Hello Redemption Church, 

I want to remind you that there is JOY in the Lord for you today. As believers, God has given us all spiritual blessings in Jesus, and joy can be found in Him. But too often, we are robbed of our joy because instead of looking to Jesus, we look at our circumstances, people, or things for fulfillment. 

Instead of filling us with joy, these things cause us to worry and not worship. This is why we are exhorted to "fix our eyes on Jesus” and "take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” When we learn to have this mindset and choose to live in obedience to Jesus, we will see fruit that produces JOY. 

No other book addresses the subject of JOY better than the book of Philippians. One Bible commentary said, "The book of Philippians is Paul's personal manifesto on how to live a life full of joy.” Throughout this small letter, Paul mentions joy, rejoicing, or gladness at least 19 times! He exhorts us to "rejoice in the Lord" and to focus on Christ continually. 

In fact, throughout Philippians, there are 16 references to the mind and how we think about things—Paul shows that the secret of Christian joy is found in the way the believer thinks - his attitude. As people say, "outlook determines outcome,” or as Proverbs 23:7 says, "As we think, so we are!” 

As a church, we will be studying this book together to train our minds to focus on Jesus in a new series I am calling: Joy - A Battle of The Mind. We must practice having the right mindset to practically experience joy in our lives. In the four chapters of Philippians, Paul describes four attitudes of the mind that produce joy in spite of our circumstances, and we will be looking at these throughout the month of November.

Our Sunday Teaching Schedule:

Oct 24 - An Overview of Philippians

Oct 31 - No Service - Trunk or Treat Outreach Event at Barwick Road Church

Nov 7 - Chapter 1: The Single Mind 

Nov 14 - Chapter 2: The Submissive Mind

Nov 21 - Chapter 3: The Spiritual Mind 

Nov 28 - Chapter 4: The Secure Mind

We will also be doing an in-depth study of Philippians throughout the week in community groups. We will be reading and discussing Warren Wiersbe’s book on Philippians called: Be Joyful - Even When Things Go Wrong, You Can Have Joy. Books will be available on our resource table on Sunday for $10, and I encourage you to pick up a copy whether you are able to join a community group or not. To participate in a community group in November, just email us at info@redemptiondb.com or sign up at the resource table on Sunday night.

I look forward to studying the book of Philippians with you both on Sundays and in Community Groups throughout the week. And as we go through this series, I am praying that God fills your heart with JOY.

Be blessed,

Pastor Daniel.