Living a Cheerful Life of Sacrifice in a Selfish and Unhappy Age

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.” (Philippians 2:14–18, ESV)

In Philippians 2:14-18, Paul outlines three key characteristics for living the Christian life in an unchristian age. We saw the first two in the previous articles in this series: 1) live contented lives; and 2) live compelling lives. Third, Christians living in an unchristian age need to live a cheerful life. In the face of the world’s opposition, we should be a people who are marked by a joyful, kind, and happy spirit. The most serious Christians should not be the saddest people, and grumpiness certainly isn’t a fruit of the Spirit. Sometimes we can be strangely sad and scared considering we have been promised peace and joy (John 14:27).

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27, ESV).

In these verses, Paul talks about joy and rejoicing in a way that should characterize the church. We might be tempted to think that serious Christianity is always sad and somber, but here we read about a man imprisoned for the Gospel who is joyfully rejoicing! I think that Paul may have been the most serious-minded Christian in the history of the church, and I also think that he probably smiled and laughed a lot more than we think.

Paul’s joy was rooted in the eternal work God was through his serving. This is how you stay joyful in the rigors of ministry. When you realize your efforts will make an eternal difference in people’s lives it doesn’t just make it worth it, it makes you glad to serve! Paul was rejoicing even though ministry cost him everything. When he speaks about being "poured out" he is using figurative language that vividly points back to the sacrificial system of the OT. The drink offering was a glass of wine poured out on top of an animal sacrifice be burned (cf., 1 Ki 16:13). Paul is likely talking about the possibility of being executed in prison by the Romans (1:20; 2 Tim 4:6). He understood to have a Christ-like ministry you must be poured out for the church (v. 8; Isa 53:12), and his mentality was that he was not going to leave a single drop of service in the cup (2 Cor 12:15).

More than just sacrificing for the church, Paul exemplifies the virtue of Christian cheer. Paul’s not blind to the rigorous “running and laboring” of ministry, but his focus is on sacrificially serving others rather than his own personal inconveniences. Paul’s hope was fixed on the reward to come when Christ returns and not on what is happening in this world. Paul rejoiced in the opportunity to have his life poured out in Gospel ministry and wanted to share in this joy. True joy—being able to rejoice in what God is doing—is an indispensable virtue in the life of a Christian seeking to remain faithful in an unchristian age. Joy is the strength of a warrior (Nehemiah 8:10), and we need to make sure that in the midst of all the craziness we don’t forget to “rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice” (Philippians 4:4).

“Then he said to them, ‘Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength’” (Nehemiah 8:10, ESV).

There is a lot that could be said about Paul’s ministry joy, but at the very least it demonstrates the importance of spiritual joy as we serve the Lord in the midst of a wicked and godless society. As we engage in war with the enemy and the culture, may we never lose touch with the realities of salvation that guarantee our eternal salvation and the privilege of serving our Savior. In the midst of a world that is perpetually falling into despair, we must be a cheerful and joy-strengthened bunch of spiritual warriors. From a practical standpoint, if we are going to have to face the scorn of this world, we might as well do it in the joy of the LORD!