Again, I Say Rejoice by Apostle Joshua Selman: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

The Vehicle Analogy — Kingdom Dimensions Work in Synergy

Kingdom work is like a car. A car has many components, and sometimes the most overlooked part is what grounds the entire vehicle. Whether it is finances, character, love, spiritual intelligence, or warfare — all of these are components designed to work in synergy. Some look more important, some more visible, some more portable, but the absence of even a small component can ground the whole car.

Joy is one of those components. It is easy to overlook, but it holds great value in the spirit.

Joel 1:10-12

When joy withers from the sons of men, many other things go wrong — spiritually, physically, mentally, even financially.

Nehemiah 8:10

The joy of the Lord is strength.

Psalm 16:11

In God's presence is fullness of joy.

Isaiah 12:3

With joy shall you draw water out of the wells of salvation. Salvation is likened to a well, and joy is the instrument used to draw from its riches.

1 Peter 1:3-8

Though trials come for a season, the believer rejoices with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

Two Groups of People

There are two groups of people when it comes to the subject of joy.

Group One — Those Who Have Seen and Tasted the Goodness of God

Psalm 34:8

These are people who have seen the word of God manifest in their lives, experienced the power of God, engaged the word and seen results.

Psalm 107:31-32

Psalm 30:11-12

Genesis 21:6

These are men and women who:

• Have engaged the word and seen it work
• Have experienced increase across various areas of life
• Have seen their desires and expectations met
• Have seen notable manifestations of God's power

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• Know that God is alive by experience and by testimony

Charges to Group One

1. Meditate on His Goodness and Give Extravagant Praise

   Thanksgiving is not real unless it is applied with intelligence. Count your blessings — name them one by one. Think about what God has done: the move from tenant to landlord, the termination of ten years of joblessness, the breaking of decades of barrenness. Gratitude must be specific and thoughtful, not careless.

2. Allow Your Testimonies to Build Your Faith and Trust in God

   When David stood before Goliath, he drew from the victory of yesterday — the lion, the bear — and said, "The same God will grant me victory over this uncircumcised Philistine." Every time God opens a door, breaks a gate, lifts a mountain from the road, that experience must be converted as a tool to further build faith.

   The higher God reveals His power and glory in a life, the stricter His expectation of trust. There are levels of distrust that become inappropriate the more God has shown Himself faithful. There is a way a baby Christian cries that God accommodates, but when someone has journeyed with God and seen His faithfulness, they can laugh even in the midst of storms — drawing from the residue of His faithfulness.

   Every manifestation of God's power, every answered prayer, every result must be converted as a tool that builds faith and trust.

3. Testify of the Goodness of God in the Congregation

   Every testimony is a sermon to someone. There are people who come to church downcast, and a single testimony with fire upon it plants faith in their hearts to replicate what God did for another.

   Revelation 19:10

   The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. As people listen, they hear what was done with God that produced that result — and it plants faith within them to go and replicate it.

   The Bible is itself a compendium of testimonies. We believe God can turn water to wine because it was documented. Everything written in scripture was written for our learning. Every personal testimony adds to this body of evidence for God's people.

   Wisdom governs how some testimonies are shared — there are situations where sensitivity requires a more private approach — but all other things being equal, it is a wise, godly, and profitable thing to give thanks to the Lord in the midst of His people.

4. Use Your Results to Draw Many to Jesus

   Regardless of what God has done, if it does not translate to drawing others to Jesus, the testimony has not yet reached its full value in the spirit.

   Daniel 12:3

   Those who turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars forever.

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   Apostle Joshua Selman

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   In John 4, the woman at the well encountered Jesus, and her testimony was so compelling that the people of the city — who did not even take her seriously — followed her and came to Jesus themselves. The madman of Gadera, after his deliverance, went to ten cities declaring the goodness of God.

   If a commitment is made that souls will continue to be won through personal testimony, an agreement has been signed in the spirit for an unending journey of signs and wonders.

   1 Timothy 2:4

   God desires that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. There is no need to ask whether it is God's will to save someone — it is clearly stated. The only thing to seek is the timing and the strategy.

   Acts 4:33

   With great power the apostles gave witness, and great grace was upon them all.

Group Two — Those Yet to See the Promises of God Manifest

There are people for whom everything in Group One sounds like a distant country. They dragged themselves to service because, as things stand, very little makes sense to them. These include:

• Those currently discouraged because of tragedies and negative happenings
• Those who have experienced failure and disappointment, repeatedly
• Those who have suffered on account of their faith — not self-inflicted pain, but the cost of walking with integrity
• Those who have totally lost hope — who prayed over a loved one and watched them die
• Those currently angry and offended at God — not because they are wicked, but because they have waited and been disappointed

Waiting for the manifestation of God's promises, especially when trusting Him sincerely, can be very painful — and for many, deeply discouraging.

Charges to Group Two

1. Remain Conscious of the Love of God Towards You

   Romans 8:35-37

   Shall tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, or sword separate from the love of Christ? In all these things, the believer is more than a conqueror through Him who loves.

   When the storm cannot be understood, the love of God becomes the anchor. Every time the weight of what Jesus went through for humanity is remembered, it may not immediately solve the problem — but it becomes a consolation. If He went that far, He can go as far as needed to establish victory in this life.

   Even when you do not understand what is happening, you can say: Lord, I love You, and I know You love me too. I rest in the fact that You love me.

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2. Always Hope For and Expect God's Best in Everything

   Psalm 42:5

   Hope thou in the Lord — for I shall yet praise Him.

   There are three levels of hope:

   • Hope that the negative situation will change — engaging faith that circumstances will turn around
   • Hope in the midst of the situation — trusting God even while the trial is present, believing it will end in praise
   • Eternal hope — hope beyond discouragement, beyond death, beyond this realm

   For those who have lost loved ones who died in Christ — one day they will be seen again, not in the pain of their departure, but gloriously adorned.

   Father, we decree and declare that none of our loved ones will die without accepting Jesus. For those who are alive, may the Lord of the Harvest send laborers to see that they are saved before they taste death. Amen.

   It is Well With My Soul — this is not a cliché or self-deception. It is the believer's disposition. It means: I know God is working. I may not see what He is doing, but I stand confident that it is well.

   The Shunammite woman whose child had died said "it is well" to everyone she met on the road — even while doing everything in her power to address the situation. "It is well" is not denial. It is confidence.

   It is well means this situation will not see the end of me. It is well means I can fail alone, but me and Jesus cannot fail together. It is well means though weeping endures for a night, joy comes in the morning.

3. Never Lose Your Joy

   Joy is of the Holy Ghost. Once there is willingness, He will supply the grace.

   Joel 1:12

   When joy withers, many things collapse with it — spiritually, physically, financially. Joy is a potent force.

   There are times believers celebrate, and there are times they must rejoice in faith — not because circumstances warrant it, but because God is the anchor, not the situation. A joyless believer is already a defeated believer. A believer with joy intact is a believer who still has hope, who will rise again, who will shine again, who will one day stand as a testament of God's faithfulness.

   Rejoice in the Lord — not in your situation. Rejoice in the Lord in the midst of your situation, because He is in the midst of the fire with you.

   The scripture says rejoice always — and again. That second "again" matters. The first rejoice is easy. After four years of waiting, after ten years, that "again" becomes harder — and that is precisely why Paul wrote it twice.

4. Never Stop Believing in and Engaging the Word of God

   Job 13:15

   Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.

   Many times, believers give up too soon — just one day away from the breakthrough. If Joseph had become offended the night before becoming prime minister and made enough trouble to be moved or killed, the king would have had a dream with no one to interpret it. There are seasons where continuing to declare the word, listen to the word, and study the word — even when it appears to have not yet delivered — is the only safe anchor.

5. Pray Without Ceasing

   Luke 22:39-44

   The time of greatest discouragement should be the greatest time of prayer. Knowing He was going to the Cross, Jesus went to Gethsemane and prayed until His sweat became like drops of blood. He prayed the same prayer three times — and when He rose from the third prayer, He was ready. When tragedy strikes and the word of God has not yet manifested, that is the time to pray, not to stop.

6. Stay Connected to the Larger Family of Believers

   At the point of greatest discouragement, a believer is already at the corridor of compromise. The local church — with all its imperfections — is still the safest place. It is where Spirit-filled people show love, carry burdens, pray with genuine care, and speak words of life.

   Every testimony heard in a corporate setting does something: it plants faith. Every person walking in breakthrough is a living sermon to someone still waiting.

   When encountering people in pain — do not add to their wounds. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. If a supernatural solution is not available, provide a relational one. If resources are not available, pray. Prayer is the least contribution any believer can make to the well-being of another.

Closing Word

There are two groups in every room. For some, this year has been a ladder of testimonies, climbing from glory to glory. For others, it has been a descent — January being the highest point, and December the lowest. To the second group: the God who started with you is also the finisher.

Habakkuk 3:17-19

Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vine — yet I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.

Job 1:20-22

In all this, Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

Psalm 43:1-5

Hope thou in God — for I shall yet praise Him who is the health of my countenance.

A joyless believer is already a defeated believer. But the believer who still has joy intact is the one who will rise again, who will shine again, who will live to give God glory.

Rejoice in the Lord always — and again, I say rejoice.