God Has Made Us Glad
Joy is a defining characteristic of our church culture. Last Sunday we asked Chris—a faithful member of our church—to tell us how being a part of the church has increased his joy. Read what he had to say below.
Hello Sovereign Grace,
My name is Chris Jonas and I have been a member of Sovereign Grace Church since 2020 with my wife Bree and daughter Zoe.
I’m excited this morning to be able to share a little bit of my testimony on the joy that I have being a part of this great church. Back in 2016, I began learning about reformed theology, and I noticed that my priorities on what I wanted in a home church were changing. I remember feeling a heavy conviction and a responsibility to be a part of a church where the pastors would preach the full gospel. Not a watered-down version of the gospel that I became accustomed to. I am overjoyed that conviction carried me to Sovereign Grace Church. Our pastors have led us through the Bible and helped grow my understanding of God’s word. So, thank you pastors for caring for this congregation by preaching and teaching God’s word in fullness and in truth.
For those of you who don’t know, I was born with an inherited blood disease called sickle cell. I spent most of my childhood in and out of the hospital while taking pain medication to manage the discomfort. As I grew, I became dependent on medication. I would take between 15-30mg of hydrocodone a day just to be able to function. This was my normal. But when I found out that we were going to be parents, I knew my normal needed to change. So, I reached out to Pastor Dustin and asked for prayer because I knew this undertaking was going to be challenging. It brings me great joy to share that with prayer from our pastors, and with the Lord’s grace, I am no longer dependent on medication. Even on days when I’m not feeling great and dealing with health issues, I know the Lord is sovereign, which gives me every reason to be joyful.
Now, around the time we became members, we joined Dylan & Christy Sohie’s small group. Only God knew at the time how much I would be blessed by this small group. Back in 2021, I experienced some depression while being over worked and underpaid at my job. I knew I needed to start looking for a better position but feared that a new role would limit the flexibility I had working from home. I intended to work on my resume in the beginning of 2022, but never got around to it. I lacked motivation and couldn’t get myself to lift a finger. During this time, Dylan and I had been talking about a possible position open at his company, and he prompted me to send him my resume… the one I couldn’t get around to updating. The day I finally updated my resume, I noticed that my sister emailed me a job posting for a position at the company I was already working for. On a whim, I decided to submit my resume to that position, and the next day I was contacted by the recruiter and got the job within 48 hours. My new job pays more, gives me the same flexibility, and gives me the work/life balance that I lack in my previous role. I believe that the Lord strategically used Dylan and the prayers of our small group to open a door that became such a blessing to my family and I. Being a part of a small group that prays for me and is there to encourage me in the midst of my trails, really helped me maintain joy even in a season of uncertainty.
God is faithful, church. He cares about us. He cares about our joy. These are all testaments of how being a part of this church has brought me joy, even when I am faced with adversity. James 1:2-4 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing”.
Church, we’ve all faced challenging seasons, and some of us might be in one now, but I’m here to encourage you to let God work in your life through this church. Let our great Savior perfect your faith every Sunday by sitting in those seats and let Him strengthen your spirit by considering being a part of a small group. In John 15:11, the Lord says that “[His] joy may be in us, and that [our] joy may be full”. Thank you for listening.
