Matt O'Reilly, PhD

It’s easy to blame other people when we suffer. Sometimes we even blame God. That’s why the apostle Paul’s attitude toward suffering in Philippians 1:29 is so surprising. He sees some suffering as a gift of God’s grace. But how can that be? In this video, Dr. Matt O’Reilly walks us through this tough passage in the Bible and points to how suffering can sometimes be redemptive. Dr. Matt O’Reilly is pastor of Hope Hull United Methodist Church near Montgomery, AL, a fellow of th

Understanding Philippians means understanding the problems the church in Philippi faced. In this video, Dr. Matt O’Reilly walks us through the two major challenges that Paul had to deal with and shows how they apply to the contemporary church. Dr. Matt O’Reilly is pastor of Hope Hull United Methodist Church near Montgomery, AL, a fellow of the Center for Pastor Theologians, and Adjunct Professor of New Testament and Pastoral Ministry at Wesley Biblical Seminary. For more from

Anyone who’s spent much time in church will know that disagreements happen. If those disagreements aren’t resolved quickly, they may soon become full-on conflict. Factions form. And the long term unity of the church is jeopardized. This can happen on different levels, whether it’s a local church or a whole denomination, as is presently the case in my own United Methodist Church. However a particular conflict plays out, the cultivation and maintenance of authentic church unity