MEN ALIVE: Jim Cunningham & Paul Estabrooks' Podcast
Programs to help men become transformed to the image (character) of Jesus Christ.
MEN ALIVE: Jim Cunningham & Paul Estabrooks' Podcast
MEN ALIVE 211 - Defying Adversity with the Power of JOY
Have you ever thought of joy as an act of defiance? Do you wonder how the spark of joy can burn even in the face of adversity? Join us, Paul Estabrooks and Dr. Jim Cunningham, as we journey through the power of joy that emerges from the Holy Spirit, even in the most daunting of circumstances. We share the inspiring story of a 91-year-old woman who, despite living through the hardships of Mao's communist era, radiates joy, found in her faith in Jesus Christ. Our conversation pulls back the layers of the biblical principle of joy, presenting it not just as an emotion, but an outward expression of an inner condition.
Welcome to Men Alive, a biblical journey to help us conform to the image of Jesus Christ. I'm your host, Paul Estabrooks. Our teacher is my longtime friend, Dr Jim Cunningham, consultant in adult education, director of Go Teach Global and author of the book Men Alive.
Speaker 2:Today's program is the second in our series from Galatians 522. The apostle Paul said the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Pablo, you and I have visited countries where there is little joy. In fact, in one restricted country where you led a prayer walk, christian prisoners were not permitted to sing, smile or even look up to the sky. No outward expression of joy.
Speaker 1:Right Joy could only be expressed when one was cheering enthusiastically for the country's leader. Most expressions of personal joy were not permitted.
Speaker 2:Speaking of joy, let me tell a story. Recently I went to a funeral for a 91-year-old friend. She was the epitome of intentional joy. Her eyes had a sparkle, along with her warm smile. Anyone meeting her in her old age could never have imagined the trauma of her early years. Let me summarize some of her life. She was born in 1931 in Pretoria, northern Russia. At that time in history, stalin's communists were arresting landowners and many others and sending them to Siberia, where millions perished. So her family fled to the Ukraine. Later her mother went back to Russia to attend her brother's funeral and while there her father was arrested by the KGB police and later shot because he was a teacher and accused of being an enemy of the state. This happened to many other men in the Mennonite villages. Then, in the spring of 1941, germany invaded Ukraine. So her mother was unable to return to her children, leaving her without both parents at age 10. Her three siblings were divided up and cared for by other relatives. Being separated from her family in this way was a great sadness for her.
Speaker 1:Jim, with all due respect to your story you told our listeners the topic of this program was focusing on joy as the fruit of the spirit and so far the story has been a little heavy, not much joy.
Speaker 2:That's true, pablo, but hang on, it gets worse before we get to the joy part. In 1943 this 12-year-old girl fled from Russia and Ukraine, with most German-speaking Mennonites, to Rydnik, Poland, where she learned English. Then she moved to Bavaria in Germany, where she was taken into the home of a Lutheran pastor's family for three years. The time with this family became some of her favorite childhood memories. In 1947, at age 16, she attended a Good Friday worship service among refugees, where she heard a gospel message. She was under conviction of her need to accept Jesus Christ as her savior and make him Lord of her life. So she went into a nearby forest by herself, knelt and surrendered her life to Christ. At 17, she moved to Grinnell in northern Germany. Her knowledge of German and English helped her assist Mennonite Central Committee in their relief efforts. She helped identify young Mennonite boys who had been drafted by the Nazis and were now in prisoner of war camps. After the war ended, then, at 18, she had the opportunity to emigrate to Canada, to Vancouver, with her aunt and her grandfather.
Speaker 1:Wow, what a story. Five moves to five countries, learning three languages, losing her parents and separated from her siblings. Are we now at the joy part?
Speaker 2:In 1954, at age 23, her life changed forever when she met and married her husband. In their 68 years of married life they were blessed with three sons, two of whom are now pastors and the oldest is an established contractor and builder. She has ten grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. So here's my question when did her joy come from? Some people listening to this story would say, yeah, she had it hard, but I had it worse. If you knew my story, you'd understand why there's no joy in my life. Others would say I understand fully. Joy is given to us not by our circumstances, but by the Holy Spirit when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
Speaker 1:Jim, you told me that Rita has a sign over your front door that you read every time you leave the house and as simply says two words choose joy.
Speaker 2:That's true, pablo, but here's a confession. I cannot force myself to be filled with joy. I can only choose joy if I have the help of the Holy Spirit. Being filled with the Holy Spirit produces the fruit of the Holy Spirit, including joy. There's an interesting verse in Ephesians 5. The literal wording in Greek is keep on being filled with the Holy Spirit. Some may ask why do we have to keep on being filled with the Holy Spirit? As one well-known speaker said, it's because we're human we leak.
Speaker 2:Joy is an outward expression of an inward condition. My Bible dictionary says joy is the emotion evoked by well-being, success or good fortune. It then lists over 200 verses in the Bible that contain a variety of ways of conveying the meaning of joy.
Speaker 1:Before we go further, it's my joy to remind you this is Men Alive, with Dr Jim Cunningham. Check out our website at goteachglobalcom for more programs and resources. Today we're discussing the second fruit of the Spirit joy. In the Old Testament, nehemiah told the people the joy of the Lord is your strength. One church member who had a rather severe countenance said I don't have to smile all the time. I have the joy of the Lord in my heart as my strength. A friend responded that may be true, but the joy you claim fills your heart has not apparently reached your face A few years ago you gave me a gift of a new living translation study Bible with commentary by Johnny Erickson.
Speaker 2:The young girl who dove into shallow water, hit her head, broke her spinal cord and has been a quadriplegic in a wheelchair since 1967. Johnny writes the beyond-suffering Bible is designed to help the reader, especially those affected by disability, grasp the goodness of God amid critical questions about suffering. She adds suffering is the greatest common denominator among humans. So it's been said at some point. Everyone will suffer in one way or another. The Jewish people of Nehemiah's day had experienced tremendous suffering through bondage and life in exile. Having returned to a city in ruins, they had finally come to a point of restoration and celebration. The real cause for joy was their return to the Lord and His ways. That is the same joy we share when a prodigal returns to the Lord.
Speaker 2:Scripture says the angels in heaven rejoice over everyone who comes to faith in Christ. I will remember the day I returned to my childhood faith in Christ. The change was dramatic. I became a new person with Christ living in me through the power of His Holy Spirit. As it says in 2 Corinthians, anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone and new life has begun. Luke 10.20 says rejoice or be filled with joy, because your name is written in heaven. You are a new person. Old things are passed away, everything is new. We are now to become conformed to the image of Jesus Christ and transformed to His character.
Speaker 1:The author of Hebrews says in chapter 12, therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up, and let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he seated in the place of honor beside God's throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people. Then you won't become weary or give up.
Speaker 2:That, my brother, is an amazing kind of joy. Jesus was so guided and so directed by the Holy Spirit that he saw through the coming pain and suffering of his crucifixion and endured the cross, despising the humiliation and shame of being beaten, bloodied and naked, Knowing that from his death and resurrection would come the greatest victory over death and the defeat of Satan, our enemy. That brought joy to Jesus Hallelujah. That's the kind of seeing through the pain that brings joy to our heart, Knowing that our faithfulness to God's plan will bring success and ultimate victory that makes our current trials take on a new eternal perspective. I believe that is the kind of faith that generated joy in the heart of many of my friends who have experienced loss or disabilities. That faith in God produces a genuine smile of joy on the face of Johnny Erickson.
Speaker 1:Recently Jim Hughes spoke at a conference for seniors. Rita was with you and Diane and I were in attendance. The group called themselves Keen Agers, ranging in age from 60 to 90. At the banquet the speaker was a popular comedian named Phil Callaway. He had a laughing non-stop at his hilarious humor all clean, quick-witted and God-honoring. But this is called laughter, not joy. Phil notes that his life has had challenges. His wife suffers from Huntington's disease and there are various family issues. His humor comes from his perspective on life as the youngest in a family to see the funny aspects in life. But his joy comes from knowing Jesus Christ is the winner over death and someday Jesus is coming back to rule as King of Kings and Lord of Lords for all eternity. That brings joy beyond measure.
Speaker 2:Depending on the translation used. There are many, many verses in the Bible that contain the word joy. Ecclesiastes 312 says Be joyful, do good. Joy is a state of being involving the heart, mind and soul, allowing God's presence to permeate us. Psalm 43 says, in verses 3 and 4, god is our joy. When the Holy Spirit is developing the fruit of joy in your life, you will be better prepared to give thanks, more willing to offer praise, more likely to rejoice that your name is written in heaven and ready to bless the Lord for how good he is.
Speaker 2:Joy is contagious. Show me a person filled with the joy of the Lord as their strength. I will show you a person who is thankful, filled with praise and rejoicing that their name is in heaven. It begins by being filled with the Holy Spirit and allowing that filling to produce the fruit of joy that is pure and unquenchable. I am full circle back to the story of my 91 year old friend and sister in Christ. After all that pain and loss and separation from family, as a child she found the greatest joy giver anyone could imagine Jesus Christ. Jesus became her greatest joy to know him, to obey him and to serve him, until the day she met him face to face in heaven. Men, you may have been listening to this today and saying yeah.
Speaker 2:Jim, I can laugh Give me a few drinks I can even make others laugh, but I have no joy. I need that kind of joy. You are talking about the joy of the Lord as my strength. Paul and. I pray these men alive programs do more than just tell stories, that they teach biblical truth. It's our desire that each of you, our listeners, come to a full and complete, life changing encounter with our risen Lord and accept him as your personal Lord and Savior. Before we all meet Jesus face to face.
Speaker 1:There you have it, men, the second part of the fruit of the Spirit joy In our upside down, backwards world. May we, as men, be filled with joy of the Lord as our strength and exhibit that joy through our smile, our words, our actions and our attitudes. Send your reactions to Dr Jim at his email menaliveantogodd at gmailcom. Menalive is a production of Go Teach Global. Visit our website at goteachglobalcom, where you find other programs and many helpful materials. Until next time, I'm Paul Estabrooks, on behalf of Dr Jim Cunningham, encouraging you to become men alive, transformed into the image of Jesus Christ.
