More Than Bread

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This episode is a hard one. No ifs, ands, or butts, it’s a hard one. In this episode we are going to talk about the unmistakable and often necessary connection between suffering and joy. We’ll start with the last part of chapter 1 in Paul’s epistle of joy but we might roam a bit farther afield in God’s word also, because this is a good topic to get a broad sense of God’s heart on the subject. And remember this connection comes right after Paul declares, "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain." 

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What is your dream?  You have probably heard the phrase, "The great American dream..." It's all about gaining what we (think we) need for happiness, joy, comfort, success etc.  Isn't that we often live? Gain all we can now. We live to gain. I want to win now. I want the job now, security now, the most recognition now. I want to be the one. Maybe you know what I’m talking about, maybe have even experienced it. Even if I'm a Christian, let's gain all we can gain now and then we get Jesus after we die.

For me to live is gain and to die is Christ. But Paul reverses the dream. He says, "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain." My living now is all about Jesus and when I die, that's when I gain. Can I say, "for me to live is Christ and to die is gain?" Or do I need a reversal? That's the question of this episode.

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The gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ...is all about the way in which the weakest, most despised, most difficult people in the world, can become through the power of God, the most beautiful, most radiant, people in the world. The gospel is all about how God finds gold in the garbage; how God does good things in bad times.  Or as Leonard Sweet puts it, "...whatever is buried trash in your life, God can turn into buried treasure.  Whatever you think are the trash cans of your existence, God can turn them into treasure chests." 

Some of you are going through garbage dump times and in this episode, as we look at the next part of Paul's letter to his friends in Philippi, I want to give you three good things about hard times.
 

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We are in Paul’s letter from prison to his friends at Philippi. You know as I’ve been studying through Paul’s letter, thinking about his context and mine, I find myself in the last chapter of my life. I’m hoping it’s a long chapter, but if there are three acts to my life, I’m in act 3. So I think even more about finishing well than I have before.

Paul’s words in Acts 20:24 were a life-challenge for him to finish well. I can just see him writing this in his journal. He writes, "But none of these things (troubles) move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy." He wanted to finish well, and finishing well meant finishing his race with joy. So in this episode, we’re going to take some time to ponder finishing well and in fact finishing well with joy.

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 Paul's letter to the church at Philippi has power because his words of joy are the words of someone who has experienced unexpected barriers to joy.  His life was full of the kind of circumstances that tend to discourage and depress us.  Paul left a mark on others, at least in part because of his joy. He calls us to joy from the unexpected prison and circumstantial barriers to joy. This episode is a reminder that in the hardest of times, an amazing, overflowing joy is still available!

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There is a simple story in Luke 17 about 10 men who were healed of leprosy by Jesus. Not immediately in His presence, but on their way as they went to the Priest. They were healed on the way, and when they were healed, one returned to Jesus to say thank you. One returned and 9 did not. And my simple challenge in this episode is to "be the one."

Paul begins his letter from prison to his friends in Philippi with a word of a gratitude. "I thank my God every time I remember you, because of our partnership in the gospel. Every time I pray for you, I pray with joy! Paul was determined to be the one.

So be the one who comes back.
Be the one who lives by an internal gps of gratitude.
Be the one who is never too busy to say thank you.
Be the one!

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Perhaps few things are more essential for the life we long to live than the essential of joy.  Unexplainable, uncontainable, contagious and outrageous, extreme joy.  I'm not sure if I should try to distinguish between happiness and joy.  But I'm not talking about a pain-free existence. And I'm not talking about getting everything I want, when I want it. I'm talking about something deeper than circumstantial happiness.
 
In Phil. 4:4 he takes this whole joy thing to the extreme. Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again rejoice!  And so he puts joy in the non-optional category.  If we value the Bible, then joy is a command and joylessness is a sin.  Here's what I'm thinking... 

 If joy is a command, than it must also mean that joy is a choice. What if…regardless of your prison, regardless of your hard season, what if you can choose joy? Would that change your life?

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As we look around us and even look within us, is it so crazy to believe that Paul might be right? A battle between God and evil rages around us. If so, how do we fight a battle we can't see, against forces we don't know, with weapons we aren't even sure we are trained for? I've experienced some battle, in fact more battle in the last few years than I can ever remember, and in the midst of this I was reminded of one of God's crazy battle plans.

Be a sheep and follow your shepherd. As we recap spiritual battle, we are looking at God's crazy battle plan. Be a sheep.

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If we are going to stand up rather than give up we need to get connected, to Christ and each other. One of the best ways to connect to both Christ and each other...at the same time, is by praying together. That’s Paul’s concluding challenge. 

Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. Keep alert with all perseverance, praying for all the saints...and also for me. Pray at all times, with all types of prayer, with all perseverance, for all people. This is a call to all-in prayer. Sometimes I feel that the best I can do is to pray sometimes, with some types of prayer, for some people with some measure of perseverance.

I hope this episode stirs up our souls to pray a bit more.

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I used to think that God was kind of arbitrary in choosing who He was going to use; who He was going to empower for great things. "I'm going to use you and you, but not you.   That's not what the Bible says. I love the Words of 2 Chronicles 16:9, "The eyes of the Lord search back and forth across the whole earth looking for people whose hearts are fully committed to Him, so He can show his great power in helping them. "

God is looking for people to empower, people whom He can use, people He can  trust.  Nothing can ultimately keep you from living the destiny that God has planned for you; if you will commit your heart fully to Him.

In this episode we'll take a look at 5 heart-commitments we can make to stand in the battle!