Don’t Block the Doorway to God

“We should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.”

– Acts 15:19

You might find this hard to believe, but up until the early 1800s, most Christian leaders in Europe believed that missionary work was a waste of time. That was before God raised up a young shoemaker named William Carey, who grew up in an obscure, rural town in England. From a young age, William Carey felt a burden for sharing the gospel with people in other countries who had never heard the name of Jesus. One day he took some shoe leather and thread and made a crude little globe. He would often hold that globe in his hands and pray and weep over it. It broke his heart to think of millions of people around the world going to Hell without anyone ever having shared the gospel with them.

Carey attended a minister’s meeting one day, and he stood up and urged the church leaders to prioritize missions. But one of the older pastors shouted him down, saying, “Young man, sit down! When God pleases to convert the heathen, He will do it without your aid or mine.” Sadly, William Carey heard comments like these all the time. It was discouraging, but he pressed on. Not long afterward he preached a sermon which included the now-famous words: “Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.”

Within a year of first speaking those words, William Carey moved with his family to India, where they spent the next 40 years bringing about 700 people to a saving knowledge of Christ. His inspiring example sparked the modern missions movement. Over the past 200 years, millions of Christians around the world have been inspired to do what William Carey challenged us to do. Despite the opposition, despite the criticism and despite the naysayers, they decided to “Expect great things from God [and] attempt great things for God.” 

These words could have been the motto of the Christian Church in Antioch—the first church to share the gospel with Greeks who didn’t have a drop of Jewish blood in their veins. Thousands were being saved, and everything was going so well … until we get to Acts 15:1: “Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: ‘Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.’” We’re not given the names of these men, but verse 5 makes it clear that they were “believers” in Christ. They were saved. They were Christians. They were just very misguided Christians—the kind who could do more damage to the church from the inside than unbelievers could ever do from the outside.

When it came to following Christ, the new Christians in Antioch had been ALL IN. Then, suddenly, some brothers came along and told them: “You aren’t really saved. Believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior isn’t enough. Repenting of your sins and getting baptized isn’t enough. Walking in obedience to Christ’s commands isn’t enough. Unless your men undergo a circumcision surgery and you all start obeying all of the Old Testament laws, you’re all going to Hell.” Now the new Greek Christians were utterly confused in their new faith. Centuries later, Warren Wiersbe shared this great insight: “The progress of the gospel has often been hindered by people with closed minds who stand in front of open doors and block the way for others.” We pray for open doors. But just because God opens a door, it doesn’t mean that someone won’t block the doorway.

So, the church acted quickly. They sent Christian leaders, including Paul and Barnabas, to Jerusalem so that the apostles and church elders could render a final verdict. Once they were assembled together, Peter, Paul and Barnabas all made the case for rejecting the notion of circumcision and law-keeping being necessary for salvation. Then James made this great point in verse 19: “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.” The Jews themselves had not been able to follow the Old Testament laws to the letter—why should they expect it of the new Greek believers?

Jesus said in Matthew 11:30, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” But so often Christians have made Jesus’ yoke out to be hard and his burden to be heavy. Many Christians, unknowingly, make the same mistake as the circumcision preachers in Acts 15. While trying to promote righteousness in the church, we heap burdens on new believers that do more harm than good.

Many of us hold strong opinions about matters of our faith and worship. We may hold strong beliefs about speaking in tongues, about free will, about end times prophecies, and about how a worship service should look on a Sunday morning—what kind of songs should be sung, how long the sermon should be, whether or not communion should be taken every week. These opinions can all be fine and good. But we have to be very careful about taking our personal convictions about areas that are not essential to salvation and requiring new believers to believe the same way. Because when we do that, we can muddy the simple message of grace in Christ. May we always pray for open doors of ministry and keep ourselves and others from blocking the doorway once God opens it.

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of Impact Christian Church. Join us for our Grand Opening at 10 am Sunday, October 6^th at the new Ralph Baker School in Victorville. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

How to Live Up to the Name “Christian”

“The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.”

– Acts 11:26

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is in 1 Samuel 17: the story of David and Goliath.

You know the basic details of the story. The Philistines were the archenemies of the Israelites, and their greatest warrior, Goliath, stood over nine feet tall. He was one tough hombre.

As the Philistine and Israelite armies met on the battlefield, Goliath offered the Israelites a proposal: “Instead of our armies killing each other, just choose one Israelite warrior to fight me one-on-one. If he kills me, we will become your slaves, but if I kill him, you all will become our slaves. What do you say?” Well, all of the Israelite soldiers said in unison, “No way, Jose! I’m not fighting that guy. He’s huge! He’ll squash me like a bug.” No Israelite soldier had the guts–or the faith—to face Goliath … except for a wet-behind-the ears teenager named David. David alone stepped up and accepted the challenge to fight Goliath.

David had guts. David had great faith in God. But something else I love about David is that he thought outside the box. Every Israelite soldier thought the only way to fight Goliath was in hand-to-hand combat. And they knew they were no match for Goliath. But David refused to think the way every soldier in that army thought. When fighting Goliath, he wouldn’t need a sword. He wouldn’t need a spear. He wouldn’t even need armor, because he wasn’t going to use them. With God’s help, all he needed was his trusty old sling and a smooth stone. Who says he had to have a sword fight with Goliath? He would just stand back—out of arm’s reach--and chuck a rock at his forehead. And afterwards, if he needed a sword, he would just borrow Goliath’s, since he wouldn’t be needing it anymore.

You know who won that battle. And just as David walked in faith and thought outside the box, so did Christ’s followers in the city of Antioch (see Acts 11:19-30). With a population of half a million people, the city of Antioch was the third largest city in the Roman Empire. It had a very diverse population and a booming economy. But sadly, its citizens had a penchant for drinking, gambling and playing cat and mouse with temple prostitutes outside the city. 

Antioch was the Roman Empire’s “Sin City.” Yet it was there, in that Roman Sin City, that Jesus’ followers initiated the Church’s mission to take the gospel of Jesus Christ beyond Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, to every group of people on earth. And it was there in that Roman Sin City that Jesus’ followers were first called “Christians.” Now, Christ’s followers in Antioch didn’t receive this glorious nickname overnight. There were three distinct, out-of-the-box steps that the believers in Antioch took on the road to being called “Christians.”

Step 1: They reached out to share the message of salvation (vs19-21). In the months and years leading up to the founding of the Antioch Church, churches only shared the Gospel with people of Jewish descent. But, in God’s view, that just wasn’t going to cut it. Why? Because when Jesus told his followers that they would be his witnesses in the uttermost parts of the earth, he didn’t mean they would be his witnesses only to the Jews. He meant they would be his witnesses to everyone. The Antioch Church reached out to witness to the “Greeks” who knew next to nothing about God, Jesus, or biblical morality. And the results of their bold outreach are plain to see in verse 21: “The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.”

Step 2: They reached out to encourage new believers (vs22-24). The Antioch Church was very good at out-of-the-box witnessing. But that by itself wasn’t going to make them into a great church. Next they needed to reach out to encourage. And Barnabas—whose nickname means “son of encouragement”—was just the man for the job! In verse 23 we read that when Barnabas arrived at the Antioch Church, he “encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.” Don’t forget: It’s one thing to see lots of people come to the Lord once. It’s quite another for large numbers of people to continue coming to the Lord day after day, week after week, month after month. I believe that without Barnabas’ encouragement and faith, the out-of-the-box evangelistic impact would not have lasted very long.

Step 3: They reached out to teach new believers (vs25-26). Barnabas realized that as well as the church in Antioch was doing, it needed more than he alone could offer. In order to take the church to the next level, Barnabas humbly set out for Tarsus to find Saul, the murderer turned evangelist. That was a trip of some 100 miles. He convinced Saul to come back with him to Antioch, and together, Barnabas and Saul taught “large numbers of people.” It wasn’t once-a-week teaching. It wasn’t light teaching. It was out-of-the-box discipleship which included solid, meaty, daily teaching. And as a result, “great numbers of people” were taught the word of God. And then and only then do we read: “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.”

Like Christ’s followers in Antioch, Jesus calls us to reach out to share the Good News with those who are far from Christ, to lovingly encourage young Christians, and to teach God’s word to all who will listen. We are “Christians.” And these are things that Christians do.

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of Impact Christian Church. Join us for our Grand Opening at 10 am Sunday, October 6^th at the new Ralph Baker School in Victorville. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

Joy is a Profound Decision

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice.” – Philippians 4:4

Beside my desk in the church office, I have a little plaque that was given to me a couple of years ago. On that plaque is one of my favorite quotes by the 17^th century monk Brother Lawrence. After he was given the most menial job in the monastery—the position of cook—he went into that kitchen and started cheerfully working. And he famously said, “I turn my little omelet in the pan for the love of God.”

Brother Lawrence embraced the same truth that the shepherds in the field embraced on the very first Christmas: Joy transcends our crummy circumstances, because true joy is grounded in Jesus. You see, Christian joy is a profound decision of faith and hope in the power of Jesus’ own life and love.

Almost without exception, when we’re feeling discouraged and down in the dumps, we are fixated on the circumstances around us. We can’t see the forest for the trees. We have a pile of bills to pay. Our kids are driving us up the wall. Our joints hurt. The car’s out of gas and our dog hates us. It feels like we’re drowning in an ocean of problems. But it’s especially at times like these that it’s important to remember that joy is a profound decision—a decision to focus on Jesus’ life, not on your life; a decision to focus on Jesus’ love, not on your own hate for what you’re going through.

If you ever need a good pick-me-up, read the book of Philippians. In chapter 1, Paul writes, “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy … being confident in this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (vs. 3-6). Does Paul sound pretty joyful in these verses? Sure he does! But when he penned these verses, he wasn’t on vacation in Tahiti. He was wearing chains in the slammer. He was incarcerated, not knowing whether he would ever be released or whether he would be executed. Yet he rejoiced.

How was this possible? It was possible because Paul had chosen joy. He had made a profound decision of faith and hope in the power of Jesus’ own life and love. And Paul so wanted his fellow Christians to make this same profound decision. That’s why Paul urges us in Philippians 3:1: “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord!” And in Philippians 4:4, he really drives his point home: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”

In the midst of our pain and heartache and discouragement, we’re called upon to choose joy. Your pile of bills does not change the fact that Jesus lived and died for you because he loves you more than life itself. Loved ones staying or leaving does not change the fact that Jesus Christ is preparing a place for you in heaven. Even when your dog hates you, there is joy in the Lord. Ultimately, if I have to choose between Jesus lovin’ me or Fido lovin’ me, I’m going to choose Jesus lovin’ me—every single time.

Many Christians point to Philippians 4:13 as their favorite verse in the Bible: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” But most Christians don’t look at the context of this verse. In the 3 verses leading up to 4:13, Paul says, “I 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. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (Philippians 4:10-12).

Paul’s contentment and joy were both the result of his profound decision to trust in Jesus’ life and love. How could Paul possibly do all things through Christ? He could do it because he wasn’t all caught up in the things that were dragging him down. If you’re sinking in quicksand, you’re not going to find your lifeline in the quicksand. You’ve got to look up and fix your eyes on the one who can set you free. And when he offers you that lifeline, you have to take hold of it with everything you’ve got. You have to trust that lifeline, and trust the one holding that lifeline. And as you do, you can experience pure joy even as you’re still neck-deep in the quicksand.

On that first Christmas, God offered us good news of great joy. And joy has a name. His name is Jesus.

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.YourVictorvilleChurch.com and join us for church Sundays at 10 a.m. 

Hearing God’s Whisper Over the Noise

“And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” – 1 Kings 19:12b

Recently I was on a trip with our church’s Youth Mission Team to Texas to help with Houston’s ongoing recovery efforts after Hurricane Harvey. When we arrived, we stopped for breakfast at a Texas favorite: The Waffle House. We walked in the front door of the restaurant, and the smell of fresh waffles was amazing. But the restaurant was very, very loud. The music was blasting, and there were no interior walls to buffer all the noise from the kitchen. And we ended up at a table right beside the kitchen.

Now, I have a certain amount of fluency in three languages: English, Spanish and Southern. But when our waitress was talking to us in her super-thick southern accent, with the dishes clanking and music blaring, I couldn’t understand half of what she was saying. Let me ask you: Do you ever feel that way about God? Would you agree that sometimes with all of the noise around us, it’s hard to hear the still small voice of God? You’re not alone. The same thing happened right before a life-changing moment in the life of the man who never died: the prophet Elijah.

At the beginning of 1 Kings 19, Elijah had just experienced a great triumph over the 450 prophets of Baal. He prayed to the LORD, and God sent down fire that consumed the water-drenched altar Elijah had set up. So he should have been riding high, right? But instead, he was down in the dumps. Why? Simply put, he was exhausted and depressed. Consider these three lessons:

Lesson #1: When we have a spiritual mountaintop experience, we must brace ourselves for the valley of testing on the other side of it. We all know that in nature mountaintops don’t connect to other mountaintops. Mountaintops are separated by valleys. This is also true when it comes to our emotions and our spiritual lives. No one can experience a permanent emotional high. I think deep down, we all know this. But for some reason we’re still caught off guard when our spiritual highs don’t last. We’re surprised when we get back from Christian camp and the next day we’re grumpy and everybody’s pushing our buttons and the dog gives us attitude. We wonder why, after a great Sunday morning worship service, we have some of the biggest arguments with our spouses on the drive home. It’s just a reality of life here on Earth: When we’re coming down off the mountain, we’re bound to enter a valley.

So, when Elijah got word that King Ahab’s wife Jezebel was threatening to kill him – again – we read that “Elijah was afraid and ran for his life” (I Kings 19:3). Now, this isn’t the first time Jezebel threatened Elijah’s life. But because he was exhausted, he wasn’t thinking straight. He ran off to the wilderness, sat down under a broom bush, and basically prayed to die. Thankfully, Elijah didn’t take matters into his own hands and end his life. Thankfully, he took a nap.

Which brings us to Lesson #2: Sometimes the best remedy for a pessimistic outlook is sleep. After he got some sleep, an angel of the Lord woke him up and gave him some food and water. Then he let Elijah sleep some more. Notice what happens next: “Strengthened by that food, he traveled 40 days and 40 nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God” (v. 8). After getting some much-needed sleep and nourishment, Elijah wasn’t out of the woods, but he was in a much better place to hear God’s voice. Sometimes when we’re depressed, it’s partly because we are not providing these basic things to care for our bodies: sleep, food and drink. And it’s worth mentioning that in some cases, if clinical depression continues to linger, medication may be needed in the short term.

After his 40-day journey, Elijah spent the night in a cave on Mt. Horeb (also known as Mt. Sinai). And that’s where, at last, Elijah heard from the LORD. But first God sent a little fanfare: “A great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper” (vs. 11b-12).

Lesson #3: “The whispers from Calvary are infinitely more potent than the thunder of Sinai in bringing men to repentance.” Those words are from the Christian scholar, Oswald Sanders, and they are so true. I believe God sent the wind, earthquake and fire as a wake-up call to Elijah. But when it came time to speak to Elijah, God didn’t speak to him in a big, thunderous voice. He spoke to him in a gentle whisper. The same is true today. Sometimes we expect God to speak to us as the worship music is blaring or the preacher is screaming or the ground is shaking. But more times than not, God speaks to us in a still, small voice. And we need to be still to hear it.

One final takeaway: When our mourning drags on, it becomes a pity party – and God will not endorse our pity parties. He calls us to get up and do what he’s called us to do. You’ll notice that 1 Kings 19 ends with Elijah leaving the cave and heading back to Israel to carry out God’s marching orders. And when Elijah left the cave, he left his pity party behind. Some of us need to do the same today. If you’ve been walking in defeat for too long, get some sleep, give your body some nourishment and listen for the voice of your great and awesome God. Then get up, brush yourself off and start doing what God has called you to do.

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.YourVictorvilleChurch.com  and join us for worship Sundays at 10 a.m.

The Amazing Race

“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me

heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

– Philippians 3:14

Some sixty years before Abraham Lincoln fought to abolish slavery in the United States, William Wilberforce was fighting to do the same in Great Britain. Wilberforce devoted fifty years of his life to the fight against slavery, and at times, he felt like giving up. At one point about ten years into his fight, he felt very discouraged. But his spirit was reinvigorated as he read a note in his Bible from John Wesley. Wesley wrote, “If God be for you [in the fight against slavery], who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? Oh, be not weary of well-doing. Go on in the name of God, and in the power of His might.”

With a newfound passion, Wilberforce continued his fight. And it paid off. In 1807 the slave trade began to be dissolved, and over the next thirty years slavery was systematically eliminated throughout England. Wilberforce died on July 30, 1833—almost fifty years after he had begun his fight. And two days after his death—on August 1, 1833—British parliament voted to abolish slavery in Great Britain. William Wilberforce fought the good fight, and he finished the race. And so should we.

In Philippians 4:12-16, the Apostle Paul uses a wonderful sports analogy to describe his personal pursuit of Christlikeness. And along the way he makes it clear that it should be our pursuit as well. Just as an Olympic marathon runner musters every bit of his energy and grit as he strains toward the finish line, we as Christians should give our full effort to being conformed to the image of Christ. Remember that sanctification is the process of becoming more and more like Jesus. It’s the main reason that God saved us from our sins. Christlikeness is God’s goal for our lives. Therefore, it should be our personal goal as well.

And in Philippians 4:12-16 Paul lists six vital steps in our race toward Christlikeness. For the sake of space, here are three. #1: Pursue Christlikeness with maximum effort. Paul writes in verse 12: “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” Any successful pursuit of Christlikeness must begin with spiritual dissatisfaction. You and I can’t be content to stay where we are spiritually. If we think that our spiritual growth is “good enough,” we’ll never cross the finish line. But our dissatisfaction must grow legs. We must give the pursuit of Christlikeness our full effort. Just as a sprinter persistently presses on toward the finish line and the hunter doggedly pursues his prey, so too must we as Christians press on toward the goal of speaking, acting, loving and prioritizing like Christ.

#2: Pursue Christlikeness with focused concentration. Paul writes in verse 13: “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.” Pastor John MacArthur summarizes Paul’s teaching very well as he writes: “A maximum effort without focused concentration is useless…. Believers cannot live on past victories, nor should they be debilitated by the guilt of past sins.” Very well said! One of Satan’s schemes is to get you to dwell on the past in order to distract you from the growth God has in mind for you in the present. At times, Satan throws our past failures in our faces in the effort to drown us in guilt and fear. And at other times, he throws our past successes in our faces to get us to rest on our laurels and embrace complacency. But spiritual growth requires our focused concentration on the finish line ahead.

#3: Pursue Christlikeness without giving up. Paul writes in verse 16: “Only let us keep living up to what we have already attained.” Paul emphasizes that we should never let up on our efforts to become more and more like Jesus. Until our dying day we must keep striving to become like our sinless, selfless, God-honoring, life-transforming Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We must lock arms with other Christians and pursue this goal with everything we’ve got. The stakes are very high. And we have no time to spare. The world can’t afford for us to take a vacation from our holy pursuit.

At the base of one of the Swiss Alps, there’s a marker honoring a man who fell to his death attempting to ascend the mountain. The epitaph reads simply, “He died climbing.” If you ask me, this should be the epitaph of every Christian. On our ascent to the ultimate goal of Christlikeness, we died climbing.

Here on earth, will we ever become thoroughly Christlike? No, we won’t. Our character won’t be completely like Christ’s until he grants us that perfection on Judgment Day. But here on earth we can get very close to Christlikeness—just like Paul. So, our Lord Jesus Christ has made our mission clear: With Christlikeness as the finish line before us, we must keep running with maximum effort, keep focusing our eyes on the finish line and keep refusing to give up. Paul did it. William Wilberforce did it. And you and I can do it as well.

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.fccvv.com  and join us for worship Sundays at 10 am.

Celebrate the Silver Lining

“Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.” – Philippians 1:12

Because the British monarch didn’t approve of his maverick preaching style, the 17th-century evangelist John Bunyan was thrown in jail. But Bunyan’s preaching remained unfettered. He began to preach in the prison courtyard to an audience of dozens of prisoners and hundreds of local villagers who listened from outside the jail walls. Frustrated by his ever-growing popularity, Bunyan’s accusers placed him in an inner cell where no one could hear him preach. But there in that inner cell Bunyan wrote The Pilgrim’s Progress—the Christian classic that has pointed tens of millions of people to Christ.

Was there a silver lining within the dark cloud of John Bunyan’s imprisonment? Without a doubt …yes! And the same can be said of any Christian who is walking in loving obedience to Christ’s commands. Because God is always working for the good of Christ’s followers and for His glory, there is always a silver lining in the dark clouds of life. Regardless of whether the dark cloud is labeled cancer, bankruptcy, divorce or religious persecution—there is always a silver lining in our trials and suffering. And that’s one of the reasons why we can choose joy despite our circumstances.

By all appearances, when Paul wrote the Book of Philippians he was in a rotten situation. About two years earlier, while in Jerusalem, he had been falsely accused of a serious crime and arrested. Then he barely escaped an assassination attempt during a routine prison transport. On his way to face trial in Rome, he almost drowned in a brutal shipwreck. And as he wrote to the Philippians, he was enduring a two-year incarceration that involved being shackled night and day to a Roman soldier.

No one would have faulted Paul for being down in the dumps. No one could have blamed him had he felt discouraged, anxious, angry, bitter or all the above. After all, most of us would have experienced those negative feelings had we been in Paul’s shoes. Surprisingly, however, we discover in Philippians 1:12-19 that Paul was on Cloud Nine. He was absolutely thrilled that his trials and imprisonment had advanced the gospel. Within these verses he highlights three silver linings in the midst of his dark cloud of suffering.

Silver Lining #1: Being chained night and day to the Roman Caesar’s elite soldiers gave Paul multiple opportunities to share Jesus with those who otherwise wouldn’t have heard of him. It seems clear that many high-ranking soldiers and members of Caesar’s household became Christians because of Paul’s imprisonment. Therefore, from Paul’s perspective, he wasn’t chained to Roman soldiers. The Roman soldiers were chained to him. They were a captive audience to hear the life-changing message of Christ’s salvation.

But Paul also rejoiced because of Silver Lining #2: His incarceration emboldened many Christians to preach Christ fearlessly. These Christians must have thought to themselves, “Hey! If Paul can go to jail for Christ, certainly I can endure a little criticism for Christ. And if Paul can lead people to Christ while being shackled to a Roman soldier, certainly I should be able to lead people to Christ while being unshackled.” So, as a result of Paul’s imprisonment, many Christians were invigorated to share the gospel with hundreds—likely thousands—of different people. And this being the case, Paul writes in verse 18: “Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.”

And Silver Lining #3 is called out in verse 19: Paul’s imprisonment paved the way for his deliverance. Whether Paul was referring to his impending release from prison or to his eternal deliverance in heaven, we can’t be certain. Perhaps he had both in mind. But one way or another, Paul’s suffering paved the way for him to be set free. The gospel of  peace had been lived out in plain view of Caesar’s soldiers. Every day Paul offered ample evidence that he posed no physical or political threat to the Caesar or the nation he led. And the transformative power of the gospel was in plain view for all to see.

There’s no doubt: While most of us would have been several months into our personal pity party, Paul was celebrating a much different kind of party. He was celebrating the awe-inspiring work of God in the midst of his troubles. He was acknowledging the truth that ran much deeper than his pain: “In all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). Paul was rejoicing in the fact that—as long as he remained faithful and obedient to Christ—God was seeing to it that He Himself was glorified through Paul’s life, through Paul’s suffering and through Paul’s death. Nothing was wasted. Everything in Paul’s life was good and useful when in the hands of the Master.

Which led Paul to exclaim his now-famous words in verse 21: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” From Paul’s silver-lining perspective, if God saw fit to keep him alive, he would continue living for Christ. Or if God saw fit to subject Paul to hardship and death, he would gladly bear the pain before leaving this life to be with Christ in heaven. Why? Because as Paul sees it, it’s all about Jesus and His glory. And right there is one of the precious secrets to lasting joy. Whether you live, suffer or die, do all for the glory of God.

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.fccvv.com  and join us for worship Sunday at 10 am.

Yes, You Can Have Joy

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel.” – Philippians 1:3-5

We have more entertainment at our fingertips than any prior generation, but—by all appearances—unhappiness and depression are at an all-time high. A recent study released late last year revealed this sobering statistic: 12% of Americans—that’s almost 1 out of every 8 adults—have taken antidepressants during the past year. We are spending over ¼ billion dollars on antidepressants every year. Yet suicide claims more American lives than car accidents. Let’s face it: for millions of us happiness and joy are nowhere in sight.

We desperately need a joy remedy, and the Book of Philippians is just what the doctor ordered. The elusive secret to joy is spelled out for all to see in Paul’s little four-chapter “Thank You” letter to the Christians in the town of Philippi. God preserved it in His Word for all of us who wrestle daily with discouragement and unhappiness. Within this letter, Paul reveals the secret to having joy, peace and contentment in every circumstance—even when the doctor says, “It’s cancer”; even when our marriage is falling apart; even when we get laid off or fired. Yes, it is possible to experience joy, peace and contentment in the midst of suffering, and Philippians teaches us how.

In order to understand how to experience lasting joy, we must first understand the difference between happiness and joy. Let’s start with happiness, which can be defined this way: “Happiness is a temporary pleasant feeling that is usually grounded in pleasant happenings.” When you think of the word “happiness,” it’s helpful to remember the word “happenings.” You see, happiness usually works this way: If the happenings in and around my life are positive, I’ll likely be happy. But if the happenings in and around my life are negative, I’ll likely be unhappy. Our happiness comes and goes because the annoyances, problems and hurdles in this life come and go. So, when it comes to happiness, keep these two things in mind: #1: Happiness is temporary. #2: Happiness is highly dependent upon our happenings.

But that’s not the case with joy. “Joy is the settled conviction that God is sovereign. Therefore, He controls the events of life for His followers’ good and His glory. Joy is grounded in our unchanging God and never in our changing circumstances.” Take a moment to allow this definition of joy to sink in. Joy is a settled conviction grounded in our unchanging, great and awesome God. Joy is a settled conviction grounded in the absolute confidence that—despite how bad our circumstances appear to be, no matter how ugly they look, no matter how dire they seem, no matter how painful they feel—God is at work for my good, and God will somehow be glorified. Therefore, I will choose joy.

When it comes to happiness, circumstances are everything. But when it comes to joy, circumstances are irrelevant. Joy is never grounded in changing situations but in the unchanging truth of God’s character and His promises. Therefore, joy need not be temporary. And joy need not be handicapped by life’s fleeting troubles. It boils down to this: Happiness is grounded in momentary stuff, but joy is grounded in our eternal, unchanging God.

Once we come to grips with the reality that true, lasting joy is grounded in God and not in our circumstances, Paul is able to open our eyes to certain joy killers that battle against our joy, peace and contentment. For example, in verse 5 of chapter 1 he reveals that his dynamic ministry partnership with other Christians brings him great joy. In other words, had Paul chosen to isolate himself from other Christians, he would have been stripped of the joy that came through Christian fellowship. The same holds true for you and me. Is it any wonder that Christians who say, “I follow Jesus, but church isn’t for me” tend to have very little joy in their Christianity? God created us for dynamic fellowship with each other, so when we isolate ourselves from other Christians, our joy tanks tend to run dry. Isolation is a joy-killer.

And in verses 9-11 of chapter 1, Paul reveals yet another joy-killer: stagnancy. In these verses, Paul speaks of our love growing in knowledge and depth of insight. He speaks of us growing in discernment and righteousness. And all of this growth is contingent upon our studying God’s Word. Long story short: If our Bibles are gathering dust, our Christian walks will stagnate and our joy will dwindle. You see, like isolation, stagnancy is a joy killer. We must be daily reading God’s Word and growing in our understanding of God’s Word. The living and active Word of God inoculates us against the joy-killer of stagnancy, but it’s an inoculation that must be received daily.

Paul has much more to teach us about the road to abiding joy, but I’ll save those insights for other articles to follow. In the meantime, let’s all begin walking the path of joy by embracing the settled conviction that God is at work for our good and His glory. And with that in mind, let’s prioritize fellowship and reading His Word. If we’re serious about choosing joy, we will do just that.   

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.fccvv.com  and join us for worship Sundays at 10 am.