Sunday Service: Philippians 1:18b-26 – For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain!

 

Tomorrow we'll have our morning service to worship God together and to proclaim His Word at the social center Magnolia, a well known cultural meeting point right at the centre of Budrio.

At 10.15 we'll start our service continuing our series on the Paul's Letter to the Philippians, engaging with Philippians 1:18b-26 – For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain!

During the service we'll have our Children's Club, where kids will engage with a Talk on the same Bible passage, followed by a programme dedicated to different age groups.

Where are you going for true joy? Paul radiates a contagious joy here. Though he writes from a Roman prison, he can say, “I rejoice, so you rejoice” (paraphrasing 2:17–18). Paul reminds us that ultimate joy isn’t derived from comfortable circumstances, but from a living, vibrant communion with Christ. 

Paul says, “For me, living is Christ and dying is gain” (1:21). Paul loves the church at Philippi and refers to it as his “joy and crown” (4:1), but disunity exists in the body (4:2). He provides wonderful instruction for us as we seek to unite in the gospel.^[1]

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^[1] Tony Merida and Francis Chan, Exalting Jesus in Philippians, ed. David Platt, Daniel L. Akin, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2016), 4–5.