Joy: The Redemption Evangelism Program

“Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!” - Psalm 65:4

On Sunday, our intern Johnny did a marvelous job highlighting the spread of God’s joyful praise from his temple, to all people, to all creation in Psalm 65. Verses 8, 12-13 explicitly speak of joy going out from God’s presence to the ends of the earth. It’s no surprise, since in God’s presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11) and he intends to fill the earth with his glory (Hab 2:14).

Psalm 65 reveals for us a pattern of faithful and fruitful evangelism. If you want to be effective in sharing the gospel with others around the world, then you need to first capture the joy in his presence. When you are captivated by the glory of Christ in worship, it will overflow in a joyful witness beyond the walls of our gathering space.

Your joy is our evangelism program. No amount of slick programming, or well-produced music, or fulfilling your felt needs will give you this kind of infectious joy. It simply comes from seeing and savoring the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.

So we preach Jesus. We model Jesus. We sing to Jesus. We humble ourselves before the throne of Jesus. We tell each other about Jesus. We wash one another in the grace of Jesus. And by being in the presence of Jesus so much, we soak in his joy.

Then, being saturated by his joy, we go out into our neighborhoods and workplaces and pour out the joy into every corner of the world. Sometimes the difficulty of life squeezes us, but like a sponge, what was inside will come out when squeezed. Our goal in worship is to fill you with joy in Christ so that when you are squeezed throughout the week, his joy comes pouring out.

What a testimony that would be to your family, friends, and neighbors. What an uncommon experience that testifies to the power of Christ in you.

So, brothers and sisters, be intentional every Sunday to soak up as much joy in Christ as possible. And let that joy overflow throughout your week that people will see your joy and glorify your Father in heaven.

For your joy,

Adam and the elders