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Wednesday, February 9, 2022

I love parties. This weekend I will be attending a party to celebrate several birthdays and accomplishments in our family. Of course, parties require food. Not just any food, but succulent and sweet temptations like cake and ice cream.  Everyone will be energized by the surge of sugar – everyone, that is, except me (and my wife). Don’t get me wrong, I love cake and ice cream, but my body hates sugar. I can’t have much if any of it anymore. Parties are hard because I’m constantly trying to justify having some because I want to gratify my personal desires without considering the big picture.

When Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray prior to His arrest and crucifixion, He took His disciples with Him. He specifically asked three of them to accompany Him deeper into the garden to support Him while He wrestled with the will of God.  He asked them to pray for Him while He took His burden to His heavenly Father. When He returned from praying, the disciples were asleep. What Jesus says to them is very important for us to hear. 

Matthew 26:41  “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

Every day we are bombarded with temptations to satisfy the desires of the flesh. Jesus gives us three things with which we can fight off each of those attacks of the Enemy.

The first is the ability to discern the difference between right and wrong. Jesus tells His disciples to watch, which implies an ability to see. Jesus has given us the capacity to recognize temptation and to see its end result in our lives. We must walk each step of each day with our eyes wide open to what is going on around us. Satan is attempting to lure us into the lie that the world can satisfy our deepest desires. Watch for it – you will see it.

The second thing Jesus gives us to overcome temptation is prayer. Unfortunately for many of us, prayer is our escape mechanism and not our defense system. Corrie Ten Boom said it this way, “Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?” We need to pray prior to being tempted, as Jesus taught us when He said, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” We would avoid a lot of anguish over decisions and a lot of regret over actions if we would pray in advance and be prepared to always choose God’s will in every instance.

Cathy Fussell wrote an article about defensive prayer in the publication entitled Today’s Christian Woman. “Recently, my son, Andrew, reminded me of the need for daily prayer. He had accidentally spilled his drink and I went into a tirade. Andrew ended my harsh words when he quietly asked, ‘Mom, did you forget to ask Jesus to help you be nice today?’” 

The third thing Jesus gives us to withstand temptation is His Spirit. What an incredible promise – the spirit is willing. Most of us, however, tend to focus on the weak flesh portion of our existence. We’ve resigned ourselves to the lie that we just can’t help ourselves – it’s who I am and I can’t change it. Jesus says otherwise, and we need to listen to the voice of truth. His Holy Spirit in us is greater than the Enemy who is tempting us. What it really boils down to is what we really want. Sin is a choice. It is not an accident. It is not a psychological dysfunction. It is a choice. It is what we wanted at the time. It is the result of putting our own desires ahead of God’s will. It is the result of not praying and surrendering to the power of the risen Christ who lives in us.

So open your eyes and become sensitive to the subtle ways Satan tempts you every day. Pray that you will submit to the will of God in all things. And trust the Holy Spirit to provide you with the power to resist every sin. Today you can begin to walk in victory.

Pastor John

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Tuesday, February 8, 2022

The church I pastor is incredible. I am so blessed to serve the Lord at a servant-hearted, spiritually-minded, caring, giving, and praying group of people. It is an honor to be their pastor.

The praying part is especially strong. Not only do we pray about everything, but we pray for everyone, no matter what their need. It is a church of true intercession. Every Sunday morning there are people who pray before the worship service so that God’s Word is proclaimed in all its truth and people’s lives are transformed by its power. During each worship service we take a SELAH break – you know about SELAH from the Psalms, right? – and we pray for each other’s needs. Sometimes people even move about the sanctuary so they can be a part of praying for those with needs. 

The Scriptures give us plenty of examples of people who pray for one another. In today’s Bible reading from the pen of the Apostle John, he states that he has been praying for his friend Gaius.

3 John 1:2-4   “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” 

John prays for three things. At first glance you may only notice two, but the third is really the most important, and we must discover it if we are to be true intercessors.

First he prays that Gaius would be in good health. A considerable proportion of the prayer requests we receive each Sunday and throughout the week have to do with health issues. But the health of a person is not their single most important need. In fact, good health is nothing more than the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

Second, John prays that all would go well with Gaius. This can be applied to so many areas of our lives – from business to relationships to finances and on goes the list. Some have interpreted John’s prayer as a promise, and believe that with enough faith we can guarantee prosperity. That’s a huge stretch from John’s own condition at the end of his life when he was a political exile on a remote island, banished there for his faith. His faith brought him suffering, not success. Yet suffering for Christ is the benchmark of identification with Christ.

John puts both of these requests for his friend into their proper perspective with his third request – he prayed that Gaius’ soul would be getting along well. Here is the highpoint of intercessory prayer. John’s greatest joy was to receive news that one of his spiritual children was growing in his faith, being faithful to the truth, and living his life in obedience to that truth.

Today’s lesson is this – when we pray for others, our highest prayer for them must be for their spiritual health and prosperity, not their physical. It is good and acceptable to pray for their physical needs, but don’t stop there. Make sure you always pray primarily for their spiritual development and growth through whatever physical circumstance they are experiencing. All of God’s answers to our physical needs are temporary and will die with us. All of God’s answers to our prayers for spiritual health and prosperity bring fuller life, and that life will never die. When we pray, let’s pray for what really matters.

Pastor John

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Monday, February 7, 2022

Matthew 6:9-10  “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’”

A five-year-old boy was headed to McDonald’s for a Saturday lunch with his dad when they saw a car

accident up ahead. It was their family custom to pray for the people involved in accidents when they saw them, so the father asked his son to pray. From the back seat he heard these intense words – “Dear God, please don’t let those cars be blocking the entrance to McDonald’s.”

Lately I’ve become much more sensitive to selfish prayers. You know the type – prayers that tell God our

desired outcomes rather than ask God for His. Then, just to be safe and to seem spiritual, we add “In Jesus Name” to the end. We should have the courage to tell God up front that we are praying according to our own desires and not His.

When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He gave them two foundational truths upon which all prayers should be built. First, God is to be revered as ruler of all things, and second, that His will is to be done on earth in the same capacity that it is done in heaven. There’s where the problem lies – in  the second part of His instruction. You see, we would all probably agree that in heaven God reigns supreme and that He is revered. His will is done immediately and implicitly. What heavenly being, after seeing how God cast Satan and his followers out of His presence when they rebelled against His authority, would dare do anything but obey the commands of God?

Yet we have our problem  letting God reign supreme in our lives on earth. Even in our most sincere

prayer times, when we fully surrender the outcomes of our circumstances and needs to the Father in heaven, we tend to act contrary to our prayers when we return to the reality of life. We begin to speculate on how God will work. We arrogantly presume to know which outcome He will choose. We manipulate circumstances and people to accomplish our desired outcomes. We begin to suffer from worry, anxiety, and fear. We have taken back the control that we had surrendered in prayer. We have prayed in vain for God’s solutions. What we should have prayed for is faith: faith to revere God as supreme ruler, and faith to trust God’s outcomes as good.

Until we have prayed for the faith necessary to trust God as Sovereign Ruler of our lives, our prayers for His will to be done will quickly dissipate into our desires. But when we have fully surrendered to God the Father and in faith believe that He is working all things out for good according to His purpose, we will experience peace. Every interruption, every inconvenience, every incident, and every incapacity will be viewed as God’s direction for our next step rather than an obstacle to our next desire. Every prayer we pray should begin with an affirmation of our faith in God’s sovereignty and our submission to His outcomes.

So watch how you pray. Then, watch how you live after you pray. Are they both compatible with faith that God is ruler of all, and with your humble surrender to His will?

Pastor John

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Friday, February 4, 2022

Our final thought on joy in Philippians is this – great joy results in generous giving which results in greater joy.

Philippians 4:10 “I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me.”  

Paul says that he rejoices greatly because of the way the people of the church in Philippi gave generously to meet his needs. He even describes the gifts as a fragrant offering and an acceptable sacrifice that is pleasing to God. Look at how Paul describes the nature of their gift in 2 Corinthians 8. “Out of the most 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. Entirely on their own they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.”

These people gave even when everything in them told them not to. They were poor. They had trouble paying their bills. They had needs of their own; but their joy in the Lord looked beyond their own needs and followed the sacrificial pattern of their Savior and they gave, and gave, and gave some more. They were super-generous, and it touched Paul deeply and filled him with joy.

My friends, if you are not experiencing great joy in your walk with the Lord, maybe it’s because you haven’t sacrificed enough. Maybe it’s because there is too much trust in your own power to provide for yourself, and not enough trust in the provision of God. There is not much joy in knowing what we can do: there is great joy in watching what God can do. Maybe we aren’t giving Him a chance to do great things.

How often do we look forward to being asked to give because we know it will result in joy? When we give our resources to the Lord’s work He fills us with joy. There is great joy in knowing the grand and glorious work of God was accomplished through personal sacrifice. That’s what gave Jesus the strength to endure the cross – the joy that was set before Him (Hebrews 12:2). Whatever sacrifice is necessary, keep your eyes fixed on the fullness of the joy that will be yours when you do it for God’s glory. 

The joy of knowing Jesus combines with whatever financial means we have or do not have and causes a spirit of generosity to flourish, which produces more and greater joy. Become a part of the cycle. Joy produces generosity which produces more joy.

Pastor John

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Thursday, February 3, 2022

In all the previous studies on joy from Philippians we have seen how joy is produced. Paul now switches his approach and uses joy to produce something else. Let’s see what it is.

Philippians 4:2-7 “I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

The discovery of what joy produces begins with a less than harmonious relationship between two women – Euodia and Syntyche. There seems to be a spat going on and the two women cannot reach a unified agreement about it. It is hurting the joy quotient of the church. Paul challenges the other members of the church to get involved in resolving the conflict, and he says the starting point for the fix is to rejoice. It is hard to be in disagreement with someone else when the focus is turned to rejoicing about our salvation. Try it! Next time you are in an argument with your spouse or friend, stop and ask them to join you in praising God for your salvation that Jesus paid for with His life on the cross. Whatever you’re arguing about loses its importance pretty fast, doesn’t it? Rejoicing in the Lord is the starting point of healing disharmony and disunity.

The second step in healing hurts is to be seen as gentle. Jesus describes Himself as gentle, and the word means to be humble and lowly. The idea here is that each of these women should not be so quick to want to get their point across but rather that they should learn to listen to the other and respect their opinion. Gentle is a word that describes true love in action – considering others better than yourself and putting their needs ahead of your own. That is what was needed as the next step towards unity.

The third step in the healing process when there is dissension is to not get so anxious and overly excited when things don’t seem to be going your own way. Instead, turn it over to the Lord in prayer, being thankful that you have the privilege of doing that. It is when we submit all of the outcomes to God that he brings us to a place of peace and gives us His peace that passes all understanding. These women may not truly understand one another, and may not accept the other’s viewpoint, but in prayer God will grant a peace that passes up that lack of understanding and guards our hearts and minds against sinful thoughts and behaviors towards another person.

On the road to unity, peace begins at the intersection of rejoicing and humility. How can we truly rejoice in the Lord unless we are humble, recognizing that all we are and all we have is from Him? We can’t. So when we rejoice, we pave the road with peace, and unity results. 

Rejoice in the Lord! And again I say: Rejoice!

Pastor John

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Wednesday, February 2, 2022

Philippians 3:1-11 “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord!”

Paul begins the third chapter of Philippians by telling us to rejoice in the Lord. He then goes on in the next eleven verses to tell us why.  I suggest you grab your Bible and read those verses now before you simply read my summary of them.  Let God’s Word speak directly to you.  I’ll wait…..(sounds of the Final Jeopardy music playing in the background)

Here’s why Paul tells us to rejoice – because we know the truth and we continue to consistently uphold the truth. Being theologically pure produces rejoicing. Here’s how Paul explains it:

1. We can rejoice because our confidence is not in the flesh but in the finished work of Jesus Christ in our lives. We do not depend on what the flesh can provide for us, but we glory in what Jesus has provided for us, and we worship Him by the power of the Spirit of God. There is not much reason to rejoice when our hope is in the finite and failing system of the world.  However, there is every reason to be filled with joy when our hope is in the eternal and the never-failing power of God to save us through the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross. Paul says that if anyone has a reason to rejoice because of the flesh it is him, but because he now knows the truth he considers all of that as rubbish compared to the greatness of knowing Christ Jesus as his Lord. 
2. We can rejoice in knowing that we are running the right race, with heaven as the goal. We may not have always been running the right race, but we can rejoice that now we are, and that is due to the awesome love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ that has forgiven us for the past, allowed us to forget the past, and restored us to relationship with Himself for all eternity.
3. We can rejoice in knowing that none of us, not even the Apostle Paul, can achieve perfection in this life, and yet God still uses us for His glory if we live up to what we have already attained. What is it that we have attained? The status of heirs of the King. Let us rejoice that no matter what happens in the flesh, we are spiritually secure in Jesus Christ.
4. We can rejoice that our citizenship is in heaven and not of this earth, and that Jesus is coming soon to take us to Himself and transform us into His likeness in a glorified body.

Paul closes this section in the first verse of chapter 4. He says, “Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.”

We are able to stand firm in the Lord when these four basic theological truths are the foundation of a joyful life. Are they your foundation?

Pastor John

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Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Many of us find it emotionally challenging to find joy in the midst of deteriorating circumstances. We base our joy on what’s happening to us instead of Who’s working in us.  But according to the Apostle Paul in his letter named Philippians, our joy is not a product of our circumstances, but rather it is the product, or fruit, of the Holy Spirit in us. Joy is experienced to the fullest when there is intimacy of relationship with God. That intimacy will then flourish in our relationships with people, so that even when circumstances are ugly, our spirits are filled with joy.

Paul had a student whom he was mentoring and molding for ministry. His name was Timothy, and he brought Paul great joy. Paul had discovered that true joy is based on  intimacy.

Philippians 2:20-22  “I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his 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.”

Look at how Paul describes his relationship with Timothy: he has no one else like him who takes a genuine concern for the people he serves. Timothy is described as a humble, compassionate, caring, loving and sacrificial servant of God and a servant of God’s people. He has proved himself worthy of leadership because he has put the work of Jesus Christ ahead of all else. We can hear in Paul’s words the joy in his heart to have a partner in the work like Timothy.

Here are some challenging principles for us from this passage:

1. Are we being a Timothy to each other by showing genuine concern for the welfare of others? Our compassion and concern for others should never be an obligation. When we are expressing our spiritual gifts it is with love and grace that that considers others ahead of ourselves.
2. Are we being a Timothy to each other by sacrificing anything and everything for the sake of God’s work? This is a huge struggle. We are being blessed by God with sufficiency and abundance of resources, yet we have the desire to give it all up to see people saved and the church flourish. Do others see in us the willingness to give anything up for the cause of Christ?
3. Are we being a Timothy to each other by being open and approachable at the level of intimacy needed for spiritual growth and development? I hope you know that there is nothing more important to me than being able to listen to what God is doing in your life and to connect with your heart on a spiritual level of intimacy. I also hope you know that you have the incredible privilege of giving that gift of intimacy to each other.

These 3 points are emphasized by Paul in the rest of Philippians 2, where he tells the story of Epaphroditus, another of Paul’s intimate joy producers. Read the rest of the story below. It is obvious from the story that the church at Philippi understood intimacy because of their relationship with Epaphroditus, and that intimacy brought them great joy. There was genuine concern from both sides of the relationship. This was a shared intimacy, not a one-way giving and taking. Like Timothy, Epaphroditus was a sacrificing servant of Jesus Christ who was willing to die for the cause of Christ and the love of Christ’s people. He went beyond the call of the average and became a man worthy of our honor.

I pray our legacies will be like that. May it be said of us that we went beyond the call of the average and genuinely loved others. Genuine joy overflows from that kind of intimacy. 

Pastor John

Philippians 2:25-30 But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me.

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Monday, January 31, 2022

 We are currently studying the book of Philippians and discovering how we can be people of joy. Paul was in prison and in chains, and was convinced that his suffering would not end soon. In fact, he even states in His letter to the church that he was facing death. He understood that his life was being poured out like a drink offering. Yet he said he was glad and rejoiced with all of the people in the church at Philippi. How is that possible?

Philippians 2:12-18  “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed-not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence-continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life-in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. 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.”

First of all, he was glad that his dear friends in the church were people who obeyed the Word of God. They were not just hearers, but doers of what they had been taught. He compared them to stars in the universe that shine in the darkness because they were holding out the word of life. This concept of “holding out” is powerful. Paul uses the same Greek word in 1 Timothy 4:16 when he says, “Watch your life and doctrine closely.” The word means to “give attention to, hold onto, and apply with action.” The people of the church at Philippi were people who paid attention to the teaching of God’s truth, held onto it, and applied it to their actions. When Paul saw them doing that while he was with them it gave him great joy. When he heard that they were still living that way he was filled with more joy.

This kind of obedience and application of truth is possible because God is at work in us to accomplish it. Paul’s statement that we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling can cause confusion. He is not stating that we work for our salvation, but that we work to apply our salvation to how we live our lives. God is at work in us to give us the will, or desire, to live obediently by acting according to His standards. This is reason to rejoice. Put simply, when by faith we receive from God through Jesus Christ the forgiveness of sin and the salvation of our soul, the Holy Spirit stimulates a desire to obey Him and serve Him. He supplies passion to fulfill God’s good purpose. When we live according to those desires we experience joy. Others who observe us are also filled with joy.  

So the three principles we learn from this passage are these:

1. We will experience joy, even when we are suffering, when we are fulfilling the desires God has placed in our hearts to accomplish His purpose.
2. Others will experience joy when they see our lives of obedience and dedication to accomplishing God’s purpose.
3. We will experience joy when we see those we brought to Christ and discipled living obedient lives according to God’s desires and purpose for them.

Ultimate joy, even in suffering, is possible when all three of these things are happening in our lives. Which ones, if any, are lacking from your life right now? There are many factors that may be keeping one or more of these joy-producers from working in our lives.

• Selfish desires stop #1 from happening.
• Peer pressure stops #2 from happening.
• Fear of witnessing and personal involvement with other people stops #3 from happening.

Let’s carefully review our lives and renew our commitment to seeking God’s purpose in all things, and to living out God’s Word in all areas, and the joy will return.

Pastor John

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Friday, January 28, 2022

Anyone who has ever been involved in team competition or been a fan of a team will be able to relate to the next principle of joy. There is nothing that destroys the joy of a team faster than dissension caused by the self-serving attitudes and actions of a team member. In the same regard, there is nothing that brings greater fulfillment of joy than to see a group of people from various backgrounds and experiences with differing personalities and passions coming together to accomplish a common goal for the good of all.

I remember one such day in particular where this played out. Three friends joined me on a team that joined ten other such teams for the purpose of accomplishing a common goal. Now on the surface it appeared that each of the eleven, four-member teams was competing against the other teams in a golf tournament, but that would be an incorrect evaluation of the day. The goal was the raising of money for a Christian ministry that reaches kids for Jesus. The primary focus of the event was to see how much money we could raise to see this ministry continue to survive and flourish in our area high schools. Some of the team members raised large amounts of money and had connections to major donors, while others brought in only small amounts. But at the end of the day, each person was commended for his or her efforts regardless of their contribution size. The team succeeded without the special recognition of the individual. When the contributions of each member of the team are recognized and valued, no matter how small, heroes are eliminated, and joy is made complete. As the old baseball poem goes, there was joy in Mudville because it didn’t come down to one person’s swing, but because the team had come together in unity and reached the goal.

It would have been very easy on that day to focus on the wrong things. It would have been easy to be recognized as the hero for making two 20-foot putts in a row and having team members fall on their knees in front of me in an act of homage. But that would have been to accept what was not rightfully mine, for other team members got us to the position where those putts could be made. Everyone’s contribution on our team led to us winning the championship that day, but the honor of winning was not the completion of the joy for the day. If it was, then it was only our joy at the expense of all of those who did not win. No, the real joy was in seeing all of the golfers and volunteers come together and accomplish a common goal.

That’s what Paul refers to in today’s Scripture.

Philippians 2:1-4 “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

We must not get so enamored by the small accomplishments of the individual that we fail to see the bigger accomplishment of the whole team. If there is one thing I hate about professional sports more than anything else it is when an athlete draws attention to himself after doing something great. The game is not over. The team has not accomplished its goal. The athlete has done only what they are being paid to do. But still they selfishly seek the approval and praise of people.

May this attitude never enter the church of Jesus Christ. May individual churches never boast about their accomplishments until all churches accomplish together the goal of reaching the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. May individuals in our churches never boast about anything except what the whole body is doing. May we truly have the attitude of Jesus, who humbled Himself and became a servant to others for their good, and as a result has been exalted to the highest position of joy. Make my joy complete by being those kind of people.

Pastor John

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Thursday, January 27, 2022

Prayer has been described as a place of praise. I suggest that it is also the producer of praise. Here’s what the Apostle Paul says in Philippians 1 starting in verse 19.

“Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.”

Paul states that the prayers of people on his behalf cause him to rejoice, because he knows they are working for his deliverance. He defines deliverance as either release from prison to be able to visit them or release from this life to be able to be with Christ forever. In fact, he says that the choice between the two options is a tough one. He longs to be with Jesus as we all do, but he also longs to be in this body.

But look at his reason for wanting that option – it’s to be a servant to the people he loves in the church. It is not for selfish reasons in any way. He does not want a new car, or a new job, or a new wife, or a new baby, or a summer vacation, or any other thing that the world might offer as an alternative to desiring heaven. He wants to be a part of the body of Christ on the earth and see its progress and growth. He clearly states that the fellowship he will have with them brings them joy because it will be God’s miraculous work that makes it possible.

All of this sharing of joy begins at the altar of prayer. It is through prayer that the power of the Holy Spirit is released to do mighty and God-magnifying things – Paul will be released. It is through prayer that God’s plan is both revealed and implemented – Paul knows that he will remain in the body for God’s purpose in the church. It is through prayer that peace comes because God’s purpose is understood – Paul said his labor will be fruitful.

Are you short on joy? Maybe you’re short on prayer. Are you lacking peace? Maybe your prayers are lacking the power of surrender to God’s purpose. You see, there is no power in prayer unless there is surrender to God’s power in prayer. Prayer has no power of its own, but when we hear God’s purpose and surrender to His plan the power of God is released. Therefore, when we surrender and God supplies, we will rejoice.

So start praying. Start praising. Start listening. Start obeying. It’s time for joy to begin.

Pastor John