Destination Church Spokane Podcast

Like people everywhere, we can get caught up worrying about our pedigree, status or qualifications. We may try to justify ourselves through all kinds of endeavors or consider ourselves righteous based on the good we've done. In Philippians 3 Paul points out that if anyone could be considered righteous through their works it would be him - what a bold statement! -, but that even he falls far short of Jesus' righteousness. Our righteousness comes only through Jesus; it is from Him and Him alone. We cannot depend on our own goodness to justify us but instead we can joyfully depend on the goodness and righteousness of Christ.

Even strong church communities will face challenges to their faith, so are there safeguards we can build into our faith to help us stand firm? Paul brings this up at the beginning of Philippians 3, and we address three safeguards in the first three verses. The first is joy, a hallmark of the Christian faith. The second safeguard is being aware of legalism and its hallmarks that are so contrary to the freedom we have in Christ Jesus. The third is an awareness of who we actually are in Christ, finding our justification in Him rather than in 'the flesh.' These three safeguards work together to help us remain confident in Christ Himself, living out the Good News.

The New Testament talks a lot about churches, and the way Paul describes the church is wonderfully compelling. A healthy church is becoming more and more a diverse family joined together in apostolic partnership, giving themselves to the Lord. "Church" is not just a cold organization, but is made up of real people, people like Timothy and Epaphroditus. As a sent people, the church is commissioned to spread the news of Christ to all peoples of the world, including right where we live.

God's heart for the Church is not that we would just stay in one place. The God who created us also created us for mission. He wants us to be built up as sons and daughters in a family and then sent out, carrying the clear mission of Christ. It takes faith to be sent, and it means learning to make our home in Christ, trusting Him. It will be costly, and it will mean getting out of our comfort zones. This is true, whether we are called to the nations 'out there' or called to the nations right here in our own city or town. 

How can we identify genuine prophetic ministry in the church today? Are there hallmarks in Scripture to help us evaluate this? Absolutely. Rather than leaving the church fearful and uncertain, New Testament prophetic ministry expresses the love of Christ for His people, moves us forward in faith, and builds up the whole church, encouraging, and restoring hope. Do we need prophecy in the church today? Yes, we do. Sam Poe reminds us of this essential and life-giving role of prophecy in the local church today.

No matter who you are, no matter where you are, God wants to build a sure foundation into your life. What kind of foundation is this? Whatever other distinctives we have, there are four key things that every local church is meant to build well: the foundation of grace, of family, of life in the Holy Spirit, and of mission.

Are we called to mature in Christ? Absolutely. Are we called to do it in our own strength and ability? No. God Himself is at work in us both to will and to work in us, helping us to outwork His purpose in the earth. We are a people who shine like stars, and God is committed to helping us shine brightly and effectively. Together, we can rejoice in the ways He is maturing each of us; we can celebrate one another's sacrifice, service, and faith exploits. All of life, even our hardship, is an opportunity to shine.

Who is this Jesus that we worship? Is He so full of His own reputation that He's hard to be around? Is He always focused only on His own advancement? Paul's description of the attitude of Jesus reflects something different altogether. Embracing humility, even unto death. And not just any death, but death on a cross. Because Jesus was secure in the Father, He didn't need to grasp for authority, and neither do we. We don't have to compete with one another, and that wouldn't reflect Jesus at all. We can have the same humble attitude that Jesus did, serving our Father and one another with complete trust that the Father will take excellent care of us. And then one day, we will ultimately join with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ together, across the globe and across generations, bowing our knees and exalting Jesus. His name is the name above every other name!

After Jesus rises from the dead, He reveals himself to many of His disciples. For whatever reason, Thomas is not present for these first encounters, and for a full week he is hearing the claims of Jesus' resurrection, but does not believe. Thankfully, Jesus includes skeptics like Thomas! He invites Thomas to look and to touch and to believe. Jesus is still helping and influencing our faith today, coming to us and revealing Himself in various ways. He often reveals himself through His Spirit working through others. He also reveals Himself through the Holy Spirit-inspired story of Scripture. Just as Jesus came intentionally to help a disciple like Thomas to believe,  He also knows just how to reveal Himself to us.

In Philippians 2 Paul makes the statement, "If there is any encouragement in Christ, consolation of love, fellowship with the Spirit, or affection and mercy then make my joy complete by being like minded, having the same love, being one in Spirit and one mind." The great thing about this is these things are true! In Christ we really do have everything we need, and this frees us to focus on others rather than ourselves.

Who are we? Are we living out of our true identity as citizens of heaven? Embracing that identity together helps us to reflect Christ and His kingdom as we take on the challenges of life. Together we can courageously stand firm in one spirit, united in the gospel, and contending for the good news of Jesus Christ. In Him, our lives become a far-reaching testimony to those around us through both faith and suffering. Our stories will strengthen the faith of others in the same way that the stories of Jesus, Paul, and others strengthen us.

The news of Christ truly is the best news in the world! It's something to get excited about. The gospel frees us and leads our hearts towards honoring Christ, into fruitful living, and stirs eagerness to know Him more. From this flows more eagerness to move forward together in Christ, trusting our good and sovereign God. There is so much to be joyful about in Him!

Difficult things happen: in Genesis we see Joseph being sold into slavery, and in Philippians Paul is writing as a prisoner for the gospel. In God's great plan, their hard circumstances served great purpose in furthering His salvation plan. Paul says in his letter, "I want you to know..." He wants us to know that the gospel is being advanced, and that we are partners in His great purpose. The more we understand this, the more we can rejoice and celebrate what God is going to accomplish.

Partnership is a beautiful thing! The partnership between Paul and the church in Philippi was a healthy one. Good partnership looks like generous care that fuels praise and thanksgiving. Genuine partnership in the Gospel will also fuel joy and devotion, and we'll find ourselves taking joy in one another as Jesus takes joy in His people. Finally, the growing love for one another that we find in healthy partnership fuels grace-filled fruitfulness in our lives. How can we cultivate this partnership? It begins with learning to give thanks.

Paul and Timothy are both apostolic men, but how does Paul address the church in Philippi? As a servant of Christ. The Philippians too will find their primary identity in Christ. All their other characteristics and titles in the world would flavor their distinct expressions of humanity, but Christ is the foundation. As the people of God, first and foremost, our identity is in Christ, rooted in the grace and peace of God. Together then, we can become one holy people, free to serve Jesus and one another.

In Acts 16 we find Paul trying to travel to the region of Bithynia but the Spirit of Jesus tells him no. Paul listens to the Spirit and is led instead to the Macedonian city of Philippi, where what we know as the Philippian church is founded. There he meets a woman named Lydia, and God opens her heart to the gospel. She is baptized and becomes an avenue of great blessing and hospitality to the church that begins meeting in her home. If we listen to God, He may change our plans, but His place and timing is perfect, and His work in us will be completed by Him. When God says yes, nothing can stop that! He wins.

In the final Chapter of Nehemiah,  we find that though the people of Jerusalem may live in a different era and culture than us today, in some ways they're really not all that different from us. They can engage in a holy moment with God and then return to their old ways once the moment has passed. The too are tempted to neglect God and His ways. Just as the people of Jerusalem we too need a savior. The good news is that we have one! Jesus has done the work, "It is finished," and we are redeemed through Him, our greater Nehemiah. The culture Nehemiah worked so hard to establish, only Jesus is truly able to do, changing not just our outward culture and behaviors, but our hearts.

In Nehemiah 12 we find God's people planning a celebration together ofwhat God has accomplished. They are also creating a strategic community of worship on purpose. Intentionality in thanking and praising God included consecration that would set them up well for celebration. The extravagant, joyful, all-inclusive worship event was exciting - and took a lot of coordination - but this would be more than a one-time event. They were setting up a pattern of worship that could continue. While the event amplified their sound across the region, the stewardship they were planning would help shift the culture, not just make a lot of noise.  The joy they found would become fuel for their stewardship, and our gratefulness in the gospel will fuel a culture of worship and stewardship in our day as well.

In Nehemiah 11 the leaders of God's people choose to stay in Jerusalem not because it was a nice city with clean neighborhoods or great amenities. It actually wasn't. They stayed because they believed in what God was building there, and their choice to stay was a choice to build. The rest of the people of God came together for a key shift that also needed to happen. A literal tithe of the people, 10 %, were chosen to relocate to the city, and others above and beyond that volunteered. Everyone had a role to play in building the Holy City. As the people of God today, there is a challenge for us to take up the call to partner in what God is building. It's not just leaders with official titles, not only a select few, but all of us. Let's take our place in building and becoming the City of God, the radiant church of Jesus Christ.

Building a culture that honors God and His Word takes time, but it's not an unrealistic, mysterious, or illusive dream. There are tangible shifts we can make in our lives, both individually and together as God's people, that help us align our real-life, day-to-day culture with God's word, character, and way of building.  In Nehemiah 10, we see three specific shifts we are called to make as a people of faith:  Giving faith precedence over our feelings, over our schedules and calendars, and over our finances. The declaration of God's people together, "We will not neglect the house of our God," is rightly heard as a challenge to us today, a call to renew our commitment to God's presence, God's people, and God's work through us.