1. I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down in My Heart

Part 1: Series Set Up

My college experience… Why did I grow so much in the college environment and so little in the church environment?

That’s the same question that Dr. Jim Wilder and Pastor Michel Hendricks wrestle with in their book, The Other Half of Church…

Compare two churches that have very different results…

The conclusion they came to is that often, one church is a relationally rich church, while the other church is a relationally poor church. One church is loving God with all their mind, while other church is loving God with only half their mind.

Introduce Wilder & Hendricks and their credentials…

How God created our brains to work.

The left side our brains processes things like conscious thought, speech, strategies, problem solving, logic, and stories.

The right side of our brains processes things like our sensory information, assessment of our surroundings, emotions, relational attachments, group identity, and individual identity.

“The right side of our brains manages our strongest relational connections (both to people and God) and our experience of emotional connectedness to others. And character formation. Don’t miss that. Character formation… is governed by the right brain, not the left brain. If we want to grow and transform our character into the character of Jesus, we must involve activities that stimulate and develop the right brain.” (Jim Wilder & Michel Hendricks)

Churches often focus their discipleship methods on left-brained activities, like sermons, Bible studies, book discussions, Bible reading plans, classes, and teaching videos.

Character formation requires engaging our full brain, both left and right halves. We need sermons, Bible studies, and Bible reading plans.

We also need relationally rich environments that stimulate and develop the right brain. We need to create environments that have family-level relationships, that feel like home, where people can grow up into maturity in Christ.

At LakeView, we’re pretty good at engaging our left brains… God is calling us to intentionally develop right-brain activities and relationally rich environments so that we can love God with all of our mind and experience spiritual growth and maturity.

Four components of relationally rich environments that produce character formation: joy, loving attachment, group identity, and healthy correction.

Part 2: Joy

What is Joy? Joy is not a synonym for happiness.

“Joy is relational. It is what we experience when we are with someone who is happy to be with us. Joy does not exist outside of a relationship. Joy is primarily transmitted through the face, especially the eyes, and secondarily through the voice. Joy is relational” (Dr. Jim Wilder).

When you get home from work… when you go to a friend’s house for supper… when you get a phone call from an old friend you haven’t seen in years…

The Importance of Joy

Joy fuels healthy growth and development. Joy is to the mind what gas is to a car.

Babies who get a lot of affection grow differently than babies who do not.

The same thing is true spiritually… Eph 4:14-15 (NET). Following Jesus together in relationally rich environments filled with love and joy fuels character formation and growing up into maturity in Christ.

Joy gives strength in the valley of the shadow of death (Ps 23:4, ESV). You can endure anything if you have joy (Heb 12:2, NET).

Cancer, loss of a loved one, chronic insomnia, loss of a job, parenting a teenager…

This is why God created churches (1 Cor 12:12-13, 26-27).

Joy deficiency leads to problems. Low joy levels contribute to a number of serious issues.

Depression, fear, anxiety, despair, lack of motivation, suicide…

Pseudo-joys and addictions. Alcohol, pornography, food, shopping, screens, hobbies, career, money, self-help, unhealthy relationships… Dr. Wilder’s counseling center helps addicts become free through increasing their joy.

How to Cultivate Christ-Centered Joy

Christ-centered joy comes from true friendships in the church (John 13:34-35; 15:11-12, 17; 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:21; 1 Pet 4:8).

Illustration: Not just a church friend…

Our aim is to have true friendships. We aspire to be a people whose love for one another and others is genuine and sticky. We believe that disciples are mentored through intentional, authentic friendships. Our church friends are our true friends. The church is our spiritual home, and we are members of the family.

Sing: Bind Us Together, Lord

Christ-centered joy comes from God’s face (Ps 16:11).

The actual Hebrew says, “there is abundance of joy with your face.” Many times in the OT the word translated in English as “presence” is the Hebrew word for “face.” Joy comes from God’s face smiling on us, which sheds new light on the blessing in Numbers 6:24-26.

This is why we gather to worship… this is why we encourage you to read your Bible… this is why prayer is so important…

Response: A Joy Meditation