Whether you are a lifelong member or a newcomer, when you come through the doors of Good Shepherd Church our prayer is that you are made to feel like family. As forgiven people, living in the grace of God, we want more and more people to experience the joy and freedom that can only be found in Jesus Christ. We hope to see you this Sunday!
Throughout the Bible - and even in the Christmas story - God carried out his plan through people and circumstances that seem illogical to us. In our text, Paul tells the Philippian Church that his imprisonment, which seemed like a bad thing in their eyes, was actually being used by God to further the gospel. Come and be reminded this week that Christ is proclaimed in some of the most surprising ways.
This Sunday, we begin the second of Paul's Prison Letters - the Letter to the Philippians. And even as he writes this letter in chains, the theme of joy is prevalent throughout. Even though struggles and strife occur in our lives, we have the hope of Jesus' Second Coming - and the even greater hope that it is He who has prepared us for that day. Come and rejoice in that hope with us!
Just before closing his letter to the Ephesians, Paul gives one last practical exhortation. These practical exhortations have been his focus since Chapter 4, where, after calling the Ephesians (and us) to unity, to intentionally living "in the light," and to be people who submit to one another (in reverence to Christ)... Paul now says: "Be strong in the Lord" as he speaks of armor and spiritual forces of evil. Welcome to the battlefield, Christian soldiers!
