NewSong Bangkok Blog

Ocean waves fascinate and scare me.  I've always loved the water, having learned to swim at a  young age in the frigid waters of Lake Ontario. I would pride myself being able to be one of the first to jump off the dock in early May. That's pretty early even for Canadians considering it's still almost winter in April! But nothing compares to the ocean in South East Asia. Now that I live here I have renewed my love with water and have become enamored with another sport other than swimming. Riding the waves in Phuket! The time to ride them is in the most dangerous season, the beginning of rainy season when an unruly undertoe can snatch the unsuspecting and drag away the best of swimmers to the deep. But they fascinate, these continual wave feasts. They build themselves as if on steroids and crash down WWF-like without any consideration for the fragility of those in their paths.

Even though I've over forty years of swimming under my swimming strings and consider myself a strong swimmer, more than once I've been manhandled by a wave, leaving me thoroughly beat up by the rough sand and spitting out salt water. Waves don't have the patience for considering the virtue of fairness. Yet in spite of my wife's pleas to stay out of the waters I continue to defy the waves, well maybe not the biggest ones way out there and certainly not alone. I carry with me my trusted Californian Boogie board! Together we wade out looking for the perfect wave to carry us high and pushing us forward in exhilarating ocean speed. Footing is crucial, you need a balanced position to throw yourself up into the arching water. Timing is paramount. Too soon and you don't get momentum. Too late and  the board and you make little progress. You need patience too, to not to jump on just any wave. You wait. You are happy with being picky. You want the real ride that spits you up and lands you smoothly on the beach. Once you've succeeded a few times, it's hard to go back to the pool side.

Sometimes I wonder if that is my true approach to life at times. Am I riding the tide so to speak? In real life do I enjoy the adrenaline inducing adventure that God has for me? I ask myself that today. I don't want just any wave to take me to my destination. I want to wait for God's perfect wave and ride it out to the final stop at Jesus

We have been studying the letter of Paul to believers at Philippi. It was written about 2,000 years ago while he was under house arrest at his own expense for two years in Rome. (Acts 28:30) Not an easy assignment.

The main reason Paul wrote was to say thanks for a gift of money that the church had sent through the hand of Epaphroditus. It was really about time they helped out their founder. No one likes to forgotten in bad circumstances. But without any rankling Paul writes someytthing so heartfelt and encouring,

Ch 4: ¹⁰I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. ¹¹I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

That's the kind of contentment and joy we have been teaching our members for the last while. The church really needs more joy, the contagious kind. Joy is needed to become more resilient in our daily lives. Joy is needed if we ever want to encourage others. Only the joyful know how to encourage! And the Book of Philippians is by far the most joyful letter Paul ever wrote. Sixteen times in four short chapters he uses some form of the word joy.

Each week we have been asking this pertinent question to you "But Can You Be Happy?"

Know this Joy is a mark of maturity in Christ. I am not talking about fun and jokes. I am not talking about a religious grin that comes off so fake and contrived. I am talking about the condition of the heart and mind that has a consistent uninterrupted overflow of joy. If you want to know how strong your faith is, look at the disposition of your heart when you go through a hard time.

The reason why I truly love this book is because it is a living illustration of the life of a man who learned to handle life's disappointments without getting bitter, but actually getting better. We can't simply say "wow" on our soft chairs from an adoring distance though. We've got to enter into the joy of Jesus somehow. That's right, we have got to get there!

As we all know life is full of broken dreams. Pain is a part of the human experience. So many things that should and maybe could have happened, but simply didn't. From the day Paul became a Christian to the time he wrote this letter he had more than his fair share of hardships. Someone said that Paul's picture is in the dictionary right beside the word 'victim." But Paul never doubts God's love. He never gets bitter with being forgotten. He never plays the victim and cries, "Woe is me!"  Listen to some of his words:

"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Ch 4:13

"Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say it, rejoice!" Ch. 4:4

"For me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better." Ch. 1:21

Hardly the words of an 'Eeyore" personality! These awesome testimonies of his joy have been a source of inspiration for over a billion Christians since Paul wrote them. Aren't you glad that Paul never ever just gave up and lied down to die? Even restricted to prison he gives us His best cheerful words...

Who can't learn about church life from Philippians 2?

I am amazed at how fitting these verses are in our present situation. Our world here in Bangkok over the last two months has been incredibly difficult, perhaps the ugliest in terms of anger and frustration expressed. We have never seen anything like it in our almost 20 years we have lived here. There are a lot of layers to this present conflict that has shook the foundations of Thai culture, character and Thai values. One of the easy lessons we learn from this conflict is that when deep divisions occur, nobody is a winner.

I'd like to start out by reminding us of that again today. If you have ever been in an environment full of bad feelings and vibes, you know it sucks out the energy and joy.

 We should hate apathy in our lives and in the life of the church. But the thing we should fear the most in the church is division.

Pay attention! Newsong is a wonderful community of people that we I love. As a leader I do my best to express how much I love you and believe in you. You guys are quality! (Last Sunday morning we had three different people lead worship! Nok and Paul took turns in sharing and translating each other.) Lots of gifted people here.

Likewise when Paul writes to the church in Philippi, we need to know that he is writing to quality people and good quality leaders. This church had a special place in his heart and in chapter one he keeps affirming that.

"Every time I think of you I break out in exclamations of thanks to God." 1:3

 In fact this is the only letter written to a church that he doesn't have to correct the church about wrong doctrine.  And there is no mention of immorality in the church that needed confronting. This was a good group of people.

But there was this one thing that was lurking in the shadows. It is the same thing that can shake destroy a nation... it is the hissing slippery snake of disunity.

Let's start with this Picture

What do you see here?

Broken masonry? Incredibly relieved and happy American rescuers? But most of all what do you see?

This uplifting moment was captured by a photographer in Haiti as a young boy named Kiki was lifted from the rubble he had been trapped under for 8 days. His mom's face is hidden, but she was told to forget about the boy. Even a grown man can not survive without water for four days. But she would not give up her son.I'd like to see her face!

This picture has become famous and been shown around the world. The reason I think we are drawn to this boy’s face is that we love to see joy especially when it is joy that is birthed out of tragic circumstances. This smile says, “I am saved!”

So this is a picture of a thankful child being saved from certain death. It is also a great picture of what the people of God could be like and should be like.

The Psalmist declared, “Happy is that people, whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 144:15).

Why? David is saying, “If you have a God like our God, a God who is faithful and powerful and loving… to belong to Him is the best thing in life!”

Do you feel that way?

When is the last time you read Psalm 103?

“May I never forget the good things He does for me.” V.2

He has saved us. He has filled us with good things. He renews our strength. Our future is secure. He will never leave us nor forsake us. And when we think and rehearse about this great salvation of ours and great God of ours, it results in a new even supernatural attitude… it gives us the ability to live joyfully at all times.

The book of Romans tells the Kingdom of God is not about rules of what to eat and not eat, (Don’t do this and don’t do that) but it is all about Peace, joy and righteousness that comes from the Holy Spirit.

Joy is this inner quality through God’s Spirit to delight in God’s goodness. It’s an overflow of God’s abundance in our spirits. It shows in the way we worship. It shows in our relationships. It shows in our response to life’s difficulties. If I could put it in a theological statement: "Joy is the gift and the reminder of the Spirit of whom we belong to. That joyful gift becomes the characteristic and condition of the heart which then enjoys a confident relationship with Christ."

Unfortunately not every Christian experiences this in their life as they ought. So today is a reminder to tap into the joy of your salvation through the Spirit’s help.

I have to remind you again how important this is. If we as Christians are the only Bible some people read, let’s give the world the joyful version of God! God is not in a bad mood. He is a joyful and playful creative God!

Ultimately, I like being around joyful Christians. Who doesn’t like to be around joyful people, right? Given a choice between a sad-faced wet-blanket type of Christian and a positive and joyful Christian, I know which type I’d like to be around! Not the long faced Christians who look like a donkey. I want to be around those who have a heart that has real joy and expresses it in their daily living.

Joy is a magnet and will cause people to want what makes them joyful.

Nehemiah 8:10 The joy of the Lord is our Strength.

Today I want to remind you of the best life-examples of joyful living and his name is Paul. He has written one third of our New Testament and the book that best depicts joy is the book of Philippians. In fact in four short chapters he talks of joy 16 times. This verse has been quoted more than any verse Paul has written.

“Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.”