PREACHING AT THE PHILIPPIAN JAIL CELL

A few years ago Becky and I had the distinct honor of attending the Revive Missions Conference (European Urbana) leadership gathering in Thessaloniki, Greece. We spent one day of the conference in the ancient city of Philippi. This was the first time we had ever visited a New Testament site. Becky and I couldn’t believe we were at the prison where the Apostle Paul and his team planted the first church in Europe. It made me so thankful our faith in Jesus is rooted in history, and not some galaxy far, far away (shout out to all the old-school Star Wars fans).

I opened the Word and began to teach Acts 16:40. Paul and Silas were put into solitary confinement in the Philippi prison. Authorities charged them with ‘interference with property’. Evil men have always abused and profited off young girls. The apostles were beaten for delivering a girl from demons. Paul could have cursed the jailer for his sins. Instead, Paul and Silas worshipped God and sang joyful hymns to God. They taught the jailer the gospel. Paul’s back was bleeding with open wounds from jailer, but he helped the man know Jesus’ blood. 1 How did Paul respond with joy to such unjust and painful circumstances? Paul was able to rejoice in his sufferings because of sovereign mindset.

DO YOU HAVE JOY?

Sovereign mindset is the pathway to rejoicing in our sufferings (Romans 5:1-5). The world is tossed to and fro by the ups and downs of life. Happiness is based on the word happenstance. If things break our way, we are happy. But if things do not go in our favor, many are knocked down. And sadly, many Christian leaders never get back up. Paul certainly thanked God for favorable circumstances. He wasn’t a stoic. He didn’t seek out pain. But his secret was that his joy was never rooted in the circumstances of life and ministry. Joy is a deeper, longer lasting, state of contentment. Paul belonged to Jesus. Therefore, nothing ever happened to Paul. Everything (every single circumstance in his life) happened for Paul. That is the power of sovereign mindset. And when that is your practical daily reality, joy is a choice.

When I first began studying with Bobby Clinton, he challenged us to choose joy. In his strong southern accent he asked, “Do you have joy?” He then exhorted us to keep a ‘joybell log.’ For years, I have kept a Sabbath journal. Every Friday I prayerfully reflect on the week and record joybells in my relationship with God, family, ministry and life. Each journal has 52 entires. My Sabbath Journals help me live out sovereign mindset. Below is my November 30, 2024 entry.

SABBATH DAY I WEEK 48

Youth Renewed Like the Eagle

November 23-29, 2024

The title of my Sabbath journal entry this week is ’Youth Renewed Like the Eagle.’ This past week was Thanksgiving. It was a great time for our family to be together, for the children to sleep in, and for us to host family and friends to eat way too much delicious food. On Wednesday, Becky shared what she has been learning in her Psalms core book study. In Psalm 103 David writes that one of the benefits of loving God is somehow he renews our youth like the eagle. Becky reflected about the opportunities that we were so excited for in our youth (family and ministry), have mysteriously reappeared again in our middle-age. But only in a better version! At 54 years old we have never been more excited for local church ministry (Holy Faith Fellowship), inner-city enterprise (5000 Pies), and broader mission leadership and intensive mentoring. The new ‘1-1-1: The Finishing Well Newsletter’ has particularly renewed me. The opportunities before us in Compton, CSUDH and Nairobi make us feel like kids again. It is our testimony that the older we become on earth, the younger we become in the Kingdom of God. On this Sabbath day, I stop from work, worship God and rest in the Only One who truly renews!

Below are my Sabbath joybells for Week 48:

• On this special Thanksgiving holiday, my heart is so full and thankful for my Becky

• So convicted by Becky’s Psalm 103 insights on how God redeems and renews us like eagles

• Such a special moment when we discussed how the gospel truly makes us feel like children

• Amazing ministry together casting vision with major donors for ‘Start Strong Faith Academy'

• Joy has really developed her inner-life as she studies her Bible (with worship music) at night

• My heart is so full and thankful to God looking at her handwritten Scripture cards on her wall

• Loved our heart to heart as we talked about faith, friends, social life at Cal State Dominguez

• So excited and always blessed when Joy leads Sunday worship at Holy Faith Fellowship

• I love Kara’s special relationship with Mom Sato and how they love spending time together 

• Fun to see Kara studying hard for her permit test as we begin to book her mandatory lessons

• Kara and Luke had an epic three-set pickleball match that made everyone stop and watch

• Appreciate Kara’s wide-music tastes as she served as the family DJ on our San Diego drive

• Luke is loving Thanksgiving break and extra time with Cookie, the best beagle in the world

• Becky loved watching our intense ping-pong match that came down to 11-9 in the fifth set

• Had so much fun playing pickleball singles against Luke after doubles with Holy Faith guys

• I love how Luke is growing as a graphic designer and how he serves Holy Faith Fellowship

• Cookie is the best beagle in the whole world and her tail (and lower body shake) is the best

• Good week of lap swim (Silverado Park 3X), tennis and pickle ball with family and friends

• Blown away at our ‘Sovereign Guidance’ process item moving from Philippi to St. Philip

• God gave grace to preach Matt 7:13-29: 2 roads 2 trees, 2 fruits, 2 prophets, 2 foundations

• Good week of evangelism as Debir (life group) and Trinity (Sunday) became disciples

• Grateful for Jeff Hanson’s exhortation to ‘remove artificial barriers’ in our Antioch mission

• Excellent meeting with John Tumminello to simplify and better communicate our mission

• Matthew 25: Finishing Faith and verticals (Holy Faith, church planting, Clinton, 5000 Pies)

• Encouraged by first month of 1-1-1 newsletter and Darrell Johnson’s kinds encouragements

• Great to hear from Luke Greenwood as we prepare to meet in Krakow, Poland for Revive

• Long Term Parking traded George Kittle to Choi Luck Club for 2025 Round 1 rookie pick

• Joe Handley Apostleship - 1: God has aligned us around the four-functions of apostleship

• Joe Handley Apostleship - 2: God gave a robust discussion about books and self-publishing

• Joe Handley Apostleship - 3: God used Bobby Clinton to create A3 curriculum in 1980s

• Joe Handley Apostleship - 4: God confirmed Becky’s beliefs that 60s are the best decade

• Joe Handley Apostleship - 5: God challenged me through Joe to write’Decades’ for Asia

• Joe Handley Apostleship - 6: God encouraged me with Joe’s fund development insights

• Joe Handley Apostleship - 7: God gave keen perspective on our Compton church plant

• Thanksgiving 2024 - 1: Thankful for Becky and God’s gift of 24 years of grace upon grace

• Thanksgiving 2024 - 2: Thankful for how God has provided us a home to host family, friends

• Thanksgiving 2024 - 3: Thankful for Holy Faith Fellowship and our second year of ministry

• Thanksgiving 2024 - 4: Thankful to be a ‘green olive tree’ in the house of God (Psalm 52:8)

• Thanksgiving 2024 - 5: Thankful for God’s unique call to church plant and make leaders

• Thanksgiving 2024 - 6: Thankful for Hyatt points and the family getaway to San Diego

• Thanksgiving 2024 - 7: Thankful for Joy, Kara and Luke and Jesus’ grace in their lives

God, thank you for an amazing week of family, Thanksgiving celebration and renewal insights.

THE MOST JOYFUL BOOK IN THE BIBLE

Paul and Silas were beat mercifully for faithfully ministering in the ancient cosmopolitan city of Philippi. With their backs whipped to shreds, they sang ‘How Great Thou Art’, ‘Blessed in the City’ and ‘Sure Been God’ in the pit of solitary confinement. By 62 AD Paul served over 48 months in Roman prison. While in prison he wrote Philemon, Colossians, Ephesians and Philippians. What is the faith lesson of the Philippian prison? God gives his people joy, even in a prison cell.

I think Paul looked backed with such joy. The joy of meeting Lydia at the river. The joy of casting out ‘python’ badgering spirt from the girl. The joy of being physically abused for the sake of Jesus’ name. The joy of seeing God send an earthquake to open the prison door. The joy of preaching the gospel to the Philippian jailer. The joy of baptizing the jailer into the blood and water of faith in Jesus. The joy of modeling mature faith to Luke, Lydia and the Philippian church. Joy erupted in the Philippians prison that night and still does as we open up this amazing New Testament book. 

Happiness is when circumstances are going well. Pleasure is when chemicals hit your body. But joy is a sovereign gift from God. Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Joy is true barometer of faith. You can fake so many things in life. But you cannot fake joy.

The important matter is this. The instant I understood this I felt the abrupt ease as though a bone is put back into its socket. I had often called myself an optimist, to avoid the blasphemy of pessimism. But all the optimism of the age had been false and disheartening for this reason, that it had always been trying to prove that we fit into the world. The Christian joy is based on the fact that we do not fit into this world. – G.K. Chesterton

Philippians is the most joyful book in the New Testament. The book was written from a Roman prison. God gives us joy, even in a prison cell. 

Do you have joy today?