When everything around you pulls you off course, Christ has called you toward a goal and given you people who show you how to reach it. In Philippians 3:12–21, the apostle Paul describes pressing on toward the prize God has set before him in Jesus, even while many around him live as enemies of the cross, meaning they treat earthly things as their ultimate concern. Paul then tells the church to follow the example of Christians who hold to Christ with persistence rather than perfection. That pattern is one of God's gifts for passing the Christian faith to the next generation, beginning in the home and reaching into the whole church.

Key Takeaways

• Paul says he presses on toward the goal "to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus," which shows that the Christian life begins with what God has already done for us in Christ and then moves us in a new direction.
• Scripture describes a real tension: God's upward call in Christ pulls our hearts toward heaven, while both our own fallen nature and the surrounding culture pull them toward earthly things.
• Paul guides the Philippians to follow his example and to watch those who live as he does.
• The gospel, the good news that Jesus lived, died, and rose again for sinners, is what defines a Christian's identity, and it is what mentors are showing when they persist in following him imperfectly.
• The home is the starting point for passing on the faith, and Scripture and recent research on healthy households both point to the wider church family as a needed partner in modeling life with Christ for the next generation.
• Christ works through ordinary, shared rhythms such as worship, Bible study, and close friendships across generations, and each of these shows younger believers what it looks like to keep holding to him.
• Paul closes by pointing to the destination: Christ, the Savior Christians await, "will transform our lowly bodies to be like his glorious body," and this promise is what Christians hand on to the next generation.

Ascension on Air comes from Ascension Lutheran Church in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. If this episode was meaningful to you, subscribe to Ascension on Air, leave a review to help others find the show, and share this episode with someone who would benefit from hearing it.

Philippians 3:12-21

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