JOY (dts session)

Gateway Fellowship

Here's the video if you prefer: https://youtu.be/bpM_glxCQHQ

1. What is joy?

2. What are some examples of pure joy?

3. How is joy a byproduct of living by the Spirit? (Gal 5:22)

4. Neh 8:9-10 says that “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” What is the opposite of that truth?

5. Does the phrase, “the joy of the Lord,” mean:

a.)It is the Lord’s own joy

b.) The joy that comes from the Lord

c.) Both?

6. True or False: “God is the most joyful Person of all.”

7. How do we receive the joy of the Lord?

8. 1 Thess 5:16 says to “be joyful always.” To live that, should we...

a.) Feel joyful always

b.) Act joyful always (regardless of feelings)

c.) Look at the verse’s context for clues

9. What does it mean to “rejoice?” And what would it then mean to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil 4:4-8)

10. If you were a demon, what would be your go-to strategy to steal a christian’s joy?

11. If you were someone’s spiritual coach, what would be your go-to strategy to help them cultivate joy?

12. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones drew a strong connection between joy and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Do you agree? Why?

13. Agape (love), and kara (joy) were secular words when the apostles used them, but now we think of them as exclusively sacred words. Is this helpful or harmful?

14 “Joy” is an emotional state, but “rejoicing” is an action.

a.) How can God command feelings?

b.) What’s the relationship between joy and rejoicing?

c.) Which comes first, chicken, or egg?

15. Who is someone you know personally who exudes joy?

16. Is the devil ever joyful? Are people ever joyful about the pleasures of sin?

17. Since the kingdom of God consists of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17), why do people often think of godliness as dreary, boring, joyless, and dutiful?

18. The root word for joy (chara) is connected with gift (charisma), grace (chari), and gratitude/giving thanks (euchariste). Therefore:

a.) Thanksgiving and gratitude sow seeds that produce joy.

b.) Negativity, fault-finding, nit-picking, grumbling, and complaining choke out joy.