Paul’s life is interesting because he chose to persecute, and even kill Christians. He had a very religious past, but when he met Jesus his life radically changed (see Acts 9). Paul starts Philippians 3 with what seems like the ending of the letter, but he is actually continuing his thoughts on being joyful. Paul used this opportunity to teach the church about false teachers. He longed for the church to know the truth of God. This meant leaving the good things of their life behind so they could grow in their faith. In these verses Paul teaches about the downfall of works-based righteousness versus the benefits of faith-based righteousness and following Christ. Listen in as Pastor Neal teaches on Philippians 3:1-14. We’re going to see that knowing Christ is the one thing that is worth everything 

In honor of Mother's Day, during today's sermon Pastor Neal interviews three moms from Coastline about the joys and struggles of motherhood and how their faith helps them through it all.  Watch and listen as Eunice, Michelle, and Dorothy share wisdom they've learned through their motherhood journeys.

If we were to summarize the theme of Philippians 1 it would be: Christ first, and the theme of Philippians 2 would be: others next. Paul realized that the generation in which he was living was a crooked and warped generation. He knew that if the local church obeyed the truth of God and lived it out in their community it would naturally result in opportunities to serve others. Paul longed for the early church to be a light in a dark world. Knowing this he encouraged them to have a relentless commitment to become like Christ, to reflect a joy that reflects Christ, and to live out a sacrificial love for others.

Serving others does not come naturally to everyone. While Paul was in prison, he didn't focus on his release. Instead, he focused on uniting the church. Paul longed to see the local church take up the example of Jesus and choose to serve one another. Listen in as Pastor Neal Benson teaches from Philippians 2:1-11 on how to have the mindset of Jesus. 

As we study the book of Philippians, we must remember that Paul wrote this letter from prison. Paul had been wrongly arrested at the Temple in Jerusalem because some of the Jews thought he had brought a Gentile into the Temple Court. This caused a commotion and resulted in Paul being arrested. Paul was ultimately taken to Rome where he wrote a letter to the church in Philippi while under house arrest. In Philippians 1:12-30, we see that Paul found joy in his hardship. We can learn from Paul's example that our suffering gives us an opportunity to glorify God. Listen in as Pastor Neal Benson teaches on experiencing joy amidst difficult circumstances. 

Meeting at a place of prayer, baptizing an entire household, driving out a demon, being arrested, and getting out of jail are not activities you would imagine for a dream vacation. However, in Acts 16 we read that all these events took place in the life of the apostle Paul while he was in Philippi. Through these events God used Paul and his friends to start the first church on the content of Europe. Approximately ten years later Paul, who is now in prison in Rome, writes a letter of encouragement to the church in Philippi. Things seem backward – shouldn’t they be encouraging Paul? As Pastor Neal Benson teaches on Philippians 1:1-11, we’ll see that servants of Jesus prioritize gospel partnership. 

In 2016 a group of university students placed a chalkboard on a busy New York sidewalk. At the top it said: “Write your biggest regret.” Everyone of us have done something we’ve regretted. It could be marrying the wrong person, severing a friendship, acting out in anger, or not speaking up. For three years Peter followed Jesus, sat under His teaching, walked on water with Him, and knew the power that He had. Near the time of Jesus’ crucifixion, Peter denied knowing Jesus in an attempt to protect himself. Listen in as Pastor Neal teaches on John 21. We'll see that the resurrection restores us to Jesus. We have a first hand look at how Jesus invites flawed people, who love Him, to build His kingdom.  

We live in a world where most would rather be served than serve. This week's glimpse into the life of Peter takes us to the Upper Room where Jesus and the disciples were celebrating the Passover feast together. During the feast, Jesus takes on the role of a servant and washes the disciples feet. Through this gesture that defied cultural norms, Jesus taught Peter and the rest of the disciples an important lesson about servant leadership. Listen as guest speaker, Joey Ross, teaches that us that to be a leader means to serve and sacrifice.

Peter was the most outspoken of all the disciples. You could call Peter the spokesman or the leader of the disciples. He was the one willing to ask what the others wouldn’t. In our text today we’re going see that Peter asks Jesus about forgiveness. We want to acknowledge that this is a tough topic to look at because all of us have been hurt. Today might feel like surgery for our hearts. Keep in mind that although surgery is hard, it is intended to help us in the long-term. Listen in as Pastor Neal Benson teaches on the response of forgiveness from Matthew 18:21-35. 

Last week we studied the calling of Peter, and this week we will look at one of Peter’s greatest acts of trusting Jesus. Hours before this story takes place the disciples watched Jesus feed thousands of people with five loaves of bread and two fish. After this miraculous feeding, Jesus instructs the disciples to meet Him on the other side of the lake. The disciples act in obedience, and it leads them right into a treacherous storm. It is in the middle of this storm on of the Sea of Galilee that Jesus comes to them, walking on water. Listen in as Neal Benson teaches on following Jesus into the extraordinary.