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Q1. Rejoicing -- Passive or Active?


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I think that rejoicing in the Lord is both a feeling and an action. You have got to have the feeling that the Lord is using you and then you have to take action so that you can rejoice in what the Lord has done. One way that you can fulfill this command if you don’t feel like it is to think of some of the things that have been allotted you by the Lord and change your attitude. The effect of rejoicing is that your attitude will reflect this rejoicing.

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(4:4-5) Is rejoicing in the Lord a feeling or an action? How should you seek to fulfill this command if you don't feel like it? What is the effect of rejoicing?   

Rejoicing in the Lord is an action. We should ask the Lord himself to open your heart and life to joy. Ask Jesus to teach you to rejoice in him. The effect of rejoicing in the Lord would be a life of peace and happiness. 

   

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“Rejoicing in the Lord” is rather an experience of life which can certify the truthfulness of God and the relationship with Him. It is not a feeling, or an emotion, or an action.  The Lord Jesus Christ has given us a couple of parables about the joy of a person who discovers the truth of the kingdom of heaven:

 

Mat 13:44  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

Mat 13:45  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:

Mat 13:46  Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

 

Being Christian, or have been baptised in the water, or be given the title “born again” does not assure anyone to have the true joy in the Lord.  Many people may interpret that joy as an emotion experimented through a service of worship, but that kind of joy quickly disappears once the service ended; and if a disastrous event occurs then the believer may find himself in great fear and distress, and may lose his faith completely.

 

The true joy of faith in Jesus Christ, sometime, may come only after a true repentance of person, whose many sins are forgiven; for example in the following story:

 

Luk 7:47  Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

Luk 7:48  And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.

 

Joy in the Lord is the fruit of the spirit that has been matured through faith in God.  It is not a feeling of a moment.  It is the end result of a process of growth in personal relationship with God through every aspect of life.  The following typical verses of the Bible tell us about the joy of the people who put their trust in God:

 

Job 8:19  Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth shall others grow.

Job 8:20  Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers:

Job 8:21  Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.

Job 33:26  He shall pray unto God, and he will be favourable unto him: and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render unto man his righteousness.

Psa 5:11  But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

Isa 35:10  And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Jer 33:11  The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD.

Hab 3:18  Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

Hab 3:19  The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.

Mat 25:21  His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

Luk 6:23  Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

Joh 15:11  These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

Joh 16:20  Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.

Act 2:28  Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.

Act 20:24  But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

Rom 5:11  And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

1Pe 1:8  Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

1Pe 1:9  Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

Jud 1:24  Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

 

Therefore, the statement “Rejoice in the Lord” that Paul wrote to the Philippians can be explained as an encouragement for them to keep faith in Jesus Christ, who is the true Saviour, in whom their eternal life is secured, and He will not fail to reward them with joy and glory.  Whatever the challenge or difficulty they may encounter through their journey, they should use them as an opportunity to grow in faith in Christ Jesus.  They will certainly experience the transformation within themselves and see its fruit, which is the everlasting joy.

 

The effect of that joy is peace, harmony and unity in the Lord Jesus Christ.  They will become true brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus.

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Q1. (4:4-5) Is rejoicing in the Lord a feeling or an action? How should you seek to fulfill this command if you don't feel like it? What is the effect of rejoicing?

Both.

By the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

It is contageous, affecting and attracting people that are around you.

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Q1. (4:4-5) 

Is rejoicing in the Lord a feeling or an action? 

How should you seek to fulfil this command if you don't feel like it? 

What is the effect of rejoicing?

To rejoice in the Lord is an action, a commandment given to a Christian. 

It does not depend on how we are feeling at any moment or what we are going through at that given moment. 

So, irrespective of whether life is difficult or just plain sailing, and even if there are problems or temptations, we are commanded to rejoice always. 

Paul even repeats it: “I will say it again: Rejoice!”

Joy is something we cannot produce ourselves; it is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. 

It is a deep and abiding inner rejoicing which was promised to those who abide in Christ, and is independent of circumstances.

This is because it rests in God’s sovereign control of all things.

The joy of the Christian is not a passing quality. 

Rejoicing is not to be reserved for special times of worship or praise - it is a continuous rejoicing. 

Unlike the world which is always trying to produce joy, which they call happiness - by using money, power, sex, alcohol, drugs and whatever. 

We only need to think of all the things God has given us to enjoy – that is to rejoice.

The more we know God, the easier it is to rejoice. It is only when we have little knowledge of Him that we find it difficult to rejoice.

We rejoice in the Lord, that is, because of our oneness with Christ.

We rejoice knowing that God is always at work for the good of those who loves him (Rom 8:28). 

We know our Lord has risen and that He reigns, and we thank Him for our salvation won by Him for us. 

All of this brings us, in appreciation, closer and closer to our Saviour. 

 

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Q1. (4:4-5) Is rejoicing in the Lord a feeling or an action? 

How should you seek to fulfill this command if you don't feel like it? 

What is the effect of rejoicing?

 

1. It is an action.Rejoicing is not merely a passive, spontaneous reaction; as a 

command it is to be a deliberate action. Faith should not fulfill us intellectually, but

emotionally.

 

2.The answer is found in asking the Lord himself to open your heart and life to joy.

Ask Jesus to teach you to rejoice in him. Then follow the promptings he gives you.

 

3.It is to be an attitude of mind in the Lord and towards the Lord. Letting worship be

full of meaning for you. Rejoicing in the Lord and having love to continual grow.

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Q1. (4:4-5) Is rejoicing in the Lord a feeling or an action? 

How should you seek to fulfill this command if you don't feel like it? 

What is the effect of rejoicing?

 

1. It is an action.Rejoicing is not merely a passive, spontaneous reaction; as a 

command it is to be a deliberate action. Faith should not fulfill us intellectually, but

emotionally.

 

2.The answer is found in asking the Lord himself to open your heart and life to joy.

Ask Jesus to teach you to rejoice in him. Then follow the promptings he gives you.

 

3.It is to be an attitude of mind in the Lord and towards the Lord. Letting worship be

full of meaning for you. Rejoicing in the Lord and having love to continual grow.

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Rejoicing in the Lord is a feeling when the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within constantly. When I think about God's love for us my heart in over joy. Jesus when upon that cross and died for my sins and sins of the entire world. The more you walk hand and hand with the Lord, you can't help it but say, this joy I have that God gave me nobody can take it away. It's a overwhelming feeling the you feel for our Heavenly Father and our Lord. We sing a song in church that says, "I get joy when I think about what He has done me, I get joy when I think about what He Has done for me, the world didn't give and the world can't take it away". The effect rejoicing to me is in the song above. It's a feeling you have never felt in your life. Pray, pray, pray. God knows our hearts and the more you talk to Him you feel a burning flame within your heart and and soul. Thank you Heavenly Father for loving me so much that the Son was born to die in my place.

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Rejoicing is action. It is not a feeling. I have learned if I don't feel like rejoicing, I start acting as if I am rejoicing and it suddenly spills over in rejoicing. It is totally a revelation if you understand this.

Try it and it will give you a whole new outlook in life and it become a real habit.

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Shalom Saints by FAITH in Messiah Yahshua.

GREETINGS,

REJOICING in Yahweh is an action. It blossoms from the inside out. Because that is the only way one can have joy in the midst of the trial, it's Yah's joy that dissolves the flesh to walk in His Spirit.

2. I believe as a believer we are to act opposite to the flesh. Yah has given us all unique personality, my personality is powerful, perfect. Unless one is born from above will I really see a joyful perfect powerful. They are too busy trying to be perfect to be joyful. Before I was a believer when someone would smile at me I wondered what they were up too, I was suspicious of them. Im speaking of myself here, a smile is not perfect it wrinkles your face to a perfect personality. Yah tells us to rejoice and be glad it proves our imperfections of a perfect face. Only Yah is perfect. Many get caught up in the world, work, labor, we become fatigued and tired. Who has time to be joyful when you feel that way? To be joyful when we don't feel like it. We have to override our flesh and put into action JOY in our life in the good times and the bad.

Joy is sharing a smile

Joy is helpful a friend

Joy is giving to the poor

Joy is writing to prisoners

Each one of these gives a smile to the receiver.

What are the effects of rejoicing?

All I can think of is the homeless man on Google. Someone had brought him a buggy full of groceries.

What did he do to show his rejoicing?

They showed a picture of him down on his knees thanking Yahweh for the food that had just been given to him.

His hands were folded in prayer above his head. It stated under the picture.

A homeless man was found on his knees in the street praying and giving thanks. When he was asked, "Why a homeless man with nothing would be thanking Yahweh. He replied, Yahweh would never forsake me and though I might not have much in material things. I have the greatest GIFT of all SALVATION. THANKS to Yahshua the Messiah. He said, "My riches don't come from man or money but from Our Heavenly Father...Homeless but RICH.

THIS IS THE ULTIMATE EFFECT OF REJOICING I HAVE EVER HEARD OR SAW.

THIS ONE IS A GOLD CROWN GIVING THANKS REJOICING ON His knees for the world to see in who gave it to him, "His Heavenly Father."

The effects of rejoicing is the outward expression and action and feeling of one that others see.

For me when I first felt the joy of Yahweh is when I came out of the church of Babylon. I felt His love, joy fill my being. I felt like I was on a spiritual high, nothing could get me down.The night I felt His presence I put a chair by my bed so He could sit down. I prayed He would be with me always and that He would sit in that chair and watch over me all night. When I felt that spiritual high it was like He had consumed me.

The effects if joy?

Another time I saw the effects of joy in my life was, when my family was resistant to the faith because they were still in the Babylon Denomination. A few of my children thought I was crazy because the house was divided in belief, there was strife, aggravation etc. The spiritual high I experienced was His Joy because in the flesh I would have been distraught. It was like He sheltered me under His wings and no evil spirits could touch me. My first born daughter went to school and told her girl friend that her mother was acting strange. She is singing and happy and our house is in turmoil.

Her girlfriend said, "I'm glad my mother doesn't do that." Later that friend has become a believer today.

I remember at the same time this was happening I was out in the garden weeding and singing. I believe the joy Yah gave me was to keep me sane.

I was singing:

You Are The Light Of My Soul Yahweh!

You are the light of my soul Yahweh you are the candle in my life.

You are the light of my soul, Yahweh

You keep the flame burning bright.

You are the one who lights my path

You lead me in the way of truth.

You are the rock on which I stand

Forever more I will trust in you.

Forevermore I will trust in you.

My daughter came out and asked if she could help me. I said, "Sure."

I continued to sing, later she told me she hated the song, couldn't stand it, but after she left me she could not stop getting the tune out of her head. That was the effects of the spiritual joy Yahweh placed in me in the midst of our families turmoil. Wow, six months later, on weekends I prayed and fasted for their salvation

they came to the knowledge if truth and cane out of Bab.

I desire with great desire for Him to give me that spiritual high of joy once again, but again it becomes restrictive because we operate in our feeling and thus quench the joy He really desires us to have and express.

True joy from Yah can be expressed inside and then be manifested on the outside for others to see. That shows genuine joy. But the Human joy we put conditions on in that we have to feel in order to express and even then can be false joy.

Have a blessed week,

Love in MESSIAH,

Shalom

FAITH

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For Me rejoicing is a deliberate action! I love rejoicing in the Lord....giving thanks and singing praises...giving glory to God....it always feels of the Heavenly realms to Me when I do this or even see others partaking in doing it! It's wonderful!

The effect of rejoicing is intense feeling of Joy and Deep expression of Love of God. It cements the relationship between You and God. And encourages the Holy Spirit to dance within You....

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Q1. (4:4-5) Is rejoicing in the Lord a feeling or an action? How should you seek to fulfill this command if you don't feel like it? What is the effect of rejoicing?

The rejoicing in the Lord is a feeling, an experience when joy comes into your from the Lord.

If we do not feel like rejoicing in the Lord we should pray and ask him to fill us with the joy he has for us.

The effect of this rejoicing it is in fact joy. We are filled with the Lord's joy when we ask God to continually fill us with joy and peace that comes only from him.   

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It is primarily an action taken by your will to concentrate on Jesus leading to joyfilled feelings.

Get in the word, sing hymns or praise songs--fix your mind upon Jesus.

It is healing for you and a witness of Jesus to others.

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Q1. (4:4-5) Is rejoicing in the Lord a feeling or an action? How should you seek to fulfill this command if you don't feel like it? What is the effect of rejoicing?

 

Rejoice to be in a state of happiness and well-being,  This isn't just a just an empty encouragement to "be happy" or "have a good day." Rejoicing is not merely a passive, spontaneous reaction; as a command it is to be a deliberate action. The Philippian Christians are to take joy, that is, find joy, in the fact of God's love for them, that Jesus has died for their sins, in the promise that their names are written in the Book of Life, that the Holy Spirit is with them constantly, that they have eternal life with God.

 

We should seek to fulfill this command by asking the Lord himself to open our heart and life to joy. Ask Jesus to teach us to rejoice in him. Then follow the promptings he gives you. This is not some magic or spiritual bonus, but our heritage of joy in a growing relationship with our Lord.

 

The effect of rejoicing is we will no longer be sad, depressed or our lives will not be affected with the circumstances we are in.  We will be forever in a state of satisfaction that Gods love for us will never change.  Rejoicing also affects our health and everyone around us too.

 

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Q1. (4:4-5) Is rejoicing in the Lord a feeling or an action? How should you seek to fulfill this command if you don't feel like it? What is the effect of rejoicing?

 

Sometimes the trials and pressures of life make it almost impossible to be happy. But Paul did not telling us his readers to be happy. He is encouraging us to rejoice in the Lord. In fact, he said it twice in verse. Christ is the One in whom the sphere of rejoicing was to take place. Surely there are many circumstances in which Christians cannot be happy. But they can always rejoice in the Lord and delight in Him. Paul himself was an excellent example of one who had inner joy when external circumstances - such as persecution, imprisonment, the threat of death - were against him. 
 
We should live in the light of his presence.In addition to joy, believers are to have gentleness, which is to be evident to all. Gentleness suggests a fore-bearing, non-retaliatory spirit. Joy, an inner quality in relation to circumstances, may not always be seen; but the way one reacts to others - whether in gentleness or harshness - will be noticed. Why be gentle? Because the Lord is near. 
 
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Q1. (4:4-5) Is rejoicing in the Lord a feeling or an action? Rejoicing can be both depending on the way you look at it.  When it is a feeling, that means you are only thinking about it; However, when it is a action is like when a sinner comes to realize that he is a sinner and he 100% turns from sin, and comes to church to ask for forgiveness.  This is the action of humbling themselves for forgiveness and receiving forgiveness from Jesus Christ.

 

How should you seek to fulfill this command if you don't feel like it?  When you feel rejoicing, there is no action that can say you don't like it.  The feeling of joy overwrites sadness or just feeling down.  Rejoice is explainable only when you truly believe Jesus Christ who gives you peace. 

 

 

What is the effect of rejoicing?  The effect is knowing that God loves you 100% and nothing separates you from His love. And this calls for a celebration.

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1. (4:4-5) Is rejoicing in the Lord a feeling or an action?

 

Answer: It is a feeling.

 

How should you seek to fulfill this command if you don't feel like it?

 

Answer: Pray and ask God to give you and teach you to rejoice.

 

What is the effect of rejoicing?

 

Answer: If we rejoice it means we are happy in the Lord.

 

 

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  • 9 months later...
On 5/6/2005 at 11:15 PM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q1. (4:4-5) ?Is rejoicing in the Lord a feeling or an action How should you seek to fulfill this command if you don't feel like it? What is the effect of rejoicing?

Rejoicing in the Lord is both an action and a feeling, if the bible tells you rejoice,rejoice.

Worship

The effect of rejoicing is a glorious feeling which strengthens you.

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  • 5 years later...

We tend to think of rejoicing as a happy-clappy, singing and jumping sort of behaviour because of how it's expressed in the charismatic churches, but it also can be quiet and gentle, as Paul writes. Rejoicing can be inwardly expressed as a thoughtful thankfulness. I'm very reserved and reticent so this is how I rejoice. 

It's very difficult to feel without thinking, though relatively easy to think without feeling, so rejoicing must be something we WILL to do in thoughts and words. We think, therefore we rejoice. I find thinking of the Lord's attributes and promises to be comforting in a gentle, silent way. That's rejoicing as I experience it. 

The effect of rejoicing is a restored, right focus on Him.

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