Eric's Blog - Entries tagged "Joy"

MonMondayDecDecember7th2009

Trust & Joy

Posted Monday, December 07 2009 @ 12 PM byEric Posteluk Tagged Joy Staying Connected 1 comments Add comment

We’re still going through our section on being trained in preaching in the Training Center (where I’m being trained for ministry right now at HBC Elgin). I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it! David Jones is leading us; he’s doing a wonderful job breaking down all the various aspects of preaching an effective sermon.

I can’t imagine where I’d be spiritually if I hadn’t heard good preaching for all the years I’ve been following Christ. By the Holy Spirit, those preachers have made the word of God come alive for me; I hope to do the same for many others for the rest of my life. I count this an immense privilege.

Here’s a summary of some of the things that went on in the training center last week for us.

Summary:
Sermon prep time throughout week
Visited some property that “might” be given to HBC and had a church service where James MacDonald preached
Delivery in sermons
Use of notes in sermons
Practiced delivery before classmates
Reviewed classmates sermon
Reviewed my sermon with classmates

Scripture:
“…our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.” Psalm 33:21

There is a direct connection between our joy and our trust. When we trust God to take care of us on a moment by moment basis, we will find joy in Him welling up inside of us. When we trust in other things to take care of us or to ultimately comfort us, we will find our joy diminishing. God is trustworthy; anything apart from Him – isn’t. God created us to trust in Him for our every need, and the result of that is for us to be continually joyful in Him!

We can trust in God because He is “holy.” He is utterly unique, the one and only true God. One God made and rules all things. He is the one to look to; He is The One to trust.

The glad heart is the trusting heart, and the trusting heart is the glad heart. As trust rises, joy rises.

TueTuesdayDecDecember1st2009

Rejoice in our Sufferings

Posted Tuesday, December 01 2009 @ 4 PM byEric Posteluk Tagged Joy Staying Connected 0 comments Add comment

Hello everyone!

I’m running a couple days late on getting this blog out since I was in Florida with Barbie. Last week was a shorter week in the class room so my summary will be shorter than usual.

Summary

discussions on introductions for sermons
listened to various recordings of pastors giving introductions
practiced creating intros and presenting them before our classmates

Scripture
“…we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope….” Romans 5:3-4

In our world suffering is a reality. Either we recently have come out of suffering, we’re currently suffering, or we’re about to enter into suffering. As Christians, we should not despair in our suffering. Since we're spiritually alive in Christ (born again), we continually live under the purposeful and loving hand of God. God is sovereign (in control) over our sufferings. He is wonderfully molding us through them. Our suffering is never futile. It has purpose.

As we rest in the fact that we live under the purposeful and loving hand of God, we can actually rejoice in our sufferings. God brings about this kind of joy in our hearts when we're gripped by the truth that He has a good purpose for us. As we trust God through the pain, He supernaturally enables us to rejoice while we’re still suffering. The pain is still there -- but underneath the pain we are able to have joy.

MonMondayNovNovember16th2009

Future reward brings present joy

Posted Monday, November 16 2009 @ 9 AM byEric Posteluk Tagged Evangelism Joy Staying Connected 0 comments Add comment

Hey everyone!

Below are some updates from last week in the Training Center for me and a couple verses to mediate on.

Summary

practiced telling personal stories – illustrations
discussions on the application of biblical texts (ancient world to modern world)
exegesis (getting the meaning out of the bible verse) on verses from Revelation for James’ preaching series
the Pastor from the Gurnee, IL church plant came and talked to us about his experiences over the last 2 years as a senior pastor
listened to various pastors apply biblical texts
reviewed and critiqued a class mates recent sermon
several administrative times
discussions regarding a “potential” moral failure of a lay-leader at one of the Harvest church plants (the situation is in the news in this area… very sad)
a number of discussions and decisions regarding selling our church property

Scripture
“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven…” Luke 6:22-23

Jesus calls us to think radically different than we would normally think…. Our world would does not have a category that includes suffering and joy together. Jesus however does! As we live with an eternal perspective on life, we will too.

When we step out in faith and seek to engage people with the gospel (the good news that sinners can be forgiven and go to heaven) we will run into situations where people don’t appreciate what we’re trying to do because of their spiritual blindness to the gospel. If these people hate us or revile us etc.., we don’t have to base our joy in their response. Rather, in the midst of this form of suffering (though many in the world are being beaten and killed to advance the gospel message) we can actually REJOICE! Why? Because God Himself will reward us! His rewards will never fade. No one can take them from us. Realization of His future reward will bring present joy! This realization enables us to have a category for how suffering and joy can go together.

Let’s allow Jesus’ promise to spur us on to greater and greater obedience. Let’s allow His promise to free us from the fear of rejection. And let’s reach those around us with the good news that they can personally know God now and forever through faith in Jesus Christ! We’ve only got one life to live – let’s make every day count. “Father, please help us in this!”

Grateful for you all!