Life At The Ridge

Are you content? Right now are you content with the situation and where you are in life? Contentment defined according to Gods Word means to be "self-sufficient". Does your life need outside means to make you content? Paul says in Philippians 4:10-19 that he has "learned to be content" How did he learn this? What is the secret to contentment? How can we practice this secret in our lives?

The command to rejoice always should be obeyed and lived out regardless of our circumstances. We have already discussed how we act reveals what we have been thinking about, and in order for us to have peace and joy and be able to rise above our circumstances we need to be thinking rightly. In connection with that thought Paul tells us that he has modeled this and lived that out. (Vs 9) Paul picks up that thought and adds to it that he himself has learned the secret of contentment. What ever situation he has found himself in he has learned how to be content. Are you content as a follower of Jesus Christ? When things don't go the way you thought, are you content?

Fathers Day message: Guest Speaker Todd Wilson

"Think on these things" Paul's words are a command of what we need to be thinking about in order to fulfill the command to "rejoice always". Last week we covered 4 of the 8 virtues we are to be thinking about. "whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise." As a follower of Christ we must think biblically and change our thinking in order to fulfill these commands of "Rejoicing always" and "Do not be anxious about anything"

What do you think about? What we do reveals how we think. The command that Paul has been stressing in Philippians 4 is to "rejoice always" and within that command he tells us that we should "not be anxious about anything" but rather "pray about everything" and to "think on these things" What things? We are given 8 things that we are to be renewing our minds on in Philippians 4:8-9.

What controls your thinking? Why do you do the things that you do? What we do reveals what we think about. God's Word tells us in Philippians 4 that we need to be rejoicing always, and as we looked at last week the answer to our anxiety and peace in our hearts and minds is through proper prayer. Paul continues his thought in vs 7-8 about what we think about and how that thinking does affect the outworking of how we live and what we do. So what should we think about? How can we have the proper thinking?

We’ve been looking at these last few things Paul is teaching in chapter 4 to the church at Philippi. Vs 6-7 talk about anxiety or worry and how to deal with it properly. All of us have had an encounter with anxiety or worry. It creeps in our lives and causes us to worry over big and little things, gnawing away at our insides. We worry about all sorts of things. We tend to think that our worries are not significant enough or they are too big that God would not be concerned about them or that He could not handle them. God's Word gives us the instructions on how to handle our anxiety and it is through proper prayer. So what do you worry about? What have you done about it?

When things don't go "right" in your life, how do you respond? What relationships in your life have recently changed? How did you react? What other disappointments have you had recently? How have you reacted? Has anyone recently slandered you? How did you react? As we have been studying Philippians 4. The command is for us to "rejoice always" Last week we looked at the things that should be giving us joy, but this week we need to focus on how the believer in Christ can have joy and obey the command. The next verse in vs 5 says "Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;" The word reasonableness has to deal with gentleness or forbearance. How can we be gentle or forbearing when things are not going right? How can we fulfill this command by rejoicing always?

As we have been seeing one of the major themes throughout this book is joy, or rejoicing. I have said that we are to rejoice in spite of our circumstances. We need to find our joy in Christ not in the circumstances. The Christian life is to be one of joy, a joy that transcends the negative things in life. I believe Paul lived this out very well, as his circumstances were bleak. Paul was under house arrest chained to a Roman guard and yet he viewed his circumstances as an opportunity to rejoice. Paul’s mindset on choosing to rejoice even in the midst of his circumstances allowed him to not only be content, but also joyful, even when circumstances were tough. And this is what Scripture calls us to do as well. Choose to rejoice.

One of our missionaries that we support Carlos and Barbara Barahona with Nueva Esperanza (New Hope) gave an update and spoke for us. Carlos and Barbara started the work in Honduras and have been there for 29 years. The ministry seeks to affect permanent change in the spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical lives of poor children living in Honduras. Children are given daily care and attention along with being taught biblical values, personal hygiene, and life skills. If you would like to learn more about their ministry please visit their website. https://hopeinhonduras.org

Paul wrote in Philippians 3:10 "That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection..." The word Paul uses for power here is the word "dunamis" We get the word dynamite from this word. Christ's resurrection has great power. Power to do what?

Who are the Elders and what do they do? God's Word gives us important instructions on how a church is to be led and the purpose of having Elders and what those Elders are to be doing. Contrary to popular tradition an Elder is not a decision maker or board member. This message will cover the importance of being Biblical in the way Pleasant Ridge is led and the importance of having Biblically qualified men who serve as Elders.

Are you ready for the return of Christ? He's coming back. Paul stresses to these believers at Philippi the importance of living like a citizen of Heaven, because Jesus is coming back. When Christ returns what will happen? How will we change, what will that look like? What will it look like when Jesus rules on this earth? Are you ready for the return of Christ?

"Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us." Philippians 3:17 How's your christian walk going? After Paul has just told us about the prize that he is pressing on towards which is holiness and to be like Christ, Paul is now stressing the importance to imitate or to follow the example of those who do walk in holiness. Are you walking in holiness? What does a Christians walk look like when they are not walking in holiness? Why is it important to walk in holiness? How can we walk in holiness?

Last week we saw that Paul made mention of a different resurrection for the believers. All the dead in Christ will be resurrected but Paul said he wanted to attain the out-resurrection. As we saw the out resurrection is a further seperation of believers who will be separated to a place of honor and service in the coming kingdom. These are believers who have sown much in the kingdom, they are the ones who have laid up treasures in heaven, they are the ones who stewarded their salvation well and used it to advance the Lord's kingdom. The next set of verses vs 12-16 lays out for us the why and the how of obtaining this out-resurrection. Are we striving and pressing on towards the goal? What is the goal?

Are you ready for resurrection? A couple weeks ago we looked at how the believer in Christ grows and Pauls last statement in vs 11 talks about the future resurrection. Every living human being will face eternity. Those that know Christ that have fallen asleep will be resurrected in Christs likeness. All those who are alive and remain when Christ returns will be changed in a moment in a twinkling of the eye when mortality will put on immortality. Even those who have died without Christ will be resurrected to face eternal Hell fire and the judgement of the Lamb. Pauls statement in vs 11 gives us some details about the future resurrection but what does it look like for the believer and more importantly how can we be prepared for it?

Visiting Missionary Jude Souza

How do we grow in Christ? Paul in his defense of what a true believer is tells us in Philippians 3:10-11. Pauls says "That I may know Him..." To know Christ means to know Him experientially, or to know Him personally or to know Him by personal involvement with. Our growth in Christ is one of the most important experiences that believers should have. What does this growth look like and how does it happen?

The verses that we are going to look at today come right on the heels of this idea of people who were promoting the outward, the flesh, and the religious externals to gain grace with God. What we’re going to see is Paul saying he’s had it all and lost it all so that he could gain Christ. There is a larger picture here at work other than salvation and that is having Christ as our all for everything we need.

Tom Konopinski was our guest speaker for our Missions Moment update