Finding Joy Through Christ-Centered Ministry

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Introduction

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Driving with high beams on while it’s snowing distracts our focus.

The other night I was driving with my family when we got a bit of snow. Now, I get pretty excited when I see snow. When most are praying that it stops, I’m asking the Lord to bring feet of that white, fluffy recipe for fun! I love snow!

Typically when we drive at night, we turn our high-beams to see an extra 100-feet of what’s ahead. Often we just drive with our high beams on until there’s an oncoming car and we turn them off so they can see also. (We’re supposed to anyway — unless you one of those people that has to be reminded by being blinded yourself to turn your high beams down.)

But I think for most of us it’s different when it’s snowing at least moderately (at least for me). I turn my high beams on just briefly, then off again, because when they’re on, angle of the light changes perspective, which changes my perspective. Suddenly seeing all the snow coming at me makes it more difficult to focus on the road. It’s like you’re driving into a snow vortex, which involuntarily draws your eyes to another point of focus.

Connection

Life often comes at us pretty quickly, doesn’t it? Similarly to when it’s snowing. And all the moving aspects to our life — some of which we control, but most of it we don’t — often capture our attention and draw our eyes off the road/path of Christian living. When this happens we forget why we’re here; we forget who we are and Whose we are; and we often try to address all of the peripheral things in life which suck up our time, energy, and attention. We need a change in perspective so we can clearly see the road ahead!

When this happens we forget why we’re here; we forget who we are and Whose we are; and we often try to address all of the peripheral things in life which suck up our time, energy, and attention.

Pivot: But a simple change in perspective, focus, will do nothing for you if you’re not able to see clearly.

But a simple change in perspective, focus, will do nothing for you if you’re not able to see clearly.

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Seeing clearly is imperative to follow Jesus well into Christian maturity. However, different from physical eyesight, spiritual sight requires that everyone wear gospel lenses — a biblical perspective which enables us to:

Seeing clearly is imperative to follow Jesus well into Christian maturity. However, different from physical eyesight, spiritual sight requires that everyone wear gospel lenses — a biblical perspective which enables us to

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see the Lord in all His brilliant detail,

see ourselves and others with true clarity with the help of the Holy Spirit and our brothers and sisters in Christ, and

maintain (or gain) a perspective toward others that is not of this world – to press on, straining toward what lies ahead for us in heaven.

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Last week we saw that our identity and union with Christ helps us know who we are, brings thanksgiving rooted in God's faithfulness, and motivates us to pray for and work toward increasing and maturing love for God and his glory.

Our identity and union with Christ helps us know who we are, brings thanksgiving rooted in God's faithfulness, and motivates us to pray for and work toward increasing and maturing love for God and his glory.

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Today we continue in Philippians, which just may be the happiest book in the Bible. Paul uses "joy” or “rejoice” fourteen times in this brief letter and each time he means that he or the Christians at the church in Philippi are finding joy, or choosing to rejoice, in Christ-centered ministry.

Open your Bible or Bible app to Philippians, please (p 921 in the black seat-back Bibles).

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(p 921)

The Advance of the Gospel

Unity in the Body of Christ

12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

4 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

(ESV)

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

Paul’s imprisonment served to advance the gospel in two ways.

Paul lives all of live “in Christ”

Paul is in chains at the sovereign bidding of the Lord which advances the gospel beyond 9-10k imperial soldiers.

Paul’s imprisonment has led to an explosion of evangelistic boldness to speak the gospel without fear. The knee-jerk reaction to persecution would be to shrink back but quite the opposite occured: they trusted in the Lord and grew as brothers in the Lord saw Paul’s bold witness in prison.

Jason C. Meyer, “Philippians,” in Ephesians–Philemon, ed. Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar, vol. XI, ESV Expository Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018), 140.