There was once a young man who was persecuting the church. He was so efficient at it that he was sent... to another city, and on the way Jesus appeared to him, saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” When Saul was persecuting the church, Jesus took it personally: “Why are you persecuting me.” Jesus loves his people.

After his encounter with Jesus, this same young man, Saul, went on to become a leader in the church, the apostle Paul. Paul loved the church. Paul loved God’s people, with the affections of Christ Jesus. In his letter to the Philippians Paul continually expresses his love and concern for the believers at Philippi in the midst of external pressures and internal tensions. Now at end of the letter, we find Paul beginning to summarize the themes of the whole letter, encouraging the believers at Philippi to stand firm in the midst of eternal pressures and to remain united in the midst of internal tensions. But in what context does this happen? Listen as Pastor Josué preaches on on Philippians 4:4–9, showing that the context of all of this is gospel-built community, and describing both the characteristics of community and the practice of the community.

Pastor Josué Pernillo preaches on Philippians 4:1–3, in which the Apostle Paul... summarizes the major themes of the letter, calling the Philippians to stand firm in the midst of external pressures, to remain united in the midst of internal tensions, and to do this all side by side.

What does it look like to walk as a Christian? Whose example should we imitate? The book of Philippians... was written by the Apostle Paul to his friends at Philippi. Theirs was a church established by Paul and nurtured by his ministry, through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, and the love and affection between Paul and the believers at Philippi is evident throughout the letter. In chapter three Paul, as a caring older brother, calls these believers to imitate him, encouraging them to keep on the right path. Listen as Pastor Josué Pernillo preaches on Philippians 3:17–21, drawing out Paul’s exhortations to be aware of who you imitate (v 17), to beware of who you imitate (vv 18–19), and to remember the one we imitate is the Savior (v 20–21).

The Apostle Paul depicts the Christian life as a long, hard race. It’s a marathon. And to run any marathon well,... the runners need encouragement along the way. The good news for Christians is that we have a wise and caring God who has provided for us to have strength for the journey. Listen as RUF Campus Minister Ethan Brown preaches from Philippians 3:12–16, showing us how God equips us with what we need to finish the race that we’ve begun by making us secure, steadfast, and self-aware.

The book of Philippians is perhaps the Apostle Paul’s most personal letter. It is a beautiful epistle... filled with beautiful verses, and in chapter 3 we find a beautiful, succinct summary of the Gospel. In just five verses Paul both explains how sinners are reconciled to God and illuminates the promises that are theirs in Christ Jesus. Listen as Pastor Josué Pernillo preaches on Philippians 3:7–11, helping us to see Christ Jesus more clearly by showing the treasure of the gospel (the worth of Christ), the heart of the gospel (faith in Christ), and the promise of the gospel (resurrection and life).

Where does your confidence lie? You have to put your confidence in something. Everybody does. We put our confidence... in things that make us feel worthwhile, important, right, blameless, because in our hearts and in the heart of every person there is a longing for righteousness. In Philippians 3:4–7 Paul shows this pattern working out in his own life through one of the most interesting self-disclosures in Scripture. Listen as Pastor Josué Pernillo preaches on this passage, showing how we are tempted to put confidence in who we are and in what we do—but what we need is an external confidence found only in Christ.

We live in a confusing time. Deception is rampant. It is hard to discern truth from error. And this is not just... true in our time. Deception is an enemy as old as the Garden. In the book of Philippians Paul ties joy and truth and salvation together, helping us to clearly see through the lens of the gospel and of scripture who we are and how we should understand the world. Listen as Pastor Josué Pernillo preaches on Philippians 3:1–3, focusing on the fruit of joy, the enemy of joy, and the power of joy.

Joy is one of the main themes of Paul’s letter to the Philippians—and one of the main themes in all... of Scripture. As we examine the first verse of Philippians chapter 3, in which Paul exhorts his brothers and sisters at Philippi to “rejoice in the Lord,” we begin to understand that Christians are a people of joy in Jesus Christ. Listen as Pastor Josué Pernillo expands on this theme in three movements: the obstacles and opponents, the command of joy, and the source of joy.

The first two chapters of Philippians are filled with beautiful and lofty truths about who Jesus is and how he impacts the... world. But at the end of Philippians chapter 2, Paul comes down to some real and practical implications of these truths, seen through the examples of Timothy and Epaphroditus. Listen as Josué Pernillo preaches on Philippians 2:19–30, helping us to see that the gospel allows us to grow in our concern for others, to grow in our service of others, and ultimately to have deep gospel friendships.

In chapter two of his letter to the Philippians, Paul reminds the believers in Philippi of who they are and how their identity... impacts their actions. Like the Philippians, believers today can know that because we have been saved by God, we can now live as those that are saved, with new identities in Christ that overflow into our actions. Listen as Josué Pernillo continues his series on the book of Philippians, expounding on this passage in three points: The Source, The Direction, and The End.