That was the message of the Revd Dianne Tidball, regional minister team leader of the East Midlands Baptist Association, who gave the main address on Sunday night.

Taking Philippians 3:12-21 as her text, she picked out 'three simple truths' that we can learn from the Apostle Paul that will help keep our joy and hope, whatever is going on around us.

The first one is by remembering the infinite value of knowing Christ (3:12).

Though Paul is an elderly man he has not arrived spiritually, said Ms Tidball. Knowing Jesus is everything for him and he hungers for more. This is the person who has had more experience of Christ than 'hot breakfasts', yet he talks about knowing Christ more and more.

This is not about knowing about Christ - 'it is knowing Christ for ourselves, personally and intimately'.

Quoting Henri Lubec, a church leader, she said we need to know Christ as 'disturbing freshness'.

This means forgetting what is behind - even if that is really good.

When we look to ourselves or to the past we quickly discover it is not the presence of God we find, she said.

'Good or bad we forget what is behind and we look to what God is still seeking to do in us and through us.' She quoted Amy Carmichael, the Californian evangelist, who was known for saying 'God is the great I am, not the great I was.' We need to know God today.

We also need to remember that anything other than Christ and the Cross 'is rubbish'. It's very easy to lose your way in life and get lost in detail, and know Christ by bringing God into our lives at every opportunity.

In this letter Paul is aware that 'what is destroying the church is other things being allowed to take the place of Christ.'

'The Cross is a statement of vulnerability, weakness, sacrifice, self-denial but we are very drawn to power, strength, pride.'

Too much is at stake. The glory of God is in Christ - given to us who believe in Him.

The third truth is by focusing on what is to come, or 'recalling our citizenship in heaven'.

In the same way that Philippi was an outpost of the Roman colony, we are an outpost of heaven.

'We have the support and security of God's rule as we live and serve. So for us going to heaven is not only what we aspire to. We are a

 colony of heaven. Our local congregation brings to the local community, the culture, values, hope, security of heaven.'

She said we are under heaven's government, and this means that 'Christ rules in our lives, his agenda, his justice, kindness and righteousness is our mantra and manifesto.' We share all the privileges of heaven - sinners saved, lives changed, love shown, communities being transformed.

'We aren't very good at living like this but, but we must press on as Our Saviour is coming. He will finish what he has started. There is more to come.'