As we continue our series on the book of Philippians, we find Paul writing from his prison cell rejoicing in the opportunities presented to him by his stay in prison. Out of the difficulties, he sees a major opportunity. As Christians we all face hardships - this is an inevitable part of life and we have a choice to make. Do we, like Paul, look for the opportunities presented to us or choose to focus on the difficulties?
Jesus talked regularly about money and possessions. Paul talked about them too yet we can sometimes be embarrassed. In our final talk on Philippians, Raj shows us how rejoicing in God will affect the whole of our lives, including our wallets and our stuff.
Even from prison, the apostle Paul could say that he was 'pressing on' in life and all that Christ had taken hold of him for. Soroush helps us to see from this passage that there is a glorious future for us and we can rejoice in it.
The Bible teacher John Stott once said, 'pride is the greatest enemy and humility our greatest friend'. In this outstanding and challenging passage from the letter to the Philippians, Paul tells the church that they can look to the example of Jesus in order to know what true humility looks like in the Christian life.
It's passages like this that remind us that the New Testament was written by real people in very real-world situations. In the Christian life, friendship is neither an optional extra nor a waste of time. Here we see three friends on a mission together, serving others and knowing Jesus more.