Our Joy

Let me tell you about Tom.  Tom is a co-worker and good friend of mine.  He has a great sense of humor and, quite honestly, helps make my work day bearable, and sometimes even enjoyable.  He is also a brother in Christ.

Like Jenny (remember her?), Tom is not a member of a local church.  Now, I am not going to get into what the Bible says about that, because I have done enough of that.  Rather, I want to talk about what the Bible says Tom is missing by not being part of a local body of believers.

Joy.

Now, I am not saying that Tom is not a happy guy, because he is (at least he seems to be).  Nor am I saying that he does not have any enjoyment or that others don’t enjoy him (and his wit).  What I am talking about is Christian joy.  The joy that is only given by God to His children.  The joy that will someday reach its culmination in glory.  The joy that, as it is described in the Scriptures, is realized on this side of glory through the fellowship of the saints. 

Go as far back as the book of Judges where we find the first use of the word “joy”.  It refers to the reuniting of a man and his son-in-law (Judges 19:3).  Go to the book of Jude to find the last use of the word and you will see it talks about that glorious future day when we will be together, physically together, with our Lord as He presents us as His blameless bride (Jude 24).

Read the Apostle Paul and see how the overwhelming majority of his use of the word “joy” speaks of believers being together, united by physical location and by the common work they share together (Romans 15:32, 2 Corinthians 2:3, Philippians 1:25, 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20, 2 Timothy 1:4 to name just a few).

Read how our Lord, on the eve of His crucifixion, gives both commandment and promise when He says: “These things I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.  This is my commandment: that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:11-12)

Do I wish that Tom would join a church so he could grow through the instruction and admonition of the local church and so he could share all the great things he has to offer with the Body of Christ?  Yes.  But more than that, I wish he would experience the joy that comes through regular fellowship with all of the Christians (literally: “little Christs”) eager to have their joy made more complete through the fellowship of yet another little Christ.

Brothers and sisters, our joy is made full through the love we show one another.  And to do that, we need to be together.  We need to come together in the same way that Christ came to us, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2).  We are that joy.  And we need to be that joy for each other.

 

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