As we enter chapter 3 of Philippians we see Paul’s famous resume, but his resume isn’t shared to try to sell himself to others. Paul shares his resume to make a point that what he had made of himself was of no comparison to who he had become in Christ. In this section from Paul’s letter we see that joy and peace is rooted in what we’ve gained in Christ, not in what we’ve lost of ourselves.

Pastor Javin and Matt talk more about the first 2 chapters of Philippians and the first 4 weeks of our Philippians series. Their discussions dive deeper into connecting with people around our faith (sharing our faith and growing our faith), being burned by the church, burnout in the church, things that keep us from celebrating the spread of the gospel, and more.

Within Philippians 1 & 2 lies one of Paul’s famous lines - “for to me to live is Christ, to die is gain.” He goes on from that statement to describe what to live for Christ looks like and why even in the face of death he can rejoice. From this we can see that joy and peace is rooted in Christ’s righteousness not in the temporal, and they're expressed in faith not fear.

Paul continues his dialogue around the importance of unity in the body for the advancement of the gospel. He expresses a boldness and freedom in Christ that allows him to say “for me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Paul shows us that joy and peace is expressed in selflessness not selfishness.

As we continue along in the first chapter of Philippians we see how much Paul loves those he is partnered together with for the gospel of Jesus Christ. He expresses his gratitude for them and prays for them. Paul shows us that joy and peace is expressed in connection not isolation; where we learn to grow and go with united purpose for the gospel.

The church of Philippi got a unique start with a unique group of people, but Paul’s writing to the Philippians doesn’t just carry truth unique to the them, it still relates to God’s church today. In the first few sentences of Paul’s letter we see some of the byproducts of grace. The grace of Christ not only gives us salvation but it gives us new life in Him. Purpose, holiness, unity, peace and joy are some of the byproducts of Christ's grace.

Pastor Javin and Matt discuss the most recent series done here at Bethel on Paul's letters to the Thessalonians. They talk deeper about the importance of making things in our faith customs that we do, and Pastor Javin describes his "custom" in regards to studying God's word in his personal life and for sermons. They talk more about knowing God's word, trusting in and seeking more of the Holy Spirit, how Christ changed the meaning of death, being busy at work for the Kingdom personally and with the body of Christ, as well as salvation and how we should be relationally with those who may not be covered by Christ's grace.

Paul brings a strong conclusion to both of his letters to the Thessalonians. In these conclusions he’s showing how we are to live our faith out until Christ returns. We have a purpose in the present and that purpose is to live for the Kingdom of God.

Paul continues in his letters to the Thessalonians to encourage his listeners around the return of Christ. Christ will return. We don't know when but we know he will. Until then we stand on the truth of God, reflect the values of his Kingdom and invite others to know Christ.

Pastor Javin and Chuck dive deeper into his message that he spoke as our guest speaker. They discuss more about hearing from God, knowing when it's God directing us, self-control, Bible study tactics, tornadoes in Oklahoma among other things.

Paul begins to explain to the Thessalonians what death looks like when we are in Christ. When you look over the scope of much of Paul’s writings he reiterates these lessons. Paul wants his listeners to know that death is not something we have to fear as followers of Christ and grief does not rob us of hope.

This Sunday we had a special guest, Pastor Chuck Barrineau. Chuck is a friend of Pastor Javin's and he leads a church out in Sand Springs, Oklahoma. Chuck has been preaching since he was 15 years old and is married with 3 kids. In this message, Chuck spoke vulnerably about how God had to help him in recent years through something that is probably very relatable for many of us.

Paul told the church in Thessalonica that he was encouraged how they received the words they spoke as the word of God in the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us be a church, let us be followers of Christ, that live our lives standing firm in the truth of the word and living in the power of His Spirit.

Pastor Javin and Pastor Caleb dig a little more into the Family Values series to discuss primarily our individual family units. We discuss the importance of parents and guardians setting the tone in the home, of how we can focus on connection while still bringing correction, and how important being connected to a local body is because of how hard family life can be. They share will you what's difficult for them, talk a little about disciple, travel sports and whether or not we should force church on our kids. Pastor Caleb even shares some news that some of you may not know....

Being a part of the church is about being a part of a body, a community. This goes for our family as well. We need one another for encouragement and comfort. We need others to speak into our families life, pray for us and help us grow in the word. As the old saying goes - it takes a village.

in the first two chapters of 1 Thessalonians, Paul encourages followers of Christ to set an example for the Kingdom of God regardless of what we go through. We have a hope that’s rescued us and that’s worth living for.

In the first podcast episode for Beyond the Message, Pastor Javin talks with Kaleigh Cox, one of the authors of Five Mere Christians. This is the book we unpacked with Scripture in our Summer Reading Series. Pastor Javin and Kaleigh discuss more about the book hearing stories that weren't shared, people who may be in future versions and how God is working through Five Mere Christians. They also talked about topics that were brought up from the series: leaving time in your life and trusting God to fill it, living out the Justice of God, and not letting your feelings dictate your faith. There's even some fun nuggets about bed jets....

Life is not smooth sailing, and neither is being in a family. Even though life isn't easy, Christ promised us that we could have peace and take heart in him. Trust him and keep serving.

Our focus in the home and in our spiritual family needs to be on connecting hearts to Christ more than correcting outer behavior. Transformed hearts lead to outward transformation.

The goal of this series is to see the biblical principles that build a strong family and a Christ-Centered home. We realize that not every family looks the same, but our hope is that you’ll be encouraged and equipped no matter how your family looks. If you are in Christ, then you have not just a family by blood, you also have family by the blood of Christ. So we will apply these principles to our spiritual family as well. A Christ-centered home begins with Christ-centered focus and a Christ-centered foundation. The parents should take responsibility to lead the home to be Christ-centered and each individual must take responsibility for themselves.