AAEVS - Putting Together a Christ-centered Community (Part 4)

Joy/Thanksgiving

Joy is an important element in a community, one of the three key characteristics of the Kingdom of God. The joy of the Lord is our strength, Nehemiah said. Christian Joy is us seeking and finding pleasure with the God who saves us and loves us. It is rooted in the happiness of God who is never discouraged. He bids us to delight in Him and in His salvation.

Joy, a fruit of the Spirit, needs to be fought for and cultivated. That means that joy is not easy and natural. It has hardly anything to do with your personality or genes. Here are fifteen things that John Piper put out in his book Desiring God for fighting for joy:

REALIZE THAT AUTHENTIC JOY IN GOD IS A GIFT

REALIZE THAT JOY MUST BE FOUGHT FOR RELENTLESSLY

RESOLVE TO ATTACK ALL KNOWN SIN IN YOUR LIFE

LEARN THE SECRET OF GUTSY GUILT: HOW TO FIGHT LIKE A JUSTIFIED SINNER

REALIZE THAT THE BATTLE IS PRIMARILY A FIGHT TO SEE GOD FOR WHO HE IS

MEDITATE ON THE WORD OF GOD DAY AND NIGHT

PRAY EARNESTLY AND CONTINUALLY FOR OPEN HEART-EYES AND AN INCLINATION FOR GOD

LEARN TO PREACH TO YOURSELF RATHER THAN LISTEN TO YOURSELF

SPEND TIME WITH GOD-SATURATED PEOPLE WHO HELP YOU SEE GOD AND FIGHT THE FIGHT

BE PATIENT IN THE NIGHT OF GOD’S SEEMING ABSENCE

GET THE REST, EXERCISE, AND PROPER DIET THAT YOUR BODY WAS DESIGNED BY GOD TO HAVE

MAKE A PROPER USE OF GOD’S REVELATION IN NATURE

READ GREAT BOOKS ABOUT GOD AND BIOGRAPHIES OF GREAT SAINTS

DO THE HARD AND LOVING THING FOR THE SAKE OF OTHERS—WITNESS AND MERCY

GET A GLOBAL VISION FOR THE CAUSE OF CHRIST AND POUR YOURSELF OUT FOR THE UNREACHED 

Also joy cannot be implemented without giving of thanks. We must acknowledge our sinfulness before a holy God and His grace and mercy displayed to everyone in that they have access to necessities such as food, water, and shelter. We as believers have been blessed to know Jesus Christ in His word. This (as well as other biblical aspects) calls us to have a positive attitude towards everything, including a cheerful outlook of people. You may object, "But Scripture seems to have a negative view of humanity. It seems like we have no choice but to be pessimistic towards everyone."

It is true that God says that all have sinned and have come short of the glory of God, that the righteousnesses of "good" people are as filthy rags, that He had looked at the children of Adam and found that "they are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one." This is the basic human condition. However, God also says that the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea, that the gates of hell will not be able to withstand the graceful siege of the Church, that all kings and nations will worship and serve Christ who is the King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus taught us to pray, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." Therefore we have a cheerful outlook of people not for themselves per se but for what God is doing with them and their posterity in history.                

So how would we apply this to us? We apply it by talking to one another about the privileges of being in the New Covenant. We’d challenge each other to have a positive, thankful attitude towards one another, the worship of Christ, those outside of the church, etc. We would encourage others to seek their satisfaction in Christ.

Truth/Doctrine

The church is the pillar and ground of the truth, a people who guards and advocates the truth. (1 Timothy 3:15) The central place where people go to seek the truth should not be a science laboratory, or an encyclopedia, or a media outlet, or the government but the place where the church meets together to worship Jesus who is Truth incarnate. This is not to say that there cannot be any truth outside of the church but that the knowledge of the truth comes only from God whom graciously reveals the secrets of the universe to those made in His likeness. (Genesis 32:10)

God has ordained that the church uphold and teach the truth that is central to the purpose and direction of humanity. He has moved men to put His holy word into writing and lead the early church to formulate documents that settled the debates concerning the central Christian view of Jesus in the Scriptures. He has stated in Scripture that He wants us together as a church to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thus it is necessary for us to be grounded in the faith and grow in our understanding of the word of Christ.

Ephesians 4 states that elders are gifts from our Lord Jesus to us for this task. We should consult them for correct biblical teaching for all of life, especially for lies and half-truths from the Enemy that we are facing or pondering. We should avoid postmodern autonomy in our thinking.

Does all of this mean that we must know everything that there is to know in order to excel in our Kingdom Potential? No, because for example, the Bible was written by forty different authors from different cultures, time periods, social classes, languages, and nations. This fact shows that not one person from any point in history can show the full revelation of Jesus Christ, and it displays that no one can come to the full understanding of God and His word, let alone have an adequate understanding. But we are exhorted to grow as a body in knowledge and in wisdom, which our meetings such as our Annual Meeting, Men’s Prayer Breakfast, Ladies’ Bible Study, and our Lord's Day Worship facilitate very effectively.

Reference:

Piper, John "Desiring God" http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/books/desiring-god

Questions:

1. What does it mean to rejoice in God?

2. The ideas Piper put out for fighting for joy, how can we do them in the context of the Messianic Age?

3. What does fighting for joy look like in detail? 

4. What does joy and thankfulness look like in a community?

5. How do we speak the truth lovingly without compromise? 

6. What things do you think would be good to discuss with the elders?