Month: June 2015

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I laughed out loud when I saw this scientific formula for happiness in an article [1] in Psychology Today:

Though viewing this rather nonsensical formula brought me momentary happiness, it did not bring lasting joy. Don’t misunderstand; I enjoy a good laugh as much as anyone—that’s why I appreciate this statement from Karl Barth: “Laughter is the closest thing to the grace of God.” But though both happiness and joy can bring us to laughter, there’s an important distinction between them—a difference I experienced many years ago when my dad died (we’re pictured together at right). Obviously I was not happy about my dad’s passing, but I was calmed and encouraged by the joy I had knowing he was experiencing a new closeness to God in eternity. The thought of that glorious reality continues to give me joy.

Depending on the translation, the Bible uses the words happy and happiness about 30 times, while joy and rejoice appear more than 300 times. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word śāmâ (translated rejoice, joy and glad) is used to cover a wide range of human experiences: sex, marriage, the birth of children, harvest, victory and drinking wine (Song of Songs 1:4; Proverbs 5:18; Psalm 113:9; Isaiah 9:3 and Psalm 104:15). In the New Testament, the Greek word chara is used primarily for expressing joy in the redemptive works of God, the advent of his Son (Luke 2:10), and the resurrection of Jesus (Luke 24:41). As we read the New Testament, we see the word joy is more than an emotion; it is a characteristic of a Christian, part of the fruit produced by the inner working of the Holy Spirit.

We are familiar with joy being the result of good things as seen in the parables of the lost sheep, lost coin and lost son (Luke 15:2-24). Here the central figure representing God the Father is pictured as rejoicing over the recovery and reconciliation of that which was “lost.” Scripture also teaches us that true joy is not affected by surrounding circumstances including pain, agony and loss. Joy can be the result of suffering for Christ’s sake (Colossians 1:24). Jesus himself experienced great joy in facing the terrible suffering and shame of crucifixion (Hebrews 12:2).

Many of us have felt true joy knowing the reality of eternity, even as we’ve had to say good-bye to a loved one. This is true because there is an unbreakable relationship between love and joy. We see this in Jesus’ words as he summarized his teachings to his disciples: “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you” (John 15:11-12). As we grow in God’s love, so does our joy grow. In fact, all the fruit of the Holy Spirit grows in us as we grow in love.

Paul helps us understand the difference between happiness and joy in his letter to the church in Philippi, which he wrote while imprisoned in Rome. In that letter he used the words joy, rejoice and joyful 16 times. I’ve visited many jails and prisons and you don’t typically find happy people there. Yet Paul found joy while chained in prison, not knowing if he would live or die. Due to his faith in Christ, he was content—through eyes of faith Paul saw his circumstances in an entirely different light than most people would. Note what he wrote:

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear. (Philippians 1:12-14)

These powerful words came from an inner joy that Paul experienced despite his circumstances. He knew who he was in Christ, and who Christ was in him. He wrote:

I am not saying this because I am in need. I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:11-13)

We can summarize the distinction between happiness and joy in many ways. Here are three:

• Happiness is temporary—often momentary or the result of short-term contentment. Joy is eternal and spiritual, keying off of who God is and what he has done, is doing and will yet do.
• Because happiness is dependent on many factors, it is fleeting and doesn’t deepen or mature. Joy matures as we grow in relationship with God and with each other.
• Happiness comes from temporal external events, observations and actions. Joy lies within you and comes from the work of the Holy Spirit.

Because God created us for fellowship with himself, nothing else can satisfy our souls and bring us lasting joy. Through faith, Jesus lives in us and we in him. Because we no longer live for ourselves, we are able to rejoice in all kinds of circumstances—even suffering (James 1:2), through which we join with Jesus who suffered on our behalf. Despite his great suffering in prison, Paul wrote this: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).

Jesus has called us to a life of self-giving on behalf of others. There is a great paradox in that life: “Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it” (Matthew 16:25). As humans, we often go hours or even days without giving much thought to God’s glory, love and holiness. But I’m sure that once we see Christ in his full glory, we will thump our heads and say, “How could I have paid so much attention to other things?”

We do not yet see Christ as clearly as we would like; we live in the slums, so to speak, and find it hard to imagine places we have never been. We are too busy trying to survive the slum to dwell on the glories of God (see our article “The Joy of Salvation” at www.gci.org/gospel/joysalv).

The joy of eternity enables us to see the miseries of this life as opportunities to receive grace and know and trust God more deeply. We learn to appreciate the joys of eternity even more after we have struggled with the shackles of sin and the difficulties in this life. We will appreciate glorified bodies even more after we experience the pains of our physical bodies. I believe that is why Karl Barth said this: “Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.” We can be grateful that the joy set before Jesus, which enabled him to endure the cross, has also been set before us.

Feeling joyfully grateful,
Joseph Tkach.

[1] “The Happiness Equation,” Psychology Today, August 22, 2014, www.psychologytoday.com/blog/neuronarrative/201408/the-happiness-equation.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I was privileged to participate in a pastors’ retreat held recently in Hickory, North Carolina. Hosted by Regional Pastor Paul David (PD) Kurts, it provided time away for rest, rejuvenation and relationship building. This retreat was one of several being conducted throughout the U.S. in 2015 for lead pastors and their spouses (with a few locations accommodating associate and assistant pastors).

As seen in the pictures below, the agenda at the Hickory retreat included a couple of general sessions (top picture) and lots of time for fellowship and informal discussions. One of the highlights of our time together was when PD asked for personal (family-related) prayer requests and people volunteered to pray for one another on the spot. I was reminded of just how much our pastors need what these retreats provide.

While I was in Hickory, Greg Williams (CAD Director) was participating in the pastors’ retreat in Green Lake, Wisconsin hosted by Regional Pastor Rick Shallenberger (see the group pictured below). Greg was also pleased with the relaxed retreat agenda, with only two general sessions. On Saturday morning, pastors were asked to set aside their pastor “hats” to share about their personal lives and to pray for one another. The rest of the day was free. On Sunday morning, pastors were asked to put aside the needs of their congregations to share about their personal needs as pastors. The retreat began and ended with communion. The response to the entire event was very positive.

This year, rather than holding regional conferences focused on resourcing and training pastors and other church leaders, we opted to hold these pastors’ retreats. Our primary goal in doing so was to affirm our pastors and their spouses, letting them know how much we appreciate them, and giving them time to rest, rejuvenate and build relationships.

All three of these elements are vital. Lead pastors work long hours serving their congregations and need time off to rest and recharge. Many are bivocational, which means that in addition to pastoring a church, they are employed in another full-time job. Some haven’t taken a vacation in years. This is not what we expect or desire.

Lead pastors (and other elders and ministry leaders), please take good care of yourselves! You are important—to me, to others in our home office, to your regional pastor, to your congregation, and most importantly to your family. A few weeks ago here in GCI Weekly Update, I wrote about how pastors are under-shepherds for Christ with an important responsibility to lead, protect, feed and care for God’s beloved sheep. However, I fear that in fulfilling that responsibility, some fail to exercise common sense in caring for themselves and their families. As a fellow elder, let me offer some brotherly advice:

• Take time off. Your congregation will survive without you for a week (maybe even two!). Go on vacation, and get away from home if possible. Sometimes we think we can’t afford a vacation, but there are low- or no-cost retreats designed for pastors and their spouses (see some listed at www.gci.org/pastoral/support). When you go, leave behind sermon notes, theology books and professional journals—disconnect from your vocation. If you have other mature leaders who can fill in for you, consider taking a short sabbatical (you can discuss this possibility with your RP). Time away helps pastors remember an important truth: the congregation doesn’t belong to them (or anyone else)—it belongs to Jesus. If a congregation falls apart because the pastor is gone for a week, there likely are underlying church health issues that need attention.

• Balance family and church. It’s easy to get priorities mixed up—I know, I’ve made this mistake at times over the course of my own ministry. Perhaps you’ve heard it said that pastors should put God first, then family, then ministry. But God doesn’t want you to put him above your family—he wants you to recognize that he is part of who your family is. Your relationship with God cannot and should not be separated from your relationship with your family. Your relationship with God and family, however, should never be set aside to meet your pastoral responsibilities. Your spouse and children need to have time with you apart from church and church-related events.

• Build relationships outside the congregation. You often don’t have to look beyond your neighborhood to find someone to talk with, share ideas with, even share a hobby with.

Pastors, I hope you find the pastors’ retreats helpful in providing time and space for rest, rejuvenation and relationship building. Please look for other opportunities to get away to receive from God his peace, love and joy. While we all know the importance of doing so—a year (or longer) can go by without taking time to get away. All of us in the home office, along with your regional pastor love you, value you, and want you to take care of yourselves. We pray often for you and we’re willing, in love, to gently admonish you to take care of yourselves and your families.

Feeling rejuvenated (though way out of my time zone!),
Joseph Tkach

PS: I was blessed last week to visit with GCI Pastor Augustin Kanu and his wife Christiania (pictured with me at right). Along with Augustin’s brother Emmanuel, they joined me for lunch and a tour of our home office in Glendora. Augustin pastors our Mbaise, Nigeria congregation. In May we held our Pan-African Pastors’ Conference in South Africa. Unfortunately, our Nigerian delegation could not attend because they were denied visas. So it was extra special to have one of our Nigerian pastors visit us just a few weeks later. The Kanus traveled to the U.S. to attend their son’s college graduation in Colorado.

PPS: As this letter goes out, I’m in Australia. Last weekend I visited our Perth congregation. Here is a picture of the worship service:

Part of the blessing of visiting the Perth congregation was spending time with Mohan Jayasekera, who pastors the congregation and directs our ministries in Sri Lanka. Here is a picture of us together: