How to Learn the Secret of Contentment

Paul talks about learning contentment as a secret (Philippians 4:12). What does he know that I might not? Just to save me the keystrokes, assume that every verse reference comes from Philippians.

What does Paul know about God?

• God won’t stop working (1:6)

• The Spirit will work through prayer to deliver (1:19)

• Belief and suffering in Christ are considered gifts (1:29)

• Knowing Christ = value (3:7)

• Jesus will transform us from one humble condition to the likeness of His glorious body (3:21)

• Peace of God can guard our minds and hearts (4:7)

• Strength to do all things is in God (4:13)

• My God will supply all our needs (4:19)

What does Paul know about himself/his situation?

• His imprisonment = advancing the gospel (1:12)

• He is a vessel for honoring Christ (1:18-20)

• Living = Christ (1:21)

• Life is all about fruitful work (1:22)

• Life is all about progressing others’ joys (1:25)

• Life is about giving others confidence (1:26)

• Joy is found in sacrificing and serving others’ faith (2:17)

• Exaltation comes after emptying himself (2:1-11)

• Gaining Christ > losing everything (3:7-9)

• His goal is to know Christ’s resurrection, suffering, and death (3:10)

• He assumes he’ll resurrect (3:11)

• He should always take hold of Christ (3:12)

• Forget what’s behind, take hold of the prize to come (3:12-14)

• Assurance of God’s peace can be in what we think and do (4:8-9)

What does Paul know about others?

• God completes the work in others (1:6)

• Others have gained confidence by his imprisonment (1:14)

• Others’ motives don’t get to him (1:18)

• Others’ prayers work (1:19)

• Sanctification can occur through my prayers for others (1:9-11)

• He aimed to not have labored in vain (2:16)

• He considered the church his family, joy, crown, and friends (4:1)

What does Paul know about the world?

• Death = gain (1:21)

• Unity and faith in the gospel resolves fear of opponents (1:27-28)

• He confidence wasn’t in his life’s gains (3:1-7)

• All concerns can be prayed about (4:6)

You Have a Choice to Make

Patrick Lencioni offers helpful insights into what makes employees miserable at work. He identifies three common underlying factors:

1. Irrelevance: When employees feel as though their work does not matter to anyone in a meaningful way.

2. Immeasurability: When they lack a clear way to gauge or assess daily, weekly, or monthly success.

3. Anonymity: When they feel unknown personally and professionally within the workspace.

Many artists experience a similar frustration in their local churches. They watch as other gifts are continually called upon: another extrovert gets stage time, an eloquent speaker handles announcements, an outside design firm is hired for graphics, or a non-church member theologian’s opinion is taken at face value.

If you long to feel relevant, known, and actively engaged in a local church, then be “all in” with a church community that fosters at least one of those qualities.

If your current church isn’t providing these elements, consider a few potential paths forward:

1. Acknowledge your current reality, remain committed, faithfully serve, and build trust to see if God opens doors for your artistic gifts.

2. Recognize what you need in this season and go all-in with another local church that actively values and uses your creative gifts.

3. Join a church planting team, step into a place of cultural chaos, and watch how God uses your unique gifts to open doors for a new community.

Regardless of the path you choose, building trust and serving faithfully remain essential.

The 200-Year Question

Next time you set your mind on a project, act of service, work of allusive love, ask yourself,

“What will this become in 200 years? How can I make this last 200 years after I am gone?”

Making Beautiful

What does it mean to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:25)? Or sow to the Spirit (Galatians 6:8)?

At the very least, it means:

We must not get tired of doing good,
for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.
(Galatians 6:9)

“Doing good” means fashioning or making something beneficial. It emphasizes action. Creating something excellent or beautiful.

How Much is Your Church’s Cultural Tax?

Have you ever wondered what’s behind the walls of another religion’s building? Perhaps a Mosque, temple, or even another denomination’s sacred space.

What is a central reason for you not even attempting to visit during a service?

Obviously, if you don’t know anyone attending, then you’re less likely to show up, cold turkey.

But let’s just say you are considering visiting. The immediate questions begin to form:

• What am I supposed to wear?

• What is expected of my kids?

• Should I shower that morning because I need to take my shoes off?

• Should I arrive earlier than the start time? Or exactly on time?

• If they sing, should I also sing? What if it’s an archaic language?

• Am I allowed to use the bathroom during the “service” (if that’s even what they call it)?

• …do they even have bathrooms?

• etc.

These questions come from one simple thing: Cultural Tax.

Without realizing it, our churches do the same thing to our neighbors. Before ever hearing the good news of the gospel, they perceive the church’s culture.

Culture gaps come from all directions. There are migrant gaps, demographic differences, generational gaps, socioeconomic divisions, and the list goes on. In such a divided time, the church must take the initiative in closing such gaps. We must not be cultural toll booths charging fees our neighbors cannot pay or don’t desire to pay.

That’s why I created this tool. If you’re curious what your church’s estimated Insider/Cultural Tax is for your specific neighbors, fill this out:

Calculate Your Church's Insider Tax

Estimate your cultural friction score in 30 seconds.

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Contact Matt directly at Matt@taylormake.org

Arts As Metaphor for Making Good Works

The arts operate within the realm of metaphor. God has appointed good works for each of us to walk in since before the creation of the world (Ephesians 2:10), and these good works are brought to life through the act of making them.

We create meaningful moments with others through our words and actions.

Consider the impact of encouragement: have you ever been uplifted by someone’s words? Ever felt motivated by a coach to pursue action with renewed kindling? Or has your heart ever moved deeply from a movie? Or brought to tears by a thoughtful gift? Each of these experiences stems from something created by another person. Creation extends far beyond traditional arts and crafts.

The act of making is fundamental to how we live our lives.

How Metaphorical Christs Change the World

What happens when believers obey God’s word? 

What impact does obedience have on the world? On society? On institutions? In our communities?

What change comes to the world through obedience to Christ?

It’s hard to change the world. How do we change something uncontrollable?

With the Spirit’s help, we can change something that has social and cultural ramifications.

1 Timothy and Titus tell us two surprising ways we can change the world: godliness and good works.

This is how metaphorical Christs change the world.

Cultural Tax

When we fail to remove these ethnocentric barriers, we unknowingly impose a steep cultural tax on the diverse communities and neighbors living right beside our churches.

These barriers function as invisible tollbooths just to enter the church’s presence.

Many do not know how to pay.

So they won’t even try.