JOY
Some well-meaning people have attributed
the composition of the Laughter meetings to an unholy union of
"x per cent God, y per cent flesh and z per cent
Devil". It frightens me to even entertain such a thought! My
friends, God does not yoke Himself with demonic beings- the
anointing is either WHOLLY from Him or WHOLLY from the Devil...
2 Cor 6:14-15
14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do
righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship
can light have with darkness?
15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a
believer have in common with an unbeliever? (NIV)
IT IS NEVER THE CHARACTER OR NATURE OF GOD
TO SHARE HIS GLORY WITH ANYONE (INCLUDING US)......
Isa 42:8
8 "I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory
to another or my praise to idols. (NIV)
Then there is the argument that if the
counterfeit exists, the genuine should also exist. This statement
holds some truth. The genuine, contrary to popular belief, is not
"spiritual laughter" from God. It is called the `Joy'
of the Holy Spirit. This `Joy' is produced by the Spirit of God
and is found in Galatians Chapter 5 verse 22. It is one of the
nine members of the Fruit of the Spirit. Look at what Nelson's
Bible Dictionary has to say about this kind of `Joy'.....
"The joy required of the righteous
person is produced by the Spirit of God .
This kind of joy looks beyond the present to our future salvation
and to our sovereign God, who works
out all things for our ultimate good, which is Christlikeness . This kind of joy is distinct from mere happiness. Joy
like this is possible, even in the midst of sorrow <1 cor. 12:26; 2 cor. 6:10; 7:4>." Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary
(Copyright (C) 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
There are several Biblical characteristics
of this `Joy' which distinguishes it from the counterfeit Joy
seen in the Laughter meetings.
CHARACTERISTICS OF JOY AS A MEMBER OF
THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
1. LIKE ALL THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE FRUIT
OF THE SPIRIT IT TAKES TIME TO MATURE AND CANNOT BE IMPARTED BY
LAYING OF HANDS, BLOWING OR WAVING, ETC.
This `Joy' is therefore, different and distinct from the
so-called instant joy encountered in the Laughter meetings. I
have heard of a testimony of a well-known evangelist from New
Zealand who after being prayed for, fell to the ground for 2
hours and woke up with a sense of incredible joy. Such an
experience is unbiblical and contrary to what is being taught in
the Scriptures. As in the natural, it takes time for a fruit to
mature from its budding stage.
2 IT IS AN INNER ATTRIBUTE, A PART OF OUR
CHARACTER LIKE SELF CONTROL AND PATIENCE
Like all the other nine members of the Fruit of the Spirit, Joy
becomes a part of our patient and Godly Walk with the Lord.
3 IT IS INDEPENDENT OF CIRCUMSTANCES
Acts 13:50-52
50 But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing
and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution
against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.
51 So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them
and went to Iconium.
52 And the disciples were filled with JOY and with the Holy
Spirit. (NIV) Emphasis Mine.
2 Cor 7:4
4 I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. I am
greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my JOY knows no bounds.
(NIV) Emphasis Mine.
This `Joy' is equated with PERSECUTION not
hysterical laughter.
4 LIKE THE OTHER EIGHT MEMBERS OF THE FRUIT
OF THE SPIRIT THERE ARE NO EXTERNAL MANIFESTATIONS
Gal 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no
law. (NIV)
We cannot see self-control or patience or
even faithfulness (or any of the other members of the Fruit of
the Spirit) on the face of a person. So likewise `Joy' does not
manifest itself externally but remains an inner Godly attribute
of a person.
5 JOY IS ONLY ONE OF THE NINE MEMBERS OF
THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT. ONE MEMBER OF THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS
NOT ENOUGH TO TRANSFORM OUR CHARACTER. WE NEED ALL NINE.
Yes, the Fruit of the Spirit comes as a nine member package.
Notice that in Galatians Chapter 5 verse 22, the word FRUIT is
used in the `singular'. Joy as a member of the Fruit of the
Spirit cannot be acquired separately from the other eight members
of the Fruit of the Spirit because they all belong to one Fruit.
We become more God-like and Godly when we acquire ALL NINE
MEMBERS OF THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT. Counterfeit `joy' on the
other hand, can be acquired on its own and produces an instant
spiritual high which makes a person desire more and more of it.
From the discussion above, we find that the genuine does exist.
It is Joy as a member of the fruit of the Holy Spirit and not
spiritual laughter from God as is being taught. If fact, there is
not a single shred of Biblical evidence to support any form of
spiritual laughter from God. The people of God need to know God's
Word so as to be able to distinguish the real from the
counterfeit. Just as a bank-teller is trained to distinguish a
genuine dollar bill [by handling enough of these] from a
counterfeit one, so should God's children be adept in
distinguishing between a real move of God and a counterfeit
spiritual move, through a diligent study of HIS WORD.
A QUOTE
Does the Lord have a purpose in permitting
the Toronto Blessing to be let loose on His Church?
[First,it is].....To drive His true people
to flee to Him alone for comfort and consolation. They will do
this through prayer and through the study of the Scriptures.....
Alan Morrison, Crich Baptist Church, Matlock, United Kingdom
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Last Updated: Wednesday, 06 March, 1996
