The objective of this lesson: to emphasize the importance of joy when the "called out" turned to and followed God by responding to Jesus Christ
This study needs to begin with an honest admission. We as Christians need to admit that we have a real problem with the concept of joy in serving and worshipping God. First, we place a heavy emphasis on procedures. The New Testament writings place little emphasis on "hows." When we classified a "religious matter" as important, in the last few decades our movement declares that "hows" are as important as "whats."
The New Testament does not put great emphasis on the details of "how." Salvation in Jesus Christ and worshipping God through Jesus Christ was (is) universal in human scope. Detailed "hows" tend to be (a) cultural and (b) national. If you wish to see a scriptural contrast, contrast the detailed "hows" of Leviticus [given to Israel which is both cultural and national] with the absence of stress on details in procedures in the New Testament. Obviously God knows how to reveal detail processes if He chooses to reveal such. The problem lies more in the way we look at scripture rather than the meaning of scripture. It is easy to allow our approach or our view to change scripture's meaning or emphasis.
Second, we stress modern logical perspectives above ancient emotional responses. We are so distrustful of religious emotion that we conclude emotion has either a muted place or no place in godly praise. When Christians assemble for a "God experience" rather than a "fellowship" experience, we are likely to enter a "quiet zone" that represses expressions of joy.
Too often our attitudes or behaviors are more a "reaction" to another group's practices than an understanding of scripture. When the writer was a child and an adolescent, he often heard rejections based on "we cannot do that because X religious group does that." Thus "right and wrong" was determined in a matter by the practices of another group, not by the complete message of scripture. For example, "We cannot show emotion in praise because that is what groups associated with the Pentecostal/Spirit movements do."
Third, we distance our acceptable "how" as far from emotion as possible. A common means for accomplishing this is classifying all emotional responses as entertainment. Emotion is the language of entertainment; logic is language of devotion to God. In a religious context, entertainment is the symbol of evil and logic is the symbol of good.
Give personal reflection to this concept: "Emotional expressions in religion are spiritual negatives. Logical expressions in religion are spiritual positives." If your reflection is in agreement, ask yourself, "Why is this a common perspective?" Ask yourself, "Why do we often regard emotion in religion an "unspiritual" act or expression?
Fourth, unemotional response to God subtly redefines basic godly expressions. For example, love is fundamental to relationship with God and each other. But many declare godly love is unemotional. All other healthy forms of love are expressed in the language of emotion--repentance, forgiveness, gratitude, appreciation, affection. Yet, we conclude love produced by God is unemotional. Thus, love produced by God is fundamentally different from love we experience in every other context of life.
If we remove emotion from godly acts, those acts become habitual performances instead of expressions of the heart. If that occurs in human relationships, the relationship is significantly damaged or destroyed. If that occurs in the God-human relationship, the act easily can become an attempt to meaninglessly manipulate. What is love without feeling? Or repentance, or forgiveness, or gratitude, or appreciation, or affection?
As an example, consider your relationship with your # 1 best friend. Suppose your best friend deeply offended you. He/she comes to you to express repentance. If his/her repentance has no emotion, will you accept it? Or, will you look for emotion to verify that his/her repentance is genuine? He/she comes to expresses gratitude in appreciation for a specific kindness. If his/her gratitude is void of emotion, will you accept his/her appreciation as genuine? Or, will you look for emotion to verify his/her gratitude is genuine? If he/she professes affection for you, but there is no emotion in his/her declaration, will you feel loved? Or, will you look for emotion to verify the affection exists and is real?
In human relationships, emotion is an essential evidence of genuineness. A human relationship empty of emotion is a relationship empty of meaning or significance. The same is true of a relationship between a human and God. We learn to feel because God teaches us how to feel. His caring and concern give birth to our caring and concern.
Expressing joy is critical to some special moments in life. Yet, if we are not extremely careful, we remove expressions of joy in the most essential relationship in existence: relationship with God. In every context of life, joy is essential. That includes relationship with God. Joy does not characterize every event in life--there are times of grief just as certainly as there are times of joy. The point is simple: joy should have a voice. It must be allowed to express itself when it exists--even in relationship with God!
How can no joy be felt or expressed if a person understands the meaning and significance of his/her forgiveness? Justification? Redemption? Sanctification? Atonement? If joy is repressed and not expressed, what is the effect on one's gratitude? Meaningful "thank-yous" to God involve how the person feels, not just doing "the right thing at the right time."
First, consider joy's role in the life and teachings of Jesus. An angel declared to the elderly priest, Zacharias, that his elderly wife would conceive [for the first time] and have John, who announced Jesus. The angel told him, "You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth" (Luke 1:14). Later, Mary, pregnant with Jesus, visited Elizabeth, pregnant with John. Unborn John leaped within Elizabeth, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41). Elizabeth's reaction: she cried out with a loud voice as she blessed Mary and declared her unborn baby leaped for joy (Luke 1:42-44).
Note joy occurred when one should anticipate its occurrence. Note "cried out," "loud voice," and "leaping" expressed joy.
Jesus' teachings stressed joy as an appropriate emotion/reaction. In the parable of the hidden treasure, the man who discovered it invested all he had to buy the field (Matthew 13:44). His motivating emotion? Joy! Jesus stressed heaven's joy over the repentance of one sinner (Luke 15:7,10). The father of the prodigal son reacted with joy expressed in celebration when the wayward son returned home (Luke 15:32). The value of the son and the father's love could not have responded with less! He told disciples they could expect insults, persecutions, and false accusations because they followed him. They were to react to such treatment by rejoicing with gladness (Matthew 5:11, 12). The night prior to his death, Jesus' told his disciples they would weep and lament, but their grief would become joy (John 16:20-22).
Note Jesus considered joy an appropriate spiritual reaction. He did not oppose emotional reactions.
The reaction of those who responded to Jesus as the Christ after his resurrection is astounding. The first converts, primarily Jewish, went daily to the temple with single minded devotion to Jesus as the Christ [worship?], ate together daily with gladness [fellowship?], praised God [worship?], and were respected by those in Jerusalem [good influence?] (Acts 2:46, 47). The lame man healed at the temple walked, leaped, and praised God in the temple area [emotional or unemotional?] (Acts 3:8). When the Jerusalem Sanhedrin flogged the apostles, they rejoiced (Acts 5:41). When the good news was first shared in the city of Samaria, it brought much rejoicing to the city (Acts 8:8). The Ethiopian eunuch rejoiced after his baptism into Christ (Acts 8:39). When the Jewish Christian Barnabas saw God's grace at work among people who were not Jews, he became their encourager who rejoiced (Acts 11:23). When people who were not Jews in Antioch of Pidia learned they would be the primary recipients of the message of the good news, they began rejoicing and glorifying God's word (Acts 13:48). The disciples at Antioch of Pisidia were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:52). When Paul shared with Christians God's work among people who were not Jews, the result was "great joy to all the brethren" (Acts 15:3). When Christians who were not Jews received a letter from Jewish Christians that they were not required to follow Jewish rites, they rejoiced and were encouraged (Acts 15:31). After conversion, the Philippian jailer rejoiced greatly (Acts 16:34).
Note the joy was commonly associated with conversion to Jesus Christ.
Joy as a natural expression of Christian hope is stressed in Romans 12:12, 15:13, and 1 Thessalonians 1:6. Encouragement to rejoice is found in Philippians 3:1, 4:4, and 1 Thessalonians 5:16. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), an important reason for Jesus enduring crucifixion (Hebrews 12:2), an emotion bigger than trials (James 1:2), and a motivation for generosity. (2 Corinthians 8:2). Christians under enormous stress from physical abuse inflicted because of faith in Jesus were encouraged to "greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible" (1 Peter 1:8).
Note that expressing joy in the early Christian community was strongly encouraged.
Without doubt joy and rejoicing were a natural part of coming to and living in Christ!
It was a natural, spiritual response to express joy in early Christianity. To repress feelings of joy was spiritually unnatural.
Attention! This joy expressed appreciation for forgiveness, for justification, for deliverance from fearing death, for the hope of resurrection, and for knowing they were at peace with God. It was not based on ungodly indulgence or material blessings! Instead there was profound gratitude for God's extraordinary gifts in Jesus Christ. Those gifts filled them with a sense of joy and a desire to praise God. It was a joy to be among those "called out" from hopelessness!
These expressed feelings were based on an awareness of the incredible things God does in Christ for the converted.
Thought questions:
Why are so many Christians spiritually fearful of expressing joy today? Should the "called out" be a people of joy today? Why?
The answer to question one will be as varied as those who share. Biblically, the "called out" people should be a people of joy. God's great gifts to us in Jesus Christ rightfully deserve a joyful response.
Link to Student Guide
Lesson 7