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From time to time, I share the joy I take from my faith with others as the Christian clown, Joyful Noise. |
In our day to day lives, sometimes we forget that the Christian faith is suffused with joy. That certainly appears to have been forgotten by many who appear in the public and project a far more dour and judgmental version of the faith. Let's look at joy in the Old and New Testaments for a different perspective.
Joy in the Old Testament had a very public dimension,
referring to visible acts of rejoicing. Practical reasons for Old Testament joy
included having a loving spouse or wise children as seen in Ecclesiastes 9:9
and Proverbs 10:1. Theologically, Old Testament joy was a celebration of who
God is and what God had done for God’s people, including deliverance, steadfast
love, and salvation as seen in Isaiah 25:9, Psalm 30:5, and Jeremiah 31:12-13. Furthermore,
God’s very self also rejoices, as illustrated in Psalm 104:31.
Moving to the New Testament, its books are suffused with
joy. This joy emanates from the inauguration of the new age in which the
Messiah has come. The angel’s pronouncement of good news of great joy for all
people in Luke 2:10-11 becomes central to Jesus’ ministry in both word and
deed. Joy is in the very character of God’s kingdom and once discovered, as
stated in Matthew 13:44, the discoverer will sell all he or she has to retain
this treasure and will do so joyfully. Paul puts a fine point on the matter
when he states that the ultimate source of joy is in Christ and the Holy Spirit
(Phil 3:1; 4:4; Rom 14:17). Therefore,
if we know the ultimate source of joy, certainly we should share that source
with others, and visible acts of rejoicing while doing so would not be out of
place, according to the Old Testament. Of course, sharing Jesus with others is
evangelism.
This is taken from the article "Joy in Evangelism" published in Witness Magazine and written by this pastor, Jeffrey B. Snyder ... who expresses his joy in Christ every chance he gets.
Wishing you joy ... a contagious joy you'll share with others.