23 But I call God to witness against me-it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. 24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith. 1 For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you.

2 For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? 3 And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. 4 For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you. 2 Corinthians 1:23—2:4

It may be a little dangerous writing this as it will create all sorts of reactions, but in a spirit of honesty I have to admit to feeling a little flat.

Some will say that they feel worse, and some might quote a scripture or two, but the truth about how I am feeling is that my mood is just low. I know I have to do something about it, I hope you can understand this, that even when I say that statement it makes it worse. I am not looking for a sympathy vote, but I am in a position where I know I need to fight for joy. However, having said that, is joy something to be pursued like looking for those lost keys or scanning the internet for the best bargain? Maybe joy is an after affect or a by product of something far more important, and it’s that ‘more important’ thing that needs to be pursued.

What does Paul say? We saw in my previous blog how Paul goes to extraordinary lengths to explain why he changed his plans with regards to visiting Corinth. Here at the end of chapter one and the start of chapter two, he accounts for his behaviour and allows us into his own heart to show us the driving force behind his life and ministry. Some in Corinth felt that Paul’s behaviour and change of travel plans was because of an arrogant and authoritative style of leadership. But Paul is quick to remind them that it was neither of these that governed his actions. Rather, he made his decisions based on what he believed would best serve their joy! Look again at verse 24 ‘but we work with you for your joy.’

Let’s put that statement into context. Paul is concerned that his comments in verse 23 might lead to a false conclusion, so he uses the words in verse 24 “not that” or “this is not to say” because he is trying to clarify what he has said as he fears his statement about “it was to spare you” could be misunderstood, as if he were presuming to have authority over their lives and that their every move was subject to his control or that his every move impacted their lives. “No,” says Paul I do not wish to Lord it over your faith. In fact he had previously said this to them.

so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. 1 Corinthians 2:5

Ultimately, the Corinthians, as is true of all Christians were accountable to God alone. Although they may have come to faith through Paul’s ministry, their faith was in God and not in an apostle or a pastor or an elder or a teacher or a theologian or some great Christian Internet sensation. As Paul had said to the Ephesians and had previously written to the Corinthians there is but one God.

The letters we now refer to as 1 and 2 Corinthians must have been difficult for the church to swallow. Think for a moment how you would have reacted if these had dropped through your letter box. Paul had some harsh things to say to the church in Corinth. When we read them and imagine what was going on he seems to have a just cause in saying what he does. His rebukes often stung. He pulled no punches and cut no corners. As far as Paul was concerned, he did not compromise in the language he used. If you love someone, you speak the truth, no matter how painful it may be. But in every case, beneath and behind every word in every verse in every letter, Paul’s aim was the same: joy! Their joy.

Unlike so many in his own day and even more in ours, Paul didn’t say what he did to increase his popularity or expand his personal power or to broaden his influence or to increase his control, but rather, to intensify their joy in Jesus.

Some of the subjects Paul raises with the church in Corinth are massive! He rebukes them for creating divisions (1 Corinthians 3), then for allowing sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 5-6), then for the bad handling of spiritual gifts and power (1 Corinthians 12-14). His aim was always their joy in Jesus. It did not matter if the issue was their lack of generosity (2 Corinthians 8-9) or a warning about false apostles (2 Corinthians 11), it was the same aim, their joy in Jesus.

Is this then what is missing today in our consumer Christianity? That joy which is rooted and found in only one thing and it is this: our hearts, minds and souls relishing and resting in the all-sufficiency of Jesus Christ. Without it we are going to exhaust man made joy and not stand a chance against Satan. To quote a now much used quote from John Piper regarding Christian hedonism “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.”

Let’s be clear about one thing: the joy for which Paul worked hard for, and prayed about, and preached on, should never be thought of in terms of feeling good about yourself or a five star holiday to the destination of your dreams. This joy is by far and away and totally removed from any form of, tell yourself twenty times before breakfast that you are beautiful, psychological giddiness that seems to be found in the church today!

The joy that Paul has in mind is a deep, durable delight in the splendour of God that utterly ruins you for anything else. It is an overtaking of a multi faceted vision of Jesus that drives out all competing pleasures and leads the soul to a rest and contentment, content in God and the blessings of intimacy with him. (Boy am I preaching to myself).

This is the kind of joy that, rather than being dependent on material and physical comfort, actually frees you from bondage to it and liberates you from a reliance on worldly stuff and structures.

Remember this? Turn you eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face; And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.

Paul’s commitment to the Corinthians joy in Jesus was motivated, not least in part, by his understanding that Satan was not committed to them experiencing true joy in their Lord but rather was committed to creating a pseudo joy. Paul knew all too well that the strategy of the enemy is to seduce us into believing that the world and the flesh and self-indulgence can do for our weary and broken hearts what God can’t or won’t. Is this not the battle that we face each day? Jesus is not enough! That is why Paul worked hard and prayed so passionately and sacrificially for joy in Jesus to be in the hearts of the first century church.

As you consider your involvement in the lives of others around you, your church, your neighbours, do you consciously think in advance: What can I do to help them overcome the obstacles that get in their way and obstruct their complete satisfaction in Jesus? What can I do to portray the glory and beauty of Christ so that the pull of the world, the flesh, and the devil loses its shine and attractiveness? How can I live so that others might see in me the greater pleasures that are found in Christ alone?

Paul’s counsel to them, and to me, and to you, I believe is to pursue God’s presence where there is fullness of joy, to taste and see that Lord is good, to drink from his river of delights.

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Psalm 34:8

They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. Psalm 36:8

There is a joy to be secured and experienced, I need to posture myself, sort out my head, pray for help and deliberately set my heart to increasing and intensifying my delight and satisfaction in Him who is all joy.