The birth of Christ was proclaimed with this declaration: “I bring you good news of great joy!”1 Apparently there is normal joy and then there is great joy. The coming of the Son of God to Earth was joyful news that would bring all who received Him into joy itself.
For reasons unknown to me, one of the greatest offenses in this present move of God is the manifestation of joy. Every season that brings new outpourings of the Holy Spirit (revival) interjects a new experience and manifestation that causes offense. It is necessary. Only when we are able to get past the fear of the criticism of others that such an experience brings are we poised to receive all that God has for us. The fear of man is the heart and soul of religion—form without power. And most of us are prone to try and bottle up what God is doing so we can analyze and control it to keep us comfortable. It is the way of death. And it must be defeated in us.
People seem to be good with the idea of joy as a theological value, but they disdain it as actual experience, especially as a corporate expression. It appears to be out of order. And it is. But whose order does joy actually violate?
Disorderly Order
I was present at the birth of all three of my children. It was wonderful, amazing—and very offensive. While the doctors would have said that everything was “decent and in order,” it didn’t look that way to me. Even though there was laughter and celebration, there was also a big mess with pain and tears. Those in charge didn’t seem to be bothered by any of it. But to the uninitiated, it appeared chaotic. The nurses’ and doctors’ lack of panic helped to calm any misgivings I may have had about the situation.
Joy appears to be out of order. And it is. But whose order does joy actually violate?
I wonder how often God has purposed to do something wonderful for His people, and then we get nervous and take over the controls because we don’t feel comfortable with the situation. I’ve come to realize that He is not all that concerned about us feeling comfortable. That’s why He gave us the Comforter—He planned to make us uncomfortable first.
The biggest offense in joy is laughter. The question comes often: Where is that in the Bible? It’s not that complicated. Laughter is to salvation what tears are to repentance. We are not commanded to cry at an altar when we come to Christ. But it happens often, as it should. Our twisted set of values has distorted the nature of life with Christ. “In Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever” (Psalm 16:11). Is not laughter at least a part of joy? Does not “fullness” mean that all the parts are joined together in the whole, whether it include laughter, smiling, inner happiness, or whatever else? While laughter should not be our only response to His presence, it is an acceptable and normal expression of being with God.
I have found that it usually takes greater faith to rejoice in His presence than it does to weep. To rejoice I have to believe that I am acceptable to God. I used to weep a lot with a sense of unworthiness. Hiding behind that was my inability to see that I was acceptable to God. But when people discover that not only are they acceptable to God, but also that He actually delights in them, it’s time to rejoice! And if you want joy, rejoice.
The Ease of Dis-ease
Much of the present Christian culture has unintentionally fostered ways of life and thought patterns that allow for people to be heavily burdened and discouraged as the norm. That habit often takes us into the stronghold of unbelief. In this mode we are much better at applauding tears over laughter, poverty over wealth, and the endurance of affliction over receiving quick answers and getting breakthroughs.
Our perspective is in need of change. An incorrect view of suffering has allowed the Trojan horse of disease to come in through the gates of the community of the redeemed. Misunderstanding this simple subject has invited the thief to come through the front door, often escorted by the teaching from our greatest pulpits.
The sufferings of Jesus were realized in the persecution He endured and in the burden He carried for people. He did not suffer with disease. That must be removed from our idea of Christian suffering. It is vain to carry something under the guise of the will of God when it is something that He purchased that He might destroy its power over us. An additional concept to remember is that He suffered that we might not have to suffer. For example, He bore stripes on His body applied by a Roman soldier so that they could become His payment for our healing.2
If this suffering of His was insufficient, then what did it accomplish? This error, if carried through, brings the whole issue of conversion and forgiveness of sins into question. It’s true that the sufferings of Jesus are not yet complete,3 but they have to do with our call to righteous living in an unrighteous world. This brings pressures upon our lives that range from the realm of persecution for living for Christ to the burdens we bear as intercessors before our heavenly Father where we plead the case of the lost.
There are few prophetic declarations that are more appropriate for this hour than this word from Hosea:
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
—Hosea 4:6
Ignorance that exalts itself with a false sense of accomplishment for meeting religious requirements is one of our greatest enemies. For ignorance creates tolerance. And what we tolerate dominates.
When we allow sickness, torment, and poverty to be thought of as the God-ordained tools He uses to make us more like Jesus, we have participated in a very shameful act. There is no doubt He can use them, as He is also known to be able to use the devil himself for His purposes. (He can win with a pair of twos.) But to think these things are released into our lives through His design, or that He approved such things, is to undermine the work at Calvary. To do so one must completely disregard the life of Christ and the purpose of the cross. None of us would say that He died for my sins but still intends that I should be bound by sin habits. Neither did He pay for my healing and deliverance so I could continue in torment and disease. His provision for such things is not figurative: it is actual.
Furthermore, it dishonors the Lord to disregard His work in order to justify our difficulty to believe for the impossible. It is time to own up to the nature of the gospel and preach it for what it is. It is the answer for every dilemma, conflict, and affliction on the planet. Declare it with boldness, and watch Him invade Earth once again.4
How Big Is Your Devil?
This false approach to the Christian life also tends to inflate the power of the devil in the minds of believers. In the wrong atmosphere, complaining and criticism masquerades as information needed for our prayer lives. This mind-set leads us away from the kingdom where there is righteousness, peace, and joy and takes us to a realm of heaviness that emphasizes the devil’s strategies and accomplishments. We were not commanded to keep a record of the devil’s accomplishments. We were commanded to keep the testimony of God’s wonderful work on the earth,5 making His works our delight and the object of our fascination and study.6 We are commanded to “feed on His faithfulness” (Psalm 37:3, NKJV). The atmosphere established around us is determined by what treasure we keep (the treasure revealed in our conversations).
It is not healthy to have a big devil and a small (impractical) God. It’s not that the devil has no power or should be ignored. The apostle Paul taught us against such ignorance.7 We just can’t afford to be impressed by the one who is restricted in power when we serve an all-powerful God. I try to live in such a way that nothing ever gets bigger than my awareness of God’s presence. When I lose that perspective, I find that I need to repent, change my focus, and come into the awe of God again.
Allowing the facts of the devil’s work to masquerade as truth undermines joy, the obvious trait of those who are in the kingdom of God. Truth becomes evident only in the mind of Christ, and the mind of Christ is given to joy. “At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit” (Luke 10:21). Here the word rejoiced suggests shouting and leaping—not quite the picture of Jesus given to us in movies or sermons.
The Motivation of Jesus
Jesus lived in perfect obedience, both in motive and in action. Everything that Jesus did He did as a man dependent on God. We also know that Jesus took delight in doing His Father’s will. But it was the Father who brought another element into the equation: “Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2). The Father added a reward that was so significant that it would bring the Son of man through the greatest suffering ever known to a human being. And this One, who was to pay the ultimate price, would receive the ultimate reward—joy. Joy is the reward.
There is a price to pay for following Christ. And there is also a reward for following Christ. Emphasizing the price without the reward is morbid. Going through the pain of discipline for any reason must have an outcome that is worthy of the pain. When the Father wanted to give the best reward to His own Son, He chose to give Him joy. What will people do in heaven who do not like joy?
Our joy is a direct result of being before the face of God. A countenance filled with joy is the reflection of the Father’s delight in us.
Jesus knew that such a reward was well worth the price. This is difficult to comprehend. But joy is such a priceless commodity in heaven that it also became the reward for the believer. “Well done, good and faithful slave. . . . Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21, emphasis added). The implication is not only that joy is the reward but also that we are to enter into our Father’s personal joy. “He who sits in the heavens laughs” (Psalm 2:4). It is the very nature of God that we get to enjoy and celebrate for eternity. And part of that nature is seen in joy. Think of it as a mansion you have inherited. Your great privilege is to enter each room of that place with wonder and delight. While it’s an honor just to be there, the shocking reality is that it is your inheritance. The whole unending realm of the Father’s joy is your personal possession, and it’s yours to explore for eternity. And for you, eternity started the moment you were born again.
There are some who think it is carnal to do things to get a reward. Jesus’s example should dispel such a notion. Rewards are a part of heaven’s economy and are legitimate motivators. In fact, those who lose sight of their reward have not kept a healthy view of eternity. And we don’t do well without eternity in mind.
The Joy of His Face
Joy is an important part of the Father’s nature. We experience His joy, and now we inherit His joy as our own. “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; lovingkindness and truth go before You. How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! O LORD, they walk in the light of Your countenance. In Your name they rejoice all the day, and by Your righteousness they are exalted” (Psalm 89:14–16, emphasis added).
Our joy is a direct result of being before the face of God. A countenance filled with joy is the reflection of the Father’s delight in us. Those who live before the face of God know the sound of joy, for the sound of joy is the actual sound of heaven. There is no darkness in heaven, not even a shadow, because the light of His face is everywhere. In the same way, there is no discouragement or depression in heaven, because the sound of joy radiates from the face of God. Praying for the kingdom of God to come now “on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10) is in essence a prayer for the atmosphere of heaven to permeate Earth—the atmosphere of joy.
Joyful Mindedness
It is said that the mind of a child is trained in joy at an early age. It’s as though boundaries are established much like a surveyor would go out onto a piece of property and drive stakes into the ground to mark the property lines. So children’s capacity for joy and wholeness is set by their relationship with loving adults who are delighted in them. There is a part of the brain that some call the joy center. This area is activated through the joyful countenance of the parents as they look into the child’s eyes. This affirming experience is their actual training for joy.
The book Living From the Heart Jesus Gave You states:
In a child’s first two years, the desire to experience joy in loving relationships is the most powerful force in life. In fact, some neurologists now say that the basic human need is to be the “sparkle in someone’s eye.” When you catch a glimpse of a child’s face as she runs toward an awaiting parent with arms outstretched in unrestrained joy, you can witness firsthand that incredible power that comes from “being the sparkle in someone’s eye.” When this joy is the strongest force in a child’s world, life makes sense, because children look forward to moments when they can re-connect to joy—by being with their beloved. Wonderfully enough, that innocent, pure desire that begins in childhood continues throughout life. Life makes sense and is empowered by joy when people are in relationship with those who love them and are sincerely “glad to be with them.”8
This reveals why so many struggle with the subject of joy in the church. And more importantly, it shows why most have so little joy in their personal lives. They’ve not seen the favor and approval from their heavenly Father. The church is crippled in most of its Christian life because people view God as the One who longs to punish instead of save, the One who reminds them of sin instead of forgiving.
Jesus taught His disciples to seek the face of His Father. Those who do so get the affirming realization that we are the “sparkle in His eyes.” From this place of intimacy with God we find answers and solutions. Concerning this, Jesus said, “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full” (John 16:24, emphasis added). Once again we see that joy is the expected result of a right relationship with God. It is normal. Everything below that is not. Some teach of the balanced Christian life as though we needed equal measures of joy and depression. Foolishness! The kingdom is one of joy. And I don’t ever have to leave.
Joy Brings Strength
For me the most surprising place to find one of the greatest revelations of joy is in the Old Testament. Thankfully, God allowed Israel to taste of the coming reality that would be had by all who were covered in the redemptive work of Christ. Furthermore, it came when the children of Israel had been standing from early morning until the evening listening to the priests read from the book of Law. Many of them were hearing the Law of God for the first time. When the people didn’t understand what was read, priests would run out among the people giving explanation. They saw that God’s standard of requirement for their lives was extremely high. They also saw that they had miserably failed God in what He required. This was a shocking moment. And they responded in the most natural way imaginable: with tears.
Then Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them, “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.”
—Nehemiah 8:9–11, emphasis added
Grieving and weeping over sin is thought to be very consistent with the subject of holiness. In our world, tears are almost synonymous with repentance. Yet not this time. In this context it was a violation. In my background it seems quite strange that there are times when the holiness of God is actually violated by tears. But it’s true. There was much mourning and weeping because they saw that they had not even come close to God’s purposes for their lives. That could only come about with an overwhelming conviction of the Holy Spirit that would give them the chance to see their hearts as He did. In all honesty, this is the kind of moment that many of us preachers look for—the people are aware of their need for God, aware of their need for forgiveness, and are ready to make a change. It’s not out of cruelty. It is because we look for moments when people are ready to make permanent changes in their lives. And such brokenness is the climate of the heart that makes change possible. Yet the Spirit of God had another tool He purposed to use to bring about His intended transformation. It is the power of celebration—the power of joy.
The priests saw their tears and realized that this was in violation of what God was doing. Their responsibility was now to run out among the people and tell them to stop weeping! They were not only to stop weeping; they were to take it a step further into rejoicing and celebrating. The reason? They understood the law. Understanding what God was saying to them was to become the point of their joy, and thus the birth of their joy.
If ever there were a moment in the Old Testament that gave a sneak peak of New Testament life, it was this one. It violates all of our understanding of the severity of the Law and even violates our understanding of how God moves in revivals. For this reason many have missed the much-needed revelation of joy through grace that came forth in this present move of God. It is legitimate. It started with joy.