The apostle Paul wrote his most personal letter while abused and abandoned in a Roman prison. He wrote to believers who lived in the shadow of the Roman tyrant, Nero. And yet this letter, Philippians, is the most joy-filled epistle in the Bible.
Weaving together modern stories and historical detail, Dr. David Jeremiah explores Philippians verse by verse, showing us what it means to be joyful in spite of circumstances. Whatever you are facing today, Count It All Joy will inspire you to find the joy that Jesus promises.
Dr. David Jeremiah, founder of Turning Point Radio and Television Ministries and senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church, felt God’s calling on his life at a very early age. Born February 13, 1941 in Toledo, Ohio, Dr. Jeremiah was raised in a family deeply committed to ministry. At the age of eleven, Dr. Jeremiah and his family moved to Dayton, Ohio where his father, Dr. James T. Jeremiah, was the Pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church, and in 1953 became the President of Cedarville College in Cedarville, Ohio.
As Dr. Jeremiah was sensitive to God’s leading in his life, he followed in his father’s footsteps. In 1963, Dr. Jeremiah received a Bachelor of Arts from Cedarville College. In that same year, Dr. Jeremiah married his college sweetheart, Donna Thompson who also was attending Cedarville College as a business major. He went on to earn a Masters degree in Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary in 1967. He completed additional graduate work at Grace University and was granted the Doctor of Divinity degree from Cedarville College in 1981.
In 1969, Dr. Jeremiah began Blackhawk Baptist Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and developed a Christian school grades K through 12. In the 12 years he served as pastor, Blackhawk Baptist Church grew from 7 families to 1300 members. He also launched The Bible Hour television program.
Dr. Jeremiah heeded God’s call, and in 1981 he and his family moved to California where he became the senior pastor of Scott Memorial Baptist Church, now Shadow Mountain Community Church.
Shadow Mountain Community Church is one of the largest churches in San Diego County. It is also the home of Southern California Seminary and Christian Unified Schools.
As Dr. Jeremiah began his ministry at Shadow Mountain, he felt God’s calling to continue the broadcast ministry he started in Fort Wayne. In 1982, Turning Point Ministries became a reality.
Today, Turning Point's 30-minute radio program is heard nationally and internationally on over 1800 stations and translator/satellators. In recognition of Dr. Jeremiah’s commitment to teaching the Word of God, he received the Broadcaster of the Year Award in 1999 from the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB), in August 2002, received the Award of Merit from the Western Chapter of National Religious Broadcasters for Excellence in Broadcasting and Faithfulness in Service, and in 2006 Turning Point received the Best Radio Teaching Program Award. Dr. Jeremiah has served on the Board of Directors for the NRB since 1996.
Turning Point launched a television program in 1982 in San Diego and went nationwide in 2000. Now seen around the world through cable and satellite technology, as well as on terrestrial stations all across the United States, conservative estimates suggest that close to 200 million homes around the world have access to Dr. Jeremiah's Bible teaching each week. Turning Point Television offers a half-hour Bible study message and a full hour worship service with the same great preaching. Carried on several national and international networks such as TBN, ION, and INSP, Turning Point Television has most recently been added to Middle East TV Network and BET, the Black Entertainment Network.
Dr. Jeremiah is a sought-after conference speaker for organizations around the country. He frequently speaks at Cedarville College, Dallas Theological Seminary, Moody Bible Institute, Billy Graham Training Center, Phil Waldrep’s Senior Adult Celebrations and numerous NFL, NBA and Baseball chapels.
Along with his speaking schedule around the country, Dr. Jeremiah also finds time to fulfill another passion in his life, writing. His books are always gripping and right to the point. Some of his books include Escape the Coming Night, The Power of Encouragement, What the Bible Says About Angels, Prayer The Great Adventure, which brought him The Gold Medallion Award in 1998, God In You, Gifts from God
I didn’t realize when I began this book (listening to it audio-version) that it is a study on the book of Philippians. Wow. Dr. Jeremiah covers so much material in this book and it is well worth the reading (or listening to).
At this point in my life, I really needed the reminders in Philippians, and Dr. Jeremiah used many illustrations that really drove the points home. He goes from church members’ responsibilities to individuals’ lifestyles to our attitude and focus to suffering and more. Most of this is very practical, down-to-earth, and everyday-applicable. I now want to get the paperback form to have on my shelves.
He uses a few various versions of the Bible, which I prefer KJV, but it didn’t alter the doctrine of the book at all.
I highly recommend this for Christians who are finding themselves in a rut of life and need a bit of encouragement and direction. There is a big emphasis on joy (given the title), especially in the midst of suffering—no matter what that suffering is.
David Jeremiah returns with a powerful study on the book of Philippians. And it's all about JOY!
Essentially, he dissects Philippians into small segments, groups of a few verses, and brings out the central theme of that passage. (This is the same setup he used on the book of James in 'What to Do When You Don't Know What to Do', which I thoroughly enjoyed as well!)
The 12 chapter topics of Count It All Joy include:
The Joy of Community The Joy of Adversity The Joy of Integrity The Joy of Unity The Joy of Responsibility The Joy of Ministry The Joy of Humility The Joy of Victory The Joy of Maturity The Joy of Harmony The Joy of Security The Joy of Serenity
So much of Paul's letter to the people of Philippi stresses on points that we as Christians should be paying attention to with our whole hearts. It becomes clear that the theme of his writing is indeed "joy". It doesn't matter how bad Paul had tortured up to that point, how he suffered, and was confined in a jail cell. He still felt joy in Christ and could happily spread the good word through his writing. His life is truly amazing.
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:4-7
Dr. Jeremiah offers real-life stories to illustrate impacting thoughts. I liked how he brought in a variety of people's story like this -- whether the person is someone famous we know today, or someone from the history books. It was interesting how he brought into focus obscure stories and created a spiritual analogy out of it.
A lot of Dr. Jeremiah's writing is complemented with the work of other religious leaders, and I like the steadfast effect this creates. He doesn't just rely on his own answers, but the life-long discoveries and truths that other leaders like him have succeeded in finding.
*Also included in the back are chapter questions for personal application or group study.
This is a great Bible study on Philippians!
"Paul saw life and death as equally desirable. If he continued to live, he would come to know and love and serve the Lord more fully. If he died, he would completely and finally and perfectly know Him." -David Jeremiah, Count It All Joy
Thanks to the author and Netgalley for the free review copy & for the opportunity to express my honest opinions.
Dr. David Jeremiah is 80 years old this year. In his life, he has written 80 books including national bestsellers and award winners. Count It All Joy was originally written in 1992, which makes it one of his earlier books.
In terms of the content, he ably makes solid points from the Epistle to the Philippians. What he writes, if well-received, would shield the Christian's faith from distorted interpretations and me-centred teaching.
Evidently, David Jeremiah loves a good turn of phrase. He collects them and shares them profusely. We have here page after page of anecdotes and quotations put together to make the author's point. For this reason, Count It All Joy is sadly a book on joy that has left me joyless.
In this book the author gives us real insight into the character of Paul, especially in regards to his letter to the Philippians. Paul managed to have joy despite his circumstances, in fact many of his letters were written while he was in jail. David Jeremiah writes many chapters, each showing how we can obtain joy. His book is long and in this review, I cannot do it justice.
I would mainly recommend this book to Christians who want to grown in their spiritual journey. Non-Christians who seek also to have this joy may also desire to read this book. It would help them greatly.
Count It All Joy Discover a Happiness That Circumstances Cannot Change is a study on the book of Philippians. David Jeremiah is a good teacher, he has helped me make this study interesting and easy to understand. Reading this book was a blessing for me. This book provided me with some new and clearer understandings on the book of Philippians, made me think in ways that I hadn't thought before. I would recommend this book.
The author shows us that joy in this life is not based on what we have or have not. It is based on a relationship with Jesus Christ. We cannot control what comes our way but we can control our attitude and that will determine our level of joy. When things go wrong, we can have a pity party or we can depend on God to handle the situation. Remember that "God sees the Storm from the Other Side."
The ability to be content where we are is something I find hard sometime. I want to do more faster and faster. I want to see things happen and I want them to happen now. Sometimes I don't have the patience to wait on God the way I should. This book has been a great help to me in this way. I wish I had had the book 40 years ago. But everything works according to Gods time line so I guess this was my time for the book.
Basically a running commentary on the Book of Philippians in the Bible, Dr. Jeremiah "puts the cookies on the bottom shelf" so that this New Testament book is accessible and helpful for all. His personal stories, illustrative quotes, and winsome style come shining through in a book that can help us redefine how we seek joy in this life.
Pastor Jeremiah is a gifted teacher, and writer. I love everything he writes and this is no exception. In the craziness of today’s world, he skillfully walks you through the scriptures to remind us of the peace, and joy, the faithful are guaranteed. It’s time to get our fruits of the spirit blooming!
This is the first Jeremiah book I’ve read. I appreciate how he enumerates many ways we can & should be full of joy, regardless of our circumstances if we are true apprentices of Jesus. He uses a lot of Scriptures. A couple times I laughed out loud. I can’t pinpoint why, but sometimes his delivery just rubs me a little bit wrong. Still, a great book with a powerful message.
I really liked this book on cd. The only drawback is the long segments that made it hard to pause and then not accidentally bump it off the track so that I ended up having to listen to large segments over again. Not that there was anything wrong with listening to parts of it twice.
Lots of good insight into Paul’s mind set to help you go deeper. A plethora of great quotes from other well-qualified theologians to enhance understanding. A keeper to check periodically,,
Count it All Joy: Discover a Happiness That Circumstances Cannot Change
This is a very rewarding study in the life of Paul. This is what we all should strive for, to be content and trust in GOD In whatever happens in our lives.
Another moving and inspiring book by David Jeremiah. Biblically-sound and inspiring review and analysis of my favorite book, Philippians, which he says is the most joyful book in the Bible. He lays the teachings out in a way that is easy to comprehend and digest.
4.5 stars. This solid book does an excellent job of presenting an accurate exegesis of various passages of scripture. Jeremiah pulls in excellent illustrations and stories that illustrate the truth of the Bible. I thoroughly enjoyed the read - my kind of Bible study.
Great book to utilize as a daily devo. Listened to it... and then bought it to reread and mark up a few pages at a time. Lots of biblical quotations.. again another layer if truth woven throughout your day. (Not to take the place of the bible... but to add more bible time into your day!)
An amazing book to read during the uncertainties of the pandemic! Dr. David Jeremiah takes us through the book of Philippians in a very readable manner. Was sorry when it was done!!
Dr. David Jeremiah shares his encyclopedic knowledge of the Apostle Paul and his personal letter that he wrote while in a Roman Prison where he suffered much abuse for his beliefs. He wrote to his believers in Philippi while in the shadow of the Roman tyrant, Nero. Despite all this, his book Philippians is one of the most joy-filled epistles in the entire Bible. Love this book, if you are looking to find or expand the joy in your life; this one will help you along the way. Happy reading.