A Church That Brings Joy to God and Others
Churches can be the best things and sometimes the worst things in the world. Many people have walked away from church because sometimes churches can lose their way. The problem with the church losing its way is that the church is supposed to show others the way to God and to a life that brings joy. Paul shows us in these verses what a church (and believer) can do to bring joy not only to God, but also to the people around us.
The way to bring joy to God and others is to…
Live With Our Purpose in Mind
Only one thing concerns me: Be sure that you live in a way that brings honor to the Good News of Christ. Then whether I come and visit you or am away from you, I will hear that you are standing strong with one purpose, that you work together as one for the faith of the Good News, Philippians 1:27 (NCV)
Our purpose is to bring honor to the Good News of God’s love for us. God has asked each one of us to bring his love and glory to this world. Whatever we believe about things, the one thing that matters is what we do with our faith in God. We may vote differently, choose what we drink, what we eat or who we cheer for we can agree on one thing: God’s grace changes everything. There are different believes about secondary things throughout the church. Our job is to make sure that secondary things do not become the priority. The first thing is the gospel of salvation through Jesus. We need to live to fulfill our purpose of sharing that with everyone we meet.
Using Our Struggles to Honor God
and that you are not afraid of those who are against you. All of this is proof that your enemies will be destroyed but that you will be saved by God. God gave you the honor not only of believing in Christ but also of suffering for him, both of which bring glory to Christ. When I was with you, you saw the struggles I had, and you hear about the struggles I am having now. You yourselves are having the same kind of struggles. Philippians 1:28-30 (NCV)
When, not if, life brings its struggles to our door we have a decision to make. How we respond to struggles helps us not only deal with the struggle in a positive way but will help us honor God. We can honor God by holding our head up when we face a struggle. Not to lay down but to walk through the struggle. How we walk through the hard times shows our faith in God more than praising God during the good times. That is done by admitting we are struggling, but depending on God to help us through the struggle. Not using those Christian cliché but being honest about what we are going through honors God and draws other people into a search for God.
Using God’s Blessings to Help Others
Does your life in Christ give you strength? Does his love comfort you? Do we share together in the spirit? Do you have mercy and kindness? If so, make me very happy by having the same thoughts, sharing the same love, and having one mind and purpose. Philippians 2:1-2 (NCV)
God blesses us so that we can bless others. Share your strength when you are with someone who is feeling weak. Let your love comfort the people who are struggling. Share what you have to bless those in need. Let mercy and kindness guide every decision, conversation and thought. If we are blessed then we need to share it with others and bring joy to God and their lives.
Being Humble Enough to Honor Others
When you do things, do not let selfishness or pride be your guide. Instead, be humble and give more honor to others than to yourselves. Do not be interested only in your own life, but be interested in the lives of others. Philippians 2:3-4 (NCV)
Humble is something we all want to be. The problem is that our egos continually get in the way. We bring joy to God and others when we place others above ourselves. It is not to think less of ourselves but to think of ourselves less. If we take time to listen to others and truly hear them we help them find their voice and joy. It is to be interested in their lives and find ways to honor them and help them get through their good times and bad times. God tells us to let our humility guide our actions and we will bring honor to God and the people around us.
We are called as believers to bring joy to God and to honor Christ’s sacrifice for us. We do this by taking care of the people around us and sharing the story of God’s love for them.