JOY-full Disciplemaking

Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. Jesus left us His Spirit to empower us to spread the gospel and make disciples. He gives us joy and a mission!

When we set our hearts to be obedient to the Lord, the joy comes. God knows the intent of our hearts, so when our minds are made up to make disciples, we are empowered to do it! Just knowing that we are pleasing God should bring smiles to our faces if we are disciples are Christ. Here are three reasons why!

Ambassadors of Christ Jesus are Joyful.

Those who are sent into this world as a representative of Christ have a high and holy calling. It is not to be taken lightly at all. It is a joy and a privilege to serve the One great King. To be His servant is an honor. The goal of ambassadorship is to reconcile others to the Kingdom of God. God has predestined those who will bring Him glory and follow what He has instructed. We were made for this!

Joy is found in Truth

In 3 John 1:4, John states that he finds no greater joy than to see his children walking in truth. When we make disciples we are sharing in their salvation from sin, their reconciliation to the Father and their new mission to follow after Christ themselves. There is no joy in falsehood, no lasting happiness in lies. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Knowing Him and drawing others to him is the most joyful of human experiences.

Disciplemaking is Fulfilling

As God's children pour out in ministry to others, the most amazing thing happens. Our joy becomes FULL. This is no partial joyful experience, but an overflow of gratefulness that defies circumstances. it ruins all other levels of joy you have ever known because this joy is unending. 

Obeying the last command of Christ fills believers and adds fullness to an otherwise empty life. It is the mandate, the reason and the epitome of one's goals and hopes. You cannot get better than that.

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If you want to embrace this type of lifestyle, it begins by receiving Jesus Christ as your Saviour. You cannot please the Lord otherwise. Your sin blocks the way and you cannot lead others to a God you do not have a relationship with.

Once you know Jesus for yourself, you must actually follow Him. He instructs his disciples to confess their sins and to be publicly baptized as a sign of their faith. It does not save you, it tells others that you are saved and unashamed of that decision to identify with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. Then join a body of believers that are passionate to obey Jesus' last command to make disciples. Ask Him to empower you to disciple others and joy will come.

Re-JOYcing and Recycling

Rejoice and again I say, Rejoice! Can I equate it to recycling? Just think about it. When we recycle, we are taking something that has previously been used and using it again (perhaps in a different way). When we think of rejoicing, we may often be concerned that it is redundant. We were joyful already, doesn't that count? It sounds like something a teenager might say; but true rejoicing is never redundant, it is recycled!

This week, I struggled to find joy in my sorrow. With three funerals in two weeks, I found it hard to genuinely smile. I may have been a bit short with others and the happiness tank was low. How do you find joy in sorrow? The answer is in the Word. We do not sorrow like those in the world do who have no hope. ( 1 Thessalonians 4:13, KJV) We look forward to heaven and the glory that awaits us. Being full of hope brings joy. Remember that and recycle it.

The older saints in my church used to say "When I think back over my life and all that the Lord has done for me, my soul cries out 'Hallelujah, Thank God for saving me'. The joy that we experience may not come from present circumstances at all. It could be something that we continually thank the Lord for that happened long ago. Or, we could even be rejoicing about what we are thanking God for in advance! When things are recycled, they are not refuse or garbage any longer. They have value.

Our rejoicing has value to God!!

He wants us to be joyful which is why this is listed among the fruit of the spirit in Galatians 6. He expects us to rejoice always, not because things are going good, but because He is good!

Recycling joy is for our collective good as the Body of Christ. We got new garbage cans this past month from the city. They had a great idea to discard all of our trash in a unified way. They encouraged recycling in an effort to keep the community healthier and maintain green spaces. Like the church as a whole, we must maintain our joy not only for our sakes, but for the sake of others. The joy of the Lord is our strength. If you are stronger, so am I!

The Bible tells us that a cheerful countenance and a merry heart works like medicine. It is healthy to be joyful, but a broken spirit drieth the bones. (Proverbs 17:22, KJV). The church needs to be a strong body of believers.

So get your joy back. Smile. Understand that not recycling joy is wasteful and only builds up clutter. Let's choose to re-JOYce!