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SUNDAY Bible Study 9:30 a.m. Morning Worship 10:30 a.m. Evening Worship 5:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY Bible Study 6:30 p.m. LAST UPDATE THIS PAGE June 1, 2009 12:00 a.m. CT

MINISTER'S MESSAGE > FEBRUARY 2009 1 Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved. 2 I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life. 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:1-9 NKJV Paul's Keys to Joy - Part One We live in difficult times. Our country continues to fight a war against Islam and the terrorism that is always associated with it. Our economy is only beginning to "pay the piper" for its excesses and failure to practice self-control. Hundreds of thousands of Americans are out of work and the future of millions more is uncertain at best. Faithful Christians are disappointed that our new President's first policy decisions were to expand the war on the unborn. It’s not hard to look at the world around us and become discouraged. But time and again God’s children are told to be happy. The apostle Paul was one who had many opportunities to be discouraged, but instead worked through his problems while encouraging others more fortunate than himself. Such is seen in the book of Philippians. From the opening chapter we see Paul is a prisoner in chains (vv 12-17). However, Paul is not concerned with how many brethren come to visit him or send him letters of encouragement. Rather, despite his circumstances, he writes to encourage the brethren at Philippi (vv 12-14). In fact, the entire epistle is one of warmth and exhortation. As Paul concludes this marvelous letter, he gives a number of admonitions to the brethren on how that can be joyful in every circumstance. The first nine verses of chapter 4 each contain several imperatives by which the Philippian brethren can find and maintain genuine biblical joy. Consider . . . Verse 1 – Stand fast in the Lord, knowing you are loved. Few people are more miserable than those who continually ride an emotional roller coaster without any semblance of an even keel. While we understand that life can have highs and lows, a lack of balance is just not emotionally healthy. Understanding that we are loved helps us to avoid being led too high or too low by relatively insignificant matters. Note how Paul uses the word "beloved" as bookends to his admonition to be steadfast in the Lord. Verse 2 – Be of one mind with the brethren. In accordance with prophecy (Isaiah 2:2-3; Joel 2:28-32; Daniel 2:44), the church of Christ was established in Acts 2. Five times in the first five chapters of Acts we read of the brethren as being "of one accord." The word so translated has a musical nuance. A symphony contains many different types of instruments: brass, string, woodwinds, percussion (and different types even within those categories). Yet when properly tuned and played, the music of each blends with the whole to make a pleasant sound. The same can be said of the church. The local body is made up of a variety of individuals: rich, poor, educated, street smart, etc. But when everyone is dedicated to living like Christ and reflecting him in their lives, it creates a beautiful picture for all to see, both in and out of the church. Paul really drove home this point as he mentioned it in 1:27 and 3:16. Verse 3 – Knowing my name is in the book of life. The imperative here is to help those fellow laborers who had assisted Paul in his work. But when one considers the importance of having the assurance of salvation, everything else pales in comparison. But we must issue a word of caution. One can only know he’s saved by comparing his life to the commands given in the Bible. In his first epistle John said his audience could know they were saved by the things that are written (1 John 5:13). Not by one’s feelings (Prov 14:12; 28:26; Jer 17:9). Not by the words of some so-called man of God (Jer 6:13-14). Only by a careful comparison of one’s deeds as they measure up to the will of God (Matt 7:21-23). Lord willing, we will conclude this study in our next edition. TC Archives > Read Previous Minister's Messages January 2009 - Divine Encouragement For the New Year February 2009 - Paul's Keys to Joy - Part One March 2009 - Paul's Keys to Joy - Part Two April 2009 - Paul's Keys to Joy - Part Three May 2009 - Do Not Sin Against the Child

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