Rejoice in the Lord, always – what’s involved?

Often enough we find this, “rejoice in the Lord”, in Scripture. What does it mean?  There can be several meanings to the word, rejoice (G5463 - chairō). I will be concentrating on the main meaning, such as in Phil 4:4 - Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

“In the Lord”, what it means

I will NOT here, go into the complex “dative” usage in Greek, and it suffices that I distil for us, the “in the Lord”, along this line:

“In the Lord” is about faith and dependence on the Lord. It means the action (in our case, rejoice) is done through a full reliance on the authority, power and ways of the Lord, with a faith that, 1) raises hope leading to endurance through troubles, 2) holds confidence in His love towards us, 3) believes in His wisdom and ability, 4) does NOT doubt He is in control, and 5) trusts He does NOT change of His nature attributes (key of which, is holiness, and so, from that, righteousness and justice).

Rejoice, always – does it make sense?

Scripture is with much exhortation for us to rejoice.  Phil 4:4 said it to rejoice, always.  To rejoice means to be glad, to be filled with joy.  So, we are asked to be glad always, to be filled with joy, always.  But why? 

When it is as said there, always, it means it is we are to be with such a disposition all the time.  What then is this implying?  It is therefore, saying a believer is expected by God to be walking around with gladness and joy.  Is it too much of God to be having such an expectation on us?  No, because He is God and is your God.  In other words, God is saying along the line: If you really know who I am, and that I am your God, how could you NOT be glad and joyous!  So, true joy is rooted in ginosko-knowing who God is and what He has done.

From ginosko-knowing God, your perspective of life will change; and so, too, to lay hold of true joy, one needs to have his perspective of life transformed, from such ginosko-knowing God.  If you want to understand more of what is ginosko-knowing, go read this: I don't know you, evildoer - Part I

Rejoice, always – is it possible?

While the fullness of rejoicing can only be had when we get to the new heaven and new earth (Rev 21:1), at which time, we will come into this:

4He {God} will wipe every tear from their {our} eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."  5 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" (Rev 21:4-5), we, as believers, are already in the Kingdom of God, albeit, the earthly phase of it. 

In this phase, it is NOT we would reach perfection or consummation point, still God expects us to grow, including in alignment with His Spirit, over time.  One observable sign of maturity of faith is the degree with which we are able to rejoice always.  When we are able to rejoice always, it speaks volume of our alignment with His Spirit, our faith and dependence on God.

It is most difficult for non-believers to be rejoicing always, but for believers, the achievement can be near-perfect, although it takes much on-going work to get there. 

We, as believers, can reach greater in-road into this, is because we rejoice NOT relying on our own strength; we rejoice, as exhorted in Scripture, in the Lord.  How much in-road into this, depends on your growth in your faith and so, also your depending and resting on the Lord.

When in the Lord, you will rejoice
When we refer to “in the Lord”, we are referring to presently, NOT yesterday you were in the Lord, or next year you will be in the Lord.  It is like “with faith”, for “with faith” is presently you are with faith, it isn’t referring to your past faith or your future faith.  For faith, some HAD the faith, but today if they are without faith, God is NOT pleased now.  Similarly, “in the Lord”, has to be NOW; if now you are in the Lord, you will rejoice, if you are NOT in the Lord now, even if you rejoice, it is a different kind of rejoicing.

Why I talk about this?  Because the expectation of God is that we need to continue to be of faith, and we need to continue to be in the Lord.  Only when we continue to be of faith and continue to be in the Lord, do we still have the hope of glory, have peace and joy.  Yes, we have the hope of glory when we enter into salvation; we have peace from justification which reconciles us back to God, and we rejoice in the hope of glory, but moving forward, unless we continue to be of faith, our hope of glory sags, and along with that, our rejoicing in the hope of glory (base rejoicing) languishes.  

It is important to understand the above, because there are believers who are puzzled about Scripture’s saying we have peace with God through justification (Rom 5:1) and their apparent lack of peace.  Yes, there is a peace from justification, at the time we enter into salvation, but that peace can dissipate when we are no longer “in the Lord”.   Such individuals also will find that they have problem with rejoicing in the hope of glory; it is due to the same reason (NOT in the Lord).  Don’t let careless preachers fool you; salvation is a hope NOT a fact!  Scripture pictures for us, salvation is a hope (Rom 8:24-25, for example), and so, it requires faith, on-going.  When you let your hope of glory languishes, due to your lack of on-going faith, your base rejoicing suffers. 

Peace and joy
Peace and joy are NOT uncommon to be associated together, and indeed, they go together.  To me, it is inappropriate to teach the “having of peace” is NOT so important; on the contrary, it is very important.  Just think, why was Jesus named Prince of Peace?  Peace is so important that Jesus had to come to give it.  The absence of peace is a bane to joy.  

Without peace, it is difficult for one to lay hold of joy or to rejoice.  Scripture, in Romans 14:17-18 speaks of the Kingdom of God as about His righteousness, and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, and anyone who serves in this manner (in righteousness and with peace and joy of the Spirit) is pleasing to God.  On the other hand, with peace, one can rejoice.  And so, it is very important believers guard their peace.  Our true peace is sourced at God, and comes to us, from Him.

Because the non-believers do NOT have this faith and so, would NOT be depending and resting on the Lord, but instead depending on their own strength, they fail miserably compared to believers.  Believers with shallow faith, too, will find it difficult to be rejoicing always; this is because to be rejoicing always, we need to be rejoicing in the Lord.

The “in the Lord”, as explained above, requires you and I to be working (with the Lord) on our faith and working at knowing God and His ways.  It is only when we know our God well, that He is indeed the God above all gods, who loves us, and is in control and unchanging, and so, is dependable, can we rejoice always.  Now, a most fundamental requirement for peace is “God is with us”.

What is God with you?

Many people brush this “God with us” as non-issue; simply telling themselves that Jesus is Emanuel (God with us), and they have Jesus, and so "God with us", by His Spirit indwelling in them, since they have accepted the Lord as their Saviour. 

“God with us”, has 2 dimensions:  One, a presence – By His indwelling Spirit, for example, the Lord is with us; and two, “with you”, as in He is going along with you or works with you or in agreement with you or is approving of what you are thinking or doing.

Persistent peace (peace that persists) cometh only with the 2^nd dimension in.  If we are without the 2^nd dimension, the “God with us” in terms of His presence by His Holy Spirit, will try to convict us.  And when we numb our conscience (erroneously taught by some overly grace preachers that we should ignore our conscience), we will NOT get true peace, which is the peace (and joy) in and of the Holy Spirit.  We have to get into agreement with the Holy Spirit; He is the one with the peace and joy, always, for He is the one who knows the mind of God, and are always in agreement and acting from that agreement with the Godhead.  When we cooperate and be led by the Holy Spirit, we are working with Him, and He, because He is executing the will and desires of God, His peace and joy is shed abroad in us, as we are in alignment and working with Him.

What about Ps 16:11?

People like to quote, “in the presence of the Lord, there is fullness of joy”, it being part of Ps 16:11.  Isn’t this contrary to what I have just elaborated on “God with us”, that the presence of the Lord is NOT enough?! 

At first glance, it seems so, but if you read the context properly of the quote, “In the presence of the Lord, there is fullness of joy”, you will find that the psalmist, King David, was referring to the eventual state, like what Rev 21:4-5 (quoted above) was talking about.  He was referring to the time after our resurrection to Heaven.  In Heaven, where the Lord is present, you will have the fullness of joy; you cannot be in disagreement with God in Heaven, can you?  No, you will NOT; and so, for that time, only the presence of the Lord needs be mentioned.

Did David NOT mention about rejoicing while he lived (on earth)?  He did, and it is found in the few verses before v11 of Ps16.  Verses 7-9 –

7 I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.  8 I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.  9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,

King David rejoiced in the LORD, always.  Just put these verses (Ps 16:7-9) against the “in the Lord” meaning given above (at the outset of this article), and you will find David was relying on the LORD, His authority, powers, and ways, and with a faith that raised hope leading to endurance through troubles, etc.  Was David NOT in any trouble, even as he said he rejoiced? Right there in verses 1-2 of Ps 16, we read it –

1 Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.  2 I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing."

(Those wanting to read a complete exposition of Ps 16, can go read this: Ps 16 - King David’s profession of faith)

Always means always

Rejoice in the Lord, always, means always; even in our troubles.  Concerning troubles, Jesus said this, in John 16:33 –

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Jesus spoke about He would be crucified; at which time, the disciples would scatter (“these things”), so that the disciples might have peace.  And with peace they could rejoice; Scripture, in Matt 28:9 (KJV) recorded this, after Jesus’ resurrection:

And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail {G5463 – chairō}. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.

Chairō (G5463) was the Greek word used.  KJV, as above, translated it as “All hail”, and NIV, “Greetings”; well, the word was “Rejoice”.  Jesus met the disciples and on seeing them, greeted them with a call to rejoice.

Indeed, believers are a peculiar people; we can still have peace and rejoice in our troubles.  Just look at the Apostle Paul; he was imprisoned, and he still rejoiced.  Acts 16:25 (KJV) - And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

What happened afterwards was this (v26): And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.

When we turn to Rom 5:3, it tells us, we also rejoice in our sufferings; and it stated for us, the reason we can rejoice. And the reason is suffering produces perseverance (perseverance of what? Faith) (v3); perseverance, character; and character, hope (v4).  Sufferings or afflictions is used by God to turn our initial faith into a persevering faith, and along with it, a persevering hope of glory; and with that, the base joy (from hope) can persist. It is therefore, important that believers pass through troubles, sufferings or afflictions, in the Lord, for when it is in the Lord, the result is positive.  Have you NOT come across believers who are full of joy despite they have gone through many troubles, and may even be in the midst of one?!  This is because they are in the Lord, always.

Persevering hope is so very important. Have we NOT heard it said, “Without hope, we feel like dying, no more joy”?  It may well come from a true reflection from the soul.  Hope keeps us going cheerfully.

Can’t one grieve or be sorrowful?

Yes, you can, but only for a brief season.  Double-talk?  No, Scripture does NOT suggest we be emotionless (but in emotion, we should NOT sin; and ultimately we should NOT be ruled by our emotion).  Even the Apostle Paul did say this (2 Cor 6:10) - sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.  And there is the godly sorrow, which leads to repentance (2 Cor 7:10). With repentance, there is the restoration and reconciliation back to God; and rejoicing once again can come. 

We should allow people to grieve; it is rather inhumane, NOT to; yet no believer should stay in grief.  We have to learn to let it go; or we say will have to manage our emotion in its proper and right perspective.  King David had experienced that (2 Samuel 11 & 12): He grieved over the death of his son (child from adultery with Bathsheba), afterwards (after 7 days), he let it go, and moved on (and David got another son, Solomon [King Solomon] with Bathsheba).

Conclusion

Is there a call for us to rejoice, always?  Yes.
Is it possible to rejoice, always?  There is no perfection yet, but yes.
How?  By rejoicing in the Lord.
How?  By understanding what “in the Lord” means, and get into it.  We need to grow.  Below I repeat what “in the Lord” means:

“In the Lord” is about faith and dependence on the Lord. It means the action (in our case, rejoice) is done through a full reliance on the authority, power and ways of the Lord, with a faith that, 1) raises hope leading to endurance through troubles, 2) holds confidence in His love towards us, 3) believes in His wisdom and ability, 4) does NOT doubt He is in control, and 5) trust He does NOT change of His nature attributes (key of which, is holiness, and so, from that, righteousness and justice).

After all things said, what is the scenario that we are aiming for, so that we can rest on the Lord, have peace and be of joy?  It is this: Live your life in such a way as to avail yourself to “God is with you”.  No, NOT just His presence by His indwelling Spirit, but with you, as in He is going along with you or works with you or in agreement with you or is approving of what you are thinking or doing; of course, it is NOT He is following you, but you are following after Him, works with Him, in agreement with Him, and think or do that which will have His approval.

What if I fumble? Get back on track. Embrace 1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We need to get back right with God, to be (truly) restored of peace and joy in and of the Spirit.  Keep short account with God.

We don’t teach people to manufacture joy in their own strength; that is wrong.  True joy is that in and of the Holy Spirit being shed abroad in us, yet it is NOT there is no part of us; we have get our perspective of life right (Kingdom [of God] perspective), and “fall in”, so to speak.

Anthony Chia, high.expressions

PS:  When a believer is in trouble, it is NOT always necessary that he sins.  Even with the Lord as our Shepherd, there can be troubles or valleys of the shadow of death that we may have to pass through.  Those wanting understanding of the relationship between “loving God” and “God with us in troubles”, can read this: Ps 23:4-6 - The LORD, as our Shepherd, is with us in our troubles

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How do we fend off anxiety?

Preamble:  This entry is adapted from a comment I made on a US pastor’s blog entry.

Progressively,

In a matter of degree, perhaps, all of us exhibit it, anxiety.  Scripture paints for us, for our lives, a picture of growth and development, a picture of on-going overcoming on our part, and lastly, a picture of dependant on God even as we are NOT to be complacent, presumptuous, prideful, and unteachable.  And so, it is NOT surprising that almost all, if NOT all of us, do exhibit some degree of anxiety, although the goal is to be devoid of anxiety, as far as possible or be of peace {and joy} (we are still growing; NOT arrived).

The overly grace’s perspective

Be careful of preachers and teachers (overly grace ones, mostly) who hold out to you that you should believe that the works of the Lord on the Cross got to be perfect, and so, once “you are saved”, you too, are perfect – new creation, perfect in righteousness. The correct theology should be along the line that we are saved, being saved, and hope to be saved, eventually.  No, the phrase in Scripture, “He who overcomes” is NOT simply another way of saying a believer.  It is you and I are believers, and we still need to live an overcoming life.  Such lingos as “we are just to bask in grace” are ridiculous.   

The warning is this: if you go with such doctrine, my belief, keeping to the topic, is that you run the risk that such indoctrination prepare you NOT, to deal with more challenging troubles that will inevitably come your way (troubles do come our way – John 16:33 – quoted below).

Perfection is referred to intent

I am NOT saying the works of the Lord on the Cross is NOT perfect; it is, but perfection has to be measured against what were the intents (of God), in the first place.  Not every aspect of the redemptive works of Jesus is completed in us the moment we are saved (converted).  The entire salvation is a process, a journey of being refined by God, so that, at end of it all, we be Christ-like, and so, are able to stay and live in the presence of God in Heaven.  Through it all, there necessarily be responsibility and accountability on our part, man, even as God knows how and when to do His part.

The works of Christ Jesus on the Cross was prefect, but God did NOT intend that on entry into salvation, we are to be for the rest of our lives, free from troubles.  In the words of the Lord, Himself:

John 16:33 – "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Fallen world; troubles inevitable

We are in this world, a fallen world in a fallen state; how can we be of no troubles or challenges? (rhetorical!)  We are still in the domain of Satan; this fallen world is the domain where Satan perpetuates his evil intent to get men counted with him, away from God.  So, we are NOT only facing challenges thrown at us by flesh and blood, but by the snares of evil principalities.  Putting it in a metaphorical manner, God has given you and I, access to Him and His invincibility to be overcomers, but has NOT made us invincible of ourselves - to everything, including anxieties.  We still need to be properly hooked up to the Grand Master and tap from him. As a side, “given us by God” does NOT necessarily mean “you have it in your hand; there, you can see it and touch it”. The Lord is the Grand Master; we, the disciples, and we have to learn from and be discipled by the Master.  No one instantly, becomes as nearly good as the Grand Master.  Jesus Himself when He walked as a man, Scripture recorded this for us, that He too needed to grow:

Luke 2:52 - And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

How big and good is your God?

Who do you want to follow, holding him as your Grand Master?  Any men worthy of that place for you?  Any deities?  Any forces?  Who would you follow unquestioned?  One who is completely trustworthy to be righteous, and completely capable.  Now if you have identified and believed God is the one, don’t waiver. Rather, taste and see that God is good; NOT testing, but tasting.

Ps 34:8 (NIV) - Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

Ps 34:8 (KJV) - O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

The Hebrew word, chacah (H2620), from the Strong’s Lexicon can mean take refuge or trusting or having hope.  If we look at the KJV count of how it was used, 35 times it was used as trust, 1 time as taking refuge, and 1 time as having hope. 

Grow your faith and so, trust, in God

Trusting God is so very important. Heb 11:6 said that without faith, it is impossible to please God.  In the exercise of faith, we necessarily need to trust God.  Just as for faith, that we need to grow it over time, our trust in God needs to be developed over time.  Some people progress faster, some slower, but all have to progress; and in it all, we need to be subject to God’s direction by His Spirit, and His timing, working with God and NOT against God; and His Word is the base we work from.  This is why, I discourage preachers to teach that general faith comes from God (supernatural or extraordinary faith as in the gift of faith, may come from God, but we are to grow in faith, generally).

One simple rule of thumb of interpreting Bible for me is this:  God does NOT ask of you to be possessed of a thing, if you have no part to play, and it is that He has to give it to you.  God’s prescriptions exhort men, NOT Himself.  So, simply, it is NOT you just sit there in the chair on the beach and bask, and God is to give you the faith or trust He ask of you. Imagine, if it were so, you are perfectly right to tell God in His face, “NOT my fault-what, you did NOT give-what, so, I don’t have-what; your fault-what, God!” I am NOT saying it is impossible that God gives while you do nothing, but we must understand we are still needing growing and developing, and overall, God is working towards that end, that we grow and develop (if you are of the doctrine that once saved, you are arrived, there is no meeting possible, of our views).

Faith and trust grow from a relationship & personal experiences

Christianity is relationship-based thing; when Jesus said (John 10:14), “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep knows me”, the “know” there, the Greek word is “ginosko”, and it is one of the several “know” words of the Greek.  It has the connotation of knowing from PERSONAL experience, implicitly meaning there is a relationship.

The shepherd and sheep metaphor

Although everyone’s journey may be different, there is no short-cut; each needs to walk with the Lord to know (ginosko) the Lord.  The picture of the shepherd and sheep is a good one; the sheep got to be led by the shepherd; move with the shepherd, learning to trust and trust, the shepherd. 

For one thing, the sheep needs necessarily be where the shepherd is.  It is the same with us; we need to be where the Lord is found.  Strange thing to say (God is everywhere!)?  No, for example, the Lord is NOT found in evil; so, don’t go there.  Putting it in another way, don’t expect God to be with you in your evil; you cannot expect Him to join you or help you in your evil, can you!  The theological jargon is: we are to abide in the Lord, and the Lord in us.  When we abide in the Lord, we are where the Lord is, and we are in agreement with the Lord. 

Trouble, trouble, …

When the sheep is with the shepherd and a big bad wolf comes to harm the sheep, what would a good and able shepherd do?  Yes, he will fend off the enemy.  But before that, it is possible, the shepherd noted the particular sheep strayed, and let the coming of the enemy to teach the sheep before he would fend off the enemy.  If the sheep does NOT learn, in one time, the shepherd may teach again with another incident.  That too, can be how, we are refined by God; we keep straying, and the Lord keeps having to teach us, over and over again, and rescuing us again and again, until we know how to stay within the confine of His righteousness. 

In the whole process, we learn to accept and trust the Lord’s ways for us.

Situations of anxiety

Why do people get anxious?  Here are some of the common reasons:
1.      They have done wrong and they are mindful of there are consequences against them, already arrived or are coming.
2.      They are facing unknown(s). 
3.      They are mindful of their capacity and resource inadequacy to confront.
4.      They cannot depend on another or anyone.
5.      They have developed a “kiasu” mentality.
6.      They are attacked directly, spiritually (by demonic spirit).

Anxiety because of trouble from wrongdoing/sin

If you and I don’t want to be anxious, firstly, we have to try NOT to do wrong or sin.  For example, if you are got caught on camera bribing a government official; you did wrong, and you could be persecuted.  Now that can cause you to be anxious.  Don’t listen to people who tell you that if you try or effort, that is works and is frowned by God, they are WRONG; you and I have to try NOT to sin (Bondages need God’s coming in, but it does NOT necessarily mean you have no part to play).

But we do sin, of course!  Still we have to try NOT to; and when we do sin, we (1) may have to face the consequence, unless you are let off, and (2) we need to repent and ask for forgiveness, from (a) God, and (b) men, if possible. 

It is still possible to get peace back, even if you still need to face the consequence.  Peace comes back when you get back in agreement with God, and for that, the repenting, confession and asking for forgiveness from God are a MUST.  We need to acknowledge we have been wrong and ask God to help us to face the consequence when we have to face it.  Of course, you cannot undo what has been done, although restitution is possible in some cases, but peace can come back to you when you get back right and in agreement with God, to handle the aftermath.  Commonly, we do sin again and again, but we should be improving, and our recovery of peace, more expedient.  When we sin again and again, yes, anxiety does get repeated again and again, until we have learnt how NOT to let sin take a hold on us.  These words from the Cain and Abel story come to mind, and are to be borne in mind:

But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." (Gen 4:7b)

Anxiety from unknowns and uncertainties

I will talk about points 2-4, together; we face unknowns, some common to all, some specific to us, but may NOT be applicable or less severe, to others.  The “trick” to this is to catch hold of how big our God is, that He is the Omni-God, knows all, can do all, love us NOT with a haphazard love but a predictable love of “love unto righteousness”.  Nothing can surprise God, nothing can overwhelm God, and nothing can stump God; and if God is with you, who or what can be against you, and prevail still, ultimately?  A rhetorical question, of course.

Anxiety from kiasu-ness

The “kiasu” mentality – This is a colloquial word used in Singapore; it means “fear of losing {out}”. In Singapore, meritocracy is overwhelmingly embraced; people are drummed to be highly competitive from infancy, even!  Many people do this - always compare, and compare with those having more, more successful, higher in status and prestige.  When we do that often, we are welcoming anxiety!  No, I am suggesting people be like an ostrich, hide the head in the sand, oblivious to what goes on, including how well or unwell people are doing materially or otherwise.  We are NOT converted to be Robinson Crusoe – live like him, alone on an island.  But the Word does teach us to embrace godliness with contentment (1 Tim 6:6-11).  This does NOT mean that people have to be mediocre in what they do, and we do have to embrace the text – 1 Tim 6:6-11.

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. (1 Tim 6:6-11)

Anxiety from direct demonic oppression

The last point above, about being attacked spiritually by demonic spirit – this is NOT fictional.  Anxiety is common for people demonised or demon-possessed.  The understanding is simple:  Jesus, the Prince of Peace, comes to give peace.  This peace is had when we are in agreement with God.  When you are in agreement with God, you are in agreement with the Spirit of Christ or the Holy Spirit, and the peace (and joy) in and of the Spirit who indwells every believer, will be felt by you.  Satan comes to do the contrary; John 10:10 said that Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy.  One of the prime things he steals is men’s peace, or we say he gives you anxiety, the opposite of what Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, gives (peace).  How to prevent this?  In short, staying in the Word and living righteous, is the best prevention.

Anxiety is like a friend, just walk right in!

My US pastor friend, in his blog, said that the anxieties, "they are like friends who come over to your house without ever knocking on the door. They just walk in knowing they will be welcomed." Do you welcome them? If you don't welcome them, will they still just walk right in? Is there a way to keep them off?

I know the Word, but they still walk right in!

I also infer that he meant, "I know the Lord's words on this, but they still walk right in!" Without knowledge we will perish (Hosea 4:6); ignorant is not necessarily bliss! But mere knowledge also does not necessarily mean we won't perish. 

For example, we know dengue can kill, and mosquitoes are carriers; that is knowledge, but if we are living in a dengue zone, and we do nothing to rid of, stagnant waters in our home, that knowledge does not help. The mosquitoes that breed in the stagnant waters in your home would sting you and you could contract dengue fever, and you could suffer tremendously, if not death. Well, you may not deliberately welcome the mosquitoes or dengue, but you did not say no to them either.  Only when we apply the knowledge by getting rid of the stagnant waters, do we actually make an attempt to fend off dengue. So, you want to fend off anxiety? You have to apply the knowledge from the Word, in your life, in order that you can be of peace most of the time, if not all the time, or fend off, anxiety.

Mental knowledge isn’t enough

Most of us don't get beyond the possessing of mental knowledge of the Word; this just isn't enough.  We go back to the dengue case, many of us simply push the buck back to the authority, the municipal services; this authority has to see to it, we need not lift a finger, to fend off anxiety, oop, I mean, dengue!  Isn't it true, many of us do the same to God, passing the buck to God, absolving ourselves of responsibility and accountability, not recognizing there is the "our part" that we must play. 

If I am NOT wrong, many of us, in Singapore, hop from conferences to conferences, lapping it up, whatever that were dished out, but alas, how many of us, actually apply what we have gleaned from conferences and seminars.  Obedience is better than sacrifice applies here too – yah, you made those sacrifices to attend the conferences, but do you obey (put into practice) what you already know of the Word?

Agreement with God NOT just mental assent
I know I talked, above, about agreement with God, and so, it is appropriate, again, to stress that agreement with God that I am talking about is not mental assent.  At the perfect end, it is doing what God wants done, and at the time God has wanted. 

Many believers know Matt 6:33 and can recite it from memory, mentally agreeing with it, but how many actually apply it in their lives? How many actually seek first, the Kingdom of God? Or is it believers (overly grace ones) think that, that they have entered into salvation means they have sought the Kingdom, and so, it is job done, job completed, nothing more to seek!  What about the righteousness bit? I have come across believers who, under the influence of overly grace teaching, said that this verse, Matt 6:33, applies to non-believers, and NOT to believers, on their purported (but wrong) understanding that they are already righteous, max., and forever max., and so, no seeking possible! 

To set the record straight, this text (Matt 6:33) is referring to believers (Want to read a good exposition of Matt 6:33, read this: But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness ...).  Do you practice it, Matt 6:33, or try your best to do so? You and I, have to, you know.

NOT necessarily overnight-lah

What does that verse, verse 34, following it, mean? Verse 34 - “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." The way to look at it, is to read it with v33.   When we actually practise v33, seek His Kingdom and His righteousness, we are in agreement with God, and all we need, God would see to it that we would have them; and when we would do that everyday, we can expect God to do the same - see to it that we will have our needs met each day.  That is why it said there, NOT to be anxious about the next day.  I know some would say, "But I am still anxious about tomorrow, despite trying (not to)!"

A baby does not suddenly able to run; he first goes on four, crawls around, following by standing up, to falling back down, and getting up again, and falling down again, and getting up again, and again and again, and then, taking his first steps, and then falling down and then getting up, and try again, and again, and then, he walks, and then finally, he is able to run. What picture do you get? When it is the right thing to do, bit by bit, we still do, despite setbacks; perseverance and endurance are needed and developed.  Now, if it is the right thing to be done, the babe's father would keep watch with a protective heart, but he may not disrupt the learning process; in fact, he is waiting to see the babe manages walking and then running.  Our God, too, does not want us to give up on doing the right things.  So, don't give up.

Scriptures interprets scripture

1 Pet 5:7 - Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Rest assured, as said in 1 Pet 5:7 above, God cares for you, but the "cast all your anxiety on Him" is less straightforward in that it needs to be interpreted with other scriptures, like these two texts - Matt 6:33-34 and Phil 4:6-7.   What I discern is that we shouldn't be thinking that we could get ourselves carelessly into anxiety, repeatedly, and then each time, could simply claim, "I now cast all my anxiety on the Lord", and expect anxiety is gone, and peace be had.  Yes, it may be possible, the grace of God is at work, but God looks at our heart, and we, ultimately, must come back to be right and in agreement with God. Self-examination is necessary, we must want to come back to wanting to seek His Kingdom and His righteousness; and we got to be practicing Phil 4:6.  What is Phil 4:6?

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Phil 4:6)

Even Phil 4:6 must be understood in the proper light.  The “in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.", must be qualified with "they are to be in agreement with God".  It is NOT anything and everything you ask without anxiousness, God must necessarily grant, or His peace would come so that you once again be possessing of peace (and joy) in and of the Spirit.

Conclusion

How do we fend off anxiety or how do we NOT lose peace? Always be in agreement with God.  If we fail, we come back, get back right and in agreement with God. Persist in doing so – the “be in agreement with God”, and “get back right {1 John 1:9}”.  Remember, it is NOT enough, just to be employing mental assent; you and I need to be applying them, practising them, for only in so doing, can we grow, consistent with what is entailed in salvation, which is a process.

Anthony Chia, high.expressions – There is no short-cut; keep doing right, and it will get better.

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The Holy Spirit is the peace – John 14:26-27

John 14:26-27 (NIV) - 26 But the Advocate {G3875 – paraklētos = Counsellor, Helper, Intercessor, Strengthener, Advocate, Pleader}, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Different translations use different word for G3875 – parakletos.  In the above passage, my own preference is that, Counsellor is the more appropriate word.

What does this passage teach us?
1.            After Jesus’ death and resurrection, the era that we are all in, He no longer would walk the earth like He used to, as a man; in His place, the Father God would send the Holy Spirit to us.

2.            So, the God with us - Emmanuel, did NOT end in that era when Jesus lived and died; God with us, continues through the giving of the Holy Spirit, to be with us.  The Holy Spirit is also the Spirit of Christ or Jesus, so, in actual fact, although Jesus was no longer with us, as a man, He continues to be with us, by His Spirit – the Spirit of Christ or the Holy Spirit. 

3.            Jesus was the Helper/Counsellor for the disciples of that era when Jesus walked the earth.  In the same way, the Holy Spirit is the Helper/Counsellor to us all; only that this Helper/Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, is NOT in the form of a man, but of spirit.

4.            We have to listen to the Holy Spirit.  In those days, the disciples had to listen to who?  Jesus, their Helper or Counsellor.  For us, who do we have to listen to?  The Holy Spirit.  Jesus made it clear that the Holy Spirit would be the one to teach us all things (of the Faith), and would remind us (of the same). 

Listen to the Word or the Holy Spirit?  The Holy Spirit is always in agreement with the Godhead, and so, He does NOT contradict the Word or Jesus. He would also never contradict God the Father.  John 16:12-15 said this:

12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

The Holy Spirit does NOT invent truths on His own; He hears from the Godhead and tells it to us; He takes from Jesus, and reveals it to us; He knows the mind of God (1 Cor 2:11), and so, can accordingly, instruct or help us.  He would only speak the truths.  The truths are always the same, the truths of the Holy Spirit are the truths of Jesus, and are the truths of the Father God.

5.            The Holy Spirit is given or sent in the name of Jesus.  Jesus made it clear that the Holy Spirit would be sent by the Father God (upon His [Jesus] leaving [resurrection]) in the name of Jesus.  In other words, one goes, another comes, but the latter comes in the name of the former.  What does it mean?  It means you don’t get the Holy Spirit unless you have embraced Jesus.  We have to accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour (enter into salvation, we say), before, and at which point, the Holy Spirit is given to indwell us (Eph 1:13-14).  All believers have a deposit of the Holy Spirit in them.  It is NOT some has, and some has NOT. 

The disciples then, had Jesus; the difference was that some of the disciples listened to Jesus more than the others (one, Judas Iscariot, was often NOT listening).  Just as Jesus did NOT then disown Judas Iscariot, and cast him off, the Holy Spirit is still with those who did NOT always listen to Him; only that those who do NOT always listen, may be more vulnerable to be ensnared than those who listen (it does NOT mean a believer cannot be apostate, but one does NOT get disowned easily).

6.            The Holy Spirit is the peace Jesus gives to us. 

Now, there are those who interpret v27 in such a way as to say, Jesus took His peace and gave it to the disciples; and for us, He has done the same – took His peace and given it to us. Such then went on, to say, if you do NOT feel the peace, it is you have let your heart be troubled or you are afraid – that is the trouble (with you)!  Such also said, if you failed both – let your heart be troubled and you are afraid, you are “dead meat” – no peace-lo!  Support citations included these verses: we are to guard our heart (Pro 4:23); we are NOT given a spirit of timidity (2 Tim 1:7) (these 2 texts are of themselves, no problem, of course).

On the contrary, the revelation I have, is peace is NOT had, that way.  Peace is NOT had like: You are troubled, and you are afraid, for you have, say, did something wrong, like you bribed a government official, and the entire process was video-recorded by someone with a smart phone, and I now, give my peace to you, and you can be at peace.  Neither is it that, the day before, I met you and I gave my peace to you, and so, despite what you have done (wrong), you can never be out of sort (NOT at peace), and never be afraid. 

On the surface, such a preacher purportedly said that it is NOT God’s fault - that it is NOT that, the peace God gave, does NOT work; but such has wrongly taught the ways of God, insulted God even (that, God’s righteousness is that way).  In addition, such also introduced unwarranted mystery into the ways of God, bringing confusion even, to people – “imagine, he can still stay at peace and NOT be afraid (having done a wrong); ah, how come I can’t!”  Please-lah, if you have done wrong, you are supposed to be out of sort, or lose peace, and be afraid, until …… 

It is funny when such teaching comes from the mouth of overly grace preachers who kept banging on grace and no works, and then, said  things do NOT work out for you because you have NOT done this (NOT let your heart NOT be troubled) or have done that - be afraid).  There is a part we have to play, alright, but it is NOT simply you NOT let your heart be troubled or be NOT afraid, regardless!

When we, and it is right for us to, read vv26 & 27 together, the peace, Jesus was referring to (that He said He was giving to the disciples then, and also to us, now), is the Holy Spirit.  The peace of Jesus is the Holy Spirit, which is also His Spirit (Spirit of Christ), and so, it was correct for Jesus to say, “Peace I leave with you (after introducing the Holy Spirit in the preceding verse [v26]).  My peace I give you (Holy Spirit is Jesus’ peace, and is His Spirit).”  Was it wrong for Jesus to say, “I do NOT give you as the world gives.”? Jesus was absolutely justified to say that, because (1) the world cannot give you the Holy Spirit; (2) the world does NOT give by grace, which Jesus did and does; the world demands merit (the Holy Spirit is given us, by grace); and (3) the world does NOT give peace by following the desires of the Spirit, for desires of the world (flesh-gratifying), and the desires of the Spirit are contrary (Gal 5:17).

The desires of the Spirit are to please God, and the Spirit is already given us, indwelling every believer; and if we listen to the Spirit (or be led by Him), we will have the peace – the peace, in and of the Spirit.  Now, the Holy Spirit is indwelling every believer, but the question is whether each of us is allowing Him to live through us, working His desires, which are to please God, through us.  Only when that happens, that the peace, in and of the Spirit, becomes ours.

Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).  Through Him we are reconciled with God.  Yes, with reconciliation with God, we have peace.  Yes, Jesus gave us peace that way, if we believe and trust in Him that His works wrought us reconciliation with God.  When we were yet reconciled, we have NOT true peace, because we were “out of sort” with God, and we are out of sort with God, firstly because we were NOT cleansed of our state – the sinner state, and secondly, the propensity to sin, got the better of us, and we had sinned, and those (filth)needed to be dealt with, and thirdly, our mind and heart were NOT set to resist sins, and be inclined to embrace holiness, and thus, the righteousness of God.  In other words, having been reconciled with God, moving forward, we need to be in agreement with God, still. No one can give you true peace if you want NOT to be in agreement with God, even when you are a believer.

In His earthly ministry, Jesus was always with peace; how do explain that peace of Jesus?  Consistent with what is explained here concerning the Holy Spirit is the peace, Jesus’ peace comes from the Holy Spirit, comes from agreement with God, and comes from a life of wanting to please God – doing God’s will.  Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit (at His water baptism), before His earthly ministry.  The Holy Spirit is the one who knows the mind of God (1 Cor 2:11), and Jesus was full of the Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father God, and consistent with what Jesus said - that all that belongs to the Father has been given Him (John 16:15; John 3:32-35), the Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) was given Him, Jesus; and so, it was correct to say that the Spirit of Christ is the same Spirit of God or the Holy Spirit  (For full exposition of this, read “Are these the same, the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit of Christ?). The Holy Spirit is peace, for He is always in agreement with the Godhead and He always acts to please the Godhead, and so, when we listen to the Holy Spirit (or be led by Him), we too, would be in agreement with God, and please God, and have peace.

7.            To stay in the state of peace, we have to listen to the Holy Spirit or be led by Him.  This is already explained above  - point 6.  When 1 Cor 2:16 said that “We have the mind of Christ”, where is this mind of Christ?  No, it is NOT our mind is now replaced by the mind of Christ; the mind of Christ is in the person of the Spirit of Christ or the Holy Spirit.

8.            Know the right thing, do the right thing, and then rest in Him, and you need NOT be troubled, of heart or be afraid.  Jesus was telling His disciples ahead of time, so that with right knowledge, understanding, and doing the right things, His disciples could rise above the fleshy tendency to be insecure and afraid, when uncertainties would confront them subsequently. 

This “NOT let your heart be troubled, and be NOT afraid” is as simple as that; NOT to be expounded to the tune of “I am superior to you-le, I can maintain peace and NOT be afraid, regardless; you cannot-le!” or “I told you so-what, you let your heart be troubled, and be afraid – that is the problem (with you), you got to tell yourself, NOT to be troubled, of heart, and be NOT afraid, regardless.  I told you many times-right, why can’t you just do it – don’t let your heart be troubled and don’t be afraid!”

Through these words of Jesus, we are to understand that despite Jesus is NOT with us, in person, as a man, we are NOT without His counsel through the Holy Spirit or His Spirit, which the Father would give to indwell anyone who would come into salvation.  Jesus has lived as a man, and He can empathize with us, and knows what is that which is precious to the well-being of a man – peace.  Jesus would give the means to that (peace), and that means is the indwelling Holy Spirit.  When we be led by the Holy Spirit (no wonder He is called our Helper/Counsellor), we will have the peace, in and of the Holy Spirit.  When we have knowledge of this, and do the right things (practise righteousness) and then rest in Him, we need NOT be troubled, of heart, and need NOT be afraid.

In simple terms, it is heretic teaching to tell people they can get the state of their heart NOT be troubled and be NOT afraid, simply by “psycho-ing” themselves with “My heart is NOT troubled, and I am NOT afraid”, when they are NOT doing or going to do what is/are consistent with the desires of the Holy Spirit (which is the same as the desires of God or the Lord or the Word).

Peace (G1515 – eirēnē) is having shades of meaning; and one of it, is this - felicity.  What is felicity? It is the state of blissfulness or blessedness.  This state obviously includes tranquillity (or peace) and joy.  So, in Scripture, peace could include joy; and we also find joy being associated with the Holy Spirit or that both words were used together with the Holy Spirit.  For example, Romans 14:17 – 18 … the kingdom of God is about righteousness, and peace and joy of the Holy Spirit, and those who serve God in this way, please God, and find agreement with men.  This text of the Book of Romans is therefore, one of the most important indications of how a Christian life is to be lived. 

Matt 6:33 gives us the saying to seek first, God’s kingdom and His righteousness, and this Romans text further tells us who is the bearer of (having) God’s righteousness, and how we live out that righteousness.  The Holy Spirit holds the key; when we let Him, the Holy Spirit, lives through us, have His ways in us, His peace and His joy will be ours, and our lives would be pleasing to God. 

What about the Word?  Yes, the Word is key, too, but the Word turns rhema by the Holy Spirit.  I venture to say, the difference between general legalistic OT obeying of the laws and commandments of God, and the NT obeying of the laws and commandments, which is still commanded, is that the latter is heeding the Word, in and through the Holy Spirit.  The contrast is that the motive of the Holy Spirit is always the same – loving and pleasing God (there is always love of the Holy Spirit for God, for within the Triune God, there is perfect love of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit in manifest).  The NT call of obedience to laws and commandments is “loving and pleasing God” based.

A simple metaphor – felicity is had when one is loving and pleasing another.  In fact, felicity is had for both the giver and the receiver of such manifest affection.  Isn’t right, when you love someone and manage to please the person, you (the giver) are very happy, and the person (the receiver) would be very happy too! It is “no sweat to live on bread and water alone”, in such a state, goes the common love-saying, is it not?  What more, your lover is the El Shaddai!

Before we end, let me talk a little more about the scenario of “But I am in a difficult situation, with uncertainty, trial and tribulation even, can I still be with peace?”  The point is that Jesus was telling the Disciples ahead of such.  In other words, it was so that the Disciples would be of peace when the time (bad time) came.  So, what was said was NOT just meant for swell circumstance!

There are those who argue there is NOT a single thing a believer need be bothered about (well, the same people could still be telling, you should NOT let your heart be trouble or be afraid! Is that NOT doing something; how contradictory!); God would automatically take care of everything, and voila, you have peace (if you believe it so – automatic and voila!).  Just say your Sinner’s Prayer (to enter into salvation), and just bask all the way, in grace, and peace (and joy) is yours and NOT leave you!?  No.

You will NOT get caught in lousy circumstances, bad times, difficult times, afflictions, trials, persecutions?  No, there is no such promise of easy and swell life all the way, till you pass on.  Live life as you like?  No, you cannot; please, liberty in Christ Jesus, does NOT mean you can do what you like!  We can get into nasty situation due to our fault, including sinning, or we can get into the same, through no fault of ours (someone stabbed you in the back, for example); what do you do, in difficult situation and in the uncertainty of the situation?  You begin to be trouble of heart, and afraid; losing peace, what do you do?  Do nothing, like they tell you?  No.

When you have walked into a deep quick-sand (as a metaphor), do you do nothing?  No.  Yah-what, people say, to do nothing, don’t move.  You can do that, do nothing; given enough time, you will still go under, under your own weight!  I am NOT going to teach people how to get out of a real deep quick-sand, but there are things you could do and should do to get yourself out (shift to buoyancy posture for example, is one thing to do; you don’t know what that is, just ignore!).  Now, can you do nothing?  You can, if you know someone is on hand to help you or you are expecting someone to come by. So, what must you do when you are in deep shit!  Call on God (or Jesus) or the Holy Spirit.  It is NOT you do nothing, there is a thing all of us can do, and that is we pray, and ask for Divine Help.  Phil 4:6 reads:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God (Phil 4:6).

You need to do that.   And if you get into the deep shit, because you are in disagreement with God, His Word or His ways, you got to reflect on that; repent, confess, and ask God for forgiveness, and with a humble and contrite heart, ask God for help.  One just cannot demand God to help while insisting he is right and God is wrong; and that he would still do whatever that had caused him to be in the deep shit, in first place, when he gets out!  People like to claim verse 7, without taking verse 6 above.  Phil 4:7 reads:

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:7).

If you don’t get right with God, that peace of God which you received at your conversion, just is NOT sustained.  Can it be refreshed? Yes, but if you are NOT going to get back right with God, or NOT wanting to be led by the Holy Spirit, you are hampering it.  Sure, God is love, and there is grace of God, but God cannot be mocked, the love of God for men is love unto righteousness (`ahab love), and the grace of God is NOT for us to profane, and men’s volition is NOT meant to be over-written by God all time.  For all of these, one needs to gain understanding, and meditate on them to appreciate how they all bear on our living on earth.

Anthony Chia, high.expressions

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Or just email me your email address so that I can put you on my blog (new entry) notification list. To go back to blog main page, click here.