrace and truth.” Jesus is grace personified. When you have Jesus, and youenter into the fellowship of His sufferings, you recognize that He suffersalongside you.  Rememberwhen Paul was saved on the road to Damascus and he said, “Lord, who are You?”Jesus said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.” Jesus goes through oursuffering with us. He weeps with us. He cares for us. We are partakers of Hisgrace. This is not just grace that helps us get through a tough time—it isJesus Himself who is present with us, helping us through every difficulty. Evenwhen we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, the psalmist said,“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear noevil.” Why? “For Thou art with me.” Oh, my friend, through the ministry, work,and power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we can experience the grace of Jesusevery moment of our lives if we will simply believe and trust Him. We arepartakers of His grace, and I trust you will know that today. Hallelujah—He isrisen! He is risen indeed!

Thisweekend, at Easter time, we have been considering the suffering of our LordJesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. He endured a horrendous, terrible crucifixion foryou and for me. He died in our place for our sins. TheScripture teaches that just as Christ suffered, we also are going to suffer.That is what Philippians 1:7 hints at, I believe, as the Apostle Paul tells thechurch at Philippi, “I have you in my heart.” But then he goes on to say, “inasmuchas both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you allare partakers with me of grace.” You are all partakers with me in thisgrace that God gives us in the midst of our suffering. That is what we want totalk about for a few minutes today: partakers of grace together. TheApostle Paul is talking about what it means to share together in what God isdoing in our lives. As we face suffering, God gives us grace for thatsuffering. He mentions that the church at Philippi was a group of people whoshared in his ministry. They shared in his suffering. They shared in hismission. Even while Paul was in prison, and as he says here, “in my chains,”they were still connected to him, even though they were miles away. My friend,grace is not something we receive only individually. It is something weexperience together. We share in the work of God. We share in the struggles wego through, and we share in the victories. Iam thinking of Hebrews 13:1-3, where the Apostle Paul—I say the Apostle Paulbecause I feel he probably wrote the book—says, “Let brotherly lovecontinue. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for in so doing some haveunwittingly entertained angels.” Then in verse 3, “Remember theprisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselvesare in the body also.” The Bible teaches us that we are to consider thatwhile other believers are suffering, we are to enter into their suffering as ifit were our own. We feel with them their suffering with compassion and empathy,and we pray and intercede on their behalf. TheApostle Paul also spoke about the sufferings of Christ in Philippians 3:10:“that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship ofHis sufferings.” There we see that we are partakers of the suffering ofChrist, and God gives us grace for that. Also in Romans chapter 8:16-17, weread, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are childrenof God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.”Now listen: “if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorifiedtogether.” Then in verse 18 he says, “For I consider that the sufferingsof this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shallbe revealed in us.” How wonderful is that. One day it will be worth itall!!!! In1 Peter 5:10 we read: “But may the God of all grace, who called us to Hiseternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect,establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be glory and dominion forever andever. Amen.” As we read the passage of Scripture in Philippians 1:7, Paulis thinking, speaking, and emphasizing that you are partakers of this gracewith him in his suffering—as if chained with him. My friend, God does give usthe grace we need when we face suffering—when we go through pain, problems,difficulties, and challenges. Andwhen we join in that suffering with fellow believers—by interceding for them,showing compassion, letting them know we are praying for them and thinkingabout them—that is exactly what Paul is saying: “I am thinking about you. Ihave you in my heart. And understand, you are partakers with me in mysuffering, in my chains.” That is how we encourage one another, and that is howwe help each other become better saints for the glory of God and for His honor. Oh,my friend, these are things we should think about: partakers of grace together.We need each other in His grace.

Todaywe are focusing on verse 7, where we see a pastor's heart: “Just asit is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart,inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of thegospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.” TheApostle Paul was once a persecutor—a zealous persecutor—of the church. You readabout this in Acts chapters 7-8. He was standing there when Stephen was beingstoned to death, holding the garments of those who carried it out. My friend,Paul hated Christians. At that time, he was known as Saul. But somethinghappened on the road to Damascus when he met Jesus, and everything changed. Rememberwhen Jesus met him on that road. When Saul asked, “Who are You?” Jesusanswered, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.” So Saul was not justpersecuting believers—he was persecuting Jesus Himself. Later,when Paul gave his testimony before Agrippa in Acts 26. In verse 10 he said, “ThisI also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints I shut up in prison, havingreceived authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, Icast my vote against them.” Then notice verse 11: “And I punished themoften in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedinglyenraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.” Paul oncehated Christians, but everything changed when he met Jesus, and his heart wastransformed. Afterhis conversion, Paul became a Bible teacher in the church at Antioch of Syria.From there, he was sent out as a missionary. He became a church planter. Butmost of all, he was a pastor—and he had a pastor's heart. That is what heexpresses here: “It is right for me to think this of you all, because I haveyou in my heart.” What a beautiful expression. Paul is not just writingtheology—he is expressing love. This is the heart of a pastor speaking topeople he deeply cares about: “Just as it is right for me to think this ofyou all, because I have you in my heart”. Remember,Paul is sitting in prison, in chains, possibly facing execution, and yet he isthinking of others. That is what he means when he says, “I have you in myheart.” This is what real spiritual leadership looks like. It is notdistant. It is not cold. It is not merely instructional. Because people do notcare what you say to them until they know that you care about them. Itis sad, over the years, when I hear people say, “My pastor does not even knowmy name. My pastor does not really care about me. He knows nothing about myfamily or my life. My pastor never really shows up. He is a good teacher, agood preacher—he does all these good things—but he has no idea what is going onin my life.” You see, being a pastor is relational. Paul did not just preach tothese people—he loved them. And this works both ways. A real pastor loves hispeople, and a real church loves their pastor. That is what makes for a healthychurch. Ilive here in Sneads Ferry, where I meet with pastors from various churchesevery Tuesday morning for prayer. I can tell you one thing about these pastorshere in Sneads Ferry: they love their people. They pray for their people. Theyserve their people. They go out of their way and make sacrifices for them. Itis a wonderful thing to watch and be a part of.  Bythe way, we are having a Easter Sunrise service at Onslow County Beach Access #2, on North Topsail Beach this Sunday morning at 6:30. If you live in the area,we would love for you to attend this beautiful sunrise service with us.  Godbless and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day!

AsI have been thinking about this, I want us to finish with the thought todaythat our confidence is not in ourselves. Paul's confidence was not in himselfor even in the Philippians. His confidence was in God. That is so important. Ifyour confidence is in yourself, you will always struggle with doubt, becauseyou know your weaknesses and you know your failures. But when your confidenceis in God, it changes everything. Godis not limited by our weaknesses. He is not surprised by our struggles. He isnot discouraged by our failures. He knew everything about us before He savedus. Yet He still saved us, and He will keep us. I could not help but thinkabout the prayers of the Bible, both Old Testament and New Testament. Thesaints often began their prayers referring to the fact that God createdeverything.. For example, Psalm 121 says: “I will lift up my eyes to thehills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, who madeheaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved. He who keeps youwill not slumber.” Howpowerful is that? God spoke the world—the universe—into existence by the powerof His Word. If He could do that, do you not know He knows who you are? Heknows every molecule, every atom in your body. He will take care of you, and Hewill keep you. Psalm 124 says almost the same thing in verse 8: “Our help isin the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” The saints, as theyprayed, knowing they needed help, referred to God as the Maker of heaven andearth. Why? Not because God needed to be told He made the heavens and theearth—He already knew that. I am convinced they said that because they werereminding themselves that their confidence was in a God who is so awesome, sopowerful, who is the Creator.  NoticePsalm 146:5–6: “Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whosehope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all thatis in them; who keeps truth forever, who executes justice for the oppressed,who gives food to the hungry. The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners.” Again,the person praying expressed his or her confidence in a creator God who isalways working to take care of the needs of His creation. Evenin the New Testament, when the Apostle Peter and others were being persecutedby the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the religious rulers, they gatheredtogether with their church group in the upper room and prayed. Acts 4:24 saysthat they began their prayer with acknowledging God's awesome power in creation:“So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord andsaid, ‘Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all thatis in them.'” And then they went on to make their request for boldness andprotection. Their confidence was in the God who made everything. Myfriend, your hope should not be in your ability to hold on to God. Your hope isin His ability to hold on to you. When we have this kind of confidence, itgives us something every believer needs, and that is assurance. When we areconfident that He who began a good work will complete it until the day of JesusChrist, we do not have to live in constant fear or uncertainty about ourrelationship with God. ReadRomans chapter 8:31-39. What can separate us from the love of God that is inChrist Jesus our Lord? There is nothing that can separate us. Our salvation isnot fragile—it is secure because it rests in the hands of a faithful God. Letus live with confidence—not in ourselves, but in God. That confidence produces anassurance that brings peace. It brings stability. It brings joy. Youcan rest in this truth today: God is not finished with you yet, and He neverwill be. Be assured, have confidence, and keep your eyes on God. Godbless and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day!

Welcometo Pastor's Chat. Today we are continuing to look at Philippians 1: 6, wherethe Apostle Paul writes, “Being confident of this very thing, that He, God,who has begun a good work in you, He will perform it until the day of JesusChrist.” So far we have talked about “being confident”.We also talked yesterday about a “good work”—the good workof salvation, the good work of transformation, the good work of sanctification.The work that God has begun, He will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.He will complete it. Todaywe want to talk about the word “until”. This reminds us that Godis not finished with us yet. Sometimes we get discouraged because we are notwhere we want to be spiritually. But we need to focus on the fact that God iscontinuously doing a work in us, “both to will and to do of His goodpleasure”. Sometimes the road gets rough. Sometimes we get discouraged.Sometimes we want to quit. I have always thought it is good to want to quit,because that simply means at least you are doing something to quit from. So, myfriend, be encouraged today as we think about this word “until the day ofJesus Christ”. This work of salvation, this work of God in our lives,continues until we see Jesus face to face. Itreminds me of several verses in Hebrews 12:1-2. “Since we are surrounded bya great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which soeasily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set beforeus.” How do we do it? “Looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisherof our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross,despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Lookingunto Jesus, the Author—the beginner—and the finisher of our faith. Alwaysremember these wonderful verses. Thenin 1 Peter 1:3-9: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hopethrough the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” What is thisliving hope? It is “to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and thatdoes not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.” Verse 5—a verse Imemorized as a new Christian when I got discouraged and wondered if I couldmake it—here it is: “Who are kept by the power of God through faith forsalvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” Thereit is again, like Philippians 1:6. Until the day of Jesus Christ, we are keptby the power of God—not by our own power, not by our own reasoning, our ownstrength, but by the power of God. Peter goes on to write: “In this yougreatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you are grieved byvarious trials.” But, my friend, “as you go through these trials, youare like gold that is being tested by fire, and it is found unto praise andhonor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen, youlove. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joyinexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvationof your soul.” God keeps us to the end. Then,of course, 1 John 3:2 says, “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it hasnot yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed,we will be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” Is that not wonderful?We have not yet reached the finish line. God's work continues until we seeJesus face to face, and we will be like Him. Weare in process right now. We have not arrived. None of us is complete. God isstill at work. My friend, instead of focusing on how far we still have to go,remember: we are not what we used to be, and we are not yet what we are goingto be. God is still at work. Sodo not give up. Do not lose heart. The story of your life is not finished yet,because we are promised “until the day of Jesus Christ.” Godbless and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day!

Today, we are talkingabout the good work that God is doing. We areconfident, and we can have full assurance that God, who began the work in us,will complete it until Jesus Christ comes. We can live a confident, joyful lifedespite our circumstances because it is God who began that good work. We areconfident of that very thing. Iwant us to think about that phrase, “a good work”. What is that work?First, I could not help but think about the “good work” of creation in Genesis1. For each of the six days, God made something, and God was pleased with whatHe had made and said it was good. Then in verse 31, “God saw everything thatHe had made, and indeed it was very good. The evening and the morning were thesixth day”.  Thennotice in Genesis 2:1-3, at least three times we read the word “work.” “Thusthe heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. “Andon the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He restedon the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessedthe seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His workwhich God had created and made.” Colossians1:16-17 tells us that, “For by Him all things were created that are inheaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones ordominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him andfor Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” Thisis the work of creation that God began, and God is sustaining that creationthrough Jesus Christ! Thereis also the good work of salvation. The good work of salvation is firstseen in the Old Testament when God promised Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:15 thatthe seed of the woman would bruise the head of the serpent. Actually, the good workof salvation began in eternity past. We are told in Revelation 13:8: “Allwho dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written inthe Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”.  This“good work” of salvation was being completed when Jesus came. Hesaid in John 4:34, “My food is to do the will of the Father and to finishHis work.” Then in John 17:4, just before He goes to the cross, Jesus says,“I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.” Then on thecross, in John 19:30, Jesus said, “It is finished.” On the cross, Hefinished that work. What is the good work of God? The good work of God is thework of salvation.  Thegood work of God is also the work of transformation and sanctification.In 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 we read: “Now may the God of peace Himselfsanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preservedblameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you,who also will do it.” Going back to Philippians 2:13, the apostle Paulwrites to the church at Philippi, “For it is God who works in you both towill and to do of His good pleasure.” This means everything in yourlife—your circumstances, your trials, your victories, your struggles—is a partof that “good work”. It is God Who is working in you and throughyou, even in the hard times. Sometimeswe think that God is only working when life is going well. But sometimes Goddoes His deepest work through times of difficulty. That is when we claim Romans8:28: “For we know that all things work together for good to those who loveGod.” God is shaping our character. He is strengthening our faith. He isteaching us to trust Him. My friend, there is nothing wasted in your life ifyou belong to Jesus Christ. It is all a part of the “good work”that God is doing in you today. And because of it, we can “be confident”! Asyou think about this “good work” that God is doing in you and for you today,I trust that you will be encouraged! Godbless and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day!

We are back in the book of Philippians, chapter 1. Aswe study through these verses, we are trusting that God will encourage you andhelp you learn how to have that joy that never goes away—that joy that Jesussaid, “I give unto you.” His very joy that we can enjoy every day. Butthere are some things we need to know and some things we need to practicebefore we can say Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christwhich strengthens me.” Often, I have heard people quote that verse, andthen when they face tough situations, they wonder why they can't do all thingsthrough Christ. “I am struggling. I am ready to quit.” And some of them dothrow in the towel. Why is that? It is because they do not practice Philippianschapters 1, 2, and 3. When you practice those three chapters, then you can alsosay with confidence, “My God shall supply all my needs according to Hisriches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Weare looking at some things we need to know and practice if we are going to havethat life of joy and complete what God has begun in our hearts and lives. Todaywe are looking at verse 6. Verse 6 is my life's verse. I heard Dr. JerryFalwell say, in my very first weeks at Liberty University—back then LynchburgBaptist College—that his life verse was Philippians 1:6. He used that verse,his life verse, whenever he signed his name in a Bible for someone. When he signedmy Bible for me, he wrote Philippians 1:6 under it. I thought, “Goodness, thatis good enough for him, that is good enough for me.” I am so glad I wasencouraged to take that verse as a life verse. For these past 55 years thisverse has given me encouragement to “keep on, keeping on”, despite mycircumstances or challenges that might be greatly discouraging me and making mewant to quit! Bythe way, my life chapter is 2 Corinthians 4, just in case you are wondering.You can read that, and maybe we will look at it one day. But today, Philippians1:6. Our thought is this: God finishes what He starts. This has to beone of the most encouraging verses in all of Scripture. Let us read it again: “Beingconfident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you willcomplete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” What a great promise. NowPaul has just talked, in verses 3, 4, and 5, about praying for them andremembering them with great joy. He spoke of their fellowship—their partnershipin the gospel—from the first day he met them until now. It was somethingcontinuous, something still ongoing. Then he says, “being confident”—nothoping, not wishing, but absolutely certain of this truth. And what is thattruth? That God always finishes what He starts. Oneof the verses I love to go back to in the Old Testament is Psalm 138:8. Itsays, “The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD,endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands”. God will perfectthat which concerns me. Now think about how this applies personally. When youtrusted Christ, God began a work in your life. It was not your idea—it was His.It was not your power—it was His grace. This is the good news. God does notabandon His work halfway through. We start projects and leave them unfinished.I am ashamed of how many times that has been true in my own life. We makecommitments, and sometimes we follow through—but sometimes we do not. But,my friend, God is not like us. The God who began a work in us will continuethat work. Even when you do not feel like you are growing, even when you arestruggling, even when you feel like you have taken five steps backward and arenot getting anywhere in your Christian life—God is still at work. You see, myfriend, your spiritual growth is not based on your perfection. It is based onGod's faithfulness. I once heard a great preacher this statement: “Don'tdespair. But if you do despair, work on in despair.” Why? Not because you feellike it, but because God is faithful, and He always will be faithful.

Letus look at Philippians 1:3–5. The reason we are looking at these versestogether is that they form one continuous sentence from verse 3 all the waythrough verse 7. Today, we are just going to read through verse 5. Paul writesin verse 3, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in everyprayer of mine making requests for you with joy.” Then in verse 5—and thisis what we are focusing on today—“for your fellowship in the gospel from thefirst day until now.” Paulis thanking God for these dear believers and for the joy he has experiencedwith them. He is remembering Lydia, the demon possessed girl and no doubt thePhilippian jailer and his family, and all those who also became followers ofChrist. (“from the first day till now”). Here, he is speaking of theirfellowship in the gospel. He is making requests concerning their fellowship inthe gospel in his prayers, and he is thanking God as he remembers theirfellowship in the gospel. Thisfellowship in the gospel is more than simply being together. Paul is in prisonin Rome, while these believers are in Philippi in northern Greece. Yet thePhilippian believers were not just spectators—they were participants in thework of the gospel, and that is very important. The word “fellowship,”koinonia, in the New Testament has to do with working together and sharing in acommon purpose. Someone has described it as “four fellows in the same ship.”When you are in that kind of fellowship, you are close—doing the same work,moving in the same direction, and serving the same purpose. Paulis thankful for their fellowship in the gospel. He may be thinking especially,as he later writes in Philippians chapter 4, of how they partnered with himthrough giving. They gave of their substance. They gave financially. They alsogave encouragement through Epaphroditus, who came from Philippi to visit Paulin prison. They supported him in the ministry. Even when he was in otherplaces, they sent gifts to encourage him and help him carry out the work Godhad called him to do. In this way, they were truly fellowshipping with him. Godhas called all of us into the fellowship of the gospel—the gospel of JesusChrist. If you want real joy in your life, you must be a participant in thatfellowship, joining with others who share the same purposes and goals. You wantto be part of a church where people do more than just gather, talk, or enjoytime together. You want to be among those who are committed to taking thegospel to the far reaches of the world. Jesus told His disciples, “Go intoall the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” We are to teachthem, baptize them, and disciple them to follow Jesus Christ so that they, inturn, can reach others. That is the fellowship of the gospel. Whenyou are working together with others—participating in evangelism, giving,sharing, encouraging one another, helping each other grow, and holding oneanother accountable—you are experiencing true fellowship. We fellowship in thegrace of God. We fellowship in worship as we gather together on Sundaymornings. We are united. We are participating together with other believers tofulfill what God has called us to do. That is what Paul is so thankful forhere. And we should be thankful and encourage one another in the same way. Letme ask you today: Are you just a believer in the gospel, or are you a partnerin it? Thankyou for your prayers over these next few days. We will be in touch, and we willsee you on Monday morning.  Godbless you, and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day.

Todaywe are continuing to look at Philippians 1:3- 4. In verse 3, Paul made thestatement, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.” Then hecontinues in verse 4, “always in every prayer of mine, making requests foryou all with joy.” The apostle Paul makes it very clear that he prayed forpeople, and he prayed with joy. This is a very important detail. Sometimes whenwe pray, we can feel heavy. We pray about burdens and struggles and needs. ButPaul's prayers for these believers were filled with joy. Whydid he pray that way? Because he knew that God was at work in their lives. Asyou read on through the book of Philippians, especially chapter 1, you see thathe remembered their faith, their growth, and their partnership in the gospel.These memories filled his prayers with joy. Noticesomething else that Paul said: he prayed for them always. Prayer was not anoccasional activity in Paul's life; it was a constant habit. Imagine what ourchurches and our fellowships of believers would be like if we all prayed foreach other like that—praying regularly, praying joyfully, praying in faith thatGod is working in their lives. Iam convinced that one of the greatest gifts you can give someone is to pray forthem. I thank God for all the financial support people have given me as apastor over the years, and for all the wonderful gifts and kind things theyhave done. But, my friend, the best thing I tell them is this: when you prayfor me, I feel it. I know I am being strengthened. My faith is growing. I amable to stand against the evil that comes into my life. Your prayers make adifference in my life. I thank you for those prayers more than anything else.That is what Paul gave to others. That is the greatest gift you can give toothers. Bythe way, remember: Jesus said, “Do unto others as you would have them dounto you.” Pray for them, because you need prayer yourself. When you prayfor others, God blesses you with people who will pray for you. You might not beable to solve all the problems of your friends and family, but you can bringtheir needs before God. When we pray, according to Scripture and our own experiencesin life, something happens. God strengthens them, and He softens hearts aswell. Today,we need to learn to follow the apostle Paul's example. I also want to remindyou that Jesus prays for us. He set the ultimate example. The New Testamenthighlights both Jesus' personal prayers on earth for His followers and Hiscontinued intercession for those who would believe. In John chapter 17, in Hishigh priestly prayer before the cross, Jesus said, “I pray for them.” Heis praying to His Father: “I am not praying for the world, but for those Youhave given Me, for they are Yours.” Jesus says, “I am praying for them.”In verse 20, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those whowill believe in Me through their message.” Iget so excited about that, because there Jesus was not just praying for thosedisciples—He was praying for me as well in that moment. The entire chapter ofJohn 17 is Jesus' extended prayer for His disciples and for all who would laterbelieve. In it, He asked the Father to protect them, to keep them unified, tosanctify them with truth, to fill them with joy, and to bring them to be withHim where He is. Read John 17, and you will see how Jesus prayed for you. Jesusalso had a specific prayer for Peter when Peter was facing a difficult momentconcerning Jesus going to the cross. He said to Peter, “Satan would sift youas wheat, but I have prayed for you, that you would turn again andstrengthen your brethren.”  InRomans 8:34, we are told that Jesus is at the right hand of God and is alsointerceding for us. In Hebrews 7:25, we read that Jesus “is able to savecompletely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives tomake intercession for them.”  

First,let me say to my Facebook and media friends, thank you. Thank you for yoursupport over these past five years as we have been in a state of retirementfrom more than 50 years as a senior pastor. I just wanted to give you a specialshout-out. You have been such a blessing and such an encouragement. Yourprayers and your support have helped me through difficult times and inspired meto keep on keeping on as we serve the Lord here in Sneads Ferry, NorthCarolina. Thankyou for your prayers during our times of illness, and even recently with thesciatic nerve pain that you helped pray us through. I wanted you to know that Ihave been so blessed, because of your prayers, that the pain has subsided. Butwe found out that the MRI definitely shows that I will need surgery. I met witha surgeon this past week, and we will be scheduling surgery probably the firstof May. It is noninvasive surgery—they will put me to sleep in a clinic andperform the procedure. It is in and out. Hopefully, that problem around L2/ L3,will be taken care of. At the same time, they did an MRI on my rightshoulder that has be very painful for several years, and we found out that thereare so many tears in the muscles there, they are talking about total reverse shoulderreplacement. We will be praying about having that done later on this year.  Iwas thinking back over the 50 years of being a senior pastor and the churcheswe had the privilege of pastoring. I thank God for the very first church in WinchesterVA, Shenandoah Valley Baptist Church, where I spent 15 years. The first twoyears was as an associate while we were still in school at Lynchburg BaptistCollege. I think of the many friends and the wonderful things the Lord didthere. I thank the Lord for my associates, Bob Quinn, Eric Farel, and RonCombs, who were always there beside me, and the deacons of the fellowship.There were difficult times, no doubt, but you prayed for me. You were therewith me. You stood with me in the tough times. Thank you. Upon everyremembrance of you, I thank God for you. Thenwe went to Holland, Michigan, for eight years at Calvary Baptist Church. Therewe had a very wonderful and exciting ministry with the church and the school.Again, I think of the deacons, the leadership of the church, and the friendshipsthat developed there. I think of how Rick Flowers came alongside us for six ofthose years—a young man who gave his heart to the Lord at Shenandoah, went intothe ministry, and is still a dear friend. So many people stood with us, besideus, encouraging us and helping us. I will not name all the names, but thankyou. Upon every remembrance of you, I thank God. Thenin 1996 we moved to Troutville, Virginia, to Rainbow Forest Baptist Church wherewe were for 25 years, from 1996 until 2021. My friend, how blessed we werethere. I often feel like I am the most blessed man in the world for thechurches we had the privilege of pastoring—the leadership of those churches,the deacons, the staff members who worked alongside us, encouraged us, prayedfor us, and helped us through the tough times. The very last church we had theprivilege of pastoring was Burgaw Friendly Community Church here in NorthCarolina, for two years. Wow—how greatly I was blessed to meet so manywonderful believers, to see people baptized, and to see lives changed. Theneven in my own neighborhood, meeting people who are encouraging me and blessingme. Ofcourse, I am so thankful for a wife and children who have stood with us, andbeen such a blessing and encouragement. Upon every remembrance of my family, myfriends, and all who have been a part of our ministry and our lives over thesepast 54 years as a Christian, I thank God for you. I have been so blessed. Ijust want to encourage you to take time to remember those who have blessed you. Uponevery remembrance of all of you, I thank God. I am so blessed. I just wanted to taketime to do that today. 

WhenPaul thought about the believers in Philippi, his heart was filled withgratitude. Think about that for a moment. How often do we think about peopleand immediately feel grateful and thankful? Too often, our thoughts go in theopposite direction. We remember disagreements, frustrations, disappointment,hurt, and pain—people stabbing us in the back, if we are not careful. But whenPaul remembered the church at Philippi, he remembered people with gratitude.Why? I am convinced it is because he looked at them through the lens of God'swork in their lives. Sooften, as we minister in the name of Jesus to people around us, the devil willattack us with the smallest things. We can literally conquer mountains, yetstumble over molehills. There is a tremendous temptation to dwell on the hurtsand the pains rather than on what God has done—even in the past. Asyou read about the people of Israel in Egypt, you'll remember that God, by Hismighty and awesome power, delivered them. He delivered them as they crossed theRed Sea, with the armies of Pharaoh destroyed behind them. But no sooner hadthey entered the wilderness than they lacked a few things they thought they hadto have. They did not believe. They did not trust God. They were not thankful.They forgot God and His mercies. Immediately, they began to complain and murmurand backbite, speaking against their leaders and saying, “Why did you do thisto us?”  Myfriend, if we are not careful, we will look at the world—and at people—throughour own lens of pain and hurt, rather than remembering how God has wonderfullyused people to help us, such as Moses and Aaron in the case of Israel. God usespeople in our lives, and we need to be thankful. Gratitude changes how we seepeople. Instead of focusing on flaws, we begin to notice God's grace at work. Insteadof remembering offenses, we remember blessings. Today, try something simple. Thinkabout someone in your life who has encouraged your faith. Maybe a pastor, afriend, a parent, or a believer who prayed for you. Now thank God for them. Ioften think back to February 21, 1971, when Dr. Harold Rawlings allowed me tocome to his house on a Sunday afternoon. He sat down with me and prayed withme, and I left his house that day a new creature in Christ Jesus. He is stillalive. I still send him notes from time to time. Romans1:21 should warn us of what happens when we are not thankful: “Because,although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, butbecame futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Theyprofessed themselves to be wise, and they became fools…”.  My friend, we must cultivate grateful hearts.Think about how God has used others in your life, and even how God has used youin the past—just like the Apostle Paul. Can you imagine who Paul was thinkingabout when he wrote: “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.”  Maybe Lydia, who was saved by theriverside. Possibly the Philippian jailer and the young girl who was deliveredfrom a demon. And the many others who believed, who became followers of JesusChrist. They formed a church that truly appreciated the Apostle Paul. They senthim supplies. They sent him money to support him along the way. And when Paulthought about them, he thought good thoughts. He had a grateful heart, and hethanked God. Weneed to remember that our joy is not determined by our circumstances. Joy growsin a heart that remembers God's goodness—especially through people. I want toencourage you today: keep your focus on God at work in the lives of others, andremember how God has used you in the past. You might feel like you are in adormant season. It might be sickness or illness, and you are sitting therewondering, “Oh, I miss those days when I could interact with people and talkwith them.” Paul was in prison, yet he thought of those people and wasgrateful. That is why he had a heart overflowing with joy.  

“Grace to you and peace from God ourFather and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul uses this same greeting in all 13of his epistles in some form or another, mentioning both God's grace and God'speace that we can experience when we come to know the Lord Jesus Christ. Itis interesting that all of Paul's epistles also end with at least the mentionof grace, because everything in the Christian life begins with God's grace andends with God's grace. We need God's grace. When Paul first mentions “grace toyou” in all his epistles, he is reminding us of what we read in Ephesians2:8–9: “For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not ofyourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.” Salvationcomes because of God's grace being given to us. We do not deserve God'sunmerited favor—His mercy—but He gives it to us when we humble ourselves andrecognize that we are sinners and cannot save ourselves. We are bound one dayto face a holy God in judgment. If we do not experience His grace andsalvation, we are in terrible trouble. Myfriend, the grace of God comes first in our life. But we must also understandthat we can only live the Christians life by the grace of God. I like what theapostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:10: “But by the grace of God, I amwhat I am. His grace toward me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantlythan they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” Paulattributes everything that he accomplished in his Christian life and ministryto the grace of God. And in 2 Corinthians 9:8, he reminds all of us, “God isable to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having allsufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” Myfriend, how we need the grace of God. But it only comes when we submitourselves to God. James 4:6–7 tells us that when we humble ourselves, God givesgrace to the humble, but He resists the proud. When we try to do things in ourown strength, in our own way, without taking time to make sure we are in aright relationship and fellowship with the Lord, we are going to struggle. Paulthen adds, “grace to you and peace.” Peace is one of the greatestblessings of salvation. Before we knew Christ, the Bible teaches that we wereenemies of God. But through Jesus Christ, we have been reconciled to God.Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace withGod through our Lord Jesus Christ.” I will never forget February 21, 1971,after I invited Christ to come into my heart—the peace of God and theforgiveness of sins that followed, and the assurance of knowing that I had aright standing before a holy God, filled my soul. There is no peace like thepeace that comes into our life when we are reconciled to God through His bloodon the cross (Colossians 1:20, 22). Myfriend, this peace is not only peace with God; it is the peace of God. It isthe peace of God that comes in the middle of our uncertainty. It is the peacethat quiets us in the midst of trouble. Grace and peace always come from Godour Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, this grace and peace arenot found in circumstances. They are not found in success. They are not foundin possessions. Grace and peace flow from a relationship with God through ourLord Jesus Christ. Whenwe receive His grace, His peace settles in our hearts. We must be careful notto reject or “fail” the grace of God that He gives us for every circumstance inlife (Hebrews 12:14-17). Grace is available to us every day. By the grace ofGod, Paul said, “I am what I am.” His grace is sufficient. His grace isavailable. God will give you today what you need if you will, by faith, humbleyourself before Him and trust Him. WhereHis grace flows, my friend, His peace always follows. That is why Paul beginsevery epistle with “grace to you and peace.” And where does it comefrom? It comes “from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”.

Welcometo Pastor's Chat today. I'm very excited about today's chat because we're goingto be talking about what I believe to be the real key to joy in the Christianlife—the true joy in life itself. I believe we find the clue in the very firstverse, where the apostle Paul, in his introduction to the letter he wrote tothe Philippians, said, “Paul and Timothy.” He is referring to bothhimself and his son in the faith, who were ministering there at Philippi whenthe church was founded. He says, “bondservants of Jesus Christ, toall the saints in Christ who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons.” Sothe very first word he mentions is bondservants—bondservants of JesusChrist. A slave to Jesus Christ. That is so important, because as you studythrough the Scripture, you find that every great leader was a servant leader.He did not put himself on a pedestal and say, “Look at me. God has made mespecial—more special than you—and you better listen to what I say or you're introuble.” Moses did have some conflict with people questioning his authority.But when God spoke about Moses, He would always say, “My servant Moses.” Youread this in Numbers 12:7–8 and other passages in the Pentateuch. Also,when God spoke of Abraham, the father of the Israelite nation—the father of ourfaith—we find in Genesis 26:24 that God referred to him as “My servantAbraham.” When God talked about Caleb in Numbers 14:24, He said, “Myservant Caleb.” When speaking of King David, God would refer to him as “Myservant David”. This is really important, because you find it mentioned somany times in the books of 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings and the Chronicles. David isreferred to by God in this way some 13 times in the historical books. Itis also interesting to note that the apostle Peter, when he was speaking of theLord Jesus Christ in prayer, called Him “Your holy servant Jesus.” Thatreminds me of what Jesus Himself said in Mark 10:44–45: “Whoever of youdesires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not cometo be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Jesussaid, “I didn't come to be served.” Remember, He is the Son of God. Heis God in the flesh. He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. He is theOne who sustains you and gives you the breath of life every second. Yet Hesays, “I didn't come to be served, but I came to serve and to give My life aransom.” TheBible tells us in the book of 1 Peter 2:21, that Jesus set an example for us, andthat we should follow in His steps. The great example He gives us is found evenhere in the book of Philippians, where the apostle Paul wrote in Philippianschapter 2:5-7, “Let this mind be in you which is also in Christ Jesus, who,being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, butmade Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming inthe likeness of men.” Jesusin some of His last words to His disciples in the Gospel of John, said, “Asthe Father has sent Me, even so I also send you” (John 20:21). God did notsend us to be big-shot preachers or big-shot people. He sent us to beservants—servants like His Son, Jesus Christ. “Let this mind be in you whichis also in Christ Jesus.” One of the major issues we have today is thatpeople think they're entitled. They believe they have a right to a certainsalary or a certain position because they worked for it. But I love what itsays about Jesus in 2 Corinthians 8:9: “Though He was rich, yet for yoursakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” Thatis the way we should live—a life focused on being a servant of Jesus Christ,and a servant to others, serving them. That is servant leadership, and itbrings tremendous joy into your life as you serve and have the mind of Christ. Itrust we will take these words to heart today and live as the Lord would haveus to live. Today,do you have the heart of a “servant leader”?

Today,we're beginning our journey through the book of Philippians. It's amazing thatthe Apostle Paul wrote one of the most joyful books in the Bible from a prisoncell, encouraging believers—through difficult and terrible circumstances in theworld at that time—to be joyful and to have a joyful mind. As a matter of fact,I believe we've already mentioned this, but some 19 times the word joy appearsin one form or another in this book.  I want toencourage you to take time to read through this entire book, thinking about howGod is encouraging us—even today, despite our circumstances—to have a joyfulmind. Noticehow this book begins: “Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, to allthe saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons.” Rightaway, the Apostle Paul says something very interesting. He does not say, “Paul,an apostle.” If you go through his thirteen epistles, you'll find that in mostof them he does refer to himself as an apostle of Christ, or called to be anapostle. But in the book of Philippians, as well as in 1 and 2 Thessaloniansand Philemon, he does not mention his apostleship. However,in all his letters, he emphasizes that he is a bondservant—a servant, aslave—of Jesus Christ. The word bondservant refers to someone who belongscompletely to another. When Paul says this, he is essentially saying, “My lifeis not my own anymore. I belong to Jesus Christ.” You don't have your ownagenda. You don't simply do what you want to do. Instead, your focus is on whatthe Master—your Lord—wants you to do. Myfriend, in this book we see that Jesus Christ is the owner of our lives when wefully yield ourselves to Him. We want to be where He is. That's why Jesus saidin John 12:26: “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am,there My servant will be also.” Why? Because we are there to do what Hewants us to do. We don't have our own agenda. WhenI began to understand that as a pastor—after about twenty years inministry—everything changed. I didn't have to prove anything. I didn't have tostrive to be a “big-time” pastor or try to win the whole world to Jesus Christon my own. All I had to do was be where my Master, Jesus Christ, is—follow Him,embrace His agenda, and do what He wants me to do. This truth is one of themost powerful realities at the heart of the Christian life. Salvation is notsimply believing something about Jesus—it is surrendering our lives to Him. Itis loving Him with all our heart, soul, and mind. Paulincludes Timothy here—Timothy, his spiritual son in the faith, whom he mentoredand loved deeply. We also notice that this letter was written “to all thesaints in Christ Jesus.” When Paul refers to “all the saints,” he is speakingof those who are in Christ Jesus. A saint is not someone who has lived aperfect life or someone recognized for extraordinary deeds. No, we are saintsbecause we have been set apart. The moment we trust Jesus Christ as our Lordand Savior, we are set apart—set apart to live for God, to live for His glory,and to proclaim His name to the world around us. Paulalso mentions the bishops and deacons, reminding us that the church is tofunction with spiritual order and servant leadership. And that's what we'll betalking about tomorrow—servant leadership—because Paul makes it clear that hehimself is a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. Solet me ask you: Are you seeing yourself that way? As someone who belongs toHim—His servant—doing what He wants you to do, going where He is, andfaithfully following Him? God bless you, andmay you have a wonderful, wonderful day.

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do,forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those thingswhich are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling ofGod in Christ Jesus.” Today,we conclude our introduction to the book of Philippians by looking at one ofthe most powerful statements that Paul makes in this letter. In Philippians3:13–14, he writes: “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended; butthis one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reachingforth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prizeof the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” These words reveal the focusand the passion of the Apostle Paul's life. I'dlike for us to take a few moments to remember what Paul was doing as Saulbefore his conversion. We first meet Saul back in Acts 7:58. He was standingthere when Stephen, the first martyr, was stoned to death. He held the clothesof those who cast the stones at Stephen. In Acts 8:1-3, in the opening verses,we find that Saul was making havoc of the church—persecuting Christians,dragging them from their homes, throwing them into prison, and even puttingthem to death. Then, in Acts 9, Saul meets the Lord Jesus Christ on the road toDamascus. When he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Jesus answered from heaven,“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” Saul was persecuting JesusChrist as he was imprisoning and killing believers. Later,when Paul gave his testimony in Acts 26:9-11 before King Agrippa, he said: “ThisI also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, havingreceived authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, Icast my vote against them. And I punished them often in every synagogue andcompelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, Ipersecuted them even to foreign cities.” Can you imagine that? He said hewas “exceedingly enraged” against them. He hated the followers of Jesus Christ.But then he met Jesus—and everything changed. Sowhen Paul says, “forgetting those things which are behind,” can youimagine the burden he carried after becoming a follower of Christ? He had toface families of those who had suffered because of him. He had to seekforgiveness from people whose loved ones he had persecuted. He must have carrieda tremendous weight from his past. But, my friend, Paul did not live in thepast. He did not dwell on past failures—or even past successes. Instead, hepressed forward toward the mark that God had set before him. Inthis same letter, Paul makes another well-known statement in Philippians 1:21: “Forto me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” This verse captures the veryheart of Paul's life. Living meant serving Christ. Dying meant being withChrist. Either way, Jesus Christ was everything to him. That is the centralmessage of the book of Philippians. Joy is found in Christ. Strength is foundin Christ. Purpose is found in Christ. Aswe begin our verse-by-verse study of this letter in the days ahead, we will seeagain and again how Paul points believers back to the Lord Jesus Christ. InPhilippians 3:10–11, he writes: “That I may know Him and the power of Hisresurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Hisdeath, if by any means I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Myfriend, the more we know Christ, the more our hearts are filled with joy. Themore we trust Christ, the more we experience peace. The more we follow Christ,the more our lives begin to reflect His love and His humility. Iam convinced that as we study through this book together, God will use it todeepen our faith, strengthen our walk, and fill our hearts with a joy that onlyJesus Christ can give. Maythe Lord bless you in the days ahead as we explore this wonderful and excitingbook together.

Aswe continue to look at the message in the book of Epistle to the Philippians, Iwant to talk about something that affects every believer. Even though God wantsus to live with joy, there are many things that can rob us of that joy if weare not careful. In John 10:10, Jesus reminds us: “The thief comes only tosteal, to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and thatthey may have it more abundantly.” If there is one thing the devil wants tosteal from you, it is the joy of your salvation. Paul addresses several ofthese “joy stealers” in the letter he wrote to the church at Philippi. Thefirst one we see is selfish ambition. In Philippians 2:3, Paul writes: “Letnothing be done through strife or vain glory.” When we become focused onour own recognition, our own success, and our own importance, our joy willquickly disappear. We begin to live selfish, self-centered lives, makingeverything about ourselves. We live in a very humanistic culturetoday—especially in America—that constantly emphasizes, “It's all about me.”That kind of thinking leads directly to selfish ambition. Anotherjoy stealer is complaining and arguing. Philippians 2:14 says: “Doall things without murmuring and disputings.” As you read through the Bookof Proverbs, you will find repeated warnings about this. A complaining spiritdrains joy from our hearts and spreads negativity to others. It only takes onebad apple in the basket to affect the rest. Negativity is contagious. You knowwhat happens when you get around people who are negative, cantankerous,disputing, backbiting, or talebearing. The Bible warns us often about this.When the talebearer is removed, the strife ceases—just like when coals areseparated, the fire goes out.Anotherjoy stealer is worldliness. In Philippians 3:18–19, Paul writes: “Formany walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, thatthey are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whosegod is their belly, whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthlythings.” When our hearts become focused on the world instead of on Christ,our joy begins to fade. Paul says something very similar in Colossians 3:1-2 “Ifthen you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, whereChrist is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, noton things on the earth.” Worldliness is simply living as though God is notpart of our lives. That is why we are told in 1 John 2:15–16: “Do not lovethe world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love ofthe Father is not in him.” Anotherjoy stealer is anxiety and fear. Philippians 4:6 says: “Be anxiousfor nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving,let your requests be made known to God.” Worry and fear can crowd out thepeace and joy that God wants us to experience. Worry is like a rockingchair—you can go back and forth all day long and it gives you something to do, butit does not get you anywhere. We must be careful not to let anxiety takecontrol of our hearts. Finally,Paul reminds us of the importance of guarding our thoughts. InPhilippians 4:8, we are told to think on things that are true, honest, just,pure, lovely, and of good report. If you are thinking about the things youshould be thinking about, you will not be thinking about the things you shouldnot be thinking about. If you are where you should be, you cannot be where youshould not be. When we fill our minds with the right things, our hearts arestrengthened and our joy increases. Today, if thedevil has stolen your joy please pray what David prayed in Psalm 51:10-12: “Createin me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me…. Restore tome the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.” 

Thefirst theme that stands out in this book, of course, is joy. This theme ofjoy is closely connected to our minds—what our minds are set upon. That'swhy, over the years as I've taught through this book, I've often used a verysimple outline based on the focus of the believer's mind in each chapter. Inchapter one, we see what it means to have the single mind. Thisis the mind that is set on Jesus Christ—always looking unto Jesus, the authorand finisher of our faith. It is also a mind that is focused on the gospel. Aswe go through this chapter, you will notice how many times Paul mentions JesusChrist and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul lived to share that gospel, andthat purpose brought great joy to his heart. Thenin chapter two, we see the submissive mind. This introduces us toanother great theme of the book—humility. Chapter two contains one of the mostbeautiful descriptions of the humility of Jesus Christ in all of Scripture.Though He was rich, yet He became poor. Though He sat on the throne with the Father,ruling over creation, He humbled Himself. He became a servant. He became a man.This is the incarnation of Christ. In this chapter we see the example of Jesusin His humility. We also see the example of Timothy in his humility, theexample of Epaphroditus in his humility, and even the example of the ApostlePaul himself. If we want to experience real joy, we must learn to have asubmissive mind. Thenin chapter three, we see the theme of the spiritual mind. HerePaul explains that although he could boast about many things according to theflesh, he has no confidence in the flesh. In fact, he says, “I have noconfidence in the flesh” (v. 3). Instead, he declares in 3:10, “That Imay know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of Hissufferings.” Paul's great desire was simply to know Christ more intimately. Thisbrings us back to something Jesus said about joy in Gospel of John 15:8. Jesussaid, “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you willbe My disciples.” I am convinced that great joy comes when we fulfill thepurpose for which God created us. That purpose is to glorify God. And weglorify God by bearing fruit as disciples of Jesus Christ. And according toJohn 15:1-8, the only way we can bear fruit is by abiding in Christ. Do you seehow all these things tie together? When we abide in Christ, wonderful thingsbegin to happen in our lives. Thenin John 16:22–24, Jesus said, “Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will seeyou again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.”Jesus knew the disciples would soon see Him crucified and experience deepsorrow. But He also knew that joy would follow. He continued, When you are fulfilling the purpose for whichGod created you, your joy will be full. Your joy will be complete. This is thespiritual mind—a mind set on knowing Christ and experiencing the power ofHis resurrection. Thenwe come to chapter four, which reveals the secure mind. Here Paulexplains that he has learned to be content in every circumstance and situationin life (4:11-13). He says that he has learned how to live whether he haslittle or much. Whether he has abundance or nothing at all, he has learned howto trust Christ. That is why he can say, “I can do all things through Christwho strengthens me.” And he also declares, “My God shall supply all yourneed according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (v. 19). This is thesecure mind—a mind resting in the provision and faithfulness of God. Sothese are some of the great themes we will discover throughout the book ofPhilippians: joy, humility, unity in Christ, sacrificial service, and a lifecentered on doing the will of God every day. And when we live that kind oflife, we discover the joy that only God can give.

Today we are asking the question: Why did Paul write this letter? First, it isvery obvious that Paul wrote this letter because the Holy Spirit of the livingGod inspired him to write it. God wanted this letter to become part of thecanon of Scripture—the Word of God that we have for us today.  God'splan was that this book—written to encourage believers during a difficult timein history—would also be a book that we would need today. It is part of theeternal Word of God. How about that? That is the number one reason Paul wrotethis book. Likemany of Paul's letters in the New Testament, Philippians was written to addresscertain needs and situations within the church. However, unlike some otherletters such as 1 Corinthians, there were very few serious problems in thiscongregation. Here are several reasons we find inthe letter itself for why Paul wrote it. First,Paul wanted to thank them for the generous gift they had sent to him. Philippians4:18 says: “But I have all and abound. I am full, having received fromEpaphroditus the things which were sent from you.” Epaphroditus had beensent from the church at Philippi to Rome to deliver this gift to the ApostlePaul while he was in prison. That gift helped meet Paul's needs while he wasunder house arrest there in Rome. Second,Paul wanted to update them about his circumstances. In Philippians 1:12 Paulwrites: “But I want you to know, brethren, that the things whichhappened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel”. Eventhough he was a prisoner—often chained between Roman guards—Paul explains thatthose very circumstances were helping the gospel spread. The guards werehearing the message of Jesus Christ, and other believers were becoming morebold as they saw what God was doing through Paul. So Paul writes to describehis situation and update them, because no doubt they loved him deeply andwanted to know how he was doing. Third,Paul was sending Epaphroditus back to them. In Philippians 2:25, Paul writes: “YetI considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellowworker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to myneed.” Paul goes on to explain that Epaphroditus had been very sick—almostto the point of death—and the believers in Philippi had heard about it and wereconcerned. Paul wanted them to know that he had recovered and was doing well.So Epaphroditus would carry this letter back to the church when he returned. Fourth,Paul wanted to encourage unity within the church. In Philippians 4:2, Paulwrites: “I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind inthe Lord.” Even though this church was strong and faithful, there had beensome disagreement between two women in the congregation—Euodia and Syntyche.Paul gently encourages them to be reconciled and to have the same mind in theLord. Of course, earlier in chapter 2 he had already pointed them to theultimate example—the mind of Jesus Christ. Finally,Paul wanted to warn the believers about false teachers and encourage them tocontinue growing in their faith. In Philippians 3:2 he writes: “Beware ofdogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation.” Paul is referringto those who were known as Judaizers—teachers who tried to insist that Gentilebelievers must also be circumcised and follow Jewish law in order to be trulysaved. Paul strongly warned against anyone who tried to add anything to salvationthrough Jesus Christ. He was very aware that after he planted churches, otherssometimes followed behind him spreading false doctrine and confusing newbelievers. Aswe study this book, we will discover that it is a letter filled withgratitude, encouragement, instruction, and love. It reveals the heart of Paul who deeply loved his people and wanted them to continue growing in thegrace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Today, the Lord wants you to also beencouraged and strengthened by these same eternal Words!

Today,as we continue to look at the introduction to the letter of Epistle to thePhilippians from the Apostle Paul while he was in prison, we discover somethingvery beautiful about the church at Philippi. Among all the churches that Paulhelped establish, the Philippian believers seemed to have a particularly closerelationship with him. There was a deep bond of love between Paul and thiscongregation. AsI think about what we're talking about today—the love this church had for theirpastor, the Apostle Paul, their founding pastor—it reminds me of something verypersonal in my own life. I've had the wonderful privilege of pastoring fourdifferent churches over the years. I can honestly say that every church made mefeel greatly loved. The congregations extended wonderful love to us on manyoccasions. Even after we had been gone from them for years, they continued toextend that love and grace to us. That's a wonderful, wonderful feeling andvery encouraging for a pastor.  In Philippians 1:3, Paul wrote, “Ithank my God upon every remembrance of you.” Can you imagine that? Everytime Paul thought about these believers, his heart was filled with gratitude toGod. Then he goes on to say in verse 5, “Always in every prayer of minemaking request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from thefirst day until now.” And then in verse 7 he says, “Because I have youin my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmationof the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.” Inother words, this church had been partners with Paul in the ministry of thegospel from the very beginning. Their love was not just expressed in words.When Paul speaks about them being “partakers with me of grace,” it seems veryclear that they demonstrated their care in practical ways—especially throughtheir financial support of his ministry. Now remember, the Apostle Paul oftenworked to support himself. In Acts 18:3, when he was in Corinth, he worked as atentmaker. It was there that he met Aquila and Priscilla, who were alsotentmakers, and the Bible says they were of the same trade, and they worked together. Butthe church at Philippi was especially faithful in helping support his ministry.In Philippians 4:15, Paul says something remarkable. He reminds them that whenhe first left Macedonia—the northern region of Greece—no other church sharedwith him financially except them. He wrote, “Now you Philippians know alsothat in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no churchshared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only.” Now this wasnot necessarily a wealthy church, but they gave generously to help Paulcontinue preaching the gospel. Evenwhile Paul was in prison, we read that a man named Epaphroditus brought aspecial gift to him from the church. In fact, part of the reason Paul wrotethis letter was to thank them for their generosity and kindness. But their giftrevealed something even deeper. It revealed their love for the apostle who hadfirst brought them the message of Jesus Christ. This reminds us that the gospelhas always been a partnership. Some people preach. Some go. Some send. Somesupport. But we should all pray and encourage one another. When God's peoplework together like that, the message of Christ spreads much farther than anyone person could take it alone. ThePhilippian church understood this principle very well. Their generosity andfaithfulness helped sustain Paul's ministry and encouraged him during one ofthe most difficult seasons of his life. That is why the book of Philippians isfilled with such warmth and affection. This is a grateful pastor writing to agenerous and faithful church—thanking them and encouraging them. Myfriend, I trust today that you will be part of a church like that yourself, andthat you will be generous in your giving and in your love for your pastor andthe leadership of your church.

There is someone somewhere waiting for someone to tell them aboutJesus. That is exactly what we see happening in Acts of the Apostleschapters 15 and 16. Herein Acts chapter 16, when the Apostle Paul arrives at Philippi with hiscompanions—Silas, Timothy and Luke—they begin looking for a place where peoplemight be praying. Remember we said earlier that there was probably no synagoguein the city. So they went outside the city to a river, where a group hadgathered to pray. There they met a woman named Lydia. Lydia was probably a successful businesswoman. Butmost importantly, Lydia was seeking God. The Bible tells us about her wonderfulconversion in Acts 16:14. It says, “Whose heart the Lord opened, that sheattended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.” She believed themessage of the gospel. She was baptized.Soonafterward, Paul and his companions encountered a young slave girl who waspossessed by a spirit of divination. She made a great deal of money for hermasters by fortune-telling. For several days she followed Paul and hiscompanions, shouting, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, whoproclaim to us the way of salvation.” (Acts 16:17). After many days, Paulbecame troubled by this and turned to her and said, in the name of JesusChrist, for the demon to come out of her. Immediately she was delivered and setfree from that demonic power. Itappears that she too may have become another convert who came to know JesusChrist. However, this stirred up the local authorities. Her masters were angrybecause they had lost their source of income. So they seized Paul and Silas,had them beaten, and threw them into prison. I have often wondered about what thelocal jail there in Philippi was like—and I have also wondered where Luke andTimothy were when Paul and Silas were thrown into prison! But God was notfinished working. Insteadof complaining or feeling sorry for themselves because of their unjusttreatment, Paul and Silas were praying and singing praises to God at midnight.The other prisoners were listening to them. And apparently the jailer also. Thensuddenly, God sent a great earthquake. The prison shook, the doors opened, andeveryone's chains were loosened. The jailer rushed in and, thinking theprisoners had escaped, was about to take his own life. But Paul cried out andstopped him, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” Thejailer then asked one of the most important questions anyone can ever ask: “Whatmust I do to be saved?” He must have been listening carefully as Paul hadbeen sharing the gospel. Paul then gave one of the clearest statements aboutsalvation in the entire New Testament. He said, “Believe on the LordJesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts16:31). Ohmy friend, what a wonderful question—and what a wonderful answer. So we seethat these three people helped form the early church at Philippi: a wealthybusinesswoman, a formerly demon-possessed slave girl, and a hardened Romanjailer. Three very different people—but the same gospel saved them all. Andhere is the point I want to emphasize. In Acts 15, while the church back inJerusalem was debating the question of circumcision with certain PharisaicalJudaizers who were trying to add something to salvation, there was a womansitting beside a river in a foreign country saying, in essence, “Please tell meabout Jesus.” My friend, I believe the same thing is true today. Thereis someone somewhere near you who is waiting for someone to tell them about thegospel of Jesus Christ. Their heart is ready. Their eyes are being opened. Theyare longing to hear the message that can release them from the power of sin andthe devil, set them free, and give them eternal life. That is the beauty of thegospel message. It reaches people from every culture, every background, andevery level of society.  Willyou be the “someone” who will tell “someone somewhere” about Jesus today?

“And a vision appearedto Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, "Come over toMacedonia and help us." (Acts 16:9) Todaywe want to talk about the vision that changed the world. As we look atone of the most fascinating moments in the book of Acts of the Apostles, wefind a moment that literally led to the founding of the church at Philippi andbrought the gospel to the continent of Europe. We see this story in Actschapter 16. TheApostle Paul was on his second missionary journey with Silas. There at Lystrahe met a young man named Timothy, who would join them for the rest of thisjourney. So the three of them were traveling through what we would call Turkeytoday, revisiting the cities where they had founded churches during their firstmissionary journey several years earlier.  Read Acts16:4-12 that describes what happened:  Itall began with a vision. But first it really began with the Holy Spiritforbidding Paul and his companions to preach the word in certain other placesin Asia. You can imagine how frustrating that might have been for Paul, becausehis plans were to preach the gospel in those areas. Yet God kept stopping him. Finallythey arrived at a place called Troas. They could not go any farther. They wereliterally at the edge of the land, with only the Aegean Sea in front of them. Butit was there at Troas that they met someone named Luke, a physician. Lukejoined their journey at that point. You can actually see it in the text. Up tothat point in Acts chapter 16, the narrative says “they.” But beginning inverse 10, it says, “Immediately we sought to go.” Luke had nowjoined the team. Of course, Luke is the writer of the Gospel of Luke and the Bookof Acts, which makes up one-fourth of the contents of the New Testament.Amazing!!!!! Allof this reminds us that sometimes God has different plans for us than the planswe have for ourselves.Acouple of my favorite verses in the book of Book of Proverbs speak to this verytruth. Proverbs 16:3 says:“Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.” Aswe make our plans, we commit what we are doing to the Lord, and He establishesour thoughts and directs our plans. Proverbs 16:9 says:“A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” Andanother verse I often think about is Proverbs 20:24: “A man's steps are ofthe Lord; how then can a man understand his own way?” NowPaul has clear direction because he sees a vision—a vision that would changethe world. God knows that sometimes we need that kind of clear direction. Hesays, “Don't go that way. Go this way.” And when Paul saw that vision, heimmediately set out to follow the direction God had given him. Have you everexperienced something like that in your life? A moment when God clearly spoketo your heart… when He led you, directed you, or placed you somewhere you neverwould have planned to go yourself? Sometimes God stops us. Sometimes He closesdoors. But when God closes a door, He opens another one. Thesignificance of this moment is truly amazing. Through this vision, the Gospelentered Europe. It began influencing cultures, shaping history, and eventuallyreaching countless people—including many of our own ancestors. We need toremember that God's guidance often surprises us. His plans are bigger and wiserthan our own. So today we should pray, “Oh God, we need You to direct oursteps.” Let's make sure we are listening to the voice of the Spirit. And, whoknows, we might pick up a Luke along the way. Whoknows what God might do when we obey the heavenly direction He gives us? Yes! Godwill direct our steps to the very people He wants to hear the Gospel. Godbless you, and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day.

Understanding the background of Philippi will help us appreciatethe message that Paul writes to this church in this letter. Philippiwas located in the region of Macedonia, which today would be in northernGreece. The city was set on a fertile plain near the Aegean Sea and waspositioned along one of the most important highways in the ancient world—thefamous Roman road called the Via Egnatia. This highway connected the easternpart of the Roman Empire to the western part, stretching all the way from theAegean Sea across to Rome itself. Because of its location on this major traderoute, Philippi became a very important commercial and military city. Originally,the town was known by another name. But in 356 B.C., a man named Philip II, thefather of Alexander the Great, conquered the city for Greece and renamed itPhilippi after himself. Later,when the Romans conquered the region, Philippi became an even more significantcity in Roman history. In 42 B.C., one of the most decisive battles in Romanhistory took place near the city. The armies of Mark Antony and Octaviandefeated the forces of Brutus and Cassius—the men who had been involved in theassassination of Julius Caesar. That battle helped bring an end to the RomanRepublic and paved the way for the Roman Empire. After that battle, many Romansoldiers were settled in Philippi, and the city was given the status of a Romancolony. Nowthis is very important to understand. A Roman colony was considered anextension of Rome itself. The citizens enjoyed many special privileges. Theywere Roman citizens, which meant they were exempt from certain taxes. Theyfollowed Roman laws and customs. Latin was the official language, Roman dresswas common, and Roman pride ran deep among the people. In many ways, Philippiwas a little piece of Rome located in Macedonia. Thisbackground helps us better understand something Paul wrote in Philippians 3:20:“For our conversation is in heaven…”. The word conversation thereactually means citizenship. Paul was reminding the believers in Philippithat although they were proud Roman citizens, their true citizenship was inheaven. They belonged to another kingdom. I'm proud to be an American. But myfriend, my real citizenship is in heaven. Anyone who trusts Jesus Christ astheir personal Lord and Savior has their true citizenship in heaven. Anotherinteresting thing about Philippi is that there does not appear to have been asynagogue in the city when Paul visited, as recorded in Acts of the Apostleschapter 16. If you remember, in most of the cities Paul visited he began hisministry by first going to the synagogue. As you read through the book of Acts,that pattern becomes very obvious. But he did not go to a synagogue inPhilippi. Why? Possibly because there was not one there. A synagogue requiredat least ten Jewish men in the community, and apparently there were not enoughJews in Philippi to meet that requirement. Instead,there was a small group of people who gathered outside the city by a river topray. And it was there that the gospel would first take root in this Romancity. From this unlikely beginning, God would plant the first church in Europe.This reminds us of something very important about the work of God: God oftenbegins great works in very small and unexpected ways. I could tell you manystories about how I have seen that happen in ministry over the past fiftyyears. A small prayer meeting…a few people gathered quietly…and yet God beginsto do something powerful. Thereby the riverside in Philippi sat a woman named Lydia, sitting bythe river, ready to hear the gospel. God's plan was unfolding. That littlegathering became the starting point for something that would eventually impactthe entire continent of Europe. From that small beginning came the church thatPaul would later write to with such love and affection in the book ofPhilippians.

Today,as we continue our introduction to the book of Epistle to the Philippians, Iwant us to think about the amazing circumstances in which this letter waswritten. When you look at the book of Philippians, you find that it is one ofthe most joyful books in the New Testament. In fact, it overflows withencouragement, gratitude, and rejoicing. Yet the Apostle Paul wrote this letterwhile he was a prisoner in Rome. In chapter 1 of Philippians, you will findthat at least four times he mentions the phrase “my chains”—in verse 7,verse 13, verse 14, and verse 16. Even in the opening chapter of this letter tothe church at Philippi, he keeps referring to “my chains.” Paul isreminding them that he is a prisoner in Rome. Tounderstand how remarkable that is, we need to remember a little about the lifeof the Apostle Paul. When you study his life, you go back to the book of Actsof the Apostles. In chapter 9 you find the story of his conversion. But evenbefore that, in chapter 7, you see Paul standing there when Stephen is beingmartyred. He was one of the instigators of the riot that led to Stephen beingstoned. Then in chapter 8 you find him actively persecuting the church. But inchapter 9 everything changes when he encounters Jesus Christ on the road toDamascus. Yet from that moment forward, his life became a life of hardship andsacrifice for the sake of the gospel. Soonafter his conversion, while still in Damascus, he began preaching the gospel.But when he preached, he made many people angry. In fact, there was a plot tokill him there in Damascus, and he had to be lowered down in a basket over thecity wall to escape. Later, in the city of Lystra during his first missionaryjourney in Acts 13, he was stoned by a mob and left for dead.InPhilippi, he and Silas were beaten and thrown into prison.InThessalonica, a riot broke out because of his preaching.InAthens, the philosophers mocked him.InCorinth, he was dragged before the Roman authorities.InEphesus, a massive riot broke out that threatened his life.Againand again, Paul faced opposition, persecution, danger, and suffering for thesake of Christ. Yethere he is, writing from prison to the church at Philippi. And in verse 12 hesays something remarkable:“ButI want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me haveactually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel.” In other words, Paulwas saying, “What has happened to me has actually helped the gospel spread.” Evenin his imprisonment he found opportunities to tell people about Jesus Christ.Roman guards were hearing the gospel. Other believers were becoming more boldin their witness. The message of Jesus Christ was advancing. Paulhad learned to see his circumstances through the lens of God's purposes. Insteadof asking, “Why is this happening to me?” Paul asked, “How can God use this forHis glory and for the spread of the gospel?” That perspective is what filledhis heart with joy. The book of Philippians reminds us that joy is notdetermined by our circumstances. Circumstances change constantly. Some days aregood, and some days are difficult. Some seasons of life bring blessings, whileothers bring great trials. So our joy cannot be based on changingcircumstances.Todaywe need to remember this simple truth: Real joy is not found in perfectcircumstances. Real joy is found in trusting a perfect Savior. And that is thekind of joy the book of Philippians will teach us about as we study it togetherover the next few weeks. Godbless you, and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day.

Ifelt led to go through this book with you because we live in a world todayfilled with chaos, confusion, and division. It is a world filled withtremendous hurt, pain, and suffering—filled with wars and rumors of wars. OnlyGod knows what's going to come next. But my friend, in the midst of all that,the believer in Jesus Christ is promised the joy of Jesus Christ. In Gospel ofJohn 15:11, Jesus Himself said this to His disciples: “These things I havespoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” Todaywe find that people are consumed with a passionate pursuit of happiness.Everywhere you turn there are self-help books, motivational speakers, podcasts,influencers, and advice columns that promise the secret to happiness. Peopleare constantly searching for something that will finally make them feelsatisfied. Many believe happiness can be found in a better job, a better house,a better relationship, or sometimes even a better church. But when those thingsfail to bring happiness, they simply move on to the next thing. Life becomes aconstant search for something that always seems just out of reach. Eventually,many people begin to feel the way Solomon felt when he wrote in the book of Ecclesiastesthousands of years ago. After literally trying almost everything imaginable tobring pleasure and happiness into one's life, he wrote: “Vanity of vanities.All is vanity and vexation of spirit.” In other words, it's all empty. Nomatter what you might gain in this world, if you do not have a relationshipwith God through Jesus Christ, it will still be empty. Jesusnot only promised joy—He prayed that His disciples would experience the veryjoy that He Himself experienced. In John 17:13 Jesus prayed: “But now I cometo You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joyfulfilled in themselves”. God wants us to experience that kind of joy. TheBible speaks about something far deeper and more lasting than happiness. Thisis what the Bible calls joy. Happiness is based on circumstances. When thingsgo well, we feel happy. But when things go poorly, that happiness quicklydisappears. Biblical joy is very different. Ilike what John wrote not only in the Gospel of John, but also in the epistle of1 John 1:3-4: “That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that youalso may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Fatherand with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joymay be full”. God wants us to experience that kind of fullness in life—adeep satisfaction that I am complete! I have found the true meaning of lifethat Jesus came to give us. In John 10:10 Jesus said: “The thief does notcome except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they mayhave life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”   Itseems to me that we are living in a time when, every time I turn around, I hearof someone else committing suicide—taking their own life. They come to a placeof hopelessness. No happiness. No joy. They begin to wonder if life is evenworth living. So they take what they think is the ultimate way out—suicide. Myfriend, that is not the answer. The answer is finding this joy in Jesus Christ. Philippianshas often been called the epistle of joy. In fact, the words joy and rejoiceappear about sixteen times in these four short chapters. The entire letter isfilled with encouragement, gratitude, hope, and rejoicing. So over the nextseveral days, we're going to begin with an introduction to the book. Then wewill start a verse-by-verse study through this letter over the next severalmonths. I pray that you will join me on this journey. My prayer is that youwill discover that deep joy in Jesus Christ—the kind of joy that only God cangive—as you begin to practice the truths we will learn together from the bookof Philippians. I'm looking forward to this journey with you. 

Remember, as we were studying the book of Ephesians, we talked about how firstwe need to know that we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places. We arein Christ. We are blessed with all the spiritual blessings of heaven right nowin Christ. Then we learned that we need to walk in purity—walk in love—walk ina way that identifies us as true followers of Christ. Third, we need to be ableto stand against the wiles of the devil. In three words: Sit, Walk, Stand. NowPaul concludes this book with this final word by saying to us today that “gracebe to those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen”. It'sfitting that the Apostle Paul ends this letter with the word grace, becausegrace is the foundation of the entire Christian life. In fact, if you remember,Paul began this letter the same way in Ephesians 1:2: “Grace to you andpeace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” As a matter of fact,if you read all of Paul's epistles, every one of them begins with this wordgrace, and every one ends with this word grace. ExperiencingGod's grace is very important. Grace is often defined as God's unmerited favortoward us. It's grace that saved us when we trusted in Christ. It's grace thatsustains us throughout life. And it's grace that one day will bring us safelyinto the presence of God in heaven. I've often said that, “Grace is God givingme everything I need to live the Christian life, which includes the desire, thewill, the power, and the ability to always do those things that please Him!  ButPaul adds a very important description here. He says, “This grace belongs tothose who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.” The word translatedsincerity carries the idea of something that is incorruptible—unfading. Itdescribes a love that is genuine, pure, and lasting. In other words, Paul isnot talking about a temporary emotional feeling. True love for Christ is fardeeper than that. It is a sincere devotion that remains steady throughout everyseason of life. Our love for Christ should not be sentimental or shallow. Ourlove should be rooted in truth, grounded in faith, and demonstrated inobedience. Rememberwhen the Lord was restoring Peter in John 21. He asked him three times, “Do youlove me?” And Peter replied, “You know that I love you.” The Lord responded tohim each time with three simple instructions: First Jesus said, “Feed mylambs.” Secondly, “Tend my sheep.” The third time He said, “Feedmy sheep.” He is not asking us to stand in a garden with a sword and fightthe enemies of Jesus. No, He is asking us to feed His lambs—to care for Hischildren—to make sure they are growing. He calls us to join Him in sharing Hislove and caring for the believers around us. Something very simple!!! When wesincerely love the Lord, Jesus said it this way in John 14:21 says, “He thatloves me will keep my commandments.” That's the proof. We obey Him. We joinHim in what He is doing. AsPaul closes the book, he intentionally uses the full title: our Lord JesusChrist. Each part of that name reminds us who He is. He is Lord—the one who hasthe final authority over our lives. He is Jesus—the Savior who rescued us fromour sins. He is Christ—the promised Messiah of God. Oh, my friend, when wetruly understand who Jesus is, our love for Him should grow stronger and deeperevery day. So, Paul ends this powerful letter by leaving us with our eyes fixedon Jesus. Yes, this grace is for those who love our Lord Jesus Christ withsincerity. TheChristian life really is all about a relationship with Jesus Christ—every daytaking time to spend time with Him in His Word, in prayer, in communion. Beingon mission with Him—feeding and loving His sheep, taking care of others, andsharing the good news with those who do not know Him. My friend, those who loveHim with a sincere, enduring heart will experience the grace of God throughoutthe entire journey of faith. And that grace will lead us all the way home. 

Todaywe come to Ephesians 6:23, where the Apostle Paul finishes this letter with abeautiful blessing: “Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from Godthe Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” First,Paul speaks about “peace to the brethren”. Earlier in the letter,remember in Ephesians 2:13-17, the Apostle Paul wrote about this: “But nowin Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the bloodof Christ. For He Himself is our peace... And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off andto those who were near.” Jesus Christ Himself is our peace. Remember,this peace comes in two ways as far as the believer is concerned. First, wehave “peace with God”. Romans 5:1 says: “Therefore being justified by faith,we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Also inEphesians 2:8-9 we read: “For by grace are you saved through faith, and thatnot of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man shouldboast.” We are justified. We are made right before a holy God. We have aright standing before Him. We are without guilt, without shame, and without theburden of sin when we stand before God. Why? Because we have peace with God byfaith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. Thenthere is another kind of peace. As believers we can experience the “peace ofGod”. Philippians 4:6 says: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything byprayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known toGod; and the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guardyour hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” This is the peace of God thatcomes when we commit and yield everything we are facing—our circumstances, oursituations, and our lives—to the Lord Jesus Christ. We give it over to Him. Thenin Philippians 4:9, Paul says: “And the God of peace will be with you.” Whenwe do the things Paul instructed the believers in Philippi to do—when wemeditate on the right things and live according to the truth—then we can havethe confidence and assurance that the God of peace is with us. Myfriend, peace comes first. After that, notice Paul mentions “love with faith”.Three powerful words: peace, love, and faith. Faith and love belongtogether. Love is the source, and faith is the strength that sustains theChristian life. Love reaches down from God to us. Faith reaches up from us toGod. Love provides everything we need. Faith takes hold of what God hasprovided. Throughout this book, the Apostle Paul repeatedly emphasizes thesetruths. We are saved by faith, and then we are called by faith to walk in love,just as Christ loved us. Noticealso something very important: these blessings come from God the Father and theLord Jesus Christ. Every spiritual blessing originates with God. Peace does notcome from circumstances. Love does not come from human effort alone. Faith isnot something we produce in our own strength. These gifts flow from ourrelationship with God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is thesource. Jesus is the source of every spiritual blessing. Itis remarkable that the Apostle Paul was writing these words while sitting in aRoman prison. From a worldly perspective, his circumstances looked verydiscouraging. Yet Paul spoke about peace, love, and faith. Why? Because hisconfidence and his joy were not rooted in his surroundings. They were rooted inthe unchanging character of God. Ohmy friend, that is the same way it should be for us today. No matter what weface in life, our peace, our love, and our faith come from the Lord Himself andfrom our daily relationship with Him. As we dive into His Word, as we take timeto meditate on who He is and what He is doing for us right now—“ever living tomake intercession for us”—we can experience that peace.  Godbless you, and may you have a wonderful, wonderful, peaceful day.

Manybelieve that Tychicus was the one who carried this letter, which we callEphesians, from Paul's prison in Rome to the believers in Ephesus. Paul waswriting while he was in chains, yet his concern was still for the believersthere. He knew that the Christians in Ephesus loved him deeply and were prayingfor him. But Paul also understood something very important about prayer: themore we know about a situation, the more intelligently and specifically we canpray. It is important that we learn to pray specifically. General prayersare certainly good, but it is even better when we can pray with clearunderstanding and specific requests. Thatis why Paul sent Tychicus. Paul did not want to keep his struggles or hiscircumstances hidden from the church. Instead, he wanted the believers to knowwhat God was doing, how their prayers were being answered, and how the gospelwas still advancing—even while he was in prison. This reminds us of somethingvery important about the Christian life. We are never meant to walk alone.The New Testament never pictures an isolated believer. Christians are describedas sheep who flock together, as members of a body who depend upon each other,and even as soldiers who stand together in the same battle. Pauldescribes Tychicus with two beautiful titles. First, he calls him “abeloved brother”. My friend, in Christ believers become part ofthe same spiritual family. Sometimes these spiritual bonds become even deeperthan the bonds we share with our natural families, because they are rooted inour shared love for the Lord Jesus Christ. If you read the Epistle of FirstJohn, you see this truth emphasized again and again. Second,Paul calls him “a faithful minister in the Lord”. The word“minister” here simply means servant. Tychicus was a man who devotedhimself to serving Christ and helping others. He assisted Paul, carriedimportant letters, and strengthened the churches. People like Tychicus areinvaluable to the work of God. They may not always stand in the spotlight, buttheir faithful service advances the kingdom of God. I can tell you that over my50-plus years of pastoring, the most faithful and valuable people in the churchare often not those in the limelight, but those behind the scenes who servequietly and faithfully without recognition. ThenPaul explains why he is sending him: “Whom I have sent to you for this verypurpose, that you may know our affairs, and that he may comfort your hearts.” Perhapsthe believers in Ephesus had been discouraged when they heard about Paul'simprisonment. But when Tychicus arrived, he would bring encouraging news abouthow God was still working. Even in chains, Paul was preaching the gospel,writing letters, and seeing lives changed. Thisis a great reminder for us today, especially in a world that often seems soconfused and filled with violence. God's work does not stop whencircumstances become difficult. In fact, sometimes God does His greatestwork in the hardest situations. Just like the believers in Ephesus, we arecalled to encourage one another. The Christian life is not a solo journey. Itis a shared walk of faith where we pray for each other, strengthen each other,and comfort one another. Thatis what we should take from these closing verses in Ephesians 6. I trust you willbe encouraged to pray specifically for believers around the world—especiallyfor the Christians in Iran, and also for those suffering in the persecutedchurch in many other parts of the world.  MayGod use us today to pray for one another and to encourage one another. Godbless you, and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day.

“And for me, that utterance may be given to me,that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,  for which I am an ambassador in chains;that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” As we look at thesetwo verses, Paul is now asking for prayer for himself. What's striking is whathe does not ask for. He does not ask for release from prison. He does not askfor comfort, healing, or even safety. Instead, he asks the church at Ephesus topray that God would grant him boldness to speak the gospel of Jesus Christ. Wemust remember that Ephesians is one of the four Prison Epistles. The others arePhilippians, Colossians, and Philemon. Paul is in prison in Rome when he writesthese letters. To be a prisoner in Rome was no small matter. It was not apleasant place. No doubt he was suffering greatly—experiencing hardship, pain,and difficulties we can scarcely imagine. Yet Paul does not say, “Oh, pray thatI get out.” He says, “Pray that I have boldness. Pray that I have the grace ofGod to be an ambassador for Jesus Christ.” Inanother Prison Epistle, Philippians 1:12–14, Paul writes: “But I want you to know,brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for thefurtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palaceguard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and most of thebrethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more boldto speak the word without fear.”  Paul issaying that his testimony in chains has encouraged others. The guards know heis imprisoned for Christ. Fellow believers have grown more confident. They arespeaking the Word without fear because they see his faithfulness. Afew years ago, Iread the book, “The Insanity of God” by Nik Ripken. In it, he recountsinterviews with persecuted believers in places like China and Russia. Thosesuffering saints did not ask him to pray for relief from persecution, torture,or hardship. They asked him, “Pray that we will be faithful.” On oneoccasion, they even said, “Persecution is good for us. It purifies the church.”We are called to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ wherever we are. Today,I am asking for special prayer for a dear friend of mine. Just this week, hewas forcibly taken from his refugee work in a war-torn country and placed onthe front lines of conflict. He is 55 years old—a precious friend, someone withwhom I have shared mission trips and many meaningful times of ministry. Thiswas not something he was prepared to face. Yet he is not asking for prayer forrelease. We have not heard from his family that he is saying, “Pray that I getout.” Instead, they are asking us to pray for grace and for wisdom. He wouldwant us to, like Paul, to pray for boldness—to be a faithful witness whereverhe finds himself right now. Please,I'm asking you to pray for him. I cannot share his name or more details at thistime, but please pray for my friend. He is in a special place of need, and heis asking for boldness to be a witness where he is. Of course, we can also praythat he will be brought home safely to his family who are here in America.Please do pray for him. Aswe reflect on these passages of Scripture, we are reminded that prayer producesboldness. I thank God for the prayers that have been offered for me as apastor, as a believer, and during mission trips. I can sense those prayers.They make a tremendous difference. Prayer overcomes distance. Prayer dispelsfear. Prayer strengthens boldness. Myfriend, we must also remember that our spiritual leaders are special targets ofSatan. That is why we must pray for our missionaries, pray for our pastors, andpray for spiritual leaders across America. May God grant them grace to befaithful to the Lord for all they must face. Maythe Lord bless you as you think on these things. And as Paul says—"prayfor me”. Godbless you, and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day.

We want to talkabout this very last phrase: “Supplication for all the saints”. So we are to bepraying always with watchfulness, with perseverance, and be praying orsupplicating for all the saints. I cannot say it enough times—we are to bepraying for others. AsPaul tells us to pray here, two Greek words are actually used for the words prayersand supplications. The word supplication is used twice in thisverse of Scripture. The word prayer is a Greek word that means generalprayer. So we have general prayers that we pray like the Lord's prayer inMatthew 6 that begins with: “Our Father”. Even as we pray OurFather, I notice that Jesus did not say to pray “My Father,” because ourFather speaks of corporate prayer. We pray together with the church, fellowbelievers. Together we are praying with others—Our Father. Also, we are prayingwith Jesus, “our Father”. The Father of Jesus is our Father. Our Father. Oh,that is the way we start our prayers—Our Father—and we go before Him thinkingof others and not just of ourselves. Pauldid not say, “Pray for me first.” Now, he does say that later, and here he doesnot say, “Pray for yourself.” He says pray for others and for all the saints.Remember what Samuel said in his parting words to Israel in 1 Samuel 12:23, “Farbe it from me that I should sin against the Lord and cease to pray for you.” Weare members of one body. If one member is weak, then  we need others in the church to strengthenthat one person with our prayers, to grow the body of Jesus Christ. Thegreatest and most important thing you can do for another believer is to prayfor them. My friend, many of us believers get self-centered in our prayers, andwe become weak because we are not praying for others as we should. Whodo you pray for? You pray for your spouse. You pray for your children. You prayfor your church. You pray for missionaries. You pray for your pastor. You prayfor persecuted believers who are suffering even now around the world. One ofthe aids I have found that really helps me in my daily prayers—and I have along list of people to pray for—is a little book called Pray for Me, byTony Souder. I have been using this as a prayer guide now for over ten years.It is Pray for Me, and it has 13 weeks of seven prayers in each week—topray specifically for people. Originally,this was used to encourage older adults to pray for the young people in ourchurch. But I found it is good to pray this for all my grown children, mygrandchildren, and now my great-grandchild—to pray for my wife as well. As I ampraying these prayers, I often read them out loud and pray them for thesespecific people by name daily. I find that I also pray for myself and say, “OhLord, I need this prayer. I trust somebody is praying this prayer for metoday.” Thiskeeps me from just saying the same old, same old prayer: “Father, bless mybrother, bless my sister, bless this person, bless that one, help this person.”We have specific needs and supplications. The word supplications is actually theGreek word for specific prayer. So he says, “supplications for all thesaints”. We pray specific prayers for all the saints that the Lord has broughtinto our lives. God help us to be doing that. You can be doing that. Youmight be saying, “I do not know what to pray.” Take time to look up and prayprayers like Colossians 1:9–12. Also prayers like Ephesians 1:16–22 and Ephesians3:14–21. Paul said that is what he was praying for the saints at these churches.You can pray those prayers, too. Read these prayers right out of the Bible for fellowbelievers, for your pastor and missionaries, for your family members, and whoeverthe Lord might bring to your mind while you are praying. Maythe Lord help us as we pray for others and fulfill this verse—"supplicationfor all the saints”.

What does it mean to be watchful in prayer? It means to stay awake and bealert. Remember the passage in 1 Peter 5:6–8: “Be sober, be vigilant; because youradversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he maydevour.” Tobe watchful is what Jesus was speaking about in the Garden of Gethsemane withHis disciples in Matthew 26:41. As He went a little farther to pray by Himself,He told Peter, James, and John, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not intotemptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Stayawake. Pray. Be alert as you pray. Jesus said it another way in Matthew 6:6,when He was teaching on prayer: “But you, when you pray, enter into yourcloset, and when you have shut the door, pray to thy Father which is in secret;and your Father which sees in secret shall reward you openly.” Whenwe pray, if we are not careful, there will be all kinds ofdistractions—thoughts racing through our minds, interruptions, and everythingelse in the world clamoring for attention. Someone once said that the deviltrembles when the weakest Christian gets on his knees. This is especially trueif the believer goes into the closet, the room to pray, and shuts the door.When you shut the door, you shut out distractions. You quiet those wanderingthoughts. You concentrate. You see yourself humbly bowing before a holy God,knowing you are needy and dependent upon His help. So,“Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed iswilling, but the flesh is weak.” Oh, my friend, you hear the messagepreached on Sunday. You read the Bible. Your spirit is willing to do what Godwants you to do. When you hear the message on Sunday and you are exhorted tolay aside the weights and the sins. You say, “By the grace of God, I am goingto be the best Christian I can be this week.” But then Monday morning comes.Your spirit is willing—to get up and get on your knees and pray, to standagainst the wiles of the devil, to resist the temptations that will surely comeyour way. But the flesh is weak, you roll over and wake up too late to spendtime with the Lord in prayer! That is why you watch and pray. That is why youstay alert to the attacks of Satan and the distractions he throws at you. Ihave said it many times—even here on this chat—that today we do not live in theday of weapons of mass destruction as much as we live in the day of weapons ofmass distractions. We can so easily be distracted by social media, our phones,our iPads, our computers, the news, and everything happening in thisinternet-connected world. That is why we must watch and pray. ThenPaul says, “with all perseverance.” This is just as important. In Luke11:5–13, when Jesus was teaching the disciples to pray, He gave them theillustration of a man who had a friend come to him at midnight needing bread.Having none, he went to his neighbor and knocked on the door, saying, “Friend,lend me three loaves.” The neighbor replied, “Do not trouble me. The door isnow shut, and my children are with me in bed.” But he kept knocking. He keptknocking until his friend got up and gave him some bread for his guest.  Thatis why Jesus went on to say in Luke 11:9-10, "So I say to you, ask, andit will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be openedto you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him whoknocks it will be opened.” You believe your Father will answer, and youkeep on knocking. That is perseverance. Prayer is not twisting God's arm. It isgetting God's will done on earth. If God gives you a sleepless night, turn itinto a prayer meeting. Peter was released from prison because the church prayedwithout ceasing (Acts 12:5).  Askyour heavenly Father to take care of the needs of those around you—your family,your friends, the people in your life. Most of us quit justbefore the answer comes. Today, let us make sure we are watching and prayingwith all perseverance. 

Jesus promised Hisdisciples in Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive power, after that the HolyGhost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me….” My friend,when the Holy Spirit is upon us—when He is guiding and leading us—then we willbe praying in the Spirit with the power and authority of heaven behind our prayers. RememberRomans 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are inChrist Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. In Romans 8:9-14, we read: “For if you live after the flesh, you shall die:but if you through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live….”,“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Inother words, Ephesians 5:18 tells us, “Be filled with the Spirit.” Onceyou have been born again, the Holy Spirit indwells you. As you yield yourselfto His control, He fills you and directs your life—your thoughts, yourattitudes, your desires. He imparts to you the very divine nature of God (2 Peter1:4). Whenyou are filled with the Spirit you will bear the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.Against such there is no law”.  Myfriend, when you are praying in the Spirit, you have a heart of love, a heartof grace, a heart of mercy, gentleness, kindness, and patience. You cannot prayin the Spirit if you are impatient with God and impatient with others. Youcannot pray in the Spirit if your heart is filled with hatred, bitterness, orunforgiveness. In that condition, the Holy Spirit will not lead you in yourprayers. Thenwe come to Romans 8:26–27: “Likewise the Spirit also helps in ourweaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but theSpirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot beuttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is,because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God”. Wehave the Holy Spirit to teach us to pray. Praying in the Spirit means prayingin dependence upon Him and in alignment with God's will. It means praying inharmony with Christ's name and His nature. It is the fruit of the Spiritflowing from our lives because we have yielded to Him. Prayingin the Spirit does not mean ecstatic speech or a loss of control, for 1Corinthians 14:32 says, “And the spirits of the prophets are subject to theprophets.” You can pray fervently in the flesh and accomplish nothing. Butyou can pray quietly in the Spirit, and heaven and earth are moved. That iswhat it means to pray in the Spirit. As we yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit,He directs our prayers. He gives guidance. He places in our hearts and mindsthe very things we should bring before the Lord in intercession. He fills uswith love for those around us. Youmay drive past an accident on the highway, and the Holy Spirit prompts you:Pray for those people that are injured. Pray for the first responders. Youdrive through a school zone and slow down and the Holy Spirit prompts you to prayfor the teachers and students. You are always ready to pray wherever you are,for whatever you might encounter as the Spirit prompts you! That is praying inthe Spirit. Itis so important to understand that any prayer that will have effect in heavenand move heaven and earth must be prayer offered in the Spirit. And remember,there is no condemnation. We pray with great confidence according to the mindand will of God when we are praying in the Spirit. The power of prayer isavailable to every believer who yields to the Holy Spirit. May God help us aswe all learn to pray in the Spirit. Godbless you, and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day.

Wehave already spoken about the soldier on his knees, breathing out prayers. Thespiritual breath of the believer is prayer. In contrast, the breath of thewicked person in Proverbs is lies. This does not mean that we are alwaystalking in prayer. Jesus even warned about vain repetitions in prayers in Matthew6:7. No, He is speaking of constantly having communion with the Lord—living inthe awareness of His presence. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.I believe the fear of the Lord is a constant, continual awareness of the Lord'spresence. It means you never have to say, “Lord, we come into Your presence,”because you are already in His presence. Topray always means that we take His hand in the light as we read His Word in themorning. We open our hearts in prayer, asking Him for grace, help, mercy, andstrength for the day. As we do that, we keep hold of His hand. I have told youbefore about a dear older lady in our church. She did not have the mostbeautiful voice, but she was a godly woman who could share the good news ofChrist in a powerful way through her songs. I will never forget what she saidone time: “If you take the hand of the Lord in the light, when it gets dark youdon't have to look for it.” That is continuing instant in prayer. That ispraying always. Topray always means that when you are tempted, you ask for help. I wouldencourage you to study James 1 very carefully, especially if you are dealingwith temptations and trials. If you do not know which way to go, if you needwisdom, then pray for wisdom. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask ofGod, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall begiven him” (James 1:5). God gives generously and does not hold back. Whenyou are blessed, you give thanks. You open your heart and acknowledge that “everygood gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Fatherof lights” (James 1:17). When you see evil, you pray for righteousness. Youflee from evil and pray that you will continue to walk in the righteousness ofJesus Christ. When you meet someone who is lost, you pray for their salvationand for wisdom to be a witness to them.Ithink about the disciples. They observed the Lord praying. They saw Himwithdraw to solitary places to pray. On one occasion they said, “Lord, teachus to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” That request is recorded inLuke 11. The Lord then began to teach them how to pray. My friend, I never readwhere the disciples said, “Lord, teach us how to preach. Teach us how towitness. Teach us how to heal. Teach us how to perform miracles. Teach us howto speak in tongues.” They never asked for those things. But they did say, “Lord,teach us to pray.” In essence, they were asking, “Teach us how to have thekind of constant awareness and communion with the Father that You have.” Thatshould be our prayer today: Lord, teach us to pray. Prayeris continual God-consciousness. In Acts 2:42, we read that the early church “continuedsteadfastly… in prayers.” David said in Psalm 55:17, “Evening, andmorning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.” Myfriend, we are always subject to attack. Therefore, we must always be inprayer.Jesustold His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Watch and pray.” Butthey slept. Jesus prayed. When the temptation came, Peter failed. But Jesusstood strong in the midst of the greatest temptation ever faced—on the cross. Myfriend, we too can stand strong when we continue instant in prayer. Jesussaid in Luke 18:1 that men “ought always to pray, and not to faint.”Either we are praying, or we are quitting. We are praying or we are fainting. Oh, my friend, prayer is the breath of the Christian—that constant awareness of the breath of God. So what is the frequency of prayer? Itis this: praying always—in every situation, every day, at all times—keepingyour mind set on Him and continually asking for His grace and

In1 Timothy 2:1 we read: “I exhort therefore, first of all, thatsupplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for allmen, for kings, and for all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet andpeaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptablein the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come tothe knowledge of the truth.” Then in verse 8 Paul goes on to write: “Idesire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, withoutwrath and doubting.” Today we want to talk about the variety ofprayer.  BeforeI do that, let me ask you to pray specifically for my family—Jonathan andHeidi—and my grandchildren. They are in Jordan. They contacted us early, rightafter this conflict began, and even showed us video of missiles going overheadand interceptors striking those missiles that were headed toward Israel. Theyare scheduled to come home tomorrow morning, Sunday morning, but that is nowuncertain. So please pray for Jonathan and his family, for their safety, andfor the safety of all Americans who are in that part of the Middle East. I wasable to Facetime with Jonathan and the grandchildren as they were on the roofof their apartment there in Amman Jordan for a few minutes early this morningour time. They said they would definitely appreciate all your prayers for theirfamily and all their associates and friends there in the Middle East! Weknow that as we pray, God answers prayer. Nothing is impossible with God. Hehas a divine purpose in everything that takes place. Our responsibility is topray. We stand in prayer. We stand in the gap. As you look at this passage ofScripture, notice the variety of prayer: “praying always with allprayer and supplication.” Also in Philippians 4:6 we read: “Be anxiousfor nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving,let your requests be made known to the Lord.” Prayerhas many forms. In these passages it is called prayer, supplication, andthanksgiving. Then in 1 Timothy 2:1, which we just read, it speaks ofsupplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks. We know thatprayer includes confession, petitions, intercession, thanksgiving, and praise. Sometimesbelievers only ask for things when they pray. But prayer is much more thanasking. When I was a brand-new Christian, I picked up a book by Dr. John R.Rice about prayer. The title was Prayer: Asking and Receiving.Certainly, prayer includes asking and receiving—but it is also thanksgiving. Itis also praise. It is also interceding for others. Jobprayed for his friends in Job 42:10. With friends like Job had, he did not needenemies—just read the book of Job. Yet when he prayed for his friends, theScripture says his captivity was turned. He was released. God was then able tobless him again in a wonderful and powerful way. Prayer may be public orprivate. It may be loud or silent. Often, as thoughts come to our minds, we canimmediately take them to the Lord. He knows our thoughts from afar, and we canturn those thoughts into prayer. Prayercan be planned or spontaneous. It might be while we are kneeling. It could bewhile we are standing, sitting, or walking. I practice prayer walking in myneighborhood regularly. It is a wonderful time to pray for my neighbors byname—those I have met—and to ask for God's grace, mercy, help, and salvation torest upon them if they need Christ. Myfriend, prayer comes in many varieties and many forms. But the main thing isthat we pray always with all prayer and supplications. May the Lord help us todo just that. And again, I ask you to pray for our family—Jonathan, Heidi, andthe children—in the Middle East, along with all of our friends who are in thatregion. God bless you today. Jesus is coming soon. Keep looking up and continuein prayer. Godbless you, and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day.

Welcometo Pastor's Chat. Today we're moving on to Ephesians 6:18–20. The Apostle Paulhas been talking about putting on the whole armor of God, that we might be ableto stand against the wiles of the devil—and having done all, to stand. But notonly does he want us to stand; he also wants us to bow our knees. In theseverses, Paul speaks about the Christian soldier on his knees.  AsPaul concludes the armor of God here in Ephesians 6, he does something verystriking. He does not add another piece of armor. Instead, he brings us toprayer. Someone once wrote, “Put on the Gospel armor—each piece put on withprayer.” That captures Paul's meaning perfectly. Prayer is not simply anotherweapon. Prayer is the very air that the Christian soldier breathes. It is theatmosphere in which we wear the armor and wield the sword. We cannot fight thisbattle in our own strength. No matter how gifted, trained, or experienced wemay be, we are no match for the enemy apart from God. Rememberin the Old Testament, in Exodus 17:8–16, when the people of Israel had aconflict with Amalek. When Amalek attacked Israel, Moses went up on themountain to pray while Joshua fought in the valley below. It took both. It tookthe intercession on the mountain and the sword in the valley to defeat theenemy. Prayer is the power for victory. Prayer is the exercise of faith. Prayeris putting the Word of God and the armor we have been given, into effect as wefight the battle and stand against the wiles of the evil one. Paulhas just told us in the previous verses to put on the belt of truth, thebreastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield offaith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. Now he says,“Praying always.” Ephesiansbegins by lifting us up into the heavenlies in Ephesians 1:3. It catalogs thebreathtaking blessings we have in Christ. We are chosen (1:4-5). We areredeemed and forgiven (1:7). We are sealed with the Holy Spirit (1:13-14). Weare made alive (2:5-6). We are given bold access to God (3:12). We are mademembers of Christ's body (2:19-22). We are equipped with spiritual gifts (4:7-12).We are given the fullness of the Spirit (5:18). We are armed for spiritualwarfare in the verses we have just been studying (6:10-17). After listing allthese riches, there is a danger for all of us—that of self-sufficiency. Paulbegins this letter with prayer in Ephesians 1:16-23, where he shares the prayerhe has made for them. Then in chapter 3:14, Paul records another prayer. Hesays, “For this reason I bow my knees,” and he shares what he prays forthe saints (vs. 15-21). He concludes that prayer with these words: “Now untoHim who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think”(Ephesians 3:20). Now Paul closes this letter by putting us on our knees! In1 Corinthians 10:12, Paul reminds us, “that we must take heed lest, when wethink we stand, we fall”. The way we keep standing—this amazing picture—isby being on our knees. Standing on our knees is a powerful thought. That is howwe stand against the wiles of the evil one. We continue praying always with allprayer and supplication. Wemust understand that God's armor is not mechanical, and it is not magical. Myfriend, the gifts of the Spirit and the armor of God are not effective at allwithout prayer.  Prayerkeeps us dependent upon God. When we bow our knees, it is a posture ofsubmission and surrender. It is a picture of humility before a holy God. Thatis what prayer does. Oh, my friend, let us learn to pray always as we fight thebattle against the evil one. Remember, prayer is the breath of the Christian soldier!Just, as you can't live physically without breathing, you can't standspiritually without bowing in prayer!  Godbless you, and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day.

In 2 Timothy 2:1, Paul toldhis son in the faith, Timothy, to “be strong in the grace that is in ChristJesus.” So I encourage you—be strong in grace. This grace comes throughhumility, through confession of sin, through recognizing every moment your needfor the Lord Jesus Christ and His blood to cleanse you, to help you, and togive you everything you need to be all that you should be for the glory of God.That is the grace of God—the unmerited favor of God. You do not deserve it, butyou come humbly, asking for it. And my friend, when you resist the devil, andhe will flee from you. ThenPaul goes on to say in verses 2-3, “The things that you have heard from meamong many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teachothers also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of JesusChrist.” Today, I want to encourage you to be a soldier who knows howto use the sword of the Spirit skillfully. You cannot use something skillfullyunless you practice with it. You must take time to read the Word, to study theWord, to memorize the Word, to apply the Word to your life, and to share itwith others. We also find that the Word of God helps us grow in the grace andknowledge of Jesus Christ. That growth happens as we remain in the Word of God. Anotherthing to remember is that the Word of God is what fuels reformation and revivalin our churches. Think of Martin Luther in the 1500s. It was the Word of God—“Thejust shall live by faith”—from the book of Romans that stirred his heart totake a stand against the heresies being taught by the church in his day. Ifthere is going to be reformation in the church, it will always come through theWord of God. The church has always been reformed and revived by God's Word—notby entertainment, not by cleverness, not by the trends of the day, but by Hisholy Word. It is always the Word of God, which brings transformation,reformation, and revival to our personal lives, our churches, our homes, andour nation! Sohow do we take up the sword? We take the helmet of salvation, and we take thesword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. You must pick it up. You mustchoose to use it. You must carry it. You do that by reading God's Worddaily—every day (Matthew 4:4). You study the Word carefully. As you read, youask questions: What does this mean? What is the context? What is God saying?How does this apply to my life today? Youmemorize the Word, as we have discussed. You speak the Word out loud in faith.We read in Mark 11:23-24, that whatever you say in faith, believing, you willreceive. That happens when you are praying the Word and the promises of Godback to Him. Oh, how important that is. Then you obey the Word. You are notlike a man building his life on sand; you are building on the foundation of theWord of God. Why? Because Jesus said the wise man is the one who hears Hiswords and does them (Matthew 7:24-27). Myfriend, let me give you a final of encouragement today from this passage inEphesians 6:10-17: You do not have to live a defeated life. You do not have tobe confused. You do not have to be tossed about by your feelings. God has givenus everything we need to stand—the whole armor of God. And as we conclude withthe offensive weapon, the sword of the Spirit, we are reminded again of itspower. Take it up. Open your Bible. Believe what God says. Use the Word tofight temptation. Use the Word to resist lies. Use the Word to encourage others.Use the Word to witness and tell others who Jesus is. Most of all, use the Wordof God in prayer. Spend time in prayer. We will see in the next verses theimportance of prayer connected to the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word ofGod. Myfriend, Satan cannot defeat you when you are standing armed in God's Word. Howwonderful that is—because he is dealing with a soldier who is equipped. So,take up the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit and by the grace that is givenyou in Christ Jesus.

Now we are not only holding up the shield of faith, but we arealso taking the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. We have alreadysaid many things about this but today is especially important as we talk aboutthe Word of God and prayer—the Word of God and prayer. Youcannot separate the Word of God from prayer. If you are praying as you should,you will be reading the Word of God as you should. You will be in the Word, andthe Word will be living in you. If you are not in the Word, you will not bepraying as you should. There is another very important truth: you must pray infaith. So we have faith, the Word, and prayer. These three are interdependentupon each other. You will not continue to do what you ought to do in any one ofthem without the others. Ilove what Mark 11:22–24 says: “So Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Havefaith in God. For assuredly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “Beremoved and be cast into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart, butbelieves that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that youreceive them, and you will have them.'” They go together. If you want powerin prayer, pray the Word. If you want boldness in prayer, pray the promises ofGod. Iwant to encourage you—if you have never read it before—you can find it onAmazon: Faith's Checkbook by Charles Haddon Spurgeon. It is available as adaily one-minute devotional book. I encourage you to get it. I used it foryears, and I continue to use it. It contains 365 promises that you “cash in.”It is like a checkbook—you take that promise, make it yours, and pray it backto God. When you pray the promises of God, it gives you boldness. God has mademany promises. Pray those promises. Ifyou want clarity in prayer, pray the Scriptures. One of the best books I stilluse every day—and I have given it to hundreds of people—is The Power of Prayer,a little one-minute devotional by E. M. Bounds. It is like a catalyst. It islike priming the pump. You read it, and you are motivated and encouraged topray. Justyesterday's February 24th reading was based on Romans 12:12: “Rejoicing inhope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer.” Prayer andGod's promises are interdependent. The promises inspire and energize prayer,but prayer isolates and locates the promise, giving it realization andapplication. I love this illustration: The promise is like blessed rain fallingin full showers, but prayer is like the pipes that direct the rain—focusingthese promises until they become direct and personal, until they bless,refresh, and fertilize.Prayertakes hold of the promise and guides it to its marvelous end. It removes theobstacles and makes a highway for the promise to reach its gloriousfulfillment. Thereis always a little prayer at the end: “Dear Lord God, thank You for Yourpromises. Thank You that our earnest prayers can put Your promises to bless andrefresh in action. I praise Your name. Amen.” SoI want to encourage you today and understand that when you pray God's Word backto Him, you are praying according to His will. Because 1 John 5:14 says: “Andthis is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything accordingto His will, He hears us.” Oh, the precious promises, the Word of God, andprayer—this is the sword of the Spirit. My friend, it energizes. It carriesprayers to the place where they are needed in the lives of people. Menlike Andrew Murray wrote books such as, “With Christ in the School of Prayer”.Get hold of those books. Read them—but more importantly, pray as you read them.Listen to what God is saying to you. Be encouraged today to take up the shieldof faith, to hold up the sword of the Spirit, and to pray always. Godbless you, and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day.