Philippians #7 - Pressing Toward the Goal
Time Stamps
00:00 Welcome
03:04 Main Message with Dan Orange
25:08 Conversation Street
30:00 Balancing Effort, Rest, and Standing Firm
35:00 Dealing with the Past and Emotional Healing
40:00 Daily Rhythms and Spiritual Practices
45:00 Protecting the Heart and God's Pursuit
49:00 Conclusion and Notices
The Race Worth Running
Ever looked at your faith journey and thought, "This feels more like a marathon than a Parkrun"? You're not alone. At Crowd this week, we carried on our journey through Philippians - a letter that's got some helpful things to say about keeping going when life gets tough.
More Than Just Natural Talent
Anna and Will kicked us off with an embarrassing javelin story, but it got us thinking about what real training looks like. Take Usain Bolt - he's naturally rapid, but did you know he trained six days a week, 11 months a year? 90 minutes in the gym, three hours total exercise daily. He didn't just turn up and win gold medals.
It's a bit like that with faith. Some people seem to have it naturally sorted, but real growth? That takes showing up, day after day.
God's Running Towards You
While we're pursuing God, He's actually pursuing us. It's like you're running towards the finish line, and the prize is running towards you. Which definitely takes the pressure off, doesn't it? You're not trying to earn God's love - you're responding to it.
“We run towards this goal, but God is running towards us too. God pursues us”
Better Together
One thing we love about Crowd is that we're all at different points. Some of us are just curious about Jesus, and others have been following Him for years. But there's something powerful about figuring it out together. No competition, just community.
When The Past Won't Stay Past
Paul, in his letter, talks about forgetting what lies behind (Philippians 3:13). But let's be honest - it's not as simple as just deciding to forget stuff, is it? Especially when it's painful. Anna shared about going through pregnancy loss and how you don't just "get over" things like that. Moving forward means processing properly, not pretending it never happened.
“We can learn from one another. We can build each other up, train one another, pray for one another.”
Finding Your Rhythm
Life's got different seasons. Sometimes you're flat out - young kids, hectic work schedule, and so on. Other times, you're in more of a steady plod. The trick isn't sprinting constantly; it's finding a sustainable pace.
For some of us, that's using Crowd's daily devotional posts on Instagram as a way to connect with God. For others, it's setting aside more time. Whatever works for you, make it doable.
Your Next Step
Maybe reading this has got you thinking about your own journey. Whether you're just starting to explore faith or you've been at it for years, remember - you're not in this alone. God's not waiting at the finish line with a stopwatch; He's running toward you with open arms.
Want to hear more? Listen to the entire message by watching the video or listening to the podcast above.
“God absolutely thinks you are worthy of pursuing ... just dwell on that very fact each day.”
RECENT EPISODES
RECENT LIVESTREAMS
More from this series
At Crowd Church, we are committed to creating a space for you to explore the Christian faith, regardless of where you are on your faith journey.
What happens at Crowd Church?
Every week we livestream our online church service and release a new story on What’s The Story Podcast. We have weekly online community groups that meet up and all of that good stuff. You can find out more about everything that goes on at Crowd by browsing through this site, and you can reach out to us via our contact page.
Come and Join In!
Are you interested in joining in with what is happening here at Crowd? We would love to meet you!
Come and join our in-person service in Liverpool.
Join in with the Church Livestream
Subscribe to Crowd Church Podcast & What’s the Story Podcast
Follow us on Instagram
Subscribe to the YouTube Channel
New to church? If so - check out the New Here link.
Any questions? Please connect with us via our Contact Page, or via WhatsApp: +44 7984 530 429