Rejoicing and Growing Together
The growing church is a loving church that works to maintain unity. It grows as a disciple-making body that prays together and brings out the best in each other in Christ!
Text: Philippians 4.1-9
1. Live in Love
2. Live in Harmony
3. Live in Confidence by Prayer
1. REJOICE
What is even more striking is the addition of “always.” The command is always in season. It is always the right time to rejoice. This focus on always means the Philippians can have joy in something that is always true and does not depend upon pleasant circumstances (Paul is an obvious example: he is writing about joy while in prison facing possible death). The Philippians can always rejoice “in the Lord” because what they have in Christ cannot fade, spoil, or expire. No one can steal their joy, for no one can take away their victory in Christ.
2. BE GENTLE
3. Don’t worry about anything!
4. Pray about everything!
4. Live in Purity
- THINK WELL
Along with the discipline of refusal, there is the ancient God-given remedy of spending much time reading and meditating on the Scriptures. The greatest danger in our busy, increasingly post-literate world is that we make little or no effort to think God’s thoughts after him, to hide his word in our hearts so that we might not sin against him (cf. Psalm 119:11). We cannot be profoundly influenced by that which we do not know.