LET JOY REIGN

[10-minute read]

What sparks joy in you? Do you find yourself endlessly pursuing one self-gratifying activity after another only to find short-lived joy that is soon replaced by a feeling of emptiness in your soul? Or are you more inclined to invest your time and attention to things that are more sustainable though they demand, on your part, a continual reliance on God as He reveals a deeper and deeper aspect of His heart with you? In other words, are you happy just to catch natural phenomena like sunrise or rhythmic springs, or do you seek the pleasure of being in the company of the God who creates such wonders of nature?

The book of Philippians in the Bible is often called ‘the book of joy’. The apostle Paul wrote it for the church in Philippi to teach them what the pursuit of true joy is. Readers will not find life hacks for problem-free living, or ways to disconnect from realities. Instead, it will become clear to them that the joy Paul talked about emanated not from any model of living but from his relationship with Christ Jesus and with other believers who shared the same degree of commitment to the Lord. Let’s be honest: we all see God’s importance in our lives very differently!

Paul advocated joyful living before it even became a best-selling book title. Yet, he had no wealth, position or power to boast of. Today, everyone wants to have a slice of joy. As such, we can be quick to misread Paul’s message in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I will say rejoice!”. However, Paul was not promoting a saccharine ‘bear and grin’ attitude of passive tolerance. And he never even hinted that we should live with a cold detachment from human emotions and pain. In fact, Paul confronted his own personality and character deficiencies more severely than what most of us cared for in order to stay faithful to God. Most people would say that Paul was a pretty intense person. So how did he find joy?

Let’s see three examples of how Paul defined joy in his life.

JOY IN RELIABLE PARTNERSHIP (not popularity and fame)

Paul found joy in the company of a few like-minded believers who were able to discern the opportunities around them to extend God’s love to people who needed it. They included both believers who were struggling in difficult circumstances, and others who had not yet experienced the love of God. They were keen collaborators who curated their lives to fit God’s mission (not the other way around!).

If we think that they represented only a certain profile of people, we will not find any commonality except in hearts that loved God. These were people whose stable partnership Paul ascribed his joy to: “… because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” He saw the Philippians as collaborators of God’s Kingdom-building project where everyone was a project owner. They were not called into brand-building campaigns but into life-transforming collaborations to turn cities and communities into places of hope.

Paul also appreciated the Philippians for not bailing out on him when he faced prolonged episodes of adversity (like being thrown in jail multiple times), or even when their lives got busier. Rather, their loyalty as Kingdom partners never wavered even when it suited them better to focus on their own immediate needs. Let’s face it: many things are important to us but not all things are equally important to God. Do we know the difference?

The Philippian church shared the same passion and heartbeat as Paul and it was not something that he took for granted. To Paul, they were collaborators without rank. When Paul was imprisoned, others would not only take up the mantle to drive the mission but also send him comfort and support. Let’s admit it: some of us are more comfortable doing things for others than being there for them.

Paul also recognized that God’s mission cannot be accomplished by himself alone and that he relied on the collaboration of different people with different perspectives, skills and abilities to achieve new measures of success that would not be possible with just one person calling the shots!

“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

Isaac Newton

The bottom line for us is this: at the point of our salvation, God has given us a missional heart that is only waiting to come alive right where we are. Our mission field are the people around us where we live, work and play. We become partners with other believers when we perceive their need for support as they actively make the love of God real and relevant everyday where they are. They may not be stuck in jail like Paul, but they can be struck by the storms of adversity and hardships. They may not need any practical help but it would be encouraging for them to know that God has sent you as a mission co-labourer to show them that they do not labour alone.

Pray and ask God to lead you to the right kingdom partnerships, so you too can participate in advancing the gospel to the nations. While you may not be actually breaking hard grounds or pursuing difficult conversations with others, your support can provide the emotional and mental support that is much needed. Kingdom collaborators will grow together in maturity.

Today, ask God to make you a ministry partner to experience a greater joy of the Lord!

JOY IN FAITHFUL SERVICE (not fleeting service)

Let it be stressed here that there are no new or old Christians but only Christians with maturing faith or immature faith. At every stage of our life, we need teachers and mentors. In the early days after Paul’s conversion, God partnered him with Barnabas as his mentor. Both men spent a substantial amount of time in Antioch and Iconium (Acts 13 & 14).

What Barnabas was to Paul, he became that to others. He did not get stuck in the power imbalance of being a net giver or a net receiver. He was always both at the same time: he was the encourager who also needed encouragement. In particular, Paul commended two collaborators that God sent to him – Timothy and Epaphroditus.

Timothy - As a relatively young leader who supported Paul’s ministry wholeheartedly, no one could accuse Timothy of being a fair-weathered companion. The only thing predictable about him was not his schedule but his reliability. Timothy had proven his value in the friendship for being trustworthy and God-centred. He never thought of supporting Paul from a place of comfort and safety but threw himself into the same risky environments that Paul faced, resulting in his own imprisonment (Hebrews 13:23). Therefore, Paul spoke highly and affectionately of Timothy in the book of Philippians 2:19-22: “I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.”

All partnerships should grow out of friendships that stand the test of time and circumstances. Regardless of their potential and skills, those who habitually disappear from our lives will likely create frustrating ambivalence to any partnerships.

Epaphroditus - To Paul, Epaphroditus was a ‘brother, co-worker and fellow soldier’. You could sense great respect for him oozing out of Paul. He was a friend who put himself out there in every way to, according to Paul, ‘take care of my needs.’ As their friendship grew, he began to trust and esteem Epaphroditus as a key collaborator, and an equal partner in God’s ministry. Like Timothy, he was not averse to risks but embraced the work of Christ for which he almost lost his life (v29-30). To Paul, he was not only a ministry partner but who also a dear friend (v27). In authentic relationships, it is often difficult to separate the two.

Yet as much as he was uplifting to Paul, they did not have an exclusive friendship. It was not Epaphroditus’s personality or qualifications that Paul trusted: rather, he had confidence in his active devotion to God. Paul knew that the dedication and edification he received from this ‘brother, co-worker and fellow soldier’ could equally benefit others.

JOY IN GENEROUS GIVING (not token offering)

Paul had recounted the Philippian church’s generous giving to him since the start of their faith journey and he noted that their generosity had remained consistent throughout his time of need. Today’s fundraising programmes and targeted campaigns often result in an outpouring of generous giving, yet the Philippians’ giving grew out of Paul’s teachings and life. Their generosity stood out when, as Paul noted, “not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need.”

The Philippian church caught the spirit of God’s mission for the lost from Paul and their generosity enabled him to keep going. We see that Paul expressed his gratitude to them using the most personal terms like “when I was in need”. He avoided impersonal and grandiose expressions we commonly hear today when people are called to give to missions or to this or that project. Surely, we do not have relationships with projects; we have relationships with people who have been commissioned by God to different tasks. And together, we find collective joy in seeing communities uplifted, lives transformed and the love of God touching many.

There is a popular verse that many believers like to quote without qualification: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.” Turning the Gospel into a prosperity message are people who overlook the fact that Paul said this only after highlighting the generosity of the Philippian churches.

In case we think that generosity should come from those enjoying comfortable lives, Paul also mentioned believers in the churches in Macedonia. “In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability.” (2 Corinthians 8:1-3).

How generous should we be? Acts 2:44-45 puts it this way, “All the believers were together and had everything in common.  They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” In other words, they put their resources at the disposal of the faith community. Are we using our personal wealth to buy happiness for ourselves or build lives so others can find joy?  

Here is an important message for you: God’s salvation is a gift that does not stop at your personal conversion. If your life mission is to chart the safest course at all times, you have allowed yourself to be seduced by an easy life over a meaningful one where the joy of the Lord becomes your strength to face risks and find new purpose.

This is a summary and reflection based on a virtual BIR Session held on 04 March 2023.