In the second half of Philippians 1, Paul gives a brief update about his own life. He is in prison for sharing Jesus with non-Jewish people, and it is possible his punishment might be death. Yet he quickly pivots to another update: he is sharing Jesus with his guards, and those around him. Paul leans into this idea, that we get to follow Jesus. And that whatever life throws at us, we have the opportunity to live for Jesus.
The story of the apostle Paul is not just a record of missionary journeys and powerful sermons—it is a testimony of how God shapes a life over time. In this series, we will follow Paul from his dramatic encounter with Jesus to his faithful endurance at the end of his life, discovering how grace, humility, joy, suffering, and hope formed him into a witness for the gospel. As we explore Paul’s story in Acts and his own reflections in the letters he wrote, we’ll be invited to consider how Christ is still forming us today—not through comfort or certainty, but through faithful obedience and trust in Him.
Paul in Romans 14 tells the Christians in Rome that they need to be a community of peace, not arguing and judging, but instead do whatever we can to make peace for the benefit of our neighbor.
In more than one place in the gospel of John, Jesus used this word abide. Abide in me, as Jesus abides in the Father. Stay connected, apart from God we cannot bear fruit. In John and other places in scripture we get a picture that connection to God happens intentionally, through habits and practices.