How to Follow God in the New Year: Partnering with your Local Church
1 Peter 4:10
The craftsman has two options, he can focus solely on his own assigned tasks, using their skills and expertise to complete just their portion of the project. However, they may not fully understand how their work fits into the larger vision, and their efforts might not align with the Master Architect’s overall design. Or, he can choose to work closely with the Master Architect, seeking to understand the vision and purpose behind the cathedral’s design.
By doing so, the craftsman can ensure that their work is aligned with the larger vision and that their contributions will be a perfect fit within the overall structure.
Every believer ought to be the second craftsman, aligning and partnering with God’s work in our local church to be a part of God’s move in our generation.
Throughout this week we have been preparing ourselves spiritually for the new year and we have learnt about the importance of prophecy, prayer and study. Today, we want to focus on partnering with your local church this new year.
Let’s begin by establishing that there is an expected outcome of progress in every believer’s life and this is growth. There has to be growth after some time of following God.
And one unique thing about this growth is that you can’t do it yourself. This is because if you are personally in charge of your growth, you won’t do anything spiritually edifying for yourself— you will experience no growth. This is why we need the church. The church is God’s structure for every believer’s growth.
Ephesians 4:11-13
New King James Version
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
Christ gave gifts to the church and these gifts were men— ministry gifts. The Bible here tells us that God has given us men for our edification which communicates that God’s idea for Christians has always been to remain under a set man and grow under that man till we become perfect men and are to the “measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”
God has given you men and the structure of the church to keep you and help you grow in Him.
Ephesians 4:16
New King James Version
16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
This text makes clear one thing: growth for the believer is attached to the body. The body of Christ is made up of other believers who are looking to grow all shepherded by a man (ministry gift) and this text shows us that when every believer and every member of the church does their part, it would cause the growth of the body. And who is the body? The believer!
Every believer’s growth is tied to a local church. This is also why Paul admonishes:
Hebrews 10:25
New King James Version
25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
In addition to being students of the Word, we are expected to share the gospel and all we have learnt, with others. This is not just a saying, it is an instruction from Jesus himself.
Matthew 28:19-20
New King James Version
19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”
This mandate, the great commission, to reach people hasn’t only been given to the pastors of certain churches but the onus is on each and everyone believer.
One way we can carry out this instruction from God to disciple nations is by partnering with our local church to see other people reached and their lives changed as ours were through the structures and teachings in the local church.
Most times, fulfilling God’s plan is attached to service in the local church.
Every good local church has a vision and mandate — to see the gospel preached to the ends of the earth. However, the head of your local church cannot potentially reach the entire world by themselves; they need men to run with.
For this reason, God has designed the church for every believer to be under a ministry gift, much like the master designer and craftsman. It is our responsibility to partner with our ministry gifts spread to the gospel to the world.
I Peter 4:10
New King James Version
10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
In this text, Peter encourages the church that were the recipients of his letter to use their gifts to serve each other in the church. And this extends to us; in this new year, you have to purpose in your heart to be more involved in the work of God like never before. It is one way of showing our devotion and consecration to God — service in his vineyard and commitment to the vision he has given your local church.
You must see your local church as a part of God’s whole plan to spread the good news about His son to the world and discern the importance of your commitment in your local church to the body of Christ as a whole.
Philippians 2:22 -23
New King James Version
22 “But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel.”
23 “Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it goes with me.”
Philippians 2:25
New King James Version
25 Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need;
Throughout scripture, Apostle Paul mentioned places and people that partnered with him to see the vision of the gospel spread to the Gentiles. This is what we are meant to be as believers!
One pointer to growth and maturity in the faith is the ability to take on responsibility and see that the Word of God spreads fiercely through your local church.
The question to you today is this- what are you doing in your local church?
In what way are you serving?
How are you partnering with God’s vision in your local church?
Find your place in your local church and serve faithfully.
Prayer Point
Lord, as I have learned today about service to you in my local church, I am not just a hearer of the Word but a doer also. As this new year begins, I am invested in service in my local church so that your gospel can reach more men.
Philippians 4:4
New King James Version
[4] Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
Notice that Paul doesn’t write, “Rejoice when everything is going well” or “Rejoice once your problems are solved.” The command is clear and unqualified: “Rejoice in the Lord always.” And in case we missed it, he repeats himself for emphasis. This call to continuous joy might seem impossible when we consider the context in which these words were written—from a prison cell by a man facing possible execution.
This context is crucial to understanding biblical joy. Paul wasn’t writing from a resort or during a season of prosperity, he was in chains. The man commanding perpetual rejoicing couldn’t even choose when to eat or sleep. His freedom was gone, his comfort minimal, his future uncertain. Yet from this place of profound limitation came the most liberating command: “Rejoice always.” This wasn’t theoretical theology; it was tested and proven in the crucible of suffering.
What did Paul understand that we often miss? He grasped that biblical joy is not based on what’s happening around you, but on who is living within you.
Paul understood that his circumstances didn’t determine his spiritual condition because the risen Christ lived within him. The same hands that were bound in chains housed the Spirit of the God who created the universe. This indwelling presence was the source of a joy that prison walls couldn’t contain. Today, we face our own prisons—whether it’s the confines of a difficult marriage, the restrictions of financial hardship, or the limitations of chronic illness. These circumstances feel like chains, but they have no power to restrain the joy that comes from Christ’s presence within us.
James echoes this counter-cultural perspective:
James 1:2-3
New King James Version
[2] My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
[3] knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
The word “count” here is significant—it’s an accounting term. James is telling us to make a deliberate calculation that places trials in the “joy” column of our books. This isn’t natural; it’s supernatural. Today, when your health fails, your retirement fund diminishes, or your children stray, the natural calculation sees only loss. But covenant joy recalculates, seeing the hidden dividends of tested faith, developed patience, and deepened dependence on God.
James doesn’t suggest we pretend trials aren’t difficult. Rather, he invites us to “count” or consider these challenges through a different lens; one that sees beyond present pain to eternal purpose.
Jesus Himself exemplified this transcendent joy:
Hebrews 12:2
New King James Version
[2] Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jesus endured history’s most excruciating execution not by denying the pain but by accessing a joy that transcended it. In the garden of Gethsemane, His sweat became like blood—He felt the full weight of what was coming. Yet He moved forward, powered by a joy rooted in something beyond His present agony. Your cancer diagnosis, your child’s addiction, your impending foreclosure—these are your Gethsemane moments. They’re real and they’re painful. But like Jesus, you can access a joy not based on the avoidance of suffering but on the assurance of God’s greater purpose being fulfilled through it.
Even facing the cross, history’s most unjust suffering, Jesus accessed a joy that empowered Him to endure. His joy wasn’t found in the avoidance of pain but in the assurance of God’s greater purpose being fulfilled through it.
Too often, we postpone joy while waiting for better days, not realizing that joy isn’t found in better circumstances but in a better covenant. The new covenant doesn’t promise the absence of trouble but the presence of Christ in the midst of it:
John 16:33
New King James Version
[33] “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Notice Jesus doesn’t say “cheer up, I’ll take away your troubles.” He says, “be of good cheer” while acknowledging tribulation will come. This is the paradox of covenant joy; it coexists with tribulation because it’s sourced in a victory already secured. Today, in a world plagued by pandemic, political division, economic uncertainty, and personal crisis, we’re not waiting for better days to experience joy. We’re anchoring to the better covenant that places Christ’s victory at the center of our narrative, regardless of our current chapter.
Life doesn’t have to be easy for your spirit to overflow with gladness. When your joy is anchored in Jesus rather than in future outcomes, you discover a wellspring that external circumstances cannot dry up. This doesn’t mean you won’t experience grief, disappointment, or pain. Jesus Himself was described as “a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). But beneath these very real human emotions can flow a current of supernatural joy that sustains you through the darkest valleys.
The early Christians demonstrated this paradoxical joy:
Acts 5:41
New King James Version
[41] So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.
This might be the most counterintuitive response in Scripture. These disciples had just been beaten—their bodies bruised and bleeding, yet they rejoiced not in spite of their suffering but because of it. They counted it an honor to be identified with Christ through persecution. Today, you might face “being cancelled” for your faith, being passed over for promotion because of your ethical stance, or experiencing ridicule for your biblical convictions. The world sees only shame in such moments, but covenant joy sees privilege—the privilege of sharing in the reproach of Christ.
It’s important to understand that joy is not the denial of difficulty; it is choosing to trust that God has got you covered, especially when it doesn’t seem like it, and living your life according to that belief. It’s the confidence that, as Romans 8:28 promises, “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
This kind of joy is supernatural. It’s the fruit of God’s Spirit working within us (Galatians 5:22), not the product of favorable circumstances around us. It’s available to every believer, not through positive thinking or denying reality, but through abiding in Christ:
John 15:11
New King James Version
[11] “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”
Notice Jesus doesn’t offer just any joy, but “My joy”—the same divine, transcendent joy that carried Him through His earthly ministry and suffering.
So how do we practically cultivate this transcendent joy?
1. Shift your focus from circumstances to covenant: When troubles arise like mountains, remind them of your God. In the same vein, remind yourself of God’s promises that never change.
2. Practice gratitude daily: Thankfulness is the soil in which joy grows. Even in difficult seasons, there is a lot of evidence of God’s goodness to acknowledge.
3. Immerse yourself in Scripture: God’s Word realigns our perspective when the world distorts it.
4. Fellowship with joy-filled believers: Joy is contagious, and surrounding yourself with those who model it helps it take root in your own life.
5. Choose joy as an act of faith: Joy is both a fruit of the Spirit and a choice we make. Sometimes we must choose it before we feel it.
Today, practice choosing joy, especially in areas of your life that seem unyielding. This doesn’t mean denying real challenges or putting on a fake smile. Rather, it means looking those challenges in the face and declaring, “My God is greater than this. His promises are surer than my problems. His presence is sweeter than my pain.”
Perhaps you’re facing a health crisis with no improvement in sight, a financial hole that keeps getting deeper, a relationship that remains fractured despite your best efforts, or a dream that seems permanently deferred. These situations feel immovable, unchangeable. But they don’t have the power to determine your joy unless you give them that power.
Remember, you don’t have to wait for life to get easier to experience joy. Your joy is not founded on changing circumstances but on an unchanging Christ who promises never to leave you nor forsake you.
Prayer Point
Father, I choose to anchor my joy in Your presence within me rather than in my changing circumstances. In areas of my life that seem unyielding help me remember that my joy flows from who You are, not what I’m facing. Today, I deliberately shift my focus from what surrounds me to Who lives within me.