Freedom House Church and Healing Centre

Called to serve in joy

 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-- 

if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-- think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)

Greetings Church,I sensed to hold off for one day before writing, since I was attending a “growth day” with our fellowship yesterday. It was great to connect with friends in the ministry, to worship together, catch up, and share stories of God at work in our lives. We all acknowledged that ministry can be difficult and the necessity to encourage one another is essential in emotionally healthy service to the Master. I met an old friend, who I had not seen in over twenty years. It was a blessing to hear his journey of trials and victories as he persevered through life’s challenges. Life is challenging! Really hard sometimes! Choosing joy in the middle of difficulty is often hard; but possible! I’m grateful for honest brothers and sisters in the Lord, and in ministry, who are not afraid to express the reality of a surrendered life to a God who is able to supply all the grace and power needed to endure till the end. 

The Apostle Paul is my hero. While in prison for his faith, he writes this incredibly inspiring letter to the church in Philippi. In it he uses ‘rejoice’ 8 times, and ‘joy’ 7 times, and the phrase, “Rejoice in the Lord” 3 times. What brings Paul such joy in the midst of all the hardship? 

•  The preaching of the good news of Jesus Christ: “The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice” (1:18)
• Christian fellowship and unity: “make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose”(2:1-2)
• Suffering for the cause of Christ: “But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So, you too should be glad and rejoice with me.” (2:17-18)
• The return of the Lord and the perseverance of the saints: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (4:1-10)

Now, we all know that joy is from the Lord (Psa. 16:11). But, let’s be real… we need to choose to “rejoice in the Lord”. How do we do that? By choosing to see where God is moving. The verb ‘think” means to consider, reckon, compute, calculate, take into account, etc. One author writes of Philippians 4:8, “The verb calls for deliberate mental appraisal, shaping attitudes and speech. Thus ‘think’ guards the heart from bitterness and trains the mind toward virtue.” The way I read it is that the command to ‘think about these things’ involves a deliberate choice to meditate and see how God is working in every situation, no matter how hard it is. There is a truth that needs to be discovered, that may not be evident on the surface. A truth like, “what Satan meant for evil, God used for good” (Gen. 50:20). “Whatever is true…think about these things”. Joy starts with acknowledging truth. Like Paul could be really miserable, grumbling and complaining that he is in jail for doing the Lord’s work, but by “thinking” it through, he can discover that “what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel” (Phil. 1:12-19). Jesus could endure the trial of the cross by focusing on the “joy set before Him” (Heb. 12:2), thinking about all the 'praiseworthy' things that would be accomplished through His sacrificial atonement. We too can “consider it pure joy when we face trials of various kinds” by ‘thinking’, not on the suffering, but on the fruit produced by going through the trial (James 1:2-4; Phil 3:10-15).

Yesterday, for me, was about rejoicing in the trials shared and the victories won. It was about followers of Jesus acknowledging that Christian service is hard work, but the rewards are greater than the cost. It was about continually making the main thing the main thing – to preach Christ and make disciples, no matter the difficulty – that is really what we signed up for, when we chose to “count the cost” and follow Christ. Yesterday, I heard that the fruit of our labors are producing a great harvest of souls. My eyes were opened to what God is doing all over the world, as young people flock to churches to discover “the truth” of which previous generations convinced them there was no such truth…cause it was all relative. In England and France, in America and Canada, young people are gathering to worship a God they were told did not exist. People are hungry for truth. We have it! Let’s press on to make Jesus the Truth known! God is on the move and He wants us to be His hands and feet and voices. Just “think” what He can do through an army of surrendered men and women, young and old, who choose serving Him in freedom and joy. Let’s prepare ourselves to disciple the nations, baptizing and teaching them to obey - that is our calling!

"Advancing the Kingdom of God by releasing Spirit-filled followers to serve Jesus in freedom and joy."