Belong Magazine Vol 2. 2025
Dear GCI Family and Friends,
Nestled in chapter 14 of Romans is an amazing verse that gives us a deeper understanding of the kingdom of God.
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17 NIV)
Paul’s short verse profoundly describes the abundant life humanity has in Christ. It is the “kingdom life,” and its initial blessings we enjoy now with a fullness to come for the entire human family.
Righteousness and peace in the Spirit are huge topics on their own. Today we will develop the spiritual fruit of joy. I am picking out joy because I recently saw the impact this message had with participants in a Kingdom Culture workshop I facilitated in Gold Coast, Australia.
Joy is much more than happiness. Happiness is rooted in “happenings.” What is next? What will stimulate me? Joy is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It provides contentment whether you are abased or you abound. Situations don’t make or break the joy that resides in a Christ follower.
Joy is entangled with our internal thinking and feelings about self. Do we believe and walk in the reality of what God says about us or does the negative, destructive self-talk hinder our joy?
How many of us are our own worst critic? How many of us dominate ourselves? We have internal thoughts like:
- “I’m not good enough or smart enough” (when we compare ourselves to others, or perhaps we made a B and not an A on a test).
- “I can’t ever get it right” (when we demand perfection from ourselves).
- “I’m such an idiot” (when we identify with labels that others have thrust upon us).
- “Nothing goes right for me” (when perhaps our plane flight was delayed because of bad weather, something totally out of our control).
You get the point.
On the other hand, I think about the uplifting lyrics from many Christian songs. Casting Crowns’ song, “The Voice of Truth,” is a great example. Here are a few lines:
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. “Boy, you’ll never win!”
“You’ll never win!”
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says, “Do not be afraid!”
The voice of truth says, “This is for My glory”
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth!
What positive, truthful lyrics build you up? Sing those words out loud, and let them soak in. Be captivated by the joy the Lord finds in you!
It is what Jesus says that counts. He doesn’t call us servants. He calls us friends. He shares with us what the Father shares with him. He shares his life, his righteousness, his peace, and his joy. Ultimately, Jesus shares his glory with us in the eternal kingdom of God.
The joy of the Lord is my strength,
Dr Greg Williams
GCI President
P.S. The latest edition of Belong is available below and in addition we have produced a short booklet with information on making a will and how to leave a gift to the Church (should you wish to). You can access the booklet by clicking here. We are very grateful for all the support we receive from our members and contacts and should you have any questions on regarding this, please do not hesitate to reach out to me – Gavin Henderson (gavin.henderson@gracecom.church)