Perseverance
Philippians 3
Paul, in writing to the Philippians, teaches unity and humility. But in the third chapter, tension emerges in the letter as Paul points out various opponents that come against the church. Some of these opponents are other Christians, while some are non-Christians who emphasize following rules. Paul, as a good leader, gives readers a solution: perseverance. We, as followers of Christ, must pursue the maturity and selflessness that Jesus Himself showed. Paul gives a short autobiography - if it made sense to brag, then he could brag on his situation, accomplishments, and how well he followed the rules. But it does not make sense to brag because we all fall short of the perfection of Jesus.
That fact should not leave us downhearted, though. In verses 12-21, Paul expands on the idea of perseverance and the paradox of pursuing perfection. While Jesus is perfect and He is the standard, Paul tells us we can also imitate him and live according to his instruction. And here comes the comfort: remember we are united together for the sake of Jesus and it is, in humility, that we can strive together as Christians. Believers can use one another as springboards to leap forward in faith and continue growing, thereby preventing the falling away of those whose end is destruction.
Used by permission from NewSpring Church
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Upcoming Events
Men's Small Group - The men are going through the book The Resolution for Men by Stephen Kendrick. If you have any questions please contact Pastor Robinson at (724) 255-1695. Our next meeting will be this Friday at 7PM at Pastor's house and they will cover chapters 12 and 13.
September 2 - Carry-in Dinner following the AM Worship service
September 30 - Lord's Supper & Deacon's Fund Offering following AM Worship Service
October 28 - Stephen Philippi Missionary to Bangladesh will be our guest speaker
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Special Opportunity
We have been approached by an individual who wants to help our church to be proactive in being prepared for the future. Recently there was a chance to purchase the house behind the church, but we were not in any position to purchase it. They have since taken it off the market, but will most likely be putting it back on the market in a year or so. This anonymous person has offered to match up to $5000 each month (from May through December) that would be given to the parsonage fund over and above your regular offerings. This is a great opportunity to get prepared to purchase some needed property for parking since our church is landlocked. Please consider donating some money towards this fund so we can be better prepared for this possible opportunity. We have raised $7,185! Praise the Lord!!
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RE
There's the side of you everyone else sees, and then there's the real you. Tired of keeping up the facade? Join us for Masquerade.
Last Sunday:
We finished our series of RE by looking at REmain. We saw that to REmain we need to stay close to God. If we REmain in Christ we will bear spiritual fruit, and we will possess spiritual power. How do we REmain in Christ? By remaining in His Word, in Christian fellowship, by remaining consistent in prayer, remain amazed by God's creation, and we need to remain faithful in service.
Sunday's message is available on our website, just under the calendar, or you can listen by visiting us on iTunes. You can also listen to previous messages.
Next Week:
Lord willing, we will be talking about prayer over the next couple of weeks.
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