Northwest Gospel Church - East/vancouver

If the story of our life was written as a book, like a biography, how would it read? Chapters about our birth, growing up, dating, marriage, kids, mid-life, and grandkids. As the last line describes the end of our life, it finishes with a period. There was only one person whose life did not end with a period, It was Jesus. As we celebrate Easter, we find when Jesus rose from the dead, the period in His story changed to a comma as His life is eternal. As we come to Philippians 3:4-11, Pastor Andrew shows us "The Great Exchange". When you give Christ your life that ends in death, you gain His death that ends in life - eternal life.

We love dogs, yet we warn others about our dog. "Beware of Dog" is a common warning sign. In the days of Paul, dogs were not domesticated. They ran wild and were feared. Paul warns the Philippian church to look out for the 'dogs' that will steal their joy and he encourages them to "rejoice in the Lord." Pastor Andrew comes to Philippians 3:1-3 and warns us about four different dogs, or joy robbers that are common in our lives. As we kill these various 'dogs' in our life, we find when Jesus gets our worship, we get His joy.

In a general view, most movies have three sets of characters, a lead role, a supporting role, and extras. If we look at Philippians as a movie, Paul has the lead role. Timothy is a supporting character. This week the camera passes by an extra named Epaphroditus. The six verses of Philippians 2:25-30 allow us to pause on Epaphroditus and examine the effect of the gospel on his character. In this eleventh message of the "Surprised By Joy" series, Pastor Andrew examines the life of Epaphroditus as described by Paul. Pastor Andrew also recounts the life Eunora Santiago. With her family, we remember her life and commitment to Jesus Christ. We see to advance God's kingdom, you must relinquish your own.

As we come to Philippians 2:19-24, Paul mentions his desire to send Timothy to the Philippian church. Timothy's character shows a heart longing for Jesus Christ as he serves beside Paul during his imprisonment. This week Pastor Andrew takes us on a journey to look at the how the gospel influenced the lives of Timothy and Paul, and how it should influence our lives. In our journey, we find a truth at the intersection of Hope and Trust, the truth that Jesus is Lord. This is the tenth message in the "Surprised by Joy" series.

Are you able to keep a secret? This is a question that you have probably been asked sometime in your life. Paul reveals that salvation is more than a position, it is also a practice. As we come to the ninth week in Philippians 2:12-18, Pastor Andrew shows us "The Most Obvious Greatest Kept Secret in the World" is that Christians who live like Christ will change the world.

Who is Jesus? Why did Jesus come to the earth and do what He did? Why does any of this matter for my life? Paul answers these questions in his next thoughts. Pastor Andrew comes to Philippians 2:5-11 in a message entitled "Why God become A Man" and shows us that Jesus alone defeated death, making Him the only way to life.

As chapter two of Philippians opens, Paul urges the readers to pay attention to and look out for, not only yourselves, but also others. To develop humility in ourselves is the starting point for the collective unity of the church. Pastor Andrew takes us to Philippians 2:1-4 and shows us the recipe for Christian unity starts with humility.

Headlines are what grab our attention. If the headline is weak, we do not find the story worth reading. The story goes unnoticed. Paul shares with the Philippian church about walking worthy. Our lives together as a church, a unified body of Christ, show the worth of the gospel - a headline that encourages others to read the story. As Pastor Andrew takes us to Philippians 1:27-30, we are reminded that even through suffering and conflict, God is there to helps us endure. As we walk worthy of the gospel, we show its worth. This is the sixth message in the "Surprised By Joy" series.

Paul found that when your life is Christ, there is nothing to fear, that victory is guaranteed. Pastor Andrew takes us to Philippians 1:18-26 for the fifth message in the "Surprised By Joy" series.

Paul is in prison chained to an imperial guard at all times. Yet in the midst of this situation, Paul's main concern is the advancement of the gospel of Christ as he writes "and in that I rejoice." That was Paul's mission. Paul had a grasp of joy in the midst of his circumstances. As we look through Philippians 1:12-18, Pastor Andrew shows us that you get a hold of joy when you refuse to let go of the mission.

As we come to Philippians 1:8, Paul turns his attention to his affection for the Philippian Church and his prayers for them. It is "A Prayer for True Life." Join Pastor Andrew as he shows us that Jesus + Nothing = Everything. This is the third message in the Surprised by Joy" series.

Grace. It is a powerful gift. It is a God-given gift. A gift we are not to hoard. We are participants and partners in Grace. In this second message in the series "Surprised By Joy", we see that Paul encourages us that God's Grace is what motivates us to live a life for the mission of the gospel. For when grace unites us, truth come through us.

A new year provides opportunity to start things anew. It includes the joy that starting something new brings. This week Pastor Andrew starts a new series: "Philippians: Surprised by Joy, Penned in Prison". In a message about "Servants, Saints, and Assurance" we learn that God finishes what He starts. This includes you.

Merry Christmas! In this last message in the "God With Us" series, Pastor Andrew takes us to Isaiah 11:1-9 and shows us that God came to earth not just to save you and I. God is with us, showing us the gift of Jesus is redeeming the world.

As we approach Christmas, there is the temptation to sneak a peek at the gifts we may receive. Last week we saw that the gift we wwere to receive from God was for God to be with us. This week as we examine Isaiah 9:1-7, we see God's motivation for the gift we were to receive. Join Pastor Andrew as he reveals that God's passionate love inspired the gift of His Son.

War is on the horizon of time in the life of Ahaz, King of Judah. Syria and Israel were coming to attack. God sends Isaiah to King Ahaz to encourage him to rely upon God. King Ahaz turns from God and turns to the king of Assyria, Tiglath-pileser to help. King Ahaz sells out in his time of need. God uses this time in history to proclaim that "the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." As we look at Isaiah 7:1-16, Pastor Andrew shows us to put your faith in Jesus and experience God with us.

The stage setup in the background was part of our 2011 Kids Christmas Musical. ----------------------------------------------------------- Prequels have been a popular movie genre over the past few years. What happened before the beginning of the story? As we start December, we ask what is the prequel of the birth of Jesus. To go back before the beginning, we look to Isaiah. What did God tell Isaiah about the coming of the Messiah, the birth of His son - Jesus. As we start December, Pastor Andrew takes us to Isaiah 1:1-18 and starts a new series entitled "God With Us". It starts with God proclaiming judgement on mankind. Yet, we see as the verdict is to be delivered, God shows us that in a grace intervention the sinner goes free. Join us this month as we see the prequel of Jesus' birth revealed.

God has shown Habakkuk many dire and wonderful things. After all of this, Habakkuk continues his song to God. Even though dire things are coming, Habakkuk proclaims "yet I will rejoice in the LORD". Have you found your "Yet"? As Pastor Andrew concludes this series in Habakkuk 3:17-19, we see Habakkuk singing a final chorus of God's salvation, Yeshua. And as we start this Christmas season, we find that in Jesus you get "Yet".

God has shown Habakkuk his five woes to the Chaldeans. Now Habakkuk sings a song of celebration recognizing God's power and wrath. Habakkuk sees salvation in God's wrath. Even through this wrath, Habakkuk seeks and receives peace from God. This week Pastor Andrew takes us to Habakkuk 3:1-16 showing us that Jesus is God's answer to your prayer for peace. This is the fourth message in the Where's Habakkuk series.

When we last saw Habakkuk, he was asking God "Why?". Why was God going to use the Chaldeans to pronounce judgement to Israel? God responds to Habakkuk and previews the why and also proclaims woes to the Chaldeans. This week Pastor Andrew takes us to Habakkuk 2:5-20 showing us God's proclamation of five woes and a promise. The promise that God's wrath has one answer: JESUS.