Biblical Community

How does a church become a community? How does a community become a family? These questions have challenged many pastors and church leaders. I don't pretend to know a better or more all encompassing answer than any others.  (This should decrease your confidence in me as a leader!)  However,  I do know that God's Word is very clear that Christians are expected to live in community together, to function as a spiritual family.  God chose this purpose for his people intentionally.  I also know that God is a gracious Father, a generous King always willing to provide what his people need.  Based on God's vision for the church and his gracious character,  I do have confidence that we will be given all that we need to build our church into a community, a spiritual family, envisioned by his Word and sustained by his power.  Here are a few thoughts we should have in mind as we begin this journey:

1.  Biblical Community is a gift and need, not a demand.  Salvation would be endlessly glorious without a company of fellow believers. The gift of a spiritual family should produce gratefulness. Seeing the New Testament picture of community should make us grateful, hopeful, humble, and eager, not demanding, reproachful, and resentful, whatever our current experience of community is. We don't want to be like the little child who complains that his Christmas gift isn't big enough.

2.  Biblical community should be....Biblical.  Our relationships together should reflect the specific calls to community that we see in God's Word.  Like all Biblical commands,  the community commands and patters of the Scriptures will never be fulfilled perfectly, but this does not allow us to start with a different paradigm.

3.  Community should embrace all of life.  Our community should not spurn practical care or denigrate a normal meal together, nor should we resist theological discussions or accountability.  Our goal is not to isolate a certain portion of our life and call it "Biblical Community". Rather we are asking how we can eat and drink and do whatever we do for the glory of God....together.

This worth expanding upon.
A life should include a healthy diet, rest, and exercise.  We don't feast on medicine, and we don't stay in bed 24/7.  Steak isn't usually good for an afternoon snack, and an apple alone isn't a balanced diet.  Our spiritual life together should be the same. Biblical community should include growing in theology, simple encouragements,  practical care for each other, the warnings of accountability, serving together,  praying and worshiping together, joyful enjoyment of God's blessings in all of life, and earnest exhortations to believe the good news.  All of these together constitute healthy spiritual life and we should not assume that some are unnecessary.

4.  Community, like family, should include infants and grandparents.  A biblical community should find a way for the spiritually mature and the spiritual newborns to enjoy each others' company.  The mature should not feel that they have to hide their experience in the faith or their theological depth, the infants should not feel that they are disqualified from genuine spiritual fellowship.

5. Community requires hard work.  We must not assume that we drift toward Biblical community, since we don't drift toward anything good in this fallen world. The New Testament describes normal Christian growth as a battle between the flesh and the Spirit.  The desire to be selfish must be overcome by the desire to serve. The desire to be stingy must be overcome by the desire to be generous.  Bitterness must be overcome by forgiveness, conflict by peace, deceit by honesty, self-righteousness by humility.   The point is, honoring God in his call to community requires sowing to the Spirit.

6.  Community is.   Dietrich Bonhoeffer makes this point brilliantly in his little book "Life Together." Without neglecting the command to "build" community--we have to start by recognizing that through our union with Jesus Christ we have already been decisively built together as a community in Him.  Our job is to function in that union, not create something out of nothing.  This should build our faith for the future of our experience of community and our love for those Christians that are around us, since we share the same Savior and derive our spiritual life from the same Spirit.

That's all for now.  Our church will be announcing our first two small groups on November 3rd.  Our first small group meetings will be the evening of November 17th. That night the gathering will be a whole family get together, complete with dinner and fun.  Can't wait to continue the journey of building community together at Redemption Hill Church.

*Originally posted at www.rhchurch.com 

Small Group Ministry

This last Sunday we announced the launching of our small group ministry. In November, small groups will form together for the purpose of treasuring, reflecting, and proclaiming Christ together.  Small group ministry has been a staple in evangelicalism for a number of decades now. This history is a positive in that it is a not an abstract concept, something difficult to grasp for those that have joined our church plant. However, within this familiarity lurks a potential danger. Everyone has their "Best and Worst" stories of former small groups.  Everyone has their own preferences for how small groups should be organized, led, focused, scheduled, and multiplied.   These differences open up the door for tremendous expectations and potential disappointments as we move forward with this ministry.    How do we avoid this negative outcome? 

Certainly some protection comes from learning from previous "small group mistakes."  Other safeguards are found in communicating a clear, Christ-centered vision on a regular basis.  It will also help for our pastoral team to be consistently hearing from our members about how the small groups are helping them to grow in Christ, and refining and adjusting our vision for greater fruitfulness.   There is another element to consider, however.

I believe that one of the greatest keys to a successful small group is frequently overlooked, despite its profound simplicity. It is a culture of brotherly love.  Small groups are opportunities for us to express the love of the gospel to one another--those that God has brought into our body, those who are one with us in Christ.  Loving one another is a key expression of the reality of our faith in Christ, yet it is impossible to communicate a Christ-like affection in tangible, persistent ways to every other member in the body of Christ.  A small group of people gives us an opportunity to pour out on others the love we have received.   

With love, our study of the Bible becomes an opportunity to celebrate the insights of others and to point out the gift of God's Word to them.
Without love, our study of the Bible can become a knowledge contest or an occasion for using Bible quotations as verbal sword thrusts.

With love, our fellowship is an opportunity for encouraging each other in the promises and good commands of the law of Christ. 
Without love, our fellowship is a self-righteous investigation into the failures of others.

With love, our relationships together are full of patience for the weakness and failures of others.
Without love, our impatience with others leads to selfish cliques and circling the wagons with "comfortable" friends.

With love, our discussion of evangelism becomes a consistent encouragement to help each other proclaim the faith.
Without love, our discussion of evangelism is a battle ground between those more gifted in outreach and those more gifted in discipleship.

Loving one another requires a consistent reflection on the gospel of Christ.  Only as we consider his sacrifice will we be eager to love others as He has loved us.  The good news is that because of his death, we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit whose fruit of love is present in the heart of every Christian.  Cultivating and encouraging that fruit, and mortifying the fleshly selfishness that still lingers in us,  is crucial as we build with a small group of our brothers and sisters in Christ. 

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:1-7

*Originally Posted at www.rhchurch.com

Colossians Review

For the last three weeks our church has been studying the book of Colossians on Sunday morning.  I thought a review of our study in the book to date would be helpful.
Sep. 22nd–Colossians 1:1-8
This passage incorporates Paul’s greeting and praying of thanksgiving for the the church.  Paul is celebrating the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout these first 8 verses and inviting the Colossians to do the same.  The outline of these verses was as follows.

Celebrate the gospel of Jesus Christ
vs. 1-5a.  Rejoice in Gospel Blessings
vs.  5b-8  Remember Gospel Progress

Sep. 29th–Colossians 1:9-14 
This passage continues Paul’s lengthy opening prayer and transitions to Paul asking God to transform the church for His glory. I encouraged the church to echo this prayer for our own lives, recognizing our need for God to make us what he wants us to be.  The outline for these verse was as follows:

Ask God to change you for His glory
vs. 9-11 Pray for Transformation
vs. 12-14  Rejoice in Redemption

Oct. 6th–Colossians 1:15-20
Paul modulates his tone to communicate one of the most majestic descriptions of Christ in the New Testament. This passage invites us to come and see the glory of Jesus Christ.

Come and See the glory of Jesus Christ
vs. 15-17 Glory over all Creation
vs. 18-10 Glory over the Church

These messages and more can be found on our sermon’s page.

May the Lord continue to illuminate the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ as we continue to study this marvelous letter together.

*Originally posted at rhchurch.com 

Echoes and Shadows

A few Sundays ago I mentioned that our passage for the morning, Colossians 1:9-14, was filled with Old Testament echoes.  Due to time we couldn’t  consider all of the references, but let me list a few more transparent examples.

“bearing fruit…and increasing” (vs. 10)–This language echoes the command of Genesis 1 in which God commands Adam and Eve to “bear fruit and multiply”–a reference to having children and proliferating the image of God on the earth.  The transition of this language to Colossian christians is profound.  As people are born again into the gospel of Jesus Christ, they are born in the image of Christ, who is the “image of the invisible God” (vs. 15).  The new creation is receiving the same command to increase through spreading the seed of God’s Word and raising up spiritual offspring after the image of their Savior.
“who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints”(vs. 12)–  To have an inheritance is a reminder of Israel’s promised inheritance in Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey.  But this new inheritance is not in any portion of fallen earth, but rather with the saints in the land of light.  This new creation is illuminated by the presence of God himself, in which neither sun nor moon is required.
“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness”(vs. 13)–to be delivered from an evil power is an echo of the OT language of deliverance with its primary referent of the evil Pharaoh of Egypt and his murderous oppression of the Israelites. God’s miraculous works of deliverance, enumerated in Exodus, produced salvation for his people through the process of judgement.  This same process of deliverance by means of judgement echos forward to this passage, where the judgement on Christ has produced deliverance from the oppression of sin and Satan.
“Transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption”(vs. 13)–God’s people were not brought out of bondage only to be left in the wilderness to die alone. God brought them into the promised land and established a kingdom led by a man after his own heart.  Now, we have been delivered from the prison of darkness in sin and condemnation and into the domain of Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, before whom every knee will bow and every tongue confess.  In the Old Testament passages, the price of their redemption was visited on the Egyptian people–first born Egyptians died in the night of the Passover–or on substitutes–flawless lambs died in place of Israelites.   This echo now finds expression in the perfect Substitute–Jesus Christ–who is our passover lamb and redemption price, purchasing us for new life in his eternal kingdom.

Echoes and Shadows--If we are considering this passage in terms of the chronology of the Bible, “echo” is the right metaphor.  The Old Testament events did happen BEFORE the coming of Jesus Christ.  However, there is an even more profound vantage point to consider.  Since God is above all time and has always had the intention to bring ultimate glory to his Son, the original events themselves may be viewed as “shadows.”  Like shadows, they were not the ultimate Object, but did reveal His outline and indicate His contours. God’s ultimate and original plan was to exalt the glory of his Son Jesus Christ, the King Redeemer.  His plan happened BEFORE the Old Testament events. Shining his light of sovereign power on to his Son created history shaping shadows, which we see in the events of the Old Testament.  From the standpoint of history, we see Old Testament patterns culminate in the ultimate fulfillment of the Son. From the standpoint of God’s eternal plan, the original, objective goal is Jesus Christ, and all the events of Biblical history were flickering shadows revealing his Person and Work.   Whichever way we are looking at the story, the glory of Jesus Christ and the unfathomable wisdom and power of God are displayed.

From Him and to Him and through Him are all things.  To Him be glory forever.

*Originally posted at Redemption Hill Church

Welcome

What does it take to build a welcoming church?  Most Christians would say they desire to be a part of a church that welcomes guests and new members.  But just saying we want to be welcoming and actually getting it done are separated by faithful vision casting and hard work.   Here are some spiritual values and practical tips I hope to build into our church so that we continue to pursue this goal of welcoming newcomers into our midst.

1) Preach the gospel of God’s welcome in Christ.   This is first on the list because it’s first in importance. Exhortations hold little permanent sway over hearts that are not amazed by grace.

2) Set an example.  Leaders in the church must be willing to welcome newcomers into their homes and into their hearts.  This doesn’t mean that everyone becomes everyone else’s closest friend (actually an impossible goal). It does mean that the pursuit of new friendships should be a consistent part of my life.

3) Don’t give in to laziness with new friendships.  Old friends often take less work since we already know of common interests and we have become familiar with our quirks and weaknesses.  New friends require lots of questions, the occasional awkward conversation, the “getting used to each other” phase, and the willingness to learn to love in spite of the discovery of new weaknesses.  We must never, ever become lazy and unwilling to do this work of building new friendships.

4)  Be appropriately transparent.  This is not a call to share everything with everyone.  Certainly our deepest struggles and fears should be reserved for a couple well-selected and trusted brothers and sisters in Christ. However,  acting like we “have it all together”, that we live in perpetual exhilaration without suffering or struggle, does not invite others into the reality of our lives.   Humility will always communicate welcome and commonality, making it easier for others to feel that they don’t have to be perfect to be our friends.

5) Learn to celebrate mercy and forgiveness.  Building friendships means intentionally being around people that will sin against us.  At some point these new friends will be rude or crude or forgetful or critical or…something else that seems like a betrayal of our friendship.  To be truly welcoming means that we welcome sinners, knowing in advance that we will need to forgive them just as they will need to forgive us. Forgiveness of others must become a joyful act of worship if our church is to be a consistently welcoming family.

May God make us a welcoming church.  May he give us grace to persevere with old and new friends and cause us to reflect his welcome of us by the power of his Spirit.