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Work Your Salvation - 5th in Philippians Series

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Philippians 2:12-18 (NKJV): “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. Yes, and if I a being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me.” In this passage, Paul clearly outlines how salvation is a journey of faith. It is not a specific event that happens at a specific time. He explains salvation and faith, and how they are re
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Rejoice

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A little while ago, something my youth pastor said led me to a passage of scripture. Since then, I have not been able to get it off my mind. I find myself reading it over and over, feeling like there is something more to be uncovered. Therefore, I’m going to do a little digging through blog posts.   1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 (NKJV): Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast to what is good. Abstain form every form of evil. “ Rejoice always .” That’s what verse 1 6 says. There are no limitations placed on it. Simply, rejoice always. Often times, this is difficult to do. It means that when your child is sick, rejoice. When your parents are getting a divorce, rejoice. When you’re bound in addictions, rejoice. When you don’t know where your next meal is coming from, rejoice. In all situations, rejoice! This idea is f
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Jesus' Humility - 4th in Philippians Series

Philippians 2:5-11 (NKJV) [5] Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, [6] who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, [7] but made Himself of no reputation taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. [8] And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. [9] Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, [10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. The wonderful nature of Christ Jesus must be at the root of all we do. Paul was instructing the church at Philippi to live in unity. He interrupts this concern with the significance of Jesus – that He came in humility as both fully God and fully man. God coul
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Unity and Care - 3rd of Philippians Series

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Paul speaks of a great controversy in his spirit. He outlines the current struggles that he must endure. It seems that he has a full plate, yet he immediately follows these things with this concern: Philippians 2:1-4 (KJV) [1] Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, [2] fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. [3] Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. [4] Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. He shows concern for the behavior of the Body of Christ. Nowadays, people would fight back with “Matthew 7 says not to judge!!” Paul, however, cared about the believers’ eternity. He exemplifies that it is important to correct others in a Godly manner. This passage reveals the importance of livi
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Tough Times - 2nd of Philippians Series

**The purpose of this is to focus on Philippians. Topics may arise where I use my previous knowledge to elaborate without other Scriptural evidence. PLEASE search and pray for yourself about all things. Philippians 1:12-14 NASB [12] Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, [ 13] so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, [ 14]a nd that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. Many of us have gone through very difficult situations. Some might be from other people and other times they can be internal struggles. Paul most certainly experienced both ends of these times. Many people use bad times to blame others. They might get angry or stressed. Living for Christ gets very difficult in hard times especially when we're not 100% in du
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Concern of Others - 1st of Philippians Series

**The purpose of this is to focus on Philippians. Topics may arise where I use my previous knowledge to elaborate without other Scriptural evidence. PLEASE search and pray for yourself about all things. Philippians 1:1-11 [1]Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: [2]Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. [3]I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, [4]always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, [5]for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, [6]being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; [7]just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. [8]For God is my witness how greatly I
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Philippians Series Announcement

I hope to begin a blog post series on the book of Philippians. I haven't planned it out yet, but I want it to be a "go-with-the-Spirit" type of series. I'll try to post my first part today. Then, I'll see where else I'm led to. I might even talk through some of it on the Mixlr radio station.
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Atheism

An ordinary man lived a great life. He didn't really have a belief. He believed in science and didn't put an emphasis on anything. He provided for his family. They didn't have many problems in any aspect. They were genuinely good people. As a young boy, he could remember friends who believed in God and other things; however, he never pondered on such ideas. Throughout adulthood, he was never a wicked or evil man, though he was far from perfect - exactly like the majority of people. As he aged more and more he began to think that this world did indeed need a creator. Yet again, this thought or any other thought like it never actually took root in his mind. Before long, his full life ends in old age. On judgement day, he stands before God. Hmmm, what can I say? "God, I didn't really believe in You, but here You are. I was never even told about Your Truth - at least not when I was listening. Maybe at a young age I wouldn't have listened. But in my wise and old age
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Criminal or True Christian?

In today's society, being Christian means you're a goodie-goodie. You follow all the rules. At most people only find your beliefs annoying or stupid. But is this how God intended for us to live? To a degree - yes; Jesus says "Blessed are the peacemakers." However, Christianity doesn't always mean submitting to the powers of this world. All throughout scripture, God tries to keep His people holy and pure from the corruption of this world. This would then mean that His will is not for us to blend in with the world and its evil. In Acts 24, Paul is brought on trial before the governor. Paul is thought highly of by today's Christians. He was very influential and wrote much of the New Testament. In his time though, he was hated. (Jesus was also hated... there must be a connection here). So, it must make sense that if we lived like Paul, or more importantly like Jesus, we would also be hated. Acts 24:5-8 reads: "'We have found this man to be a troublema
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Opposition

Opposition always come at the worst times. Doing things for God can get very discouraging at times as a result of opposition. We may see it from internal sources, the world, the devil, etc. In Ezra 4:4-5, we read, "Then the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building, and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purposes..." The opponents brought troubles against the people of God. The Israelites had been rebuilding the House of God. As they make progress, the opposition comes. Discouragement from other peoples, as well as authoritative figures making them stop their construction. In this same way, different ungodly sources bring disappointment and opposition. We must look to God even more during these times. We need to rely on Him and reach to Him in order to overcome this. These things only need to bring you down when you're doing something great for God, when you are living in the potential God has given to y
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Idols

Idols are anything that is set before God. As western societies, there are little tangible stereotypical idols that are worshipped. However, there are things that are given more love and attention than God. He's the one who created us, forgave us, redeemed us, and provided for us. He deserves all the attention and glory. Many problems we face, especially sin, chains, and addictions, are not based on us trying to overcome. It's deeper than that. Breaking addictions and overcoming sin is often based on desires and the source of our spiritual "eating". God needs to be the source of our feasting and drinking. Our spirits will constantly hunger and thirst. If we allow ourselves not to be satisfied with God and His holiness and the things He offers, then we will naturally fill desires with sin and the world. When we fill our desires with God, sin no longer is satisfying. This allows God to have is true place in our life, and sin to be destroyed at its roots. In Jeremi
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Worrying and Prayer

The upcoming presedential election has been the main source of attention lately. It can get stressful and depressing for anyone. Many Christians begin to worry what's happening to the world, or what's happening to this country, etc. This worry and fear isn't Biblical. The only fear we need is the fear of the Lord (fear, or respect, for God). In Matthew, Jesus says, "Therefore, do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." (Matthew 6:31-34) This scripture shows us that we don't need to worry. Our focus should be on God and Spiriual things. Although it i
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Prayer and Change

Lately, I've heard messages and have been reminded of several things in a variety of different ways. A couple of those things would be prayer and change. Recently I've heard sermons on each of these. This, of course, could only be products of the new year. But I feel like God is bringing these to the front of my mind for a reason. As Christians, we believe in prayer - at least on paper, that is. In reality, very few of us truly spend intimate and intense time in prayer with our creator. In James, we read that we should pray, and that prayer is a powerful tool. What's the point of putting a tool in our "tool box of beliefs" if we don't use it? For me, prayer is a big part of my life, but I see that I need to improve as well. I plan to make a better effort to keep a prayer list and have prayer topics, as well as being consistent in my prayer life. I encourage all believers to pick up their cross and do whatever it takes to constantly be in contact with their c
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New Life is a ministry devoted to seeing people's lives transformed by the power of Christ. We want to use our blog along with our Mixlr station to reach the people of this world!!
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