Don’t Stumble Over Something Behind You

Our history can be our own worst enemy. We let it determine our future. Because of failures in the past we see little hope for the future. We let our past shortcomings determine what we can accomplish in the present and in the future.

The key to life change, however, is forgetting, not remembering. A prime example of that is Joseph in the Old Testament. Consider the life of Joseph. If anyone was a candidate to dwell on the past, it was Joseph. Here is s man who was coddled by his father, pampered as the youngest, and ridiculed and ultimately rejected by his brothers. His eleven brothers stripped him, threw him into a pit, then hauled him out and sold him as a slave in Egypt. In Egypt, Joseph started out pretty good, but then was accused of something he didn’t do and was chained up in some rat-infested prison and completely forgotten for several years.

You would think that Joseph would have some issues and dwell on his past. He didn’t. In all of it, Joseph saw a sovereign God who was at work. He found a better way to deal with his past. He would forget the injustice, trust a wise and sovereign God, and move ahead with his life.

In Genesis 45:8, Joseph looked into the eyes of the brothers who did so much to hurt him and said, “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.”

There is no amount of regret, there is no amount of tears, there is no amount of wishing you could go back and do that part of your life again that will fix things. As Joseph proved, the only way to change things is to move forward. God says through the prophet Isaiah: “See, I am doing a new thing. Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:19)

The only way to move forward is to let go of the past. Remember Philippians 3:13-14: “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Why not ask God for the grace to forget your past? This digging-up-the-past thing is a worldly and unBiblical method for life transformation. True heart change is not about remembering, and it’s not about digging up things that may or may not have even happened. It’s about trusting a sovereign God. It’s about focusing in on my own need to change and saying with the apostle Paul, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal”

Is it important to deal with your past? Absolutely. God doesn’t want us to pretend. He wants us to face our past and to deal with it by focusing on forgiveness, and putting it behind us. God’s plan for your past is that you would honestly assess it and then displace it through forgiveness.

Discussion Questions:
1. Are there parts of my past that still plaque me? What do you need to “forget” so that you may focus on Christ today and tomorrow? How is my past keeping me from living in the present? What will I do this week to refocus pressing onto the future?
2. How can I balance the need to be spiritually content with the call to press forward and never be satisfied? How has God revealed to me the need to grow in various areas of my life? What area of my life is He currently working on? How am I responding?
3. Pray this week for God’s help on focusing on that which really matters? This week, how will my life be different?

Work in Progress

The definition of perfection is the condition, state, or quality of being free or as free as possible from all flaws or defects, the act of making something that can’t be improved. I think we would all like to obtain a level of perfection in something, whether in our work, or sports, in our attitude or in our relationships. The problem is we are flawed. And while we may be highly successful in one of those areas, we are not God, so perfection is an unattainable goal.

Another definition of perfection in the dictionary is “the act or process of perfecting.”

It doesn’t say perfect or a deadline to be perfect. It is a process. As Christians we should be striving to be perfect knowing we will never get there. But that’s not the point. What is more important is that we are making progress. It is easy to shy away from doing things rather than be average or even poor at doing them. What Paul is telling us in Philippians 3 is that we need to get out there and get started on furthering God’s kingdom even though we may will fall short occasionally on the way. Progress is the goal and progress can be slow incremental steps. When we try too hard to be perfect, to get it right, we usually get it wrong. We sometimes try too hard to get it right rather than simply trusting God to guide us along the way.

So just keep moving forward, baby steps or long strides. Keep improving and keep progressing. That is what God wants. God wants our best but he knows it is flawed. If you are ever going to become the person you know you can be, you must learn to accept the fact that failure will be an ever-present part of the process. But even failure often leads to progress.

The Holy Spirit also enables us to commit to the process of moving toward a destination. Running has taught me that when you focus on the progression, the great majority of the time you reach your destination. Many people love getting to the destination, but few do the hard work of progressing toward the end goal. And believe me there have been times when I have stumbled and bumbled my way a few blocks more than the last time. Still, it is progress.

So as you begin this new week, focus on progress and on the things you need to work on to get better. If you encounter setbacks and failures along the way, don’t be discouraged, but take comfort in knowing that what you are experiencing isn’t a bad sign, but simply part of the process.

Discussion questions:
1. Can we become perfect in this world? If it’s not possible, what was Paul shooting for?
2. How does Philippians 1:6, “that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” give you confidence to continue making progress?
3. Do you think making progress is better than not performing or even trying?
4. Philippians 3:14 says “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” How would your life look different if you pressed toward the call of God in Christ Jesus?
5. Set aside time this week to sit down with your Bible with no distractions. Evaluate your spiritual progress. Make/keep your plan simple. Track your progress. Keep your eyes on the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Idol Fascination

If I told the average person on the street that they serve “idols” they would conjure up images of ancient Rome or Babylon bowing before huge statues of gold, silver or bronze. But you don’t have to have a time machine to see idols in our everyday lives. They are present in our lives today. They might not be bad things, they could even be seen as good and noble things, but if they step between us and God they are idols.

For some people work may be our idol because it brings self-satisfaction, a reason for living. For some people family becomes the most important thing in life. For some it’s what they own. Homes are no longer a place to eat, sleep and get away for rest and reflection on one’s life. The have become statements about the value of one’s life. In some places they have become oversized, highly decorated monuments to the self. We all appreciate creature comforts but how much room does one actually need. And naturally we need a lot of stuff to fill the home. In some cases we have too much stuff. A whole industry has arisen around our need to store our stuff. Some people find their worth in their religion. Going to church and participating in some ministry or service to others, placing a high emphasis on good deeds makes their life seem successful.

A good job, a supportive family and network of friends, a nice place to live with all the trimmings, and a faith community, a church to belong to are all vitally important. I have them all and I thank God for blessing me with those things, but they cannot be what gives me purpose and define my life. As Paul said in Philippians 3, I must count them as loss because of what Jesus has done for me. My life must be defined by my relationship to Jesus. Everything that comes between me and Jesus is an idol to some degree and must be dealt with. Paul says we should seek the loss of all things to know Christ Jesus. I am not saying we all should go out and have some coordinated, giant Northstar garage sale to sell all of our stuff and and live like hermits. What I am saying is that these things cannot control our lives.

Paul said he learned to be content in all things because they come and go, except for one: Jesus and our relationship to Him is for all eternity.

Discussion questions:
1. Have you limited God to the way you like to think about Him?
2. What do you want more than anything else? Holiness? Godliness? Contentment?
3. What do you sacrifice the most to?
4. How can you fight for a life free from idols?
5. Pray for an idol-free life and an idol-free church.

The Perfect Resume?

Most of us have slaved over a resume at one time or another.  It is one sheet upon which you inform a potential employer about all your good qualities in an effort to distinguish your work and experience from the other hundreds of resumes. A resume is your way of introducing yourself, and giving that potential employer a chance to determine if they want to get to know you any better.

In Philippians 3, Paul presents us with his religious resume. And what a resume it was. Paul has bragging rights. If it’s ethnicity, family background, education, denominational affiliation, or accomplishments – I don’t care what criteria you wish to judge by – Paul has it in his resume. Paul has all the right stuff.

Yet, Paul looks over his religious resume – his bloodline, his knowledge of Hebrew, his learning, his commitment, his enthusiasm, his adherence to every jot and tittle of the law – and says that compared to life in Jesus Christ, all of those things, are rubbish. Rubbish? Really? It makes one wonder about my accomplishments and achievements reflected on my resume. Doesn’t it?

In Paul’s day, many people confused their religious resume with faith in God. Their resume was built on an individual’s accomplishments rather than on what God had done in, through, and for them. That is still true of us today. People ask us about our faith and we talk about affiliation and accomplishments. And no wonder.

We’re told to be productive, to make a name for ourselves, to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. We’re told to harness the power of positive thinking, to tap the secret deep inside ourselves, to be self-made people. We are self-made, on our own, and completely self-sufficient. The problem with focusing inward and cataloging my accomplishments is that, after awhile, I actually begin to believe my own hype, and I begin to think that I’m all that and more.

Then, Paul reminds us of where our priorities are. You think you’re something? You think your accomplishments are something to be proud of? You think it’s all about you? Turns out it’s all about having a relationship with Christ. It’s bigger than me. It’s about my values, and my attitudes, and my behaviors being shaped by Jesus Christ. It really has nothing to do with what people think of us, or if we’re keeping up the right religious appearances. At the end of the day, none of it matters. My accomplishments and affiliations are nothing more than rubbish.

I know that sounds so counter intuitive to what society tells us, but in reality this is good news. I don’t have to prove myself to anyone. I don’t have to be Mega Christian. I can be myself, someone with the same doubts and fears and shortcomings as anyone else in the room. I realize that everything does not rise and fall on my own personal accomplishments, because I am part of something greater than myself. I am part of Christ, I am connected to His body, and this is now the greatest and most important thing going on in my life.

So take the first steps or continued steps to sacrifice your ego on the altar of God. If you are one who has worked on being a self-made Christian by trying to beef up your religious resume, consider Paul’s message to press on even more diligently in winning the prize, which is a life with Jesus.

Questions:
1. What is Paul’s number one priority? What is our number one priority?
2. What does he consider rubbish in comparison to knowing Jesus?
3. Are there things you put in front of God? What would you be willing to give up in order to know Him better?
4. Who do you know that seems to put Jesus first? How can you tell?

Philippians Chapter 2 Recap

I hope you are enjoying our current teaching series, “The Pursuit of Joy” based on the book of Philippians. It is one of my favorite books in the Bible for several reasons. For one, there is a wonderful note of joy and thanksgiving that runs through this entire letter to the church of Philippi. Joy is somewhat of an unusual subject, since the book was written while Paul was a prisoner.

Chapter 2 of Philippians is full of rich truths. It is impossible to fully explore the depths of this chapter in a 30 minute sermon or in this blog post. I encourage you to read it every now and then. Philippians 2 encourages us to be like-minded and one in spirit, and to follow the example of Christ, who humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death.

Paul is suggesting that the Christian life is not a series of ups and downs. Rather, it is a process of “ins and outs.” God works in us, and we work out to further His kingdom. We cultivate the submissive mind by responding to what God wants to do in each of us. Before we move onto chapter 3 here are some general thoughts to reflect on in the days ahead.

First, each of us has tremendous untapped potential and God wants to help us fulfill that potential. When Paul says in verse 12 to “work out your salvation” he is not suggesting that you have to work for your salvation. Working out your salvation and our purpose in this life is to be more Christlike. Yes, there will be problems, but God will help us to work them out.

Second, Paul reminds us in Philippians 2 that God must work in us before He can work through us. God is more interested in you than what you are working on because if we are becoming more Christlike, our actions will also be more Christlike.

Third, joy comes from submission. The world’s philosophy is joy comes from getting what you want. You need to take on everybody that gets in your way and when you are the last man standing and you have won, then you find happiness. Jesus alone is proof that philosophy or course of action is wrong. He never used a sword or any other weapon. He defeated hatred by manifesting love; He overcame lies with truth. Because He surrendered He was victorious.

It takes faith to be a servant. We must believe God’s promises are true and they are going to work in our lives just as they worked in Paul’s life. The example comes from Christ, the energy comes from the Holy Spirit, and the result is—joy.

Discussion Questions:
1. In verse Paul says; “For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Why can he say this in all sincerity?
2. According to Paul, when do Christians “shine like stars” in the sky? How are you being a light in the world? How does our role in God’s Kingdom work? That is, how do we appear as “lights in the world”? (2.13-15)
3. What does it mean to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling?” Is this a salvation issue or an expression of salvation? Explain.
4, What actions can we take to work out our salvation through humility? The Christian life should be a sacrifice if we follow Christ. Does your faith cost anything? That is, what does it mean to live a life of sacrifice? Explain

Thermometer or Thermostat?

Confused? The title needs an explanation. I was reading a church blog when the following line jumped out at me: “The trouble with him is he’s a thermometer and not a thermostat!” The person being quoted explained that a thermometer doesn’t change anything around it—it just registers the temperature. It’s always going up and down. But a thermostat regulates the surroundings and changes them when they need to be changed.”

Well, it is safe to say that The Apostle Paul was a thermostat. Instead of changing with the spiritual hills and valleys, he went right on, steadily doing his work and serving Christ. And serving Christ meant serving others. “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus…(Philippians 1:1) “Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ…” (Titus 1:1)

If you want to be a thermostat, and not a thermometer, and if you want to eliminate pride, you have to love people and serve them. Serving is a core value of Northstar. Though our gifts differ, each one is needed and is multiplied when used for the common good. Some are called within the church family as teachers, and leaders, while others are uniquely gifted to reach out in missions beyond the church walls. This is not a formal process. People serve when they receive a gentle nudge from God.

Most people equate serving with church and Sundays. But in reality, serving is a 24/7/365 duty. There are many opportunities to serve God in both large and small ways outside the church and on other days than Sunday.  Serving is not always convenient and doesn’t always fit our own timetable. We are asked to serve even when our schedule is full. Even when we want to quit. Even when our heart is breaking.

And we don’t receive a pay check for our efforts either. We don’t see an immediate return for our service. The pay check—the appreciation—comes from Jesus Christ. We are serving Him. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:23-24).

Jesus said in Luke 22:27: “…But I am among you as one who serves.”

Jesus did not come to be served—but to serve. He served to the uttermost, just as He loved to the uttermost. Anything that needed to be done for another, He did as naturally and as simply as He breathed. He loved people, and was interested in them, and was ready always to be helpful to them. It never mattered what the service was, whether it was the saving of a soul, the curing of a seemingly incurable sickness, or the giving of a cup of water—He did the most humble with the same grace as greatest.

If being a thermostat is changing the environment, nobody changed the world as Jesus did when He walked this world or today 2,000 years later. And He changed the world by being a servant all the way to the cross.

Discussion questions:
1. What is Paul’s warning to us in Philippians 2:3-5?
2. Can you be a leader and a servant?
3. In what areas are you serving the Body of Christ? What drew you to serve in these areas? Describe the feelings you experience when serving in these areas? What motivates you to continue serving?
4. What must you do, beginning today, to acquire an authentic heart of a servant?
5. Following the example of the Savior, believers are to function as servants who seek to minister to one another in loving and selfless service. Are you, in submission to the Lord and to others, seeking to serve, or are you seeking to be served in the pursuit of your wants? Pray and seek God’s help on becoming a servant.

United We Stand

“It’s easy to get good players. Gettin’ em to play together, that’s the hard part.”—Casey Stengel.

Many people think you need a whole bunch of superstars to make a team effective. Not necessarily. We have all seen teams that have less talent, but succeeded because they worked together as a team.

In the New Testament, the name for teamwork is “unity.” Especially in the writings of the apostle Paul, love and unity are a key focus. 1 Corinthians 1:10 is one example: “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.”

Paul knew that the one issue that could devastate the church was dissension, and that the church’s greatest potential for power was found in unity. Philippians 2 is a great passage which instructs the Christian church on how to live in unity.

Paul starts chapter 2 with: “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion.” (Philippians 2:1). Then in verse 2 he talks about benefits of a church that is unified. “…then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.”

Paul doesn’t instruct the church to “agree on absolutely everything.” God wants unity, not uniformity. God made all of us unique. Because we are human and we are all individuals, we’re never going to agree on everything. But, we are called to be united in love, spirit, and purpose, sharing fundamental things in common.

Look at a successful marriage. What makes them successful is not that they have the same personality types, enjoy all the same hobbies, and have the same opinions on everything. But they make a successful team when they are united in what really counts: wanting the best for one another, supporting each other to become all that God calls each one to be, and working toward common values and goals, such as raising children who love the Lord. The same can be true of business or other relationships. And the church.

As a community of believers, we should want the best for each other. Yes, we may differ on the best approach when it comes to minor issues such as the number of services or when to expand and how, or whether we need to fill out the connection card each week. We may even have a different view of which Bible translation is the best. But we have fundamental truths in common. And the chief of those is that we love Jesus Christ and our passion is to know Him and to make Him known.

Discussion Questions:
1. In your opinion, what is the difference between “unity” and “uniformity?”
2. The key to Christian unity is getting our focus off of ourselves and onto others. We still contend with our differences, pride, sin, and conflicts with one another. So how do we come together in a common purpose?
3. Acts 4:32a says, “Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul…” What does that tell you about the results and benefits of unity?
4. How can you as an individual strengthen the unity at Northstar?

Meet The Killjoys

In Sunday’s message, I talked about three joy-killers: disunity, pride and selfishness. And I talked about the solutions to each.

The Northstar vision is to help the whole world find and follow Jesus. We need to agree on our mission, our purpose, our future and the path to that future. In fact, we as a body of believers need to agree on a whole lot of things. To do this, the church must be united. And, for a church to be united, Paul recognizes that humility must prevail. Without humility there can be no unity, and where there is no unity, there can be no successful advancement of the gospel by a local church.

But even though unity is necessary, and even though unity is possible, unity is not automatic. Christian churches do not drift towards unity on their own. On the one hand, unity is a gift of the Spirit, but on the other hand, unity requires that we work towards being humble. If working towards humility is the key to unity, what does humility look like? Paul’s answer: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” Philippians 2:3-4.

This is not a case of “be humble” because Paul says so, or, “be united” because Paul says so. The reason we strive for humility is because it is the way we accomplish unity. And the reason we strive for unity, is because it enables us to carry out our mission. We should have the same mind, the same love, the same spirit, and the same purpose which is help the whole world find and follow Jesus.

Jesus is our example of humility. His demonstration of that humility should be enough incentive for every Christian in the church to “do nothing from selfishness” and to “regard one another as more important than himself.”

On the subject of selfishness. Selfishness comes naturally to most of us and God’s standard of selflessness does not. Remember Philippians 2:3: “Do nothing out of selfishness or empty conceit…” I can’t help notice the word nothing. Do you notice how much of the responsibility of obeying this verse falls on us? All of it. We can’t use Philippians 1:6 as an excuse or rationalization for our selfish tendencies. That verse says, “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” So, if God wants me to be selfless He is going to have to do it. Unfortunately, it does not work that way. Part of the perfecting process God uses is our own obedience. We need to work on being more selfless every day.

Questions:
1. How important is it that a church be unified? What specific things can YOU do to encourage greater unity at Northstar? How about encouraging greater unity in your home, marriage, family, community, school, etc? What effect do you think gossip has on unity? How does it do damage? Based on this week’s message, what rights are you willing to give up?
2. Consider what Jesus gave up by humbling himself to bring eternal life to us. What thought from the Philippians passage is most precious to you? Why? Have you ever humbled yourself by giving up something that you deserved for the benefit of others? Ask God to begin to show you how you are puffed up in any area of your life right now. Pray for humility.
3. How would you describe the differences between being selfish and selfless as a member of the church? How do you apply selfless wisdom in response to the gospel? Read the following verses and ask God to make you more selfless than selfish? What do the following verses say to you: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.: (Matt. 23:12) “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.” (James 4:10) “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you” (I Peter 5:6)

The True Servant’s Heart

Every one of us knows at least one person who will do about anything possible for you. I have met many such people at Northstar. They are willing to change their plans and help you at the drop of a hat. I admire those people and wish to be like them.

But then I read Philippians 2:6 which says, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage.” I have read that verse many times, yet it still blows my mind. My reality, my perspective, my understanding, my awareness, my wisdom, and my discernment concerning God is too insufficient to process what the Son of God did for me. It never fails to remind me of Isaiah 55:8-9:“ For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Yes, there are people that will go out of their way to help me, but Jesus was God, yet He came down to earth as a servant, humbling himself as a human. Now add verses 7 and 8 in Philippians 2 “…rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! ”

How do you get your arms around that one phrase, “He made himself nothing?”

He was born in a trough for feeding animals. He was born in the likeness of men. The first day of His earthly life, He had enemies. He submitted Himself to parents, themselves by nature sinners against Him. Since He voluntarily submitted to His own Law, He obeyed His parents, “for this is right.” He was trained in a common laborer’s trade.

He had one purpose on His mind, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28)  And these “many” were His enemies, haters of God and an insult to His righteousness and holiness.

He was baptized by a sinful man, John. He endured temptation and near starvation in the desert. He made Himself available to any needy individual and spent three years helping others, morning, noon, and night, when fresh, when tired, even washing people’s feet like a slave and having no place to lay His head, all the while setting His face like a flint toward the Cross.

And then there is Judas. Even though Jesus knew that Judas was going to betray him, he still washed his feet. Can you imagine? I have a hard time being nice to someone who cuts me off in traffic, let alone someone who set me up to be killed.

The bottom line is this. We all should be blown away when we think about the sacrifice that Jesus paid for all of us on the cross and the ultimate servant He was on earth. It makes me want to be more like Him.  My prayer for Northstar is that we will be motivated to be more sacrificial and servant-like. That God would cultivate a heart in us that everyone we meet would characterize as a servant’s heart. Not just so that we can be seen as a servant, but so that people can see the awesome sacrifice of making Himself nothing to save unworthy sinners from their sin.

Questions:
1. How do you react to the phrase, “He made Himself nothing?”
2. Why did Christ take on the limitations of being human even though He was of the same nature as God? (2:7)
3. How is Christ the best example of humility and unselfishness for us? (2:6-8)
4. How does Christ’s example of humility challenge our natural self-centeredness?
5. Pray and ask God for the heart of a servant. What actions could you take this week to have the heart of a servant?

Philippians, Paul And Your Pastor

Philippians is about Christ in our life, Christ as our goal, Christ as our strength, and joy through suffering. It was written during Paul’s imprisonment in Rome, about thirty years after Christ’s ascension.

You may be wondering why I chose Philippians to be one of the two teaching series where we use a more expository method to work our way through the book. Since my first reading of Philippians, now many years ago, I have always loved this particular letter. When I read it I sense Paul’s joy, and now, as your pastor – his joy and love for the church is something I aspire to emulate.

This letter talks about things that are close to me, not the least of which is the gospel itself. It also reflects something that is near and dear to me, the love of the local church. The Philippians Christians were not perfect, but they did serve a perfect God. Paul loved them, gave praise for them, but wanted more for them.

In chapter one of Philippians, we see that Paul’s obstacles in ministry did not diminish his love for the church. In chapter 1, verses 3-6, we see that Paul continued to have the church in his thoughts. In verses 7-8, we see that Paul continued to have the church in his heart. In verses 9-11, we see that Paul continued to have the church in his prayers.

Philippians teaches me that even in our bleakest days of ministry, we must never lose our love for the local church. Paul didn’t. Even chained to Roman soldiers while sitting in a dungeon, his love for the church was still clear, Paul, who is suffering in prison, pleads with the Philippians: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (verse 6). Paul is also an optimist. Paul is convinced in God’s ability to work powerfully and effectively within individual people, and within the church. And he is convinced that God’s work will be accomplished.

Bill Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago says. “when the love of God flows through us to others in our church family, masks come off, conversations get deep, hearts get vulnerable, lives are shared, accountability is invited and tenderness grows. In a church where this kind of love abounds, people become like brothers and sisters. They gather to share from their hearts on the deepest levels. They walk compassionately with each other through life’s problems and pain. Churches where members tap into this source of love are happy, joyful places.”

That is the church we strive for at Northstar and another reason I chose Philippians as the book for this series. Working hard to be the kind of church where we can find Jesus and then experience abundant, joyful life.

Today, we are a pretty good church, maybe not always and in every circumstance, but certainly on most days. That is a reflection of God’s grace and the faithful commitment of our members and regular attenders. And as I was preparing this series, I too was “thanking my God in all my remembrance of you.” And like Paul, I want more for all of us as we serve Him faithfully here.

My prayer matches what Paul said in Philippians 1:10 (MSG) “that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover’s life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.”

Questions:
1. How do you define love for the church?
2. Who is God calling you to love?
3. How well do you keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities to demonstrate love to people you meet at work, at church, or in your neighborhood?
4. Is joy a necessary component of loving the church?
5. Pray for the church that God will continue to bless our ministries. Pray for the church leadership. And pray that God will show you where you can serve in the church.