I talked to a skeptic today in Orange County, California. He said that he had actually been going to church recently because--although he rejects the Bible--he really wants "the joy, hope, and excitement" that he sees in the lives of Christians. He was upset though that he had been to church a few times and the feelings were not happening.He thought people got this joy and hope just by going to church.
I explained that Christians have joy because of a relationship that we have with Jesus and that until he submits to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, has his sins forgiven, and is given the Holy Spirit, he will not experience what Christians experience, for those things are the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22).
I share this with you to remind you that the joy of the Lord in your life is something that many nonbelievers find very attractive. Why? They don't have it. Many of them are fighting through feelings of emptiness, purposelessness, guilt, condemnation, depression, bondage to behaviors they know are destructive, etc. So Christian, I exhort you: "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4). Your joy, your hope, your passion to live is a bright light in this dying world.
