“Substance over influence” (1Tim.4:6-16)

I recently got an invite to speak somewhere that made me nervous. I sensed a weight of responsibility and found myself asking whether my inner life matched the opportunity of influence I was being invited into.

“Your public profile matters” (1Tim.2:8-10; 3:1-13)

This is a big one - possibly the largest challenge and most important theme when it comes to our social media engagement. How you portray yourself publicly matters. The impression you give to others matters.

“Broaden your social media reach.” (1Tim.2:1-7) 

Recently, we released a podcast discussing social media addiction. There are certainly a lot of challenges in navigating the fast-moving waters of our times, but should we, as followers of Jesus, be part of the online conversation or not?

“We all have a hunger” - that empty feeling inside us, that loneliness, that weight with which our heads hit the pillow at night, when no one else knows. It’s part of being human, as if we’re born with something missing, something beyond us and beyond this world. Sometimes this heartfelt need is expressed in honest art, when an artist is bold enough to speak out.

“Avoid the idle talk, post what really matters.”

Challenging times, these. A lot of what we see in pop culture, mainstream news, the entertainment industry, and our social media feeds promotes views and values that often seem incoherent, void of hope, or immoral. We get confused about what morality even is today, and whether anyone knows right from wrong anymore.

It was a good year for Imagine Dragons. With their hits “Believer” and “Thunder” earning nearly a billion combined plays between them on Spotify, they are considered 2017’s most successful rock band. Stormzy, king of grime, did alright, too: from his freestyle video filmed on a mobile phone in a park hitting 70 million views on YouTube, to collecting three Mobos, the Q Award for best solo artist, and BBC Music Artist of the Year.

Twenty One Pilots, Depression and Suicide.

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Without a doubt, we’re facing a crisis of purpose, and suicide has become an increasingly more prevalent theme in pop culture. Whether it be Netflix series like “13 Reasons Why,” nihilist meme trends on social media, or the growing number of hit songs addressing it, there’s no doubt this is an issue on our minds.

And so we come to the end - the fourth and final chapter of Philippians. The story of Paul starting this church in Philippi was like that of a band on a very intense tour: he was doing concerts in a prison, had people heckling him in street performances, got beaten up, and eventually started a church with a fashion designer called Lydia, an ex-demon possessed girl, and a prison warden.

We’ve been reading through Philippians, and looking to Paul and his team to set the example for us in the art and music scene today. Paul toured all over the place, preached Jesus, and planted churches. We’ve been challenged by his love for his audience, dedication to the proclaiming of the message, and sacrifice for the cause.

You see, if Paul had had a band, they would have been different to most bands and artists today because they’d be completely sold out for Jesus. In Philippians chapter 3, Paul declares, “Indeed, I count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord.”