. "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. ", So, just as she'd been promised, the zoned in on the three simple steps. . "In fact, 11-year-old Lydia and 13-year-old Jenny owned only one short-sleeved dress each, plus one thin, gray sweater between them. In the midst of very, very difficult living conditions, they had joy. TEXT - Philippians 4:13. You and I do not live in a vacuum. Think about these things, Paul says. To guard the city, in the Greek, was to "phroureo" the city. Introduction. Strobel found an excuse to visit the family again. The minister realized she was nervous, and he asked her about it. It's the same altar that's been here for years, and you're familiar with it. "I'm going to make a mess of the whole thing," she said. Paul learned the principle that Jesus Christ laid down in the gospel of John. Think only on things that are true. Want to get in touch? And as Strobel left that tiny apartment where those with very little prepared to give away what they had, something in him longed to know the Jesus they knew. Focus on the aisle first, altar second, and him third! It's both good news and bad news that in that hour of difficulty, people are watching and listening more than ever to know if your faith in Christ is genuine. Because he learned how to defeat stress, he was able to function successfully in some very stressful situations. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. The knife of great pain and stress will cut right through the fat of a faked faith, and search with a surgeon's accuracy for the core of what you believe. Denomination: Baptist . From a practical aspect, this is one of the most obvious reasons Paul had such a successful career. His focus, energy, and resilience were nearly frightening. ", Flustered, the pastor went to the Sunday school director and related the story to him. Strobel said. . After telling his audience that he’s experienced both poverty and affluence, the Apostle Paul writes these well-known words: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”. . In places like Athens, Ephesus, and Corinth, the once powerful temples and the religion of the Greek gods that so dominated his culture are in ruins. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The instructions of Philippians 4:4-7 tell us how they'd done it, and how it can still be done today. After all, those early letters were filled with corrections, some of them quite harsh. He knew that the Lord would not call upon him to do a task without the necessary grace to complete that task. "In everything," Paul writes, "by prayer (1) and petition (2), with thanksgiving (3), present your requests (4) to God.". Select an option and chat directly with a member of our support team. "Here was a family that had nothing but faith, and yet seemed happy, while I had everything I needed materially, but lacked faith-and inside I felt as empty and barren as their apartment.". "This is your church, your family's church. But that kind of good-circumstances-laughter is ordinary. to anxiety. The child learning to walk alone is strengthened by the hand of the mother, and the aged mother is in return strengthened by the arm of her son. Your trusted source of Christian resources since 1891, Sermon: Say No to Anxiety - Philippians 4, Acts 16. Just focus on the aisle. Free shipping on books, Bibles, gifts, VBS and Church Supplies of $50 or more. Shoppers still look askance at a bag of spinach for fear of E. coli bacteria while filling their carts with fat-sodden French fries and salt-crusted nachos. As human beings, we pride ourselves on being the only species that understands the concept of risk. What about right, and pure? There was no despair in this home, nor was there any self pity. Just focus on him, and you're there! And if you'll fly with them - if you'll soar with them - you'll sing, too. Never! Even a hardened reporter would know that. Think of the lovely, and admirable, the excellent and the praiseworthy. And because he didn't watch closely enough, the man discovered a sad truth a little too late. And they were missing one of the most incredible truths to be found in their Bibles . But imagine her Dad's feelings when he heard her saying it over and over and over, as they got closer and closer and closer . Aisle-alter him!". And yet billions have and are reading Paul's letters, memorizing passages and following the instructions as if Paul was still preaching his passionate message in our culture. The bird sang and sang and sang, but the sparrows only chattered. Bible knowledge is important. There had even been a generous amount of cash donated. Sermon: Encouragement When You Need it the Most - Philippians 4. by Andy Cook on Wednesday, January 01, 2014 at 7:00 AM . That leaves out things that are wrong and impure, and come to think about it, that would be a good move for any of us. God, said the grandmother, had not abandoned them. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. That afternoon, the pastor met with his deacons for the very first time. You must identify your weaknesses – Receiving God’s help starts with admitting the fact “I need help!”. "Pastor," she said, "little Johnny's a good boy. And there, among the chatter of the sparrows, the canary sang. It's the solution for the pursuit of peace. The record shows that an earthquake set Paul and Silas free that night, but their songs tell us they'd been set free long before the chains fell loose. . Are You Expecting Too Much of Your Pastor? When he arrived, he was amazed at what he saw. That's it. to anxiety. Aisle-altar-him. So you can understand the new pastor's quiet pleasure when he took a tour of his church, on his first Sunday at work, and saw many children in Sunday school, all of them apparently hard at work learning Bible stories. And they'll watch very closely. Lee Strobel was working for the Chicago Tribune, without any intention of being caught up in faith. "Rejoice in the Lord always," Paul writes in Philippians 4:4. The sparrows knew only chatter, no song at all. (Source: Jeffrey Kluger, "Why We Worry About the Things We Shouldn't," Time, Dec. 4, 2006, p. 65-67). ", The pastor chuckled and said, "Come on, now, who knocked down the walls of Jericho? Like any military community, Philippi would have known the lingo of the armed services, and would have quickly embraced the image of an armed sentry. This will take a great amount of discipline, but Paul was crystal clear in his instructions of Philippians 4:8-9. "There are just so many people looking at me! I move we just take the money from the general fund to pay for the walls and leave it at that. by Andy Cook on Wednesday, January 01, 2014 at 7:00 AM. Three times Paul was shipwrecked, and he once spent a full day - "a night and a day," as he puts it - on the open sea. Sermon: Say No to Anxiety - Philippians 4, Acts 16. by Andy Cook on Wednesday, January 01, 2014 at 7:00 AM . "We did nothing to deserve this - it's a gift from God. Around their city would have been soldiers who stayed up all night to guard their gardens from rabbits, their homes from thieves, and their land from enemy attack. Never did Paul show the way more clearly than the night he and Silas sang in the bottom of that prison, backs bleeding and bruised, with feet in stocks probably made of worn-out crosses. There was plenty of food, and plenty of warm clothing for the girls. ", Little Johnny - a boy known to be a bit rambunctious shyly raised hand and offered, "Pastor, I didn't do it. Get inside God's city walls, so to speak, and God's peace will march like a sentry around your potential anxieties. ", "Then, as you turn the corner, you'll see the altar. Philippians 4:13 is one of the most well-known New Testament verses, but it’s also notoriously misused. The ruins of the city include the main highway of the Roman Empire, the Egnatia, and an outdoor theater that once held 3,000 or more spectators. But those who sing? If he says he didn't do it, I believe he didn't do it. There was new furniture, appliances, and rugs. You know everything about this church. But it may be just that simple to zone in on the positives, to reject your anxieties, and tap into a joy that soars above all circumstances, and allows you to rejoice in any circumstance. He'd been the focus of riots and death threats, and after one harrowing, near-death experience, he was snake bitten! Think on it! (Source: Lee Strobel, The Case for Christmas, Zondervan, 2005).