Lesson 4 Philippians 2:12-30

Don’t you love to hear a child laugh? Most cannot keep from chuckling themselves. In moments of nostalgia I go through photos of my son and daughter when they were young, and of course my precious grandsons. I smile just looking at them exhibit JOY and unbridled happiness.

As Christians in this self-centered and pleasure-seeking world we must present something that others long for: meaning and purpose for their lives. If we are going to entice the world to desire the joy and peace that we possess, then we need display that full life, that contentment to others.

Friday, I received an email asking if I could volunteer at the Dairy Bar at Billy Graham Library to serve a group from Operation Christmas Child.  When I arrived I learned that we were serving regional managers from across the United States. These were not paid executives. The Samaritan’s Purse Connect Conference brought together 300 volunteers who coordinate the massive, international ministry that has distributed more than 100 million shoeboxes to children in 130 countries since 1993. The volunteers work so hard, they deserved a “thank you,” a time for them to come connect and be blessed,”

The volunteers arrived to a breakfast buffet at the Dairy Bar. We met teams from as far west as Hawaii, Washington, Oregon and Texas and as far north as NY and Michigan. All through the day they arrived for orientation many had never been to the Billy Graham Library and Executive Offices in Charlotte. What a pleasure to see this group intermingle and socialize with fellow volunteers from across the country. They were animated and excited to reunite with old friends and participate in training for God’s work.  The smiles, the laughter, the camaraderie made me want to be a part.

It took Ashvin Dhyriam 22 hours to travel from the southeast coast of India to Charlotte, N.C. He made the 9,000-mile journey to take part in the gathering of volunteers. Ashvin toured the Billy Graham Library with Charles Owori, OCC’s national coordinator for Uganda. Charles (second from left) and Ashvin (third from left) BTW they are listening to Bessie the Cow.

Both men, like most of the OCC volunteers around the world, have full-time jobs. Charles is a legislator in Uganda’s National Assembly; Ashvin works for two Christian television stations dedicated to reach India for Christ.

“That’s my JOY,” Charles said. “The happiness that [the children] exhibit, it’s life-changing. And sometimes kids get exactly what they pray for.”

Blessed to be a Blessing- Joy and abundant life was exhibited by this group’s passionate service to others.

Let us pray.

The second half of Philippians Chapter two is titled Workers in the Kingdom. (This photograph shows the church at Philippi.)

Lesson 4 Philippians 2:12-30 Workers in the Kingdom

•         Exhortation to Unity

•         Two Special Servants

Just as the writer of the Gospel of Mark was known for the word immediately, Paul can be counted on to use the word “therefore.” Strong’s concordance tells us the Greek word “οὖν” (oon) is used 526 times in the NT and is translated as "therefore." It is used in drawing a conclusion and in connecting sentences together logically: meaning  then, accordingly, consequently, these things being so.

Paul uses “therefore” to transition from last week’s lesson of Jesus as the Perfect Model to practical instructions on Christian living.

Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³  for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

The phrase “work out” come from the Greek word “katergazomai” (kat-er-god'-zo-my) means --- to perform, accomplish, achieve.

This is not an instruction to perform works to earn your salvation.
The work that Paul is alluding to is similar to working in a field to produce crops, or working in a mine to extract ore. God supplies the energy and the desire to do His will; we must be obedient to bring it to completion. We are to work out was God has planted in us. Let the fruit grow and show. You are blessed to be a blessing.

·        God gives; we receive.

·        God creates; we cultivate.

·        God initiates; we respond.

Paul and other writers of the epistles knew that immature Christians left unchecked would revert to a lazy lifestyle, easily swayed by false teachers and tempted by the influence of the world. 

Therefore they urge their readers to “exhort” each other daily to live up to the standard that was given to them through the life of Christ. Paul continues by giving his readers an exhortation to unity.

 ¹⁴   Do all things without grumbling or questioning, ¹⁵  that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish

Those who live in the world complain and grumble about things that cannot be changed. I agree with this quote by Katrina Mayer .

“If you look for something to criticize you will find it.

If you look for something to compliment you will find that, too. Your Choice.

As a school teacher I would write inspirational quotes on the board. One of my favorites:  Begin each day with a clean slate:  misery is optional! Some people choose to be miserable!

From the Acts of the Apostle, we learn that Christians were scattered throughout the region after of the persecution of Stephen. As great number of gentiles believed and turned to the Lord, Barnabas was sent to Antioch. “He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.” And a great many believers were added to the Lord.

He was blessed to be a blessing to others.

Acts 11:23“(Barnabas) came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose,” Paul and Barnabas worked together for a while. But even the godliest of men can have a disagreement. Because of a difference of opinion Barnabas toured with John Mark (author of Gospel of Mark.) and Timothy continued on Missionary trips with Paul.

Romans 8:28 God used this to double His missionary efforts.

 What can we say about Timothy?

•   No one like him, no one else was willing to go

•   Genuinely concerned for the welfare of the Philippians

•   Seeks interests of Jesus Christ not his own

•   Proven his worth

•   As a son with a father, came with Paul as a young man

•   Served with Paul in the gospel

Timothy was blessed to be a blessing  but Paul unselfishly let him go to Philippi to bless the church and continue the LORD’s work.

This Persian Proverb seems appropriate in this situation. "It is better to be in chains with friends, than to be in a garden with strangers." 

Both Timothy and Epaphroditus exemplify the picture of faithful Christians, the kind of Christian modeled by Jesus Christ himself.

Walter Winchell “A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out."

Epaphroditus was a messenger the church at Philippi and ended up staying longer than expected. He nearly died in service to Christ.. As Paul remarks, v.26 “He has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill.”

Not concerned about himself but putting the feelings of others ahead of his own.

Paul called him my brother and fellow soldier in the first for Christ.

Epaphroditus was fellow worker and ministered to Paul.

Paul encourages the church v. 29 “to receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor,”

As I read these verses at the end of the second chapter in Philippians, my mind went to my relationships and many friendships in the community of God. 
Bernard Meltzer says, “A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.”

Do you have friends like that? I certainly do. Are you blessed to be a blessing to others?

Christ is the head of the church and each of us has a purpose in the body.

1 Corinthians 12:  ¹⁸, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.   ²⁰As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

Item 14 in your lesson this week was for personal thought. “Are there people you could build up by genuinely thanking them for being themselves?” I took this to heart and want to share our ST with you. Early this year Mary Alice introduced each Servant Team member, but now I want to thank each one for the distinct person that they are.

Our Servant Team is built of many parts, different personalities with different functions in the body. As a whole our Servant’s Team possesses many gifts of the Spirit.   As Teaching Director I am responsible and accountable to National for the integrity of our class. I am the teacher and an exhorter. I uphold the banner of excellence in all areas of our class.

Mary Alice is our Associate Teaching Director. Raised in a Christian home and many years of teaching school has made her an excellent choice for her position. An ATD must be flexible and willing to step in at a moment notice when the TD must be  absent. She can’t panic if I call her one night with a stomach virus. Mary Alice is competent and ready to serve. She also does our leadership development each week and follows up with the Core Leaders.

Debbie Horvath as our Coordinator is exact and precise in her organization of the registrations and input of data into the National system. Her expertise in ordering and bookkeeping makes her essential on our team. She handles the money. (Anyone trying to give me money outside of this building, payment for books etc. will meet with uplifted hands. I recognize my weakness to keep up with money and remember where I “put things” like my car keys.) Debbie is the keeper of the keys. She opens the building and locks up maintaining the security of the church and the preservation of its condition. In addition, Debbie has her own team of leaders who oversee the kitchen, the greeters and the secretaries. Sandra Pearson assists her as our CBS treasurer.

Diane is our Prayer Chairman and keeps us in the presence of God. Her spiritual connection to our Father reminds us to take everything before throne of God; our prayer requests from you ladies, our supplications as well as our praise and adoration of the LORD. Every leader’s council is prefaced with prayer. Diane is fervently praying for our team, our leaders, and our class. She operates the prayer chain for our Core.

Jean Falls is our Senior Leader, a substitute, and a support person for our core leaders. She is a constant provider of mercy and grace to my harried soul. Jean provides transportation and encouragement for so many. She keeps no record of wrong and does not easily offend. Her sweet, sweet spirit blesses others. She exemplifies this quote: "A friend is one who believes in you when you have ceased to believe in yourself."

Thank you team for your support and encouragement. We are blessed to be a blessing.  “Will you choose to be a blessing to someone today?”

TODAY is a blessing from Almighty God.
Today will never come again.
Be a friend.
Be an inspiration.
Encourage someone.
Be a Blessing to others.
Take time to care.
Let the words you speak brings healing.

Let us pray

•         For happy moments, we praise you God. In difficult moments, we seek you LORD. During painful moments, we will trust you Father God. At every moment and in every situation, we will Thank You Jesus. Amen

Lesson 3 Philipians 2

How many of you owned a pin or t-shirt or bumper sticker with the logo WWJD?  

Charles Sheldon developed a sermon story that he read as a weekly series from the pulpit of Central Congregational Church in Topeka, Kansas in1896. The book, In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do, became a classic of Christian Literature, is available free as an eBook. The main character Reverend Henry Maxwell asks for "volunteers from the First Church who will pledge themselves, earnestly and honestly for an entire year, not to do anything without first asking the question, 'What would Jesus do?'"

A copy of In His Steps sat on the shelf of Janie Tinklenberg, youth leader at Calvary Reformed Church in Holland, Michigan. It is a book you get down occasionally to read again and again. It has been reprinted and updated, a 30 million copies distributed.

To inspire her youth to make a difference in the world she contacted a local manufacturer to produce 300 woven bracelets with the letters WWJD? an acronym for "What would Jesus do?"

"The bracelets had a two-fold purpose," she says. "First, I wanted the young people to be reminded, every time they looked at the bracelet, of the commitment [to Christ] they made. Second, the bracelet could be a tool for witnessing to friends."

Others more enterprising than Tinklenberg spotted the trend, made their own and took the marketing to the national level. By the time she attempted to register her trademark it was too late. Like Charles Sheldon who likewise did not copyright his book, neither made a profit. However money was not the reason for the project, it was a statement of faith by the wearer and a visual symbol for evangelism.

Paul Harvey mentioned the bracelets on his syndicated radio broadcast every day for a week during the spring of 1997. 15 million bracelets have been sold to date.
Such a small thing can have such an impact for Christ. Other less known than WWJD

FROG-Fully Relying on God

PUSH-Pray Until Something Happens

ASAP-Always Say a Prayer

How do you know what Jesus would do if you don’t know what Jesus did?

Evangelism is not what we tell people, unless what we tell is totally consistent with who we are. It is who we are that is going to make the difference. If we do not truly enjoy our faith, nobody is going to catch the fire of enjoyment from us. If our lives are not totally centered on Christ, we will not be Christ-bearers for others, no matter how pious our words. Madeleine L'Engle  Christian Reader (May/June 1998,p. 50)

Thank you ladies of CBS for not only attending our Bible Study but also studying the Holy Bible to find out exactly what Jesus did and why He is the perfect example for us to imitate.

PRAYER         Ladies, open your Bibles please to Philippians.

Christ: The Supreme Model Philippians 2:1-11

•      Unity in the Church

•      The Attitude of Christ Jesus

Verse 27 in Chapter 1 stated.

 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,

Paul challenged the church to unify and individuals to cease pursuing their personal agenda and become One Body, the body of Christ.  False teachers from envy and rivalry referenced in Ch. 1: 15-17, and disagreeing members are mentioned by name in Chapter 4. True spiritual unity is a matter of the heart.

In Chapter 2 Paul is asking for the church to unite in love. To be an example of Christ likeness we need to work toward unity and love, not division and rivalry.

1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,

CBS is an international organization established almost 40 years ago (1975). Community Bible Study includes the word “unity.”  All classes around the globe adhering to the same standards and mission: Making disciples of the LORD Jesus Christ in our communities through caring, in-depth Bible study, available to all.

²      complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

Kionania the Greek word we studied last week had a base one meaning common. More than just fellowship it is partnership in a common call. For the good of the whole, others before yourself.

³      Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself than of other people, nor does it mean having a low opinion of your own gifts.  It means freedom from thinking about yourself at all.  ~William Temple

Giving money is the easy way to help others. But sometimes we have to inconvenience ourselves and be uncomfortable to be Christ-like. I was never more proud of my daughter than when she volunteered to spend the night on a concrete floor at the winter overflow shelter. It was definitely out of her comfort zone. Those of you that have travelled to other countries on mission trips know what I mean.

⁴      Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Andrew Murray.Humility is perfect quietness of heart. It is for me to have no trouble; never to be fretted or vexed or irritated or sore or disappointed. It is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me and when I am blamed or despised.

Warren Wiersbe p. 62 Be Joyful “The secret of JOY in spite of circumstances is the single mind and the secret of JOY in spite of people is the Submissive mind.”

Years ago I went to Bible Study after Bible Study; Beth Moore, Henry Blackaby, Divorce Care. I was searching for JOY, for peace in my life after divorce. Finally during a study, the Mind of Christ, I finally let go of the bitterness of divorce. Submission was not my favorite word.  Paul was not my favorite author. The Spirit of God worked himself deep into my soul and taught me was submission was all about. Our memory work was the next seven verses in Philippians.

The Attitude of Christ Jesus

⁵ Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus,

“He left the comforts of heaven, knowing his destiny was the lonely hill of Golgatha, to lay down His life for me. That is LOVE.”

⁶ who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God,

⁷ but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.⁸ And being found in the fashion of a man,

I don’t know if you have read or studied much about heaven. After the death of my Mother and subsequently my two aunts, it became my goal to help the elderly relinquish their fear of death and discover the joy of crossing over to the other side. Randy Alcorn’s book was my anchor. But I read over a dozen books on the subject. Alcorn uses scripture from the Bible for his assumptions.

If you can imagine the Garden of Eden from Genesis, a perfect world created especially for Adam and Eve when God could come down and walk in the evening. Heaven has got to be so much more! The dwelling place of God the Father, Jesus His Son and the heavenly hosts-how much more glorious and more wonderful it must be. Yet Jesus gave that up to become an embryo with a young Jewish virgin. That is the height of submission.

 He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death—even the death of the cross.

And being in the form of a man, he was spit upon, beaten, tortured, and suffered death on the cross….for me….for you. In the past when I displayed an image of Jesus on the cross, I chose less shocking photos: ones with shadows, smaller so you could not see the raw, broken flesh of suffering, but tonight I wanted you to SEE his pain, to cringe at the sight of Him. His suffering was real. We need to know and remember what He did so we might live. I hope tonight is Jesus is not your LORD, that you will come to the altar seeking His salvation. Yet as Christians we know that He rose from the grave and lives on high at the right hand of the Father.

⁹ Therefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name,

¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in Heaven and things on earth and things under the earth,

¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Ladies will you now stand and give him honor and praise.

Mosque Dome of the Rock, Buddhists, Atheist

...For even if I could conceive that I had completely overcome it, I should probably be proud of my humility."
- Benjamin Franklin

Will you choose to do what Jesus did-to humbly put others before yourself?

Philippians Ch.1-Lesson 1 and 2

Wonderful church sign in Mt. Holly. “I have found Mr. Right and He is Jesus.”

A bad attitude is like a flat tire. You won’t go anywhere until you change it!

Have you ever been lost? Well those that know me can tell you that is my modus operandi (MO.) Family and friends ask constantly if I have a GPS. Not to worry I can get equally lost with a GPS, just ask Glenda. Wednesday on my twice weekly trip to Denver, Hwy. 273 just beyond Mt. Holly was blocked because of a big wreck. The direction from the officer was; “Turn here and take a right at the stop sign” What he failed to mention was there were three more choices to make out in an area I had never driven.  Yes, I have a maps app on my phone; I pulled over and located where I needed to be and where I actually was. I find a 2” screen inadequate to be much help. Not the right the time to learn how to use the app. Needless to say I got lost and found myself in Alexis. A good-humored fellow sent me back down the road to the stop sign and gave me directions to Old Plank Rd. Another turn and I was in familiar territory.

Since I frequently take the scenic route whenever I leave my home county, my attitude is adventurous. To my delight I found the East Lincoln Race Track, Gold Hills Missionary Baptist Church and the Bat Cave, an indoor training facility for baseball and softball. Laughter and Joy can change a disaster into an adventure.

As a youngster in church we learned how to prioritize our lives to have JOY.

Jesus is first
Others second
Yourself last

Let me give you an example. You are running into the grocery store for one or two things on the way to meet friends for dinner. You are waiting at the “10 items or less” register and the person in front of you mistakenly chose the wrong line because her buggy is overflowing.  Do you let that steal your joy?

It is Thursday afternoon, ready for the final print of my teaching and PowerPoint notes and the printer is out of ink, or it has a paper jam or the wifi network goes out. Do I still possess joy? Those are little petty instances in our lives, can steal our joy. Now who do we know who loves to steal the joy of God’s children? The Bible says Satan is a thief that comes to steal, kill and destroy. Whenever I take my eyes off Jesus and allow circumstances to determine my feelings, I can lose my joy. Be Joyful!

James 1:2-3 Consider it pure JOY, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

Prayer

Letter to the Philippians is short book, 4 chapters, but every chapter contains wonderful  lessons, notable verses we could spend weeks studying. This letter from Paul is instructional for a joyful life amid the trials and circumstances of our life. Paul founded the church of Philippi on his second missionary journey eleven years before this letter was written about 62 AD. It was written with Timothy’s help from house arrest in Rome.

The letter start out, Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:

²      Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I chose this outline from Warren Weirbe’s commentary entitled Be Joyful

·        Fellowship of the gospel 1:1-11

·        Furthering of the gospel 1:12-26

·        Faith of the Gospel 1:27-30

Fellowship -means to have in common. The Greek word for fellowship is Kiononia.

Phonetic Spelling: (koy-nohn-ee'-ah) Definition:  (a) contributory help, participation, (b) sharing in, communion, (c) spiritual fellowship, a fellowship in the spirit.

³      I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,

⁴      always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,

⁵      because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

Paul tells the Philippians they were on his mind (remembrance), v.7 they were in his heart, they were in his prayers. Perhaps the most wonderful thing you can do for a person is include them in your prayers.

 The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16

Can you feel when someone is praying for you?

Be Joyful! Share your joy with others!

6-And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Do you believe that? That is my hope- that God’s not finished with me yet

C. H. Spurgeon (England's well-known preacher of the nineteenth century)

“Where is there an instance of God’s beginning any work and leaving it incomplete? Show me for once a world abandoned and thrown aside half formed; show me a universe cast off from the Great Potter’s wheel, with the design in outline, the clay half hardened, and the form unshapely from incompleteness.”

Verses 9-11 provide us with a Grocery List for the Christian Life

9And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,

¹⁰    so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

¹¹    filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

That is my prayer for each of us as Christian women, as students of the Bible, to love the LORD and His Word and grow in wisdom and knowledge to maintain a personal relationship with Him. That is why we must strive for excellence in CBS, to be the best servants of Christ that we can.

Paul uses 16 references to mind, think, and remember.  Being Single-Minded is our goal on this earth. When we take every thought captive and we can be joyful in all circumstances. Guard your mind from negative thoughts that will steal your joy.

¹¹ May you always be doing those good, kind things that show you are a child of God, for this will bring much praise and glory to the Lord. TLB

Furthering of the gospel 1:12-26

v.12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel,

During this time Paul wrote Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. His time was not wasted during the Roman imprisonment. God never wastes our time, though we may waste it by not sensing God’s purpose for our lives at the moment.

How can Paul further the gospel being in prison?  Verse thirteen tells about the Imperial guards. Paul was chained to a guard at all times; if they changes guards every six hours that meant he was in the company of at the very least 4 guards a day. What did these guards observe during this time? Paul praying for the various people, writing letters to the churches, being visited by seekers interested his ideas.

Another contact would the officials of the Roman courts. When he was brought up on charges, the officials would probably have to study his letters to others and the gospel message that he preached. Can you think of a greater city of influence than Rome?

Also seeing the faith of Paul will imprisoned others became more bold about speaking the Good News in their everyday conversations. They saw that Paul was joyful in the midst of such a trial. God had cared for Paul in his circumstances and God could still use Paul even when he was imprisoned.

v. 15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will.

Rivalry was not his concern. “Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.”

How are you advancing the gospel? Is there a special interest or area of ministry that you are passionate about? God calls each of us to a purpose for His kingdom. Are you answering the call when Jesus places someone or something on your heart?

 Everything happening to me in this jail only serves to make Christ more accurately known, regardless of whether I live or die. They didn’t shut me up; they gave me a pulpit! Alive, I’m Christ’s messenger; dead, I’m his bounty. Life versus even more life! I can’t lose. MSG

A familiar phrase from Paul:²¹For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Paul had no fear of death, to him it meant departing this world and entering another. Departure  is a military term for “take your tent down and move on.”

In his letters to the Corinthians, Paul describes our bodies as tents, temporary homes.

2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 

Can you be Joyful about that?

The older I get the more I identify with this verse. Our bodies are not made to last forever.  Our bodies are wasting away day by day. Praise God he has a mansion built for us in Heaven. Are you ready tonight to go to your new home? Have you made sure your loved ones are ready? Paul was ready to go or to stay. However the decision was the LORD’s.  Paul was need by the Philippians as they strive in faith 25“for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus,” Be Joyful!

SLIDE 11 Faith of the Gospel 1:27-30

1.     Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel

2.     Whatever happens you stand firm in one Spirit

3.     Strive together as one for the faith of the gospel

The verb conduct Paul relates to our word for politics. As Christian we not citizens of this world, we are just passing through. Philippi was a Roman colony, citizens of Rome, protected by Roman law. WW. “The church of Jesus Christ is a colony of heaven on earth.” Behave like citizens of heaven worthy of the Gospel.

KJV 27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: The old English word for “conversation” means walk not talk. The Gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ died for our sins was buried and rose again. (1 Cor. 15:1-8)

Are we walking worthy?  What does the world around us see?

You are writing a gospel,
A chapter each day,
By the deeds that you do
And the words that you say.
Men read what you write,
Whether faithful or true:
Just what is the gospel
According to you?

²⁹            For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,

Godliness brings suffering, expect it! If we understand and expect persecution for our faith, we won't be surprised by it.

James 1:12  Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. NIV

Faith in Christ is the gift of God, so is "the fellowship of his sufferings." It is not a burden, but a privilege:" In all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us."

¹⁰   If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.

¹¹   These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

John 15:10-11

Will you choose to Be Joyful?