Philippians

Dear Brothers and Sisters The apostle Paul writes to the church in Corinth and in the opening verses of the letter addresses them in this way as “those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours” (1 Cor 1:2). This is a beautiful sentiment, and most likely something we intuitively understand, that full salvation is God’s precious gift to anyone through faith in Christ. But as we read on in the letter we may well start to scratch our heads and wonder what Paul was getting at in those opening verses. Best estimates suggest the Corinthian church may have numbered around 40 people gathering together. And as we read the letter to the Corinthians we see that quite a lot is going on between those 40 people, and not in great ways. There seem to be lots of arguments in the church and divisions; there are factions taking sides and arguing against each other around leadership; there are those who think faith is anaemic without some extra knowledge or insight; there is a man sleeping with his mother in law; there are people visiting prostitutes; there are lawsuits in the church between members; there are arguments over food; there is exclusion based on social status; there are people claiming to have more of the Spirit than others; there are those saying their gifts and talents make them better than others; there are those doubting Jesus rose from the dead and questioning whether we too will rise; there is confusion over idol worship. There was a lot going on in a reasonably small group of people! And Paul begins the letter by reminding them that they are called to be saints with anyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus. All churches go through difficult times, it is the response that is important. When we face hard times we can remind ourselves that all will be ok. God hasn’t failed and will bring about his purposes. Where we are refined it allows us to refocus on Jesus and the unity we have in Him. We’ve been looking at Philippians at church, and in Philippians Paul seems so thankful for the church, being so positive about their faithfulness, and constantly giving thanks for them in his prayers. And yet, as we come to chapter 4 this week, we see that everything is not always rosy, even in the wonderful Philippian church. There is conflict within the church, and Paul exhorts them to seek the peace that is found in Jesus. Then Paul follows up with some wonderful positive outlooks and practices for life. This Sunday Nigel looks forward to exploring this with you as he has wrestled with these verses. Isn’t it interesting that God has these verses for us at this time? A preaching roster set months ago, and yet God knows our need. Come along Sunday and be shaped by his word. In Christ's love, Craig Olliffe. Senior Pastor