REAL JOY!!

How about some normal Christianity for a change...                                                        
Just open the apostle Paul’s letter to the PHILIPPIANS in Macedonia... no political in-fighting or immorality or compromise – not even a ‘Senior Pastor’ running the show!  
Just joy amid persecution.

You can read it for yourself but here’s some background...      

Philippi was a Roman colony on the famous battleground that established the Roman Empire, situated on the vital Egnatian highway linking Europe with Asia, and a medical centre popular among army veterans in retirement.                                          

What a master-stroke of the Holy Spirit – directing Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke here, bringing the gospel to Europe with a BANG! of course... as in earthquake. What else happened on that first day?                    
Prayer, conversions, household baptism, persecution, floggings, then...                  

‘Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God; the prisoners heard them.’

Europe...welcome to the gospel of Jesus Christ! 

Now Paul is elderly, again imprisoned and possibly awaiting execution, when unexpectedly Epaphroditus arrives in Rome with a gift to show that Philippi hadn’t forgotten beloved Paul.
Does he thank them all as ‘the pope in Rome’?  

No, he and Timothy take the humble place of a doulos (slave) of Jesus Christ.

Where’s the doom and gloom with the executioner’s sword hanging over their heads?

No, it is full of JOY – 16 times!...and why not? The gospel had reached all the way to ‘all the palace’ and now many of Caesar’s household believe!                     

Meanwhile there’s none of that ‘soul sleep’ nonsense for Paul...                  

“For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain...to depart and to be with Christ; which is far better”

So where is the reason for real joy?  That comes NEXT!