What kind of witness for Christ Jesus is one who walks around with a long face all the time?  Yeah, I know, you might be saying “Being a Christian is a serious thing!”  Oh, is that right?  Does that mean you are supposed to be a dour old sourpuss?  Was Jesus?  I don’t think so.  Let me bring it down to a personal level, would YOU be drawn to serve God by hanging around someone who has a long face all the time, who never laughs or even smiles?  How about if they constantly complained about how bad things and other people are?  Would you want to receive THEIR God as your Lord and Savior?  Well, I wouldn’t, I’d run as far in the opposite direction as possible!  And it’s my belief that’s why so many “Christians” never win a single soul for Jesus.
   Philippians 4:1-8 tell us what we should do, what we should think about and speak about, and that isn’t what I find most Christians doing these days:  In fact, I find most of them doing everything BUT what these verses tell us to do:
 Php 4:4  Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
Php 4:5  Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
Php 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Php 4:7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Php 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
 
    Ah, yes, there’s just something about an old sourpuss Christian that makes unbelievers want to run to church and become a Christian, right?  Not where I come from.  I’ve been in churches where I couldn’t wait to leave.  The Pastor moans and groans about the cost of being a disciple of Christ Jesus and how sick and broke his family is.  He preaches a sermon about if you aren’t a member of their church, you’re gonna burn in hell forever.  The Choir sings these sad songs about the narrow path and the hard road, and living in the valley of the shadow of death.  Then they take up the offering after thirty minutes of beating you up saying you are robbing God if you aren’t paying your tithes to their church.  And then they bawl and squall about how bad it is again, and finally dismiss with a prayer.  And you can’t wait to come back, can you?
    Notice I didn’t say a thing about the Pastor having preached the “GOSPEL of Jesus Christ”.  Why not?  Because the GOSPEL means GOOD NEWS!  I don’t know about you, but when I hear good news, I rejoice exceedingly.  And in most churches today, the GOSPEL isn’t being preached.  What I do hear is either bad news, or just stuff that inflates your ego with “feel-good” sermons that have little or nothing about what the LORD JESUS did for us.  Or else they preach how God wants to make you rich if you will “sow seed” into their ministry. 
   And of course, people want to be rich, so they will do it.  Meanwhile, they get richer, and you get poorer, and finally you wonder why God isn’t keeping His Word.  After all, didn’t the preacher say God promised you a hundredfold return?  Meanwhile, you’re expecting God to perform for you like a genie in a bottle…oh well.  Never mind the fact that Jesus taught about the Kingdom of heaven, with His Father being the Good King over that Kingdom.  And this is the part I want to get to, so let’s do it.
    The very first sermon Jesus delivered was about the Kingdom of heaven.  He said in Matthew 4:17, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.  Repent from what?  Your sinful ways and also thinking there is no hope for your future.  The Good News is this:  The Lord Jesus paid your sin debt on the cross, and was raised from the dead on the third day and sits by His Father in His throne in heaven, having openly spoiled principalities and powers of darkness, destroying their power over you.  He sent His Holy Spirit to fill you with His joy and peace, to guide your every step in this life, until He safely guides you home to be with Him for eternity.  The Lord Jesus bore all your sicknesses and diseases in His own body, having received stripes on His body in your place.  He did that for YOU because He loves you!  Now, if that isn’t good news, I don’t know what is!
   If you even had a clue how very much God loves you, there would never be another sad day in your life.  You would go to bed loving God with a smile, and wake up loving God with a smile.  Now I’m not saying bad stuff never happens to a child of God, because it does.  The devil will see to that.  After all, the Lord Jesus gave us a heads-up about the devil in John 10:10, when He said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.   Yes, the thief comes to steal from even God’s children, believe it or not.  But that doesn’t mean you have to get all depressed and sad, in fact, the fastest way out of hardship and trials is to praise God and rejoice.  I know, because I’ve been there, and done that.
   God has an abundant and fulfilling life charted out for you, and then after this life is over, all eternity with Him where you will never suffer again.  Is that good news, or what?  So, are you going to waste your life thinking about how bad things are on earth, or are you going to rejoice and be glad and show the world that God has a better way?
It is said you can draw more flies with honey than you can vinegar.  And that’s also true of winning souls for Jesus.  You’ll win many more souls with a smile on your face, than with grumbling and complaining and a frown.
   And besides, if you always have a smile on your face, people will wonder what you’re up to….and ask you.  Then you can tell them the GOOD NEWS!