unity
Unity, 9 October 2022
10 10 22 Filed in: Sermons | JOY: The Book of Philippians
Unity
Series—JOY: The Book of Philippians
Philippians 1:27-2:4
Series Big Idea: Paul’s letter from prison to the church in Philippi is filled with joy.
Big Idea: Paul echoes Jesus’ prayer for unity in the church.
For the past seven years—well, actually it will be seven years on Wednesday—I’ve been praying four prayers for First Alliance Church: direction, protection, passion, and unity.
I pray for direction because this is God’s church. It’s not mine. It’s not yours. It’s not ours. It’s His church and where He leads, we must follow.
I pray for protection, knowing there is a real enemy that wants to steal, kill, destroy, and lie. He can’t create anything, but if we’re not fitted with the armor of God (Ephesians 6) and on our knees, we will be destroyed…but our God is greater!
I pray for passion for the things that God cares about…the lost, the widow, the stranger, the orphan, the poor…along with justice, righteousness, and peace.
I pray for unity because it is fragile, it’s what Jesus prayed for us, and it’s our theme today.
We’re in the middle of a series on the book of Philippians, a letter from imprisoned Paul to the church in Philippi in Greece which he started. This is a letter from a pastor to a congregation. We begin in Philippians chapter one, verse 27.
Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. (Philippians 1:27, NLT)
Above all. This is the most important thing Paul wants this church to know. First, he tells them to live as citizens of heaven. He was writing to Roman citizens, but he’s saying they have a higher citizenship. Most of us are citizens of the United States, but that will only be useful for a hundred years or so. For citizens of heaven, conduct matters.
First Alliance, your conduct matters. People are watching you. They’re watching us. They want to know if we just talk about Jesus or walk like Jesus. We all know actions speak louder than words. Paul’s not sure if he will even see these people again, but he knows conduct matters. They—and we—may be the only Bible people read. Hypocrisy can hurt the spread of the gospel. So can division, racism, hate, idolatry, and the countless other sins that are giving the movement of Jesus a bad reputation in our day.
The gospel simply means “good news,” and one unknown writer wrote,
Series—JOY: The Book of Philippians
Philippians 1:27-2:4
Series Big Idea: Paul’s letter from prison to the church in Philippi is filled with joy.
Big Idea: Paul echoes Jesus’ prayer for unity in the church.
For the past seven years—well, actually it will be seven years on Wednesday—I’ve been praying four prayers for First Alliance Church: direction, protection, passion, and unity.
I pray for direction because this is God’s church. It’s not mine. It’s not yours. It’s not ours. It’s His church and where He leads, we must follow.
I pray for protection, knowing there is a real enemy that wants to steal, kill, destroy, and lie. He can’t create anything, but if we’re not fitted with the armor of God (Ephesians 6) and on our knees, we will be destroyed…but our God is greater!
I pray for passion for the things that God cares about…the lost, the widow, the stranger, the orphan, the poor…along with justice, righteousness, and peace.
I pray for unity because it is fragile, it’s what Jesus prayed for us, and it’s our theme today.
We’re in the middle of a series on the book of Philippians, a letter from imprisoned Paul to the church in Philippi in Greece which he started. This is a letter from a pastor to a congregation. We begin in Philippians chapter one, verse 27.
Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. (Philippians 1:27, NLT)
Above all. This is the most important thing Paul wants this church to know. First, he tells them to live as citizens of heaven. He was writing to Roman citizens, but he’s saying they have a higher citizenship. Most of us are citizens of the United States, but that will only be useful for a hundred years or so. For citizens of heaven, conduct matters.
First Alliance, your conduct matters. People are watching you. They’re watching us. They want to know if we just talk about Jesus or walk like Jesus. We all know actions speak louder than words. Paul’s not sure if he will even see these people again, but he knows conduct matters. They—and we—may be the only Bible people read. Hypocrisy can hurt the spread of the gospel. So can division, racism, hate, idolatry, and the countless other sins that are giving the movement of Jesus a bad reputation in our day.
The gospel simply means “good news,” and one unknown writer wrote,
You are writing a gospel,
A chapter each day,
By the deeds that you do
And the words that you say.
Men read what you write,
Whether faithful or true:
Just what is the gospel
According to you?
Paul described it this way in his letter to the church in Corinth:
You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. (2 Corinthians 3:2, NIV)
Unfortunately, the gospel many people are reading from so-called Christians is not good news. It’s not attractive. Young people especially are leaving the Church, perhaps because they can’t find Jesus there!
Can I tell you about something exciting, though, that gives me some hope? The largest Christian media campaign in history is underway. It’s called He Gets Us. Have you seen it? Here’s an example of one of the ads.
Video: He Gets Us
Our church is one of thousands around the country receiving prayer requests from people responding to this campaign which is right now all over social media, television, and billboards. There will be Super Bowl ads, race car sponsorships, and more. I think it’s exciting and I pray it stimulates a revival in our nation, especially among young people, the target audience. As hundreds of millions of dollars are being invested, tremendous research has been done and the majority of people in our nation are open to learning more about Jesus. The issue isn’t Christ, but Christians who don’t conduct themselves well, who don’t act like the one they claim to follow. This is nothing new. Notice what Paul says about them.
Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. (Philippians 1:27, NLT)
One spirit. One purpose. Fighting together. That’s unity! Paul wants this church to fight together for the gospel, the good news. He wants them to be like that group in the video, a gang of love, following Jesus together. Conduct matters. It doesn’t save us—only Jesus can do that—but it’s the evidence that we’re saved. Not perfect, but growing in Christ-likeness.
Paul continues.
Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. (Philippians 1:28, NLT)
Have you ever been intimidated? How does that feel? I’ve spoken with many people who seem intimidated by enemies of Jesus, whether they are politicians or people of other religions or even people from other countries. In case you forgot, our God is greater!
…the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (1 John 4:4b, NIV)
Family, we are to fight…on our knees. We are to be warriors…of love. We are to unite together…at the foot of the cross. We are to encourage one another…especially when we are afraid. Following Jesus isn’t easy. It’s a battle. That’s why one of my four prayers is protection. Ephesians 6 talks about the armor of God. We have to put it on. You don’t wage war in your pajamas!
For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. (Philippians 1:29, NLT)
Have you ever thought of suffering as a privilege? Paul did. Remember, he’s writing from prison…for his faith. Suffering is remarkable. It breeds empathy. Military veterans—especially those wounded—have a unique bond with one another. In a similar way, those who suffer for Jesus can identify in a small way with the tremendous suffering Jesus endured for us. We can reach out to God for comfort and strength. Most of us don’t like to ask for help, but we can do far more with God’s help than we can on our own. Most of us have never experienced true persecution, but many of our brothers and sisters around the world experience it every day. We need to pray for them…and prepare for persecution which may be in our future. If it comes, it will reveal the true believers from the fakers…the Sunday morning Christians from the fully devoted.
Paul told Timothy,
Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. (2 Timothy 3:12, NLT)
How many of you memorized this verse?! This shouldn’t surprise us. Jesus was persecuted and his followers will be, too. He lived a radical, counter-cultural life and the world always hates those who refuse to follow the status quo and the politically-correct. We must remember Jesus identifies with those who suffer, and though he promised us trouble, he also promised to be with us and said he has overcome the world (John 16:33). Suffering for Christ always has a purpose…for our good and God’s glory, even though we may avoid it.
Paul reminds them…
We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it. (Philippians 1:30, NLT)
Unity. They are in it together. Family, we need to follow Jesus together. We need to love one another well, believe the best in one another, extend grace to one another, be quick to forgive one another, refuse to gossip about one another, serve one another, pray for one another, and you know what else? Get to know one another!
In a growing church like ours, I don’t even know everyone, but I want to personally invite you to Bruce’s Bonfire on October 22 and our all-church potluck on October 30. These two events were created especially for you to get to know one another. Mark your calendars. Make it a priority.
Perhaps the best way to really get to know one another is by joining a Life Group, doing life together with others. It’s not always easy. People can be messy. We can all be challenging, at times, but that’s why we need one another.
One of the reasons the early church grew so quickly was because messy ragamuffins were welcomed by followers of Jesus. It wasn’t a country club for the rich and famous, but a tribe of broken people seeking faith, hope, and love.
I said a few weeks ago there’s only one Church in Toledo. We need one another. We were created to need one another. There will always be things we disagree about, but followers of Jesus are called to come together, to present one message to the world: Jesus is LORD!
Paul’s not done with his unity remarks.
Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. (Philippians 2:1-2, NLT)
What’s Paul’s message? Unity! Agree. Love, Work together. One mind and purpose. This is what the Church is supposed to be. What a vision! As one of your pastors, let me say First Alliance, “Make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose!”
Amen! You know that’s hard, right? That’s why there are more than 41,000 Christian denominations in our world! Yet Jesus prayed for us—for us—that we would be one.
“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. (John 17:20-21, NLT)
Jesus also said neither a divided kingdom nor a divided house can stand (Mark 3:24-25). Our real enemy wants to divide and conquer. He doesn’t want us to be one, but 41,000+!!! One writer said, “Unity is the hallmark of the gospel.” This isn’t about uniformity, about us all looking and acting exactly the same. Unity is being coming together to follow Jesus. There’s an African proverb which says, “Threads united can tie even a lion.” There’s power when we unite, when we come together, when we avoid the temptation to cancel one another and, instead, extend grace, listen to one another, seek understanding, and love well.
Why do we struggle with unity? Two words: selfishness and pride.
Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. (Philippians 2:3-4, NLT)
Don’t be selfish. Is that clear? I like the New International Version’s translation.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3-4, NIV)
Do nothing out of selfish ambition.
What is the sin that causes us to try to impress others, vain conceit? Pride. It’s the root of all sin, the original sin. It plagues all of us in a variety of destructive ways, from arrogance to false humility to hating ourselves and calling God’s masterpiece junk, as if you know better than the Creator! The opposite of pride is…humility.
Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. It’s thinking of Jesus and others more. It’s having the posture of a servant. We all like the idea of being a servant until we’re treated like one! Jesus’ example for us was characterized by humility and obedience. If anyone deserved to act like he was God…!!!
One obvious expression of humility Paul states is looking out for others. It’s having concern for our city and caring for the widow, the stranger, and the orphan. This is especially hard in our individualistic, materialistic, me-first culture. Humility was not valued in the ancient world, and it seems uncommon among the celebrities of our day, yet it is the way of Jesus.
Family, this is a struggle for me. I am selfish. I am proud. I want my own way. I don’t like to wait for others. I think of myself far too often. Even listening can be challenging for me. But would you agree this is a beautiful vision? If we could just get this right, how incredible would that be?
I think it begins with a careful look at Jesus. Imagine he walked in the room. Instant humility! The more time I spent with the LORD, the more I realize how sinful and weak I am. It’s not a popular thing in our culture to admit, but it’s not about me! It’s all about Jesus.
His desire for all of us is simple: follow him. Love him. Love others. This is not done by trying harder. The goal isn’t to merely avoid doing bad things. It begins with surrender, with letting go, with giving Jesus your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Like the five people baptized last week, it’s dying to yourself so you can be made new in Christ.
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
You can watch this video and others at the First Alliance Church Video Library here.
Racism: Part 3, 26 June 2022
Racism
Series Big Idea: Racism is a thoroughly biblical subject which continues to plague our world.
Big Idea: Racism is sin which requires repentance and lament.
I have some good news and some bad news. First, the good news. Although First Alliance is an imperfect church led by imperfect people under the authority of a perfect LORD and Savior, our topic of racism today is not a reaction to things I have seen and heard around here. Rather, I’ve been thrilled to not only watch this congregation diversify, many of various backgrounds and ethnicities have told me they feel loved, respected, and accepted here. Praise God! I love what God is doing here!
The bad news, as you might expect, is racism is not dead. Pastor Derwin Gray is often asked why he talks about race frequently. He replies, “Because the Bible does.” He writes in his book How to Heal Our Racial Divide, “Racial reconciliation in Christ is not peripheral to the gospel, an optional ‘nice to have’ or a fad issue, but central to Christ’s mission and God’s plan.” I wholeheartedly agree.
When most people today in our nation think of racism, they think of black versus white, slavery generations ago, George Floyd, and maybe the names of those who died because of the color of their skin. But the Bible shows us throughout its 66 books people have been prejudice from nearly its first pages. Our enemy knows how to divide and conquer. Jesus himself said,
“Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. (Luke 11:17b)
We see this virtually every day in our political system, to say nothing of the other things that cause people to cancel one another. Perhaps the most glaring biblical example of division is the distinction between Jew and Gentile, something we hardly think about, but it was every bit as daunting—if not more co—than any ethnic conflicts in our nation’s history. Yet Paul wrote to the church in Galatia,
For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. 28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you. (Galatians 3:26-29)
Pastor Donald is a tough act to follow! He asked me to give this message, part three of a series he began last fall and continued last Sunday. While I have no stories of being the victim of ethnic prejudice, I feel qualified to challenge us to view every person as a masterpiece created in the image of God with dignity, value, and worth. The first chapter in the Bible makes this clear.
Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” (Genesis 1:26, NLT)
We already saw…
There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)
But consider these words of Paul to another church:
But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites. (Colossians 3:25)
Dr. N.T. Wright notes,
“The theology and praxis of a church united across the traditional boundaries of ethnic, class, and gender distinctions was never for Paul a secondary matter; it was at the very heart. Otherwise, one would in effect be saying that the Messiah did not after all defeat (through his death) the powers of darkness that divide and corrupt the human race.”
Peter had the same message:
Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. (Acts 10:34)
The book of Romans says,
For God does not show favoritism. (Romans 2:11)
Back in the Old Testament Moses declares,
For the LORD your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed. (Deuteronomy 10:17)
I could go on and on with examples. The Bible paints a beautiful picture of a new community, a multi-ethnic family formed around King Jesus.
My guess is most—hopefully all—of you believe “we are all one in Christ Jesus” as Paul said. You reject the satanic belief that one’s skin color makes them superior or inferior to another. To all of my lighter hue brothers and sisters, I hope you’ve discovered racism didn’t end with Abraham Lincoln or Juneteenth or the election of President Obama or George Floyd. None of my African-American friends want to go back in history. Progress has been made. But there’s much work to do in the arena of reconciliation among all peoples and ethnicities. We’re all members of one race, the human race.
Pew Research Center data shows a full three-quarters of Black Americans say opposing racism is essential to their faith or sense of morality. My guess—and hope—is you all recognize the evil of racism…and probably wonder what to do about it. What can I possibly do about “those racists?”
I’m so glad you asked! Regardless of your skin color or background, I want to offer several next steps that I believe will help us become part of the solution rather than part of the problem. We’re not going to eliminate racism in our nation this week, but there are proactive things we can all do. I’m borrowing this outline from Derwin Gray’s book mentioned earlier, How to Heal Our Racial Divide. Derwin is a pastor in Carolina who worked on his Doctorate at Northern Seminary the same time I did (in a different cohort).
1. Trust the supremacy of Christ
We’ve heard a lot about white supremacy in the news. Dr. Martin Luther King once said,
“[W]e must never substitute a doctrine of black supremacy for white supremacy. For the doctrine of black supremacy is as dangerous as white supremacy. God is not interested merely in the freedom of black men and brown men and yellow men but God is interested in the freedom of the whole human race, the creation of a society where all. Men will live together as brothers.”
King Jesus is supreme. He is the greatest. He is above all. Jesus is LORD! Satan loves to tempt each of us into pride, seeing ourselves somehow better than another, whether it’s our skin color, education, wealth, appearance, or abilities.
Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. (Philippians 2:3)
It doesn’t say anything about Jews or Gentiles, black or white or brown. This is love. This is what Christians do. This is who we are. Why? It’s who Jesus is, and following Jesus means loving like Jesus loved. When we say Jesus is LORD, we mean He is our Master. He’s the boss. We trust and obey, not matter the cost.
Following Jesus is not the American dream. You have no rights. It’s not your body. We are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. It’s not your wealth. Everything we have belongs to God. It’s not about you and your comfort and your convenience or even your safety. It’s all about Jesus! Jesus is LORD!
One of the most disturbing books I’ve read is The Color of Compromise by Jemar Tisby. The subtitle is The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism. It’s a thoroughly researched book about the evil acts of so-called Christians.
Jesus is LORD! Not whites. Not blacks. Not browns. Not Republicans. Not Democrats. Not Independents. Not Americans. Not Buckeyes. Not even Wolverines!
Jesus is LORD, and every person you meet this week is a masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10) created in the image of God with dignity, value, and worth.
2. Engage in Difficult Conversations
First, engage in conversations. Someone said once you’ve heard someone’s story, they can never be your enemy. I desperately want to hear Putin’s story!
But seriously, empathy is formed when we listen. Last month I was on jury duty on a case that ended up in the conviction of a woman for murder, animal cruelty, and arson. As I watched this woman during three days of testimony, I couldn’t help but think years ago I would’ve judged her for her evil acts. Technically, I did judge her along with my jury mates, but as we were seeking justice, I began to imagine the life she has lived, her childhood, her friends, the circumstances that led to her abominable actions. It would not excuse her behavior, but it would surely help explain it.
Similarly, we need to listen to others…people of other ethnicities, other faiths, other political perspectives, and other generations. We can learn so much by seeking to understand rather than only trying to be understood.
Last year, Bishop Culp from First Church of God down the street invited me and several other black and white pastors to read The Color of Compromise together. We’ve been meeting consistently and my favorite part of the experience has been hearing the stories of my brothers of a darker hue. We are related by blood—the blood of Jesus—yet they’ve had countless experiences I can only imagine as a person in the majority culture. As we’ve begun to discuss how we collectively can attack racism, it has led to some clearly different viewpoints, yet we’ve learned to trust and love one another after dozens of conversations.
One thing that makes these conversations difficult is language. Do I call you black or African-American? What do you mean by racism? What about our Hispanic brothers and sisters? And Asians? Should we say Black Lives Matter when the organization was started with non-biblical principles…or do you mean the message of the slogan, not the organization? Am I really white, or some shade of peach? Why can blacks use the N-word but nobody else? Is that word ever appropriate? Why do most rappers cuss in all of their songs? Should I feel bad for being born in the majority culture? What can I do to make this world a better place?
Relationships move at the speed of trust. Love is spelled t-i-m-e. I encourage you to get to know someone different from you, listen, learn, and extend grace when you have awkward or difficult moments. We don’t know what we don’t know and we all need help understanding one another. We are family. Family can be messy, but it can also be so good!
3. Collectively Mourn Injustice
Most Christians I know like happy songs, happy sermons, happy, happy, happy. To be honest, I’m a pretty optimistic person, but although we are told to think about whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8), it doesn’t mean we never pause to mourn, to lament, to acknowledge the injustice and seek ways to change ourselves, our culture, our world. I’ve been involved in powerful moments of recognizing injustice, times of confession and repentance, reconciliation exercises, and sessions of sorrow and grief. I’ve done it around the unborn. I’ve done it around issues of racism. It’s not fun, but it can be powerful. The Psalms are filled with lament.
4. Display Gospel Character
Moments ago, I used the word “grace.” It means unmerited favor. It’s undeserved. We all seek God’s amazing grace, and we need to be generous in extending it to others. This is where we need to look at the culture and do the exact opposite. We don’t hate. We don’t cancel. We don’t hold a grudge. We don’t gossip or tell inappropriate jokes or pre-judge people, not matter what we see on the surface. We love. That’s the Jesus way.
5. Affirm the Reconciler’s Creed
Derwin Gray created this five-part creed:
1. Worship: We will relentlessly worship God by loving our brothers and sisters of different ethnicities in Christ (Matthew 22:37-40). According to Jesus, loving God and loving others are the greatest commandments, and they go together.
2. Justification: We will relentlessly see our brothers and sisters of other ethnicities as the righteousness of God in Christ (Romans 3:22). We are all covered in the same justifying blood.
3. Holiness: We will relentlessly ask God the Holy Spirit to purge us of any prejudices that we have in our hearts (Romans 8:28-29; Galatians 4:19). Honest self-examination is vital to healing and maturity.
4. Unity: We will relentlessly pursue and live in the unity Jesus secured through the bloody cross (Ephesians 2:14-16). We do not work for unity; we live from unity in Christ.
5. Guard: We will relentlessly guard our unity in Christ (Ephesians 4:1-6). Our unity in Christ is, gift and treasure that must be guarded. Demonic powers and those under the power of the evil one want to divide God's people. Our unity displays the beauty of our risen Redeemer; our disunity is a poor witness.
Listen to these beautiful words from Paul to the church in Corinth:
And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:18-21, NLT)
One thing I’ve heard people say is they are colorblind. We need to see color. Derwin Gray calls it being color blessed! We need to see our differences…and celebrate them, learn from them, use them as opportunities to grow, to listen, to demonstrate patience and humility. Our differences are not an accident. As one of our core values states,
We are a mosaic of people loving God and doing life together.
I love it!
“Diversity is inviting people to the party, inclusion is asking them to dance” – Verna Myers
THE DECLARATION OF RECONCILIATION (Derwin Gray)
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
Blessed King of the universe,
in your eternal Son, Messiah Jesus,
the King of kings,
the one who is grace upon grace and
who created a new race, made of all of the human race,
through his life, death, and resurrection—
in his name, by the Holy Spirit's power,
we offer ourselves as living sacrifices, dwelling places of God
King Jesus, we affirm that you purchased a richly diverse
people for your Father,
a people declared righteous by your blood,
a people who are one, yet many.
Your blood binds us to you and to each other as
a beautiful mosaic.
We worship you by loving one another.
We are the family of the redeemed.
We belong to the King.
We pledge our allegiance to King Jesus, the Lamb of God
who sits on the throne.
May we live from and guard the unity Jesus secured on
the cross.
As we grow in holiness, Spirit, empower us to reflect Jesus
more and more.
Way the world see we love Jesus by the way we love each other.
May we treasure our brothers and sisters more than we treasure economic interests, political affiliations, fears, or cultural customs.
In your name, King Jesus, we pray.
Amen
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
You can watch this video and others at the First Alliance Church Video Library here.
Series Big Idea: Racism is a thoroughly biblical subject which continues to plague our world.
Big Idea: Racism is sin which requires repentance and lament.
I have some good news and some bad news. First, the good news. Although First Alliance is an imperfect church led by imperfect people under the authority of a perfect LORD and Savior, our topic of racism today is not a reaction to things I have seen and heard around here. Rather, I’ve been thrilled to not only watch this congregation diversify, many of various backgrounds and ethnicities have told me they feel loved, respected, and accepted here. Praise God! I love what God is doing here!
The bad news, as you might expect, is racism is not dead. Pastor Derwin Gray is often asked why he talks about race frequently. He replies, “Because the Bible does.” He writes in his book How to Heal Our Racial Divide, “Racial reconciliation in Christ is not peripheral to the gospel, an optional ‘nice to have’ or a fad issue, but central to Christ’s mission and God’s plan.” I wholeheartedly agree.
When most people today in our nation think of racism, they think of black versus white, slavery generations ago, George Floyd, and maybe the names of those who died because of the color of their skin. But the Bible shows us throughout its 66 books people have been prejudice from nearly its first pages. Our enemy knows how to divide and conquer. Jesus himself said,
“Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. (Luke 11:17b)
We see this virtually every day in our political system, to say nothing of the other things that cause people to cancel one another. Perhaps the most glaring biblical example of division is the distinction between Jew and Gentile, something we hardly think about, but it was every bit as daunting—if not more co—than any ethnic conflicts in our nation’s history. Yet Paul wrote to the church in Galatia,
For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. 28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you. (Galatians 3:26-29)
Pastor Donald is a tough act to follow! He asked me to give this message, part three of a series he began last fall and continued last Sunday. While I have no stories of being the victim of ethnic prejudice, I feel qualified to challenge us to view every person as a masterpiece created in the image of God with dignity, value, and worth. The first chapter in the Bible makes this clear.
Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” (Genesis 1:26, NLT)
We already saw…
There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)
But consider these words of Paul to another church:
But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites. (Colossians 3:25)
Dr. N.T. Wright notes,
“The theology and praxis of a church united across the traditional boundaries of ethnic, class, and gender distinctions was never for Paul a secondary matter; it was at the very heart. Otherwise, one would in effect be saying that the Messiah did not after all defeat (through his death) the powers of darkness that divide and corrupt the human race.”
Peter had the same message:
Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. (Acts 10:34)
The book of Romans says,
For God does not show favoritism. (Romans 2:11)
Back in the Old Testament Moses declares,
For the LORD your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed. (Deuteronomy 10:17)
I could go on and on with examples. The Bible paints a beautiful picture of a new community, a multi-ethnic family formed around King Jesus.
My guess is most—hopefully all—of you believe “we are all one in Christ Jesus” as Paul said. You reject the satanic belief that one’s skin color makes them superior or inferior to another. To all of my lighter hue brothers and sisters, I hope you’ve discovered racism didn’t end with Abraham Lincoln or Juneteenth or the election of President Obama or George Floyd. None of my African-American friends want to go back in history. Progress has been made. But there’s much work to do in the arena of reconciliation among all peoples and ethnicities. We’re all members of one race, the human race.
Pew Research Center data shows a full three-quarters of Black Americans say opposing racism is essential to their faith or sense of morality. My guess—and hope—is you all recognize the evil of racism…and probably wonder what to do about it. What can I possibly do about “those racists?”
I’m so glad you asked! Regardless of your skin color or background, I want to offer several next steps that I believe will help us become part of the solution rather than part of the problem. We’re not going to eliminate racism in our nation this week, but there are proactive things we can all do. I’m borrowing this outline from Derwin Gray’s book mentioned earlier, How to Heal Our Racial Divide. Derwin is a pastor in Carolina who worked on his Doctorate at Northern Seminary the same time I did (in a different cohort).
1. Trust the supremacy of Christ
We’ve heard a lot about white supremacy in the news. Dr. Martin Luther King once said,
“[W]e must never substitute a doctrine of black supremacy for white supremacy. For the doctrine of black supremacy is as dangerous as white supremacy. God is not interested merely in the freedom of black men and brown men and yellow men but God is interested in the freedom of the whole human race, the creation of a society where all. Men will live together as brothers.”
King Jesus is supreme. He is the greatest. He is above all. Jesus is LORD! Satan loves to tempt each of us into pride, seeing ourselves somehow better than another, whether it’s our skin color, education, wealth, appearance, or abilities.
Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. (Philippians 2:3)
It doesn’t say anything about Jews or Gentiles, black or white or brown. This is love. This is what Christians do. This is who we are. Why? It’s who Jesus is, and following Jesus means loving like Jesus loved. When we say Jesus is LORD, we mean He is our Master. He’s the boss. We trust and obey, not matter the cost.
Following Jesus is not the American dream. You have no rights. It’s not your body. We are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. It’s not your wealth. Everything we have belongs to God. It’s not about you and your comfort and your convenience or even your safety. It’s all about Jesus! Jesus is LORD!
One of the most disturbing books I’ve read is The Color of Compromise by Jemar Tisby. The subtitle is The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism. It’s a thoroughly researched book about the evil acts of so-called Christians.
Jesus is LORD! Not whites. Not blacks. Not browns. Not Republicans. Not Democrats. Not Independents. Not Americans. Not Buckeyes. Not even Wolverines!
Jesus is LORD, and every person you meet this week is a masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10) created in the image of God with dignity, value, and worth.
2. Engage in Difficult Conversations
First, engage in conversations. Someone said once you’ve heard someone’s story, they can never be your enemy. I desperately want to hear Putin’s story!
But seriously, empathy is formed when we listen. Last month I was on jury duty on a case that ended up in the conviction of a woman for murder, animal cruelty, and arson. As I watched this woman during three days of testimony, I couldn’t help but think years ago I would’ve judged her for her evil acts. Technically, I did judge her along with my jury mates, but as we were seeking justice, I began to imagine the life she has lived, her childhood, her friends, the circumstances that led to her abominable actions. It would not excuse her behavior, but it would surely help explain it.
Similarly, we need to listen to others…people of other ethnicities, other faiths, other political perspectives, and other generations. We can learn so much by seeking to understand rather than only trying to be understood.
Last year, Bishop Culp from First Church of God down the street invited me and several other black and white pastors to read The Color of Compromise together. We’ve been meeting consistently and my favorite part of the experience has been hearing the stories of my brothers of a darker hue. We are related by blood—the blood of Jesus—yet they’ve had countless experiences I can only imagine as a person in the majority culture. As we’ve begun to discuss how we collectively can attack racism, it has led to some clearly different viewpoints, yet we’ve learned to trust and love one another after dozens of conversations.
One thing that makes these conversations difficult is language. Do I call you black or African-American? What do you mean by racism? What about our Hispanic brothers and sisters? And Asians? Should we say Black Lives Matter when the organization was started with non-biblical principles…or do you mean the message of the slogan, not the organization? Am I really white, or some shade of peach? Why can blacks use the N-word but nobody else? Is that word ever appropriate? Why do most rappers cuss in all of their songs? Should I feel bad for being born in the majority culture? What can I do to make this world a better place?
Relationships move at the speed of trust. Love is spelled t-i-m-e. I encourage you to get to know someone different from you, listen, learn, and extend grace when you have awkward or difficult moments. We don’t know what we don’t know and we all need help understanding one another. We are family. Family can be messy, but it can also be so good!
3. Collectively Mourn Injustice
Most Christians I know like happy songs, happy sermons, happy, happy, happy. To be honest, I’m a pretty optimistic person, but although we are told to think about whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8), it doesn’t mean we never pause to mourn, to lament, to acknowledge the injustice and seek ways to change ourselves, our culture, our world. I’ve been involved in powerful moments of recognizing injustice, times of confession and repentance, reconciliation exercises, and sessions of sorrow and grief. I’ve done it around the unborn. I’ve done it around issues of racism. It’s not fun, but it can be powerful. The Psalms are filled with lament.
4. Display Gospel Character
Moments ago, I used the word “grace.” It means unmerited favor. It’s undeserved. We all seek God’s amazing grace, and we need to be generous in extending it to others. This is where we need to look at the culture and do the exact opposite. We don’t hate. We don’t cancel. We don’t hold a grudge. We don’t gossip or tell inappropriate jokes or pre-judge people, not matter what we see on the surface. We love. That’s the Jesus way.
5. Affirm the Reconciler’s Creed
Derwin Gray created this five-part creed:
1. Worship: We will relentlessly worship God by loving our brothers and sisters of different ethnicities in Christ (Matthew 22:37-40). According to Jesus, loving God and loving others are the greatest commandments, and they go together.
2. Justification: We will relentlessly see our brothers and sisters of other ethnicities as the righteousness of God in Christ (Romans 3:22). We are all covered in the same justifying blood.
3. Holiness: We will relentlessly ask God the Holy Spirit to purge us of any prejudices that we have in our hearts (Romans 8:28-29; Galatians 4:19). Honest self-examination is vital to healing and maturity.
4. Unity: We will relentlessly pursue and live in the unity Jesus secured through the bloody cross (Ephesians 2:14-16). We do not work for unity; we live from unity in Christ.
5. Guard: We will relentlessly guard our unity in Christ (Ephesians 4:1-6). Our unity in Christ is, gift and treasure that must be guarded. Demonic powers and those under the power of the evil one want to divide God's people. Our unity displays the beauty of our risen Redeemer; our disunity is a poor witness.
Listen to these beautiful words from Paul to the church in Corinth:
And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:18-21, NLT)
One thing I’ve heard people say is they are colorblind. We need to see color. Derwin Gray calls it being color blessed! We need to see our differences…and celebrate them, learn from them, use them as opportunities to grow, to listen, to demonstrate patience and humility. Our differences are not an accident. As one of our core values states,
We are a mosaic of people loving God and doing life together.
I love it!
“Diversity is inviting people to the party, inclusion is asking them to dance” – Verna Myers
THE DECLARATION OF RECONCILIATION (Derwin Gray)
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
Blessed King of the universe,
in your eternal Son, Messiah Jesus,
the King of kings,
the one who is grace upon grace and
who created a new race, made of all of the human race,
through his life, death, and resurrection—
in his name, by the Holy Spirit's power,
we offer ourselves as living sacrifices, dwelling places of God
King Jesus, we affirm that you purchased a richly diverse
people for your Father,
a people declared righteous by your blood,
a people who are one, yet many.
Your blood binds us to you and to each other as
a beautiful mosaic.
We worship you by loving one another.
We are the family of the redeemed.
We belong to the King.
We pledge our allegiance to King Jesus, the Lamb of God
who sits on the throne.
May we live from and guard the unity Jesus secured on
the cross.
As we grow in holiness, Spirit, empower us to reflect Jesus
more and more.
Way the world see we love Jesus by the way we love each other.
May we treasure our brothers and sisters more than we treasure economic interests, political affiliations, fears, or cultural customs.
In your name, King Jesus, we pray.
Amen
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
You can watch this video and others at the First Alliance Church Video Library here.
Synergy, 29 August 2021
30 08 21 Filed in: Sermons | Getting to the Core (values)
Synergy
Series—Getting to the Core (values)
Matthew 18:19-20; John 17:20-23; 1 Corinthians 9:19-23
Series Big Idea: Our core values guide us in our mission of family restoring God’s masterpieces for His glory.
Big Idea: We collaborate for the sake of the Kingdom of God.
Why are you here? Why are we here? That’s really the question we’ve been asking for the past several weeks in our series Getting to the Core. As we reboot and prepare for a post-pandemic reality (which is taking longer than any of us expected!), what is God’s unique call for First Alliance Church?
In week one we said one of our core values is
Equipping…the next generation to fulfill the Great Commission
Pastor Donald challenged us to
Faithfulness…to prayer, the Word of God, and following Jesus
We talked about how we are a
Family…a mosaic of people loving God and doing life together
Then Pastor Donald talked about the value of
Generosity…trusting God with open hands and open hearts
Last Sunday we said we are
Missional…taking faith-filled risks in launching new ministries to love our neighbors
And sixth and final word, our final core value in no particular order is
Synergy…collaborating for the sake of the Kingdom of God
The word synergy is derived from the Greek word sunergi which denotes cooperation and is based upon the word sunergos which means working together.
Synergy is the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects. For all of you mathematics scholar, synergy can be summarized in the following equation:
1 + 1 > 2
Our world is filled with examples. Hydrogen (two unites) plus oxygen equals…water.
Milk plus Nesquik equals…yummy chocolate milk.
If you’ve ever made stew, you know the combination of ingredients is certainly better than eating them one at a time.
Is anyone else getting hungry?!
Before we get into the ways in which we collaborate for the sake of the Kingdom of God, let’s state the obvious:
God + anything > anything without God
That’s the ultimate synergy. Paul famously said,
I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13)
God plus broken masterpieces like us is greater than anything the world can offer. I find it totally amazing that Almighty God wants us on His team, that He chose us to be His sons and daughters, and that He has entrusted His Kingdom to us! After three years of earthly ministry, Jesus passed the baton to His small group of followers who have continued to pass it over the past two thousand years to us. One of the core values of our global family, the Christian & Missionary Alliance, says,
Without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we can accomplish nothing.
We collaborate first and foremost with God. When we say the heart of our mission is to “restore God’s masterpieces,” it’s not a work we do, but a work we do with God, with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, supported by the prayers of Jesus seated at the right hand of the Father. I said it last Sunday, the work we’re trying to accomplish we cannot do…without God. He is the great Restorer, Redeemer, Transformer.
For 133 years, we’ve been collaborating with God to make disciples of Jesus Christ. We’ve seen broken marriages restored, physical bodies healed, addicted people set free, and the lost found. Hallelujah! But we’ve often done that in partnership with others.
One of my favorites quotes says,
It is amazing what can be accomplished when nobody cares about who gets the credit. - Robert Yates
I actually care who gets the credit, but it’s not us. It’s Jesus!
Synergy: We collaborate for the sake of the Kingdom of God.
It’s not for our sake. Our mission is not to be the biggest church in Toledo. You might say that our mission is to serve the Church in Toledo, the capital C Church. Our competition is not The Tabernacle, the Vineyard Church, Westgate Chapel, or Harvest Lane Alliance. Our competition is the pillow, the screens, and the golf course. We need other churches and ministry partners to bring in the harvest.
Without partnerships with others, our impact will be limited.
We can only do so much as a local church, yet when we collaborate, synergy is the result.
A few weeks ago when we talked about the diversity of our local church family, we said we’re a mosaic of different, interdependent parts, drawing from 1 Corinthians 12.
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. (1 Corinthians 12:7-11)
Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. (1 Corinthians 12:12-14)
Every part is important. Some are more visible than others, but each is essential, and each needs to be connected to the body. Years ago my uncle sliced off a part of his finger and though it was a small part, the pain was immense, and once it was detached from his body, it was no longer useful.
I used to think Paul’s metaphor of the body meant one person is the elbow, another is the big toe, someone else is an ear, etc. I still believe that’s what he meant, but what if the body was not a local church but rather a community? What if First Alliance Church is the nose, First Church of God is an ear, Washington Church is an eye, and Cedar Creek is the knee? We need one another. We can’t disciple a city or region on our own. We have different styles and traditions, but one LORD, one faith, and one baptism.
Acts 1:8 is a favorite verse of our Alliance family. Jesus says,
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
Acts 1:8 describes the expansion of God’s Kingdom. We are to be involved in making disciples in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. We have partners in each realm.
Our Jerusalem is obviously Toledo. It’s our epicenter, our base of operations. One of our partners here is a group of pastors and ministry leaders called MERGE.
Jerusalem First Alliance and MERGE
Our Judea is beyond our immediate neighborhood and includes the Great Lakes District of the Christian & Missionary Alliance as well as our Home Missions partners.
Judea : Home Missions Partners and the Great Lakes District of the C&MA
You will hear from five of our ten Home Missions partners in two weeks, but I want to say thank you on behalf of the Toledo Public School teachers who have been impacted by your generous Showers of Blessings contributions to the Teacher School Supplies Pantry and the support of Rosa Parks Elementary teachers. This past week, Sue Trumbull had an amazing time of prayer and conversation with several of them. One teacher was considering quitting and had asked God for a sign and felt our coming to her room to pray for her was her sign!
If we stayed huddled in this building waiting for people to come to us, that never would’ve happened. In the Great Commission in the last chapter of the book of Matthew, Jesus said to “go” and make disciples. We do ministry with the Great Lakes District and our Home Missions partners all across our city and region. It’s a joy to participate in the Kingdom of God with groups such as Cherry Street Mission, the Pregnancy Center, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Water for Ishmael.
Samaria: Faith Missions Partners
Ends of the Earth: Alliance Missions
Jesus’ prayer for us in John 17 was unity.
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17:20-23)
We have a real enemy who loves to divide and conquer, and he has done a great job, especially during this pandemic. When we all argue, fight, and cancel each other, nothing productive can be accomplished. A dismembered body can accomplish nothing. A house divided cannot stand.
But when we come together, beautiful things are created. Sure, it’s messy. It’s challenging. It takes time and communication. But it’s worth it. Jesus said,
“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:19)
There’s an old saying that if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others.
One of our core values and something that makes us distinct from some churches is
Synergy…collaborating for the sake of the Kingdom of God
We play well with others! One of my favorite recent examples of this was our Sports & Arts Camp last month, done in partnership with The Tabernacle. Pastors Dr. Calvin and Christine Sweeney sent me a note which says,
Thank you so much for your friendship and for your partnership not only for this past month, but for this past year. Through your generosity and the generosity of your congregation, we have invested countless hours of love, attention and assistance to more than 150 children and their families. The effects of our efforts, I believe, will yield an eternal return and we’re so thankful we could do it with you. We love and appreciate you!
It's been said that a single draft horse can pull up to 8000 pounds. You would think two draft horses together would be able to pull 16,000 pounds, but it’s actually 24,000 pounds. When they’re trained together, they can pull 32,000 pounds! That’s synergy. That’s the value of collaboration.
Synergy: We collaborate for the sake of the Kingdom of God.
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
You can watch this video and others at the First Alliance Church Video Library here.
Series—Getting to the Core (values)
Matthew 18:19-20; John 17:20-23; 1 Corinthians 9:19-23
Series Big Idea: Our core values guide us in our mission of family restoring God’s masterpieces for His glory.
Big Idea: We collaborate for the sake of the Kingdom of God.
Why are you here? Why are we here? That’s really the question we’ve been asking for the past several weeks in our series Getting to the Core. As we reboot and prepare for a post-pandemic reality (which is taking longer than any of us expected!), what is God’s unique call for First Alliance Church?
In week one we said one of our core values is
Equipping…the next generation to fulfill the Great Commission
Pastor Donald challenged us to
Faithfulness…to prayer, the Word of God, and following Jesus
We talked about how we are a
Family…a mosaic of people loving God and doing life together
Then Pastor Donald talked about the value of
Generosity…trusting God with open hands and open hearts
Last Sunday we said we are
Missional…taking faith-filled risks in launching new ministries to love our neighbors
And sixth and final word, our final core value in no particular order is
Synergy…collaborating for the sake of the Kingdom of God
The word synergy is derived from the Greek word sunergi which denotes cooperation and is based upon the word sunergos which means working together.
Synergy is the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects. For all of you mathematics scholar, synergy can be summarized in the following equation:
1 + 1 > 2
Our world is filled with examples. Hydrogen (two unites) plus oxygen equals…water.
Milk plus Nesquik equals…yummy chocolate milk.
If you’ve ever made stew, you know the combination of ingredients is certainly better than eating them one at a time.
Is anyone else getting hungry?!
Before we get into the ways in which we collaborate for the sake of the Kingdom of God, let’s state the obvious:
God + anything > anything without God
That’s the ultimate synergy. Paul famously said,
I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13)
God plus broken masterpieces like us is greater than anything the world can offer. I find it totally amazing that Almighty God wants us on His team, that He chose us to be His sons and daughters, and that He has entrusted His Kingdom to us! After three years of earthly ministry, Jesus passed the baton to His small group of followers who have continued to pass it over the past two thousand years to us. One of the core values of our global family, the Christian & Missionary Alliance, says,
Without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we can accomplish nothing.
We collaborate first and foremost with God. When we say the heart of our mission is to “restore God’s masterpieces,” it’s not a work we do, but a work we do with God, with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, supported by the prayers of Jesus seated at the right hand of the Father. I said it last Sunday, the work we’re trying to accomplish we cannot do…without God. He is the great Restorer, Redeemer, Transformer.
For 133 years, we’ve been collaborating with God to make disciples of Jesus Christ. We’ve seen broken marriages restored, physical bodies healed, addicted people set free, and the lost found. Hallelujah! But we’ve often done that in partnership with others.
One of my favorites quotes says,
It is amazing what can be accomplished when nobody cares about who gets the credit. - Robert Yates
I actually care who gets the credit, but it’s not us. It’s Jesus!
Synergy: We collaborate for the sake of the Kingdom of God.
It’s not for our sake. Our mission is not to be the biggest church in Toledo. You might say that our mission is to serve the Church in Toledo, the capital C Church. Our competition is not The Tabernacle, the Vineyard Church, Westgate Chapel, or Harvest Lane Alliance. Our competition is the pillow, the screens, and the golf course. We need other churches and ministry partners to bring in the harvest.
Without partnerships with others, our impact will be limited.
We can only do so much as a local church, yet when we collaborate, synergy is the result.
A few weeks ago when we talked about the diversity of our local church family, we said we’re a mosaic of different, interdependent parts, drawing from 1 Corinthians 12.
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. (1 Corinthians 12:7-11)
Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. (1 Corinthians 12:12-14)
Every part is important. Some are more visible than others, but each is essential, and each needs to be connected to the body. Years ago my uncle sliced off a part of his finger and though it was a small part, the pain was immense, and once it was detached from his body, it was no longer useful.
I used to think Paul’s metaphor of the body meant one person is the elbow, another is the big toe, someone else is an ear, etc. I still believe that’s what he meant, but what if the body was not a local church but rather a community? What if First Alliance Church is the nose, First Church of God is an ear, Washington Church is an eye, and Cedar Creek is the knee? We need one another. We can’t disciple a city or region on our own. We have different styles and traditions, but one LORD, one faith, and one baptism.
Acts 1:8 is a favorite verse of our Alliance family. Jesus says,
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
Acts 1:8 describes the expansion of God’s Kingdom. We are to be involved in making disciples in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. We have partners in each realm.
Our Jerusalem is obviously Toledo. It’s our epicenter, our base of operations. One of our partners here is a group of pastors and ministry leaders called MERGE.
Jerusalem First Alliance and MERGE
Our Judea is beyond our immediate neighborhood and includes the Great Lakes District of the Christian & Missionary Alliance as well as our Home Missions partners.
Judea : Home Missions Partners and the Great Lakes District of the C&MA
You will hear from five of our ten Home Missions partners in two weeks, but I want to say thank you on behalf of the Toledo Public School teachers who have been impacted by your generous Showers of Blessings contributions to the Teacher School Supplies Pantry and the support of Rosa Parks Elementary teachers. This past week, Sue Trumbull had an amazing time of prayer and conversation with several of them. One teacher was considering quitting and had asked God for a sign and felt our coming to her room to pray for her was her sign!
If we stayed huddled in this building waiting for people to come to us, that never would’ve happened. In the Great Commission in the last chapter of the book of Matthew, Jesus said to “go” and make disciples. We do ministry with the Great Lakes District and our Home Missions partners all across our city and region. It’s a joy to participate in the Kingdom of God with groups such as Cherry Street Mission, the Pregnancy Center, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Water for Ishmael.
Samaria: Faith Missions Partners
Ends of the Earth: Alliance Missions
Jesus’ prayer for us in John 17 was unity.
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17:20-23)
We have a real enemy who loves to divide and conquer, and he has done a great job, especially during this pandemic. When we all argue, fight, and cancel each other, nothing productive can be accomplished. A dismembered body can accomplish nothing. A house divided cannot stand.
But when we come together, beautiful things are created. Sure, it’s messy. It’s challenging. It takes time and communication. But it’s worth it. Jesus said,
“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:19)
There’s an old saying that if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others.
One of our core values and something that makes us distinct from some churches is
Synergy…collaborating for the sake of the Kingdom of God
We play well with others! One of my favorite recent examples of this was our Sports & Arts Camp last month, done in partnership with The Tabernacle. Pastors Dr. Calvin and Christine Sweeney sent me a note which says,
Thank you so much for your friendship and for your partnership not only for this past month, but for this past year. Through your generosity and the generosity of your congregation, we have invested countless hours of love, attention and assistance to more than 150 children and their families. The effects of our efforts, I believe, will yield an eternal return and we’re so thankful we could do it with you. We love and appreciate you!
It's been said that a single draft horse can pull up to 8000 pounds. You would think two draft horses together would be able to pull 16,000 pounds, but it’s actually 24,000 pounds. When they’re trained together, they can pull 32,000 pounds! That’s synergy. That’s the value of collaboration.
Synergy: We collaborate for the sake of the Kingdom of God.
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
You can watch this video and others at the First Alliance Church Video Library here.
The Relational Divide, 25 October 2020
25 10 20 Filed in: Sermons | The Great Divide
The Relational Divide (We Need One Another)
Series—The Great Divide
Series Big Idea: Our world is filled with division, yet Jesus prayed that we would be one.
Big Idea: The Kingdom of God is diverse, multi-generational, and beautiful
Today we conclude our series “The Great Divide.” We began with the political divide and said our focus must be on the Lion and the Lamb, not the elephant or donkey. We are a politically diverse family and we need to offer respect, grace, and love to one another. Period.
Last Sunday we talked about the racial divide. We noted how there is only one race, the human race, and although we are all created with equal value, we are not all treated with equal value.
[I hope you took some time this past week to educate yourself through the Phil Vischer videos]
Today we’re going to talk about the relational divide…those other things which come between us as spiritual siblings…and how we can overcome them by building bridges.
The mission of First Alliance Church is to be a Jesus-centered family restoring God’s masterpieces in Toledo and beyond for His glory.
It’s important to note the church doesn’t actually have a mission, but rather God’s mission has a Church! We are here for God’s glory. That’s the bottom line. We’re not a social club for the benefit of its members. We are not to be consumers of religious goods and services. We are a family on mission. We are here to glorify God. What does it look like to bring glory to God? Jesus said to the Father,
My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17:20-23)
I often reference this essential scripture, but why does Jesus pray this? Is it to give us more work to do? Is it about making peace in the family? The bottom line is God’s glory, that the world will know Jesus and God’s love.
I know I’ve said this many times before, but if we did our job, I believe the world would be in much better shape. The world is going to sin, create division, hate, judge, lie, condemn, …but while we are in the world, we are not to be of the world. We are to be Kingdom people, citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20).
Eleven times we’re commanded to “love one another.” That’s more than a suggestion!
Unity does not mean uniformity. We are all different…by design. Like musicians in a trio or quartet, we must learn to play our notes in harmony with one another, complementing one another, adding to the beauty, not causing conflict or division.
What is the root of all division? I believe it is pride, arguably the root of all sin. Think for a moment about any tension, any conflict, any disagreement. Imagine if one of the persons put this into practice:
Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:10)
or…
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3-4)
Imagine if both people put that into practice! I said last week…
We are all created with equal value, but we are not all treated with equal value.
Even inside the Church, inside the family, it’s tempting to show favoritism, to look down on some people, to judge or condemn or simply avoid a brother or sister. But we can’t let the enemy win! We are spiritual siblings. We must love well, not only for our sake, not only for the sake of others in the family, but for the sake of the gospel, the good news, Jesus! Loving well brings God glory. In His eyes…
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)
Besides politics and race, what divides us? What keeps us from experiencing full, agape love with one another? What threatens unity? First, I think it’s our focus.
C.S. Lewis said, “Seek Unity and you will find neither Unity nor Truth. Seek the light of truth, and you will find Unity and Truth.” Indeed, we must focus on Jesus. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We must be filled with the Holy Spirit, guided by the holy scriptures, and seeking the glory of God.
We need to focus on Jesus, not ourselves. Not our favorite candidate or author. Jesus. The enemy wants us divided. A house divided cannot stand.
So besides losing our focus on Jesus, what problems create divisions in the family? We’re going to briefly look at nine…and some practical solutions.
Problem: gossip
Solution: Matthew 18
It is amazing how gossip can spread…even innocently…even in a prayer meeting…even out of genuine concern. I love Dave Ramsey’s take on gossip. It’s poison. He has a no-gossip policy at his company, and I have one for our church family. Ramsey defines gossip as discussing anything negative with someone who can’t help solve the problem. The solution is simple. It’s found in Matthew 18.
“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. (Matthew 18:15-17)
The next one is closely related.
Problem: lies
Solution: truth
Someone recently asked me a question about some gossip they heard. It was a total lie! Had the original person simply come to me or someone who could answer the question rather than guess and accuse, countless people would’ve be spared of misinformation which was negative and alarming. Get the facts. That goes for social media, too. Don’t believe everything you read online…especially if it’s from the Babylon Bee (which is a satire site!). It seems so obvious to tell the truth, but intentionally or accidentally, so much division is caused by data that is simply not true.
Problem: judging
Solution: help me understand
I think we’re all guilty of judging others, despite the clear commands of scripture. Even non-Christians like Jesus’ words in Matthew 7…
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Matthew 7:1-2)
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said,
Judgement is the forbidden objectivization of the other person which destroys single-minded love. I am not forbidden to have my own thoughts about the other person, to realize his shortcomings, but only to the extent that it offers to me an occasion for forgiveness and unconditional love, as Jesus proves to me.
What do we do when we smell something fishy, pastor? Here are three words: help me understand. We are so quick to make assumptions without knowing the full story.
Problem: worship preferences
Solution: submit to one another
This one gets personal. Let’s face it, we all like certain songs, certain styles of music, certain fashion, certain types of sermons, certain expressions of worship, certain volume levels, certain lengths of sermons, …
There’s no perfect church. There’s no perfect pastor…or sermon or worship leader or…
The larger the family, the more we must love well, compromise, and even submit to one another.
We don’t like that word “submit.” It goes against our rugged individualism. Frank Sinatra sang, “I Did It My Way!” But the Bible said something entirely different.
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Ephesians 5:21)
When is the last time you took a deep breath and shift the focus from your preferences to…Jesus? I remember the “worship wars” of the 90’s…and probably every generation. Hymns, no choruses. Modern, no ancient. Slow, no fast. Worship’s not for you!!! Again, where is your focus? We’re here for Jesus! It shouldn’t matter if we repeat the song fifty times…it’s not for us! OK, actually, I do sometimes tire of endless repetition of song lyrics, but then again, we’re told of each of the four living creatures in Revelation,
Day and night they never stop saying:
“ ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” (Revelation 4:8b)
Problem: cultural differences
Solution: celebrate diversity
This often gets lumped into the race conversation. Is the issue skin color or economic class or cultural differences. Regardless, we can celebrate our diversity. I admit, I’m weird! I’m a variety junkie. My favorite restaurant is the one I’ve never been to before. I’d rather travel to a new place than a frequented one. I love people, and I’m especially drawn to the—uh—unique ones. Birds of a feather…!!!
I’m glad we’re different! It can create conflicts, but it can also create growth, understanding, and friendships. How boring would it be if everyone was just like me?! God created each of us unique and special. Let’s celebrate His masterpieces!
Problem: bitterness
Solution: forgiveness
This one’s a biggie. We obviously can’t unpack this fully today, but so much of the relational divide in our society involves bitterness. Sometimes the offense—or the alleged offense—occurred decades ago, yet the wedge of bitterness remains, penalizing both parties with a missing relationship.
The solution is forgiveness. Nobody deserves to be forgiven. It’s a choice. When the choice is made, beautiful things begin…for both people. Forgiveness doesn’t mean trust. It doesn’t mean forget. It means let go of the grudge. It means move on. Often this is a miracle only possible by the Holy Spirit, but we serve the God of the impossible!
Problem: theological differences
Solution: grace and essentials
There’s a great line that says, In necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas. If, like me, you don’t know Latin, it means, “in necessary things unity; in uncertain things liberty; in all things charity.” It’s often attributed to Augustine, but it was likely first used in 1617 by Archbishop Marco Antonio de Dominis. There are open-handed and closed-handed issues when we talk about God. Although we often debate which are open and which are closed, there are some things like the virgin birth, the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the reliability of the Bible which we would say are essential, non-negotiables, while some matters such as the age of the earth, whether or not there will be pets in heaven, and appropriate alcohol use we might call important but not essential. The point being “in all things charity.” We need to exercise grace with one another and focus on the essentials.
One thing I love about the Christian & Missionary Alliance is its theological diversity. We have a lot of opinions about a lot of things and we are free to respectfully discuss them while maintaining a statement of faith which is biblical and simple.
Problem: busyness
Solution: sabbath
In many relationships, the greatest divide is time. We’re so busy, we simply fail to take the time to get to know one another. We need rest, we need sabbath, we need to slow down, grab a cup of coffee or tea, and be together. Love is often spelled t-i-m-e.
Problem: generation gaps
Solution: mentoring (both benefit)
Finally, generation gaps often create division between people, even Christians. Some of this may be cultural differences or worship preferences, but just like it’s easy to stereotype based upon ethnicity, it’s also common to think or say, “Oh you Millennials” or “You old people” or “You amazing GenXers!” This has even resulted in single-generation churches of twentysomethings or retirees rather than a multi-generational congregation in which mentoring is active, the older teaching the younger. This was commonplace in the early church. Paul told Titus to teach the older women so they can mentor the younger women (Titus 2:3-5). Spiritual parenting or even grandparenting can be mutually beneficial and enhance the life of any congregation, bridging generation gaps with love, dignity, respect, and understanding.
So What?
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:2-6)
Benediction:
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 15:5-6)
For Further Reading
The Fellowship of Differents by Scot McKnight
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
You can watch this video and others at the First Alliance Church Video Library here.
Series—The Great Divide
Series Big Idea: Our world is filled with division, yet Jesus prayed that we would be one.
Big Idea: The Kingdom of God is diverse, multi-generational, and beautiful
Today we conclude our series “The Great Divide.” We began with the political divide and said our focus must be on the Lion and the Lamb, not the elephant or donkey. We are a politically diverse family and we need to offer respect, grace, and love to one another. Period.
Last Sunday we talked about the racial divide. We noted how there is only one race, the human race, and although we are all created with equal value, we are not all treated with equal value.
[I hope you took some time this past week to educate yourself through the Phil Vischer videos]
Today we’re going to talk about the relational divide…those other things which come between us as spiritual siblings…and how we can overcome them by building bridges.
The mission of First Alliance Church is to be a Jesus-centered family restoring God’s masterpieces in Toledo and beyond for His glory.
It’s important to note the church doesn’t actually have a mission, but rather God’s mission has a Church! We are here for God’s glory. That’s the bottom line. We’re not a social club for the benefit of its members. We are not to be consumers of religious goods and services. We are a family on mission. We are here to glorify God. What does it look like to bring glory to God? Jesus said to the Father,
My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17:20-23)
I often reference this essential scripture, but why does Jesus pray this? Is it to give us more work to do? Is it about making peace in the family? The bottom line is God’s glory, that the world will know Jesus and God’s love.
I know I’ve said this many times before, but if we did our job, I believe the world would be in much better shape. The world is going to sin, create division, hate, judge, lie, condemn, …but while we are in the world, we are not to be of the world. We are to be Kingdom people, citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20).
Eleven times we’re commanded to “love one another.” That’s more than a suggestion!
Unity does not mean uniformity. We are all different…by design. Like musicians in a trio or quartet, we must learn to play our notes in harmony with one another, complementing one another, adding to the beauty, not causing conflict or division.
What is the root of all division? I believe it is pride, arguably the root of all sin. Think for a moment about any tension, any conflict, any disagreement. Imagine if one of the persons put this into practice:
Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:10)
or…
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3-4)
Imagine if both people put that into practice! I said last week…
We are all created with equal value, but we are not all treated with equal value.
Even inside the Church, inside the family, it’s tempting to show favoritism, to look down on some people, to judge or condemn or simply avoid a brother or sister. But we can’t let the enemy win! We are spiritual siblings. We must love well, not only for our sake, not only for the sake of others in the family, but for the sake of the gospel, the good news, Jesus! Loving well brings God glory. In His eyes…
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)
Besides politics and race, what divides us? What keeps us from experiencing full, agape love with one another? What threatens unity? First, I think it’s our focus.
C.S. Lewis said, “Seek Unity and you will find neither Unity nor Truth. Seek the light of truth, and you will find Unity and Truth.” Indeed, we must focus on Jesus. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We must be filled with the Holy Spirit, guided by the holy scriptures, and seeking the glory of God.
We need to focus on Jesus, not ourselves. Not our favorite candidate or author. Jesus. The enemy wants us divided. A house divided cannot stand.
So besides losing our focus on Jesus, what problems create divisions in the family? We’re going to briefly look at nine…and some practical solutions.
Problem: gossip
Solution: Matthew 18
It is amazing how gossip can spread…even innocently…even in a prayer meeting…even out of genuine concern. I love Dave Ramsey’s take on gossip. It’s poison. He has a no-gossip policy at his company, and I have one for our church family. Ramsey defines gossip as discussing anything negative with someone who can’t help solve the problem. The solution is simple. It’s found in Matthew 18.
“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. (Matthew 18:15-17)
The next one is closely related.
Problem: lies
Solution: truth
Someone recently asked me a question about some gossip they heard. It was a total lie! Had the original person simply come to me or someone who could answer the question rather than guess and accuse, countless people would’ve be spared of misinformation which was negative and alarming. Get the facts. That goes for social media, too. Don’t believe everything you read online…especially if it’s from the Babylon Bee (which is a satire site!). It seems so obvious to tell the truth, but intentionally or accidentally, so much division is caused by data that is simply not true.
Problem: judging
Solution: help me understand
I think we’re all guilty of judging others, despite the clear commands of scripture. Even non-Christians like Jesus’ words in Matthew 7…
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Matthew 7:1-2)
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said,
Judgement is the forbidden objectivization of the other person which destroys single-minded love. I am not forbidden to have my own thoughts about the other person, to realize his shortcomings, but only to the extent that it offers to me an occasion for forgiveness and unconditional love, as Jesus proves to me.
What do we do when we smell something fishy, pastor? Here are three words: help me understand. We are so quick to make assumptions without knowing the full story.
Problem: worship preferences
Solution: submit to one another
This one gets personal. Let’s face it, we all like certain songs, certain styles of music, certain fashion, certain types of sermons, certain expressions of worship, certain volume levels, certain lengths of sermons, …
There’s no perfect church. There’s no perfect pastor…or sermon or worship leader or…
The larger the family, the more we must love well, compromise, and even submit to one another.
We don’t like that word “submit.” It goes against our rugged individualism. Frank Sinatra sang, “I Did It My Way!” But the Bible said something entirely different.
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Ephesians 5:21)
When is the last time you took a deep breath and shift the focus from your preferences to…Jesus? I remember the “worship wars” of the 90’s…and probably every generation. Hymns, no choruses. Modern, no ancient. Slow, no fast. Worship’s not for you!!! Again, where is your focus? We’re here for Jesus! It shouldn’t matter if we repeat the song fifty times…it’s not for us! OK, actually, I do sometimes tire of endless repetition of song lyrics, but then again, we’re told of each of the four living creatures in Revelation,
Day and night they never stop saying:
“ ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” (Revelation 4:8b)
Problem: cultural differences
Solution: celebrate diversity
This often gets lumped into the race conversation. Is the issue skin color or economic class or cultural differences. Regardless, we can celebrate our diversity. I admit, I’m weird! I’m a variety junkie. My favorite restaurant is the one I’ve never been to before. I’d rather travel to a new place than a frequented one. I love people, and I’m especially drawn to the—uh—unique ones. Birds of a feather…!!!
I’m glad we’re different! It can create conflicts, but it can also create growth, understanding, and friendships. How boring would it be if everyone was just like me?! God created each of us unique and special. Let’s celebrate His masterpieces!
Problem: bitterness
Solution: forgiveness
This one’s a biggie. We obviously can’t unpack this fully today, but so much of the relational divide in our society involves bitterness. Sometimes the offense—or the alleged offense—occurred decades ago, yet the wedge of bitterness remains, penalizing both parties with a missing relationship.
The solution is forgiveness. Nobody deserves to be forgiven. It’s a choice. When the choice is made, beautiful things begin…for both people. Forgiveness doesn’t mean trust. It doesn’t mean forget. It means let go of the grudge. It means move on. Often this is a miracle only possible by the Holy Spirit, but we serve the God of the impossible!
Problem: theological differences
Solution: grace and essentials
There’s a great line that says, In necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas. If, like me, you don’t know Latin, it means, “in necessary things unity; in uncertain things liberty; in all things charity.” It’s often attributed to Augustine, but it was likely first used in 1617 by Archbishop Marco Antonio de Dominis. There are open-handed and closed-handed issues when we talk about God. Although we often debate which are open and which are closed, there are some things like the virgin birth, the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the reliability of the Bible which we would say are essential, non-negotiables, while some matters such as the age of the earth, whether or not there will be pets in heaven, and appropriate alcohol use we might call important but not essential. The point being “in all things charity.” We need to exercise grace with one another and focus on the essentials.
One thing I love about the Christian & Missionary Alliance is its theological diversity. We have a lot of opinions about a lot of things and we are free to respectfully discuss them while maintaining a statement of faith which is biblical and simple.
Problem: busyness
Solution: sabbath
In many relationships, the greatest divide is time. We’re so busy, we simply fail to take the time to get to know one another. We need rest, we need sabbath, we need to slow down, grab a cup of coffee or tea, and be together. Love is often spelled t-i-m-e.
Problem: generation gaps
Solution: mentoring (both benefit)
Finally, generation gaps often create division between people, even Christians. Some of this may be cultural differences or worship preferences, but just like it’s easy to stereotype based upon ethnicity, it’s also common to think or say, “Oh you Millennials” or “You old people” or “You amazing GenXers!” This has even resulted in single-generation churches of twentysomethings or retirees rather than a multi-generational congregation in which mentoring is active, the older teaching the younger. This was commonplace in the early church. Paul told Titus to teach the older women so they can mentor the younger women (Titus 2:3-5). Spiritual parenting or even grandparenting can be mutually beneficial and enhance the life of any congregation, bridging generation gaps with love, dignity, respect, and understanding.
So What?
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:2-6)
Benediction:
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 15:5-6)
For Further Reading
The Fellowship of Differents by Scot McKnight
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
You can watch this video and others at the First Alliance Church Video Library here.
The Racial Divide, 18 October 2020
18 10 20 Filed in: Sermons | The Great Divide
The Racial Divide (One Race: Human)
Series—The Great Divide
Series Big Idea: Our world is filled with division, yet Jesus prayed that we would be one.
Big Idea: Man looks at outward appearances, but God looks at the heart.
Last week we began our series, The Great Divide, with a topic free from any controversy or disagreement…politics! It’s amazing you all came back after that! If you missed it, the bottom line was our focus must not be on a donkey or elephant, but the Lion and the Lamb. There are flaws in every candidate and party. We need to fix our eyes on Jesus. Always. Especially during this crazy election season. I have appreciated individuals and organizations seeking to call out the anti-Christian views of candidates and parties, yet even if the imperfections of our alternatives were completely exposed and fixed, no politician can ever approach the wisdom, the power, the justice, the love of King Jesus!
Today we’re going to tackle a subject that many have connected with politics…race. Our authority, as always, is not me, not even The Christian & Missionary Alliance, but Jesus and the Holy Scriptures. God told Samuel the prophet,
“People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7b).
I want to make a few disclaimers up front. First, we’re not going to solve the racial issues in our community—much less our nation or world—in thirty minutes. As I did last week, I’ll offer some resources for you to consider, but the views expressed in them do not necessarily represent me or First Alliance Church. They are offered for your consideration, education, and contemplation. Only the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ is flawless. I’m not perfect. My theology is not perfect. I often quote Dr. Leonard Sweet who said, “20% of my theology is wrong. I just don’t know what 20%!”
Second—and this may come as a surprise to you—I’m white! I don’t know what it’s like to be a minority in this country, though I have been in the minority in Africa. I am seeking empathy, and I want to leverage whatever influence I have for the benefit of others. We’re told,
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. (Proverbs 31:8-9)
Third, this series is about understanding, about building bridges, about listening and loving well. After all, there is only one race…the human race.
In Jesus’ day, the tension between Jew and Gentile was arguably far worse than any black and white divisions we’ve experienced in this country. Yet Paul wrote,
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)
We are one in Christ Jesus! All of us! Black, brown, and white. Men, women, and children. Homeless and homeowner. PhD and GED. We are all part of the human race. We are all sons and daughters of the Most High God. Paul told the church in Corinth,
For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. (1 Corinthians 12:13)
Fourth, let me say again this is not a sermon on politics. One prominent pastor said whenever he preaches on race, people accuse him of being a progressive. This is not about being liberal or conservative. It’s about being human. Black lives do matter—all of them, including the unborn black lives. It frustrates me that such a positive statement has been co-opted by an organization of the same name with anti-Christian values. Once again, the enemy is desperately trying to steal, kill, destroy, and divide.
(OK, are you ready?!)
The issue of race is relevant, not simply because it’s in the news, but because it affects family. Our family.
We are all created with equal value, but we are not all treated with equal value.
This cannot be overstated, though those in the majority culture are often unaware of the significance of such a statement. We are a family. We are a diverse family. We are all different parts of the body, the body of Christ. Paul said,
If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. (1 Corinthians 12:26)
If we can’t love one another well—within the family—there’s little hope for us loving our neighbors, much less our enemies as Jesus clearly instructed us to do…through the power of the Holy Spirit (it’s impossible without God).
We have family members who are suffering…every time racism rears its ugly head, which is more than I understand as some who has never been pulled over for DWB (driving while black), stalked in a store, or been called the n-word. I can’t begin to count how many stories I’ve heard from my brothers and sisters regarding discrimination and hatred over their ethnicity. One was followed for 45 minutes by a police officer while jogging in their own neighborhood. This past week I was talking to a friend who said they were asked to sit in a different section of their church sanctuary because of their ethnicity.
We are family! We are all related by blood…the blood of Jesus. We were all created in the image of God with dignity, value, and worth. By the way, I seriously doubt Adam and Eve were white! I’m quite sure Jesus didn’t have blond hair and blue eyes! Every life is precious…white, brown, black, …in the womb, refugee, immigrant, orphan, rich, poor,…all masterpieces!
We are all created with equal value, but we are not all treated with equal value.
I was once having lunch with my mom. She was concerned about changes in our culture and I asked her, “Do you wish we could go back to the 1950s?”
(I wasn’t even an idea in the 1950’s!)
She exclaimed, “Oh yes!”
I said, “I don’t have a single African-American friend who wishes we could go back to the 1950’s!”
I believe things have improved through things such as the civil rights movement, but clearly we are far from realizing Dr. King’s dream of people being judged by the content of their character, not by the color of their skin. Our world—and even the Church—is filled with favoritism, a practice condemned repeatedly in scripture (see 1 Timothy 5:21, James 2:1-8, Romans 2:11, Acts 10:34, etc.).
Today I want you to hear three short videos from Phil Vischer. He’s the creator of Veggie Tales, a life-long Christian & Missionary “Alliancer,” and the co-host of the Holy Post podcast. Again, I don’t necessarily agree with everything he says, but he has done extensive research on what’s behind some of the racial issues in our day. I highly recommend his video Race in America. He had a follow-up video which I’ve been given permission to share clips from today, and he most recently made a fascinating video entitled, “Why do White Christians Vote Republican, and Black Christians Vote Democrat?”
But I said today is not about politics…and it’s not. It’s about people. It’s about family. It’s about us. When I say us, I mean us. This raises what is perhaps the biggest objection I’ve received whenever we talk about racism…
[Video: Phil Vischer, excerpt from "Race in America, Part 2"]
We must recognize both individual and societal sins…and repent.
It’s important to remember,
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23)
We have all pre-judged others for one reason or another (it’s called prejudice). We are all guilty of disrespecting image-bearers. We all fail to live up to the example of Jesus—a Jew—who prayed for the very enemies—Roman soldiers—who were nailing him to a cross. Each of us misses the mark when it comes to loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves. I must admit I often stop at verse 23, but there’s a comma, not a period. It continues,
and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:24)
The New Living Translation says it a little smoother:
Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. (Romans 3:24, NLT)
Hallelujah!
Jesus died for all of us! “Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight.” I know the lyrics might not be politically correct, but the message is biblically correct.
So What?
I’ve certainly struggled with what I can do about this issue which seems so—uh—black and white. There is no place for hatred or favoritism or injustice in the Kingdom of God.
For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, (Romans 10:12)
We’re going to spend eternity together with the LORD. The scene in Revelation is fantastic!
After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. (Revelation 7:9)
We’re not going to have black churches in heaven.
We’re not going to have white churches in heaven.
I don’t think we’re even going to have English or Spanish or Mandarin churches in heaven.
The Kingdom of God is diverse. It’s the beautiful mosaic we mentioned last week.
So what do we do now? Here’s Phil again:
[Video: Phil Vischer, excerpt from "Race in America, Part 2"]
Did you find that interesting? Racism is but one of many sins in our world. We can’t fix it overnight. But we can do something. Like the child throwing washed-up starfish from the beach back into the ocean, we can help one person. We can show kindness to someone who looks different than us. We can offer generosity to the “other.” We can smile or share a kind word. In a word, we can love! I am continually challenged by two verses in the book of Philippians:
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3-4)
How could applying those verses impact our church, our city, our nation, our world? This might be the most radical scripture in the Bible, at least according to our selfish, prideful, narcissistic, consumeristic culture that has influenced each of us. Jesus’ friend John said,
We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. (1 John 4:19-21)
We must love well, and loving mean listening.
We said it last week…
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. (James 1:19-20)
I appreciate you listening to me today, hopefully with an open mind and heart. Listen to understand, not to argue. People of my hue are so defensive about racial issues. Instead of hearing the experiences of others, they’re too busy trying to prove their own innocence, which is an adventure in missing the point.
If your neighbor’s house is on fire and you didn’t do it, do you feel like you should do anything? Get the kids out of the house! Again, we are family, and we need to listen and understand the struggles and sorrows of our spiritual siblings.
My favorite singer as a boy, Andrae Crouch, sang, “Jesus is the answer/for the world today/above Him there’s no other/Jesus is the way.” Jesus is the answer to all of the world’s problems. If we all loved and obeyed Jesus, …I can hardly imagine it!
Jesus is the answer. Check this out!
[Video: Phil Vischer, excerpt from "Race in America, Part 2"]
Family, let’s love well. Love is not how you feel, but how you act. Racism is not your fault, but you could be part of the solution. Let’s look out for one another. Let’s listen to one another. Let’s refuse to stereotype, pre-judge, or make assumptions about others. Let’s get to know one another. We’ll be stretched. We’ll be challenged. We’ll grow…and I believe the world will take notice. Remember, Jesus said,
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)
Phil Vischer videos
Race in America
Race in America, Part 2
Why do White Christians Vote Republican, and Black Christians Vote Democrat?
Recommended Books
- Dream with Me by John Perkins
- Be the Bridge by Latasha Morrison
- White Awake by Daniel Hill
- Rediscipling the White Church by David Swanson
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
You can watch this video and others at the First Alliance Church Video Library here.
Series—The Great Divide
Series Big Idea: Our world is filled with division, yet Jesus prayed that we would be one.
Big Idea: Man looks at outward appearances, but God looks at the heart.
Last week we began our series, The Great Divide, with a topic free from any controversy or disagreement…politics! It’s amazing you all came back after that! If you missed it, the bottom line was our focus must not be on a donkey or elephant, but the Lion and the Lamb. There are flaws in every candidate and party. We need to fix our eyes on Jesus. Always. Especially during this crazy election season. I have appreciated individuals and organizations seeking to call out the anti-Christian views of candidates and parties, yet even if the imperfections of our alternatives were completely exposed and fixed, no politician can ever approach the wisdom, the power, the justice, the love of King Jesus!
Today we’re going to tackle a subject that many have connected with politics…race. Our authority, as always, is not me, not even The Christian & Missionary Alliance, but Jesus and the Holy Scriptures. God told Samuel the prophet,
“People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7b).
I want to make a few disclaimers up front. First, we’re not going to solve the racial issues in our community—much less our nation or world—in thirty minutes. As I did last week, I’ll offer some resources for you to consider, but the views expressed in them do not necessarily represent me or First Alliance Church. They are offered for your consideration, education, and contemplation. Only the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ is flawless. I’m not perfect. My theology is not perfect. I often quote Dr. Leonard Sweet who said, “20% of my theology is wrong. I just don’t know what 20%!”
Second—and this may come as a surprise to you—I’m white! I don’t know what it’s like to be a minority in this country, though I have been in the minority in Africa. I am seeking empathy, and I want to leverage whatever influence I have for the benefit of others. We’re told,
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. (Proverbs 31:8-9)
Third, this series is about understanding, about building bridges, about listening and loving well. After all, there is only one race…the human race.
In Jesus’ day, the tension between Jew and Gentile was arguably far worse than any black and white divisions we’ve experienced in this country. Yet Paul wrote,
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)
We are one in Christ Jesus! All of us! Black, brown, and white. Men, women, and children. Homeless and homeowner. PhD and GED. We are all part of the human race. We are all sons and daughters of the Most High God. Paul told the church in Corinth,
For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. (1 Corinthians 12:13)
Fourth, let me say again this is not a sermon on politics. One prominent pastor said whenever he preaches on race, people accuse him of being a progressive. This is not about being liberal or conservative. It’s about being human. Black lives do matter—all of them, including the unborn black lives. It frustrates me that such a positive statement has been co-opted by an organization of the same name with anti-Christian values. Once again, the enemy is desperately trying to steal, kill, destroy, and divide.
(OK, are you ready?!)
The issue of race is relevant, not simply because it’s in the news, but because it affects family. Our family.
We are all created with equal value, but we are not all treated with equal value.
This cannot be overstated, though those in the majority culture are often unaware of the significance of such a statement. We are a family. We are a diverse family. We are all different parts of the body, the body of Christ. Paul said,
If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. (1 Corinthians 12:26)
If we can’t love one another well—within the family—there’s little hope for us loving our neighbors, much less our enemies as Jesus clearly instructed us to do…through the power of the Holy Spirit (it’s impossible without God).
We have family members who are suffering…every time racism rears its ugly head, which is more than I understand as some who has never been pulled over for DWB (driving while black), stalked in a store, or been called the n-word. I can’t begin to count how many stories I’ve heard from my brothers and sisters regarding discrimination and hatred over their ethnicity. One was followed for 45 minutes by a police officer while jogging in their own neighborhood. This past week I was talking to a friend who said they were asked to sit in a different section of their church sanctuary because of their ethnicity.
We are family! We are all related by blood…the blood of Jesus. We were all created in the image of God with dignity, value, and worth. By the way, I seriously doubt Adam and Eve were white! I’m quite sure Jesus didn’t have blond hair and blue eyes! Every life is precious…white, brown, black, …in the womb, refugee, immigrant, orphan, rich, poor,…all masterpieces!
We are all created with equal value, but we are not all treated with equal value.
I was once having lunch with my mom. She was concerned about changes in our culture and I asked her, “Do you wish we could go back to the 1950s?”
(I wasn’t even an idea in the 1950’s!)
She exclaimed, “Oh yes!”
I said, “I don’t have a single African-American friend who wishes we could go back to the 1950’s!”
I believe things have improved through things such as the civil rights movement, but clearly we are far from realizing Dr. King’s dream of people being judged by the content of their character, not by the color of their skin. Our world—and even the Church—is filled with favoritism, a practice condemned repeatedly in scripture (see 1 Timothy 5:21, James 2:1-8, Romans 2:11, Acts 10:34, etc.).
Today I want you to hear three short videos from Phil Vischer. He’s the creator of Veggie Tales, a life-long Christian & Missionary “Alliancer,” and the co-host of the Holy Post podcast. Again, I don’t necessarily agree with everything he says, but he has done extensive research on what’s behind some of the racial issues in our day. I highly recommend his video Race in America. He had a follow-up video which I’ve been given permission to share clips from today, and he most recently made a fascinating video entitled, “Why do White Christians Vote Republican, and Black Christians Vote Democrat?”
But I said today is not about politics…and it’s not. It’s about people. It’s about family. It’s about us. When I say us, I mean us. This raises what is perhaps the biggest objection I’ve received whenever we talk about racism…
[Video: Phil Vischer, excerpt from "Race in America, Part 2"]
We must recognize both individual and societal sins…and repent.
It’s important to remember,
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23)
We have all pre-judged others for one reason or another (it’s called prejudice). We are all guilty of disrespecting image-bearers. We all fail to live up to the example of Jesus—a Jew—who prayed for the very enemies—Roman soldiers—who were nailing him to a cross. Each of us misses the mark when it comes to loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves. I must admit I often stop at verse 23, but there’s a comma, not a period. It continues,
and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:24)
The New Living Translation says it a little smoother:
Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. (Romans 3:24, NLT)
Hallelujah!
Jesus died for all of us! “Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight.” I know the lyrics might not be politically correct, but the message is biblically correct.
So What?
I’ve certainly struggled with what I can do about this issue which seems so—uh—black and white. There is no place for hatred or favoritism or injustice in the Kingdom of God.
For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, (Romans 10:12)
We’re going to spend eternity together with the LORD. The scene in Revelation is fantastic!
After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. (Revelation 7:9)
We’re not going to have black churches in heaven.
We’re not going to have white churches in heaven.
I don’t think we’re even going to have English or Spanish or Mandarin churches in heaven.
The Kingdom of God is diverse. It’s the beautiful mosaic we mentioned last week.
So what do we do now? Here’s Phil again:
[Video: Phil Vischer, excerpt from "Race in America, Part 2"]
Did you find that interesting? Racism is but one of many sins in our world. We can’t fix it overnight. But we can do something. Like the child throwing washed-up starfish from the beach back into the ocean, we can help one person. We can show kindness to someone who looks different than us. We can offer generosity to the “other.” We can smile or share a kind word. In a word, we can love! I am continually challenged by two verses in the book of Philippians:
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3-4)
How could applying those verses impact our church, our city, our nation, our world? This might be the most radical scripture in the Bible, at least according to our selfish, prideful, narcissistic, consumeristic culture that has influenced each of us. Jesus’ friend John said,
We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. (1 John 4:19-21)
We must love well, and loving mean listening.
We said it last week…
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. (James 1:19-20)
I appreciate you listening to me today, hopefully with an open mind and heart. Listen to understand, not to argue. People of my hue are so defensive about racial issues. Instead of hearing the experiences of others, they’re too busy trying to prove their own innocence, which is an adventure in missing the point.
If your neighbor’s house is on fire and you didn’t do it, do you feel like you should do anything? Get the kids out of the house! Again, we are family, and we need to listen and understand the struggles and sorrows of our spiritual siblings.
My favorite singer as a boy, Andrae Crouch, sang, “Jesus is the answer/for the world today/above Him there’s no other/Jesus is the way.” Jesus is the answer to all of the world’s problems. If we all loved and obeyed Jesus, …I can hardly imagine it!
Jesus is the answer. Check this out!
[Video: Phil Vischer, excerpt from "Race in America, Part 2"]
Family, let’s love well. Love is not how you feel, but how you act. Racism is not your fault, but you could be part of the solution. Let’s look out for one another. Let’s listen to one another. Let’s refuse to stereotype, pre-judge, or make assumptions about others. Let’s get to know one another. We’ll be stretched. We’ll be challenged. We’ll grow…and I believe the world will take notice. Remember, Jesus said,
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)
Phil Vischer videos
Race in America
Race in America, Part 2
Why do White Christians Vote Republican, and Black Christians Vote Democrat?
Recommended Books
- Dream with Me by John Perkins
- Be the Bridge by Latasha Morrison
- White Awake by Daniel Hill
- Rediscipling the White Church by David Swanson
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
You can watch this video and others at the First Alliance Church Video Library here.
2020 Vision, 15 September 2019
2020 Vision: Back to our Roots
Series—A Love Supreme
Colossians 2:6-19
Series Big Idea: Christ is above all others. This is a study on the book of Colossians.
Big Idea: We must always remain rooted in the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Why are you here? These were the first words I ever spoke from this platform nearly four years ago. It’s a simple question with a variety of answers, some more spiritual than others, but all leading to you being present this morning. One response can be found in our lobby:
For the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
This phrase is taken from the first two verses of the book of Revelation:
The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 1:1-2)
Although the kids have been in school for several weeks and the football season is well underway, today is really our fall kickoff. Technically, fall begins this Saturday. More than a message about the next few months, I want to talk about the upcoming ministry year, the upcoming calendar year, what I’d like to call 2020 Vision. It’s hard to believe a new decade begins in less than sixteen weeks.
Before we look ahead, I want to mention a word I’ve heard people using a lot around here. Some have said we are a “conservative” church…or used to be…or should be. Unfortunately, to many, that means one thing: Republican. But we must never confuse faith with politics. Here’s what “conservative” means according to the dictionary:
holding to traditional attitudes and values and cautious about change or innovation,
Are we a conservative church? Should we be a conservative church? No…and yes.
On the one hand, we must recognize that our world is changing. 2020 will look much different than 2010, to say nothing of 1920 or AD 20.
We need to be guided by our Alliance family’s core values (seen on posters in our lobby).
One of them states:
Achieving God’s purposes means taking faith-filled risks. This always involves change. - Hebrews 1
Do you see the paradox? This value is not, by definition, conservative, yet holding to our values is conservative!
Here are our other values:
Lost people matter to God. He wants them found. Luke 19:10
Prayer is the primary work of God’s people. Philippians 4:6-7
Everything we have belongs to God; we are His stewards. 1 Chronicles 29:14
Knowing and obeying God’s Word is fundamental to all true success. Joshua 1:8
Completing the Great Commission will require the mobilization of every fully-devoted disciple. Matthew 28:19
Without the Holy Spirit’s empowerment, we can accomplish nothing. 1 Corinthians 2:4-5
We must always remain rooted in the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Is Jesus conservative?
God never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever…and yet He is moving. He is doing new things.
Why are you here? Quite literally, we wouldn’t be here without a man named Albert Benjamin Simpson.
VIDEO
Today I want to go back to our roots. I don’t mean 2007 conservative. I don’t mean 1987 conservative. Let’s go back to 1887!
A.B. Simpson came to Toledo on December 5, 1887 and planted the Toledo Gospel Tabernacle, now known as First Alliance Church. Since then, we’ve had several buildings, a number of pastors, and thousands of people who have called our family home. Getting back to our roots means we look at who we got here. Why did Simpson travel from New York City to Toledo? He wanted everyone to know Jesus: rich, poor, black, white, young, old, male, female.
Our series this month, A Love Supreme, is a study of the book of Colossians. Paul wrote to the church in Colossae…
Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. (Colossians 3:11)
Paul wrote to another church,
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26-28)
It’s all about Jesus.
It’s not about the color of the carpet, the volume of the music, the hair of the preacher, or the clapping abilities of the congregants.
It’s all about Jesus.
Our text for today is found in Colossians chapter 2.
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. (Colossians 2:6-7)
It’s all about Jesus. We must always remain rooted in the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Paul continues…
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. (Colossians 2:8)
There are tens of thousands of Christian denominations in our world, which I find tragic. Many of them came about when one church split from another over human tradition. Perhaps the two most divisive issues in the history of Christianity have involved communion—where Jesus simply told us to remember him—and how much water to use in baptism! This is called religion! This is what Jesus despised! He did away with the Jew/Gentile walls and division. The focus must never be on legalism, but life. The life of Jesus. The abundant life Jesus offers.
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. (Colossians 2:9-12)
It’s all about Jesus. It’s about dying to ourselves and living for Christ.
In two weeks, we’re going to have another baptism. The symbolism is so rich, entering a water grave and being raised with Jesus, experiencing new life.
If you’re a follower of Jesus—or want to be—and have never been baptized, please let us know today, either in person or via e-mail.
Are you ready for some good news?
Are you ready for some great news?
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:13-15)
That is one of my favorite verses in the Bible! Jesus made a public spectacle of satan and his team of demons when he died for us. He triumphed! He died for all of our sins—past, present and future—if we repent and follow him.
Jesus is alive!
Jesus is the victor!
Jesus is LORD!
It’s all about Jesus.
It’s not about religion. It’s not about legalism. It’s about Jesus. We must always remain rooted in the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. (Colossians 2:16-19)
We need to be connected to Jesus. We need to focus on Jesus. And when we do, we look at culture and politics through the lens of Jesus, and not look at Jesus through the lens of culture and politics.
We must hold our traditions and preferences loosely… while holding biblical orthodoxies tightly.
Put any two people in a room and they’ll discover differences. Division is easy. Unity is another matter entirely. Jesus’ one prayer for us—it’s in John 17—is unity. He prayed that we would be one as he and the Father are one.
A.B. Simpson never sought to start a denomination. He merely planted churches which didn’t formally become a denomination until almost a century later in 1974. He didn’t want to get caught up in quarrels and controversies. He wanted to focus on the essentials and let the peripheral issues remain peripheral. As a result,
We are a diverse family.
This is true both The Alliance. 40% of Alliance churches in the USA are non-anglo, speaking 37 languages and dialects! That’s just in the USA. 90% of Alliance members live outside the USA!
Here at First Alliance Church, we are growing more diverse, which I think is a beautiful thing. I believe every church should reach its community, serve its city, reflect its population. As we’ve been welcoming new people to First Alliance Church, some people have gotten a little uncomfortable. That’s ok. It’s not about you or me anyhow.
It’s all about Jesus.
I recently heard a speaker make an incredible statement of diversity. She said diversity is inviting someone to the party. Inclusion is inviting them to dance! We need to invite everyone to dance! We want to be more than a friendly church. We want to be a family of friends.
If you don’t like diversity in this life, you won’t like what’s next! John gives us an amazing vision:
After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:9-10)
We’re different because God made us this way! Each of us is unique and special.
Anyone can get along with people like them. The beauty of the gospel, the distinction of the people of God, is that they become all things to all people, like Paul. They sacrifice their preferences, welcome strangers, and they see themselves as a mosaic—a collection of different, broken pieces that come together to create a work of art through which light shines. Consequently,
We must love and respect others…always. They are masterpieces.
Jesus’ half-brother, James, said never play favorites (James 2). We’re not here just for young people or attractive people or rich people. Every person in our family is created in the image of God with dignity, value and worth, a masterpiece, God’s masterpiece. We all need some restoration and cleaning, but we all have something to offer. That’s the way family works. You might disagree with the politics or fashion or worship style of your brother or sister, but they’re family. They deserve love and respect. Always. Over and over again, the Bible demonstrates that love for God and man has its greatest expression in community.
Recently, someone told me love is listen, overlook, value, and encourage. I like that!
Jesus died for the whole world. Everyone. All people. All nations. All generations.
We must be mission-driven…commission-driven. It’s about making disciples.
Jesus has given us a commission—not a suggestion—to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). We’re not about programs or distributing religious goods and services. We’re not a social club for members-only. We are on a mission from God. The way we describe is…
We are a Jesus-centered family restoring God’s masterpieces in Toledo and beyond for His glory. (Ephesians 2:10)
We are a diverse family. We are called to be a loving family. We are here for both the city and the world. We’re going back…to our roots.
So What?
This fall we’ll be joining what will hopefully be hundreds of churches in our region giving everyone in our five counties a chance to hear the gospel…to see the gospel! Saturate Toledo is providing all of the Jesus film DVDs, booklets, and bags. We’ll get together and pray, stuff the bags, include our church info, and hang them on doors. It couldn’t be easier. Begin praying now for this unique outreach opportunity. It could change our community.
Dinner Church continues to exceed our expectations. We already have featured artists booked for the fall. We might need to buy more round tables since we’ve filled most every seat at the ones we have, but that’s a good problem! Unchurched people are encountering Jesus each month and I couldn’t be more excited!
Celebrate Recovery has been growing, serving not only people struggling with addictions, but also the 2 out of 3 participants who are dealing with the hurts and pain life brings to each of us.
This is our fourth year serving Rosa Parks Elementary, both students and staff. The impact has been tremendous.
Next month our After School Klub begins its 21st year serving the next generation. This will be Sharralynn Cook’s second year leading the ASK and if you haven’t worked with her, you have no idea what you’re missing! It’s an all-new Klub! Toledo Urban Impact is just one of our ten Home Missions partners.
That Neighborhood Church—our sister congregation in The Alliance—has offered to assist us in serving our growing population of people in need of basic life skills. Our partnerships with TNC and other area churches—including The Tabernacle and Vineyard—will unify and build God’s kingdom in Toledo and beyond.
We’ve also been getting help from Allegheny Alliance in Pittsburgh. Urban ministry is new for many of us, and we’ve been blessed with many trailblazers who have offered to equip us.
Perhaps our most important ministry—besides our prayer teams—is our small groups. They remain the core of First Alliance Church. If you’re not in a group, you’re missing out on community, care, fellowship, and fun. An hour on Sunday is not enough to sustain a vibrant spiritual life. We were created to do life together.
Why are you here? I hope it’s for Jesus. I pray it’s because of our mission:
We are a Jesus-centered family restoring God’s masterpieces in Toledo and beyond for His glory. (Ephesians 2:10)
We need to be conservative—rooted in God’s Word, our core values, our history…but doing so involves change. It involves new wineskins for new wine. It means opening the doors wide for new people…and more importantly getting outside our four walls to love and serve the world…in deed and word. It’s about the inspiring vision of our founder, A.B. Simpson, and most of all…
It’s about Jesus. It has always been all about Jesus.
We must always remain rooted in the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
Series—A Love Supreme
Colossians 2:6-19
Series Big Idea: Christ is above all others. This is a study on the book of Colossians.
Big Idea: We must always remain rooted in the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Why are you here? These were the first words I ever spoke from this platform nearly four years ago. It’s a simple question with a variety of answers, some more spiritual than others, but all leading to you being present this morning. One response can be found in our lobby:
For the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
This phrase is taken from the first two verses of the book of Revelation:
The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 1:1-2)
Although the kids have been in school for several weeks and the football season is well underway, today is really our fall kickoff. Technically, fall begins this Saturday. More than a message about the next few months, I want to talk about the upcoming ministry year, the upcoming calendar year, what I’d like to call 2020 Vision. It’s hard to believe a new decade begins in less than sixteen weeks.
Before we look ahead, I want to mention a word I’ve heard people using a lot around here. Some have said we are a “conservative” church…or used to be…or should be. Unfortunately, to many, that means one thing: Republican. But we must never confuse faith with politics. Here’s what “conservative” means according to the dictionary:
holding to traditional attitudes and values and cautious about change or innovation,
Are we a conservative church? Should we be a conservative church? No…and yes.
On the one hand, we must recognize that our world is changing. 2020 will look much different than 2010, to say nothing of 1920 or AD 20.
We need to be guided by our Alliance family’s core values (seen on posters in our lobby).
One of them states:
Achieving God’s purposes means taking faith-filled risks. This always involves change. - Hebrews 1
Do you see the paradox? This value is not, by definition, conservative, yet holding to our values is conservative!
Here are our other values:
Lost people matter to God. He wants them found. Luke 19:10
Prayer is the primary work of God’s people. Philippians 4:6-7
Everything we have belongs to God; we are His stewards. 1 Chronicles 29:14
Knowing and obeying God’s Word is fundamental to all true success. Joshua 1:8
Completing the Great Commission will require the mobilization of every fully-devoted disciple. Matthew 28:19
Without the Holy Spirit’s empowerment, we can accomplish nothing. 1 Corinthians 2:4-5
We must always remain rooted in the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Is Jesus conservative?
God never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever…and yet He is moving. He is doing new things.
Why are you here? Quite literally, we wouldn’t be here without a man named Albert Benjamin Simpson.
VIDEO
Today I want to go back to our roots. I don’t mean 2007 conservative. I don’t mean 1987 conservative. Let’s go back to 1887!
A.B. Simpson came to Toledo on December 5, 1887 and planted the Toledo Gospel Tabernacle, now known as First Alliance Church. Since then, we’ve had several buildings, a number of pastors, and thousands of people who have called our family home. Getting back to our roots means we look at who we got here. Why did Simpson travel from New York City to Toledo? He wanted everyone to know Jesus: rich, poor, black, white, young, old, male, female.
Our series this month, A Love Supreme, is a study of the book of Colossians. Paul wrote to the church in Colossae…
Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. (Colossians 3:11)
Paul wrote to another church,
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26-28)
It’s all about Jesus.
It’s not about the color of the carpet, the volume of the music, the hair of the preacher, or the clapping abilities of the congregants.
It’s all about Jesus.
Our text for today is found in Colossians chapter 2.
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. (Colossians 2:6-7)
It’s all about Jesus. We must always remain rooted in the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Paul continues…
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. (Colossians 2:8)
There are tens of thousands of Christian denominations in our world, which I find tragic. Many of them came about when one church split from another over human tradition. Perhaps the two most divisive issues in the history of Christianity have involved communion—where Jesus simply told us to remember him—and how much water to use in baptism! This is called religion! This is what Jesus despised! He did away with the Jew/Gentile walls and division. The focus must never be on legalism, but life. The life of Jesus. The abundant life Jesus offers.
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. (Colossians 2:9-12)
It’s all about Jesus. It’s about dying to ourselves and living for Christ.
In two weeks, we’re going to have another baptism. The symbolism is so rich, entering a water grave and being raised with Jesus, experiencing new life.
If you’re a follower of Jesus—or want to be—and have never been baptized, please let us know today, either in person or via e-mail.
Are you ready for some good news?
Are you ready for some great news?
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:13-15)
That is one of my favorite verses in the Bible! Jesus made a public spectacle of satan and his team of demons when he died for us. He triumphed! He died for all of our sins—past, present and future—if we repent and follow him.
Jesus is alive!
Jesus is the victor!
Jesus is LORD!
It’s all about Jesus.
It’s not about religion. It’s not about legalism. It’s about Jesus. We must always remain rooted in the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. (Colossians 2:16-19)
We need to be connected to Jesus. We need to focus on Jesus. And when we do, we look at culture and politics through the lens of Jesus, and not look at Jesus through the lens of culture and politics.
We must hold our traditions and preferences loosely… while holding biblical orthodoxies tightly.
Put any two people in a room and they’ll discover differences. Division is easy. Unity is another matter entirely. Jesus’ one prayer for us—it’s in John 17—is unity. He prayed that we would be one as he and the Father are one.
A.B. Simpson never sought to start a denomination. He merely planted churches which didn’t formally become a denomination until almost a century later in 1974. He didn’t want to get caught up in quarrels and controversies. He wanted to focus on the essentials and let the peripheral issues remain peripheral. As a result,
We are a diverse family.
This is true both The Alliance. 40% of Alliance churches in the USA are non-anglo, speaking 37 languages and dialects! That’s just in the USA. 90% of Alliance members live outside the USA!
Here at First Alliance Church, we are growing more diverse, which I think is a beautiful thing. I believe every church should reach its community, serve its city, reflect its population. As we’ve been welcoming new people to First Alliance Church, some people have gotten a little uncomfortable. That’s ok. It’s not about you or me anyhow.
It’s all about Jesus.
I recently heard a speaker make an incredible statement of diversity. She said diversity is inviting someone to the party. Inclusion is inviting them to dance! We need to invite everyone to dance! We want to be more than a friendly church. We want to be a family of friends.
If you don’t like diversity in this life, you won’t like what’s next! John gives us an amazing vision:
After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:9-10)
We’re different because God made us this way! Each of us is unique and special.
Anyone can get along with people like them. The beauty of the gospel, the distinction of the people of God, is that they become all things to all people, like Paul. They sacrifice their preferences, welcome strangers, and they see themselves as a mosaic—a collection of different, broken pieces that come together to create a work of art through which light shines. Consequently,
We must love and respect others…always. They are masterpieces.
Jesus’ half-brother, James, said never play favorites (James 2). We’re not here just for young people or attractive people or rich people. Every person in our family is created in the image of God with dignity, value and worth, a masterpiece, God’s masterpiece. We all need some restoration and cleaning, but we all have something to offer. That’s the way family works. You might disagree with the politics or fashion or worship style of your brother or sister, but they’re family. They deserve love and respect. Always. Over and over again, the Bible demonstrates that love for God and man has its greatest expression in community.
Recently, someone told me love is listen, overlook, value, and encourage. I like that!
Jesus died for the whole world. Everyone. All people. All nations. All generations.
We must be mission-driven…commission-driven. It’s about making disciples.
Jesus has given us a commission—not a suggestion—to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). We’re not about programs or distributing religious goods and services. We’re not a social club for members-only. We are on a mission from God. The way we describe is…
We are a Jesus-centered family restoring God’s masterpieces in Toledo and beyond for His glory. (Ephesians 2:10)
We are a diverse family. We are called to be a loving family. We are here for both the city and the world. We’re going back…to our roots.
So What?
This fall we’ll be joining what will hopefully be hundreds of churches in our region giving everyone in our five counties a chance to hear the gospel…to see the gospel! Saturate Toledo is providing all of the Jesus film DVDs, booklets, and bags. We’ll get together and pray, stuff the bags, include our church info, and hang them on doors. It couldn’t be easier. Begin praying now for this unique outreach opportunity. It could change our community.
Dinner Church continues to exceed our expectations. We already have featured artists booked for the fall. We might need to buy more round tables since we’ve filled most every seat at the ones we have, but that’s a good problem! Unchurched people are encountering Jesus each month and I couldn’t be more excited!
Celebrate Recovery has been growing, serving not only people struggling with addictions, but also the 2 out of 3 participants who are dealing with the hurts and pain life brings to each of us.
This is our fourth year serving Rosa Parks Elementary, both students and staff. The impact has been tremendous.
Next month our After School Klub begins its 21st year serving the next generation. This will be Sharralynn Cook’s second year leading the ASK and if you haven’t worked with her, you have no idea what you’re missing! It’s an all-new Klub! Toledo Urban Impact is just one of our ten Home Missions partners.
That Neighborhood Church—our sister congregation in The Alliance—has offered to assist us in serving our growing population of people in need of basic life skills. Our partnerships with TNC and other area churches—including The Tabernacle and Vineyard—will unify and build God’s kingdom in Toledo and beyond.
We’ve also been getting help from Allegheny Alliance in Pittsburgh. Urban ministry is new for many of us, and we’ve been blessed with many trailblazers who have offered to equip us.
Perhaps our most important ministry—besides our prayer teams—is our small groups. They remain the core of First Alliance Church. If you’re not in a group, you’re missing out on community, care, fellowship, and fun. An hour on Sunday is not enough to sustain a vibrant spiritual life. We were created to do life together.
Why are you here? I hope it’s for Jesus. I pray it’s because of our mission:
We are a Jesus-centered family restoring God’s masterpieces in Toledo and beyond for His glory. (Ephesians 2:10)
We need to be conservative—rooted in God’s Word, our core values, our history…but doing so involves change. It involves new wineskins for new wine. It means opening the doors wide for new people…and more importantly getting outside our four walls to love and serve the world…in deed and word. It’s about the inspiring vision of our founder, A.B. Simpson, and most of all…
It’s about Jesus. It has always been all about Jesus.
We must always remain rooted in the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
Passion & Unity, 10 February 2019
11 02 19 Filed in: Sermons | Back to Basics
Passion and Unity
Series—Back to Basics
Romans 12:9-13; Malachi 3:10; Mark 12:30; Romans 15:1-7
Big Idea: We are discussing two of my four prayers for FAC: passion and unity and the stewardship and praise which result from them.
Passion
What do you love? Who do you love? Really!
I know, it’s Sunday so God must be the answer, right? If you have a family, your spouse or kids or parents should probably be mentioned. But what do you really love?
I know some of you are passionate about sports. You practice, play, and watch games. Others prefer the electronic variety and devote themselves to video games. Some of you are committed to cooking, your Facebook posts, caring for your pets, traveling, fashion, reading, Netflix, coffee, charity work, entertaining people in your home, going out to eat, cars, …
To quote John Maxwell,
What do you sing about?
What do you cry about?
These are things that we are passionate about today.
What do you dream about? This speaks to what you hope will bring you fulfillment tomorrow.
In the first part of my message today, we’re talking about passion. It has been described as fuel for the will. It motivates us. It drives us to do—or not do—things. What do you love? What’s your passion?
In our February series, we’re going Back to Basics. Last week we talked about mission, why we exist as a church. Although it is just the beginning of the process of living out God’s mission, we unveiled a mission statement for First Alliance Church.
We are a Jesus-centered family restoring God’s masterpieces in Toledo and beyond for His glory.
You are a masterpiece, God’s masterpiece. Like everyone in our city and world, we’re broken by sin and in need of restoration. We are privileged to partner with God in our own transformation into the image of Jesus as well as helping others become like Jesus. It’s all about Jesus and God’s glory, not our own, though it’s a wonderful—albeit often painful process—to be restored, redeemed, reconciled, repaired.
Last month we looked at the first eight verses of Romans chapter twelve. It continues,
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. (Romans 12:9-13)
Did you catch that in the middle? Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the LORD. That’s passion!
Family, one of my four prayers for First Alliance Church is passion…passion for God and the things that matter to God. In case you’re not sure what things those would be, let me draw your attention to one of our Alliance Core Values:
Lost people matter to God and He wants them found. (Luke 19:10)
This relates to our mission of restoring God’s masterpieces, loving our neighbors, caring for “the least of these,” extending hospitality to widows, strangers, and orphans.
The reason I pray for passion is because I can’t give it to you. I can model passion, I can preach about it, I can try to motivate you and challenge you, but passion is something that you have or you don’t. Either you were excited about watching the Super Bowl or you fell asleep during the big game. Either you devote yourself to politics or music or prayer or your kids or parents or neighbors or you don’t.
What’s your passion? Who’s your passion? Prove it!
One of the ways we can prove our passion is with our money. This week is Valentine’s Day, a day in which consumers will spend around $20 billion on flowers, candy, dinner, and gifts. That’s a lot of love!
If your passion is video games, you no doubt spend a lot of money—and time—on entertainment. If your passion is fitness, you probably have a gym membership in your budget and calendar. If you love shoes or pets or family, your Visa bill or bank account will reveal that passion.
See, love is a verb. It requires action. It’s more than just a word or two on a chalky candy heart (which you can’t even buy this year because of a change in manufacturer; don’t worry, they’ll be back next year!). Love requires commitment, sacrifice, cost. Show me your calendar and checkbook and I’ll instantly see your passion. Your time, talents, and treasures reveal what we truly love…and worship.
Where does God fit into your life? Most of you know Jesus stated the greatest command is to love God, but do you? Really?
Author N.T. Wright said,
“When human beings give their heartfelt allegiance to and worship that which is not God, they progressively cease to reflect the image of God. One of the primary laws of human life is that you become like what you worship; what’s more, you reflect what you worship not only to the object itself but also outward to the world around. Those who worship money increasingly define themselves in terms of it and increasingly treat other people as creditors, debtors, partners, or customers rather than as human beings. Those who worship sex define themselves in terms of it (their preferences, their practices, their past histories) and increasingly treat other people as actual or potential sex objects. Those who worship power define themselves in terms of it and treat other people as either collaborators, competitors, or pawns. These and many other forms of idolatry combine in a thousand ways, all of them damaging to the image-bearing quality of the people concerned and of those whose lives they touch.” (Surprised by Hope)
Remember, we were made by God, for God, and for God’s glory.
I want to offer a simple, practical challenge to you regarding passion. It involves your treasures. Just to be clear, we ended 2018 in the black. This is not a backdoor, passive aggressive fundraising tactic. I simply want to ask, “Does your budget reflect your passion for God?”
Some of you may be asking, “What’s a budget?” If so, I urge you to talk with me, Google search “budget,” watch some free Dave Ramsey videos on Right Now Media, or take a class on personal finances.
Like any challenge, this question is more relevant to some of you than others. To all of you who are faithful in your generosity, I want to say thank you on behalf of God. Thank you for honoring God with your finances. Thank you for declaring your allegiance to Jesus every time you write a check, put cash in the offering plate, or give online. I can think of no greater investment than in God’s Kingdom…and our family’s budget reflects that.
Everything We Have Belongs To God; We Are His Stewards (1 Chronicles 29:14)
The word “tithe” means 10% and was established in the Old Testament as a starting point for generosity and stewardship. 100% of what we have is from God and belongs to God. As this Core Value of The Alliance states, we are His stewards.
When you give with passion to your local church, three things happen:
1. You honor God. You put your money where your mouth is, so to speak. The only time in the Bible I know of where God says, “Test me” is with our finances. In the book of Malachi, the people were instructed to give at least a tithe—ten percent—to God. They were stingy, giving God their scraps and leftovers. Unfortunately, many do this today. When the offering plate comes by, if there’s some spare change in the pocket or purse, they’ll drop it in. If not, nothing. It’s really their loss. God told the people,
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. (Malachi 3:10)
There have been many days when Heather and I could not afford to give, but we did anyway in obedience to God…and every time God provided. If you think you can’t afford to give, I’m here to say you can’t afford to not give. The dollar amount is not as important as the percentage. The city and state take 7¼% of everything we buy. Washington takes even more. And some of us give God nothing?
If ten percent—which I believe is God’s minimum—seems overwhelming, start with 5% or even 1%. If your boss came to you tomorrow and said you’d have to take a 10% pay cut, most of you would find a way to make that work. This isn’t a pay cut, though. It’s an investment in God’s Kingdom. Test Him! See how God honors your faith and obedience.
To be clear, I’m not guaranteeing that you’ll get $100 in the mail tomorrow after you put $100 in the offering plate today. But God honors those who honor Him. Don’t miss out on God’s blessing.
2. You bless our church, city, and world. God is at work in and through First Alliance Church. We are seeing broken marriages healed, the sick receiving care, the hungry fed, those in prison visited, children tutored, artists trained, youth challenged, meals delivered, and the homeless housed. Because of your generosity the gospel is proclaimed—both here and around the globe. God has used this church—His church—to send missionaries around the world, to plant churches, to launch ministries such as Cherry Street Mission and Proclaim FM, to bring hope to the hopeless, love to the unloved, and peace to the troubled. We are a family on mission, God’s mission, and I can’t imagine a greater investment.
Let’s face it, our world is messed up. It needs help, and our government, schools, and businesses are not the answer, though they do good work. There’s no force on our planet like the power of God moving in and through His people.
3. Thirdly, you experience freedom. So many people live paycheck-to-paycheck with a scarcity mentality, hoarding and living in fear. When you give to God before you pay your bills, you put your faith in action, trust God, and can truly pray for your daily bread. Remember, God says to test him. He can be trusted. In nearly 29 years of marriage, He’s never failed us (and we’ve been through some massive financial storms!).
As James K.A.Smith’s book title states, You are what you love.
When Jesus was asked the greatest commandment, He replied,
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ (Mark 12:30)
What’s missing? Nothing! He said if we are his friends, we’ll do what he commands (John 15:14). He wants us to love him with ALL our heart, ALL our soul, ALL our mind, ALL our strength. When you are passionate about something, you give it your time, your attention, and your money. The word “passion’ means several things, including “a powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, a strong or extravagant desire, or a strong love,” but another definition is “the sufferings of Christ on the cross.” Jesus suffered because he is passionate about you and me. His love is so great that he gave everything for us—even his own life. That’s passion! That’s commitment. That’s love.
One of the primary ways we love God, one of the tools we have for surrendering to the Holy Spirit, one of the best expressions of trusting God, one of the most practical declarations of our faith is how we invest our money. I pray that your greatest passion in the world would be for God, and that your time, talents, and your treasures would truly reflect your worship and allegiance to Him.
Unity
Before we enter a time of worship through music in this slightly unusual Sunday morning gathering, I want to talk about another prayer I pray for First Alliance Church in addition to passion. It’s unity.
Two weeks ago we saw from Romans chapter 14 how judging and condemning others can threaten unity…and even cause people to leave our church family. After all, who wants to be with people who are critical, negative, and self-righteous? Tragically, I’ve learned of several people who no longer attend First Alliance Church because of judgmental attitudes and rejection. One Connection Card from two weeks ago said a young persons, “First Alliance peers no longer come because they say they are judged and spoke to as sinful ‘lost sheep’ when they visit so they go to different churches now, or not at all. So sad.”
Family, I don’t want to “judge and condemn” you, but we’ve got work to do. Actually, the Holy Spirit has work to do…on our hearts. I want to return to the book of Romans, this time chapter 15. Some preachers have spent years going through this incredible book of the Bible. Two weeks ago, we were in chapter 14 and it continues…
We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. (Romans 15:1-2)
In chapter 14, Paul tells the church in Rome to avoid quarrelling over disputable matters (14:1). Furthermore, we must be sensitive to those whose faith is weak, not causing them to stumble. Love means looking out for the best interest of another person, and for me to truly love you, I must be willing to sacrifice my freedoms for your conscience. I used the example of a person choosing not to drink a glass of wine around their friend who is an alcoholic. We’re naturally selfish creatures, but love means thinking of others.
This is radical! This is counter-cultural. This is the way of Jesus. He did not come to be served, but to serve. He did not come to save His life, but to offer it up for us. He set a perfect example for us to follow…an example that requires surrender to God, a filling of the Holy Spirit, and a willingness to die to our own selfish desires for the sake of loving God…and others.
This Saturday I’m performing a wedding ceremony in Michigan and one thing I often say to couples is marriage is not 50/50. It’s 100/100. If your attitude is to go halfway, that might be fine in some situations, but there are times in life when the other person—a spouse, child, parent, friend—simply can’t go halfway themselves. Maybe they are sick or struggling in some area of life and they need you to go the extra mile, so to speak. Jesus went all the way with his love. It was unconditional. He didn’t say, “I love you if” or “I love you because,” but “I love you. Period.” As we remembered last Sunday, he gave everything for us, even his very life on the cross.
For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. (Romans 15:3-4)
I’m so glad Jesus did not live a selfish life. Aren’t you? Paul continues,
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 15:5-6)
You were made by God, for God, and for God’s glory. When we live for ourselves, any hope of unity is lost. When we humbly gather together at the foot of the cross, bowing in adoration of Almighty God, seeking to love God and one another, unity is certain.
The ultimate purpose of unity is to glorify God, to worship and praise Him.
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. (Romans 15:7)
This doesn’t mean to accept sin, but to accept sinners…that’s all of us. We’ve been accepted by Jesus, despite our brokenness. His love is amazing, and he commands us to love one another, to accept one another, and in doing so, we praise God, in word and deed.
This is really hard. It’s easy to disagree with one another. It’s easy to gossip, slander, and judge. It feels quite natural to be critical, negative and be divisive…especially in our current culture. I’m sorry to say I’ve witnessed this repeatedly within our church family…and it must stop. Now. Our mission is not to about a donkey or an elephant. What brings us together is not having similar educational or economic backgrounds. Our purpose in gathering is not to “have our needs met” or to enjoy the music or feel good about the preaching (especially today, right?!). We are a Jesus-centered family and we exist for the glory of God. Period.
Even if you were an only child, you know family can be difficult. You won’t always agree on what restaurant to visit on vacation, what color to paint the living room, or what to name the puppy. But God uses others to shape us, teach us, and transform us. Others help us to become patient, kind, generous, loving, and selfless…to become like Jesus.
Today we’re going to close with not one song but several. We want to create space for your voice to join others. You can download sermons all day long. You can give money online. You can chat with friends on Facebook. One thing that is unique about our gatherings is corporate worship. You can sing in your car, but there’s something so beautiful about praising God together. This isn’t glee club or choir hour, but rather singing songs to God. He’s the audience. The people on stage are not the performers. We all are performers, together, for God. As a symbol of our unity, of loving God and one another, as a family, we praise God.
Worship Music
I pray for passion, expressed in our time, talents, and treasures.
I pray for unity, expressed in our love for one another, encouragement, sensitivity to one another, and lack of condemnation.
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
Series—Back to Basics
Romans 12:9-13; Malachi 3:10; Mark 12:30; Romans 15:1-7
Big Idea: We are discussing two of my four prayers for FAC: passion and unity and the stewardship and praise which result from them.
Passion
What do you love? Who do you love? Really!
I know, it’s Sunday so God must be the answer, right? If you have a family, your spouse or kids or parents should probably be mentioned. But what do you really love?
I know some of you are passionate about sports. You practice, play, and watch games. Others prefer the electronic variety and devote themselves to video games. Some of you are committed to cooking, your Facebook posts, caring for your pets, traveling, fashion, reading, Netflix, coffee, charity work, entertaining people in your home, going out to eat, cars, …
To quote John Maxwell,
What do you sing about?
What do you cry about?
These are things that we are passionate about today.
What do you dream about? This speaks to what you hope will bring you fulfillment tomorrow.
In the first part of my message today, we’re talking about passion. It has been described as fuel for the will. It motivates us. It drives us to do—or not do—things. What do you love? What’s your passion?
In our February series, we’re going Back to Basics. Last week we talked about mission, why we exist as a church. Although it is just the beginning of the process of living out God’s mission, we unveiled a mission statement for First Alliance Church.
We are a Jesus-centered family restoring God’s masterpieces in Toledo and beyond for His glory.
You are a masterpiece, God’s masterpiece. Like everyone in our city and world, we’re broken by sin and in need of restoration. We are privileged to partner with God in our own transformation into the image of Jesus as well as helping others become like Jesus. It’s all about Jesus and God’s glory, not our own, though it’s a wonderful—albeit often painful process—to be restored, redeemed, reconciled, repaired.
Last month we looked at the first eight verses of Romans chapter twelve. It continues,
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. (Romans 12:9-13)
Did you catch that in the middle? Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the LORD. That’s passion!
Family, one of my four prayers for First Alliance Church is passion…passion for God and the things that matter to God. In case you’re not sure what things those would be, let me draw your attention to one of our Alliance Core Values:
Lost people matter to God and He wants them found. (Luke 19:10)
This relates to our mission of restoring God’s masterpieces, loving our neighbors, caring for “the least of these,” extending hospitality to widows, strangers, and orphans.
The reason I pray for passion is because I can’t give it to you. I can model passion, I can preach about it, I can try to motivate you and challenge you, but passion is something that you have or you don’t. Either you were excited about watching the Super Bowl or you fell asleep during the big game. Either you devote yourself to politics or music or prayer or your kids or parents or neighbors or you don’t.
What’s your passion? Who’s your passion? Prove it!
One of the ways we can prove our passion is with our money. This week is Valentine’s Day, a day in which consumers will spend around $20 billion on flowers, candy, dinner, and gifts. That’s a lot of love!
If your passion is video games, you no doubt spend a lot of money—and time—on entertainment. If your passion is fitness, you probably have a gym membership in your budget and calendar. If you love shoes or pets or family, your Visa bill or bank account will reveal that passion.
See, love is a verb. It requires action. It’s more than just a word or two on a chalky candy heart (which you can’t even buy this year because of a change in manufacturer; don’t worry, they’ll be back next year!). Love requires commitment, sacrifice, cost. Show me your calendar and checkbook and I’ll instantly see your passion. Your time, talents, and treasures reveal what we truly love…and worship.
Where does God fit into your life? Most of you know Jesus stated the greatest command is to love God, but do you? Really?
Author N.T. Wright said,
“When human beings give their heartfelt allegiance to and worship that which is not God, they progressively cease to reflect the image of God. One of the primary laws of human life is that you become like what you worship; what’s more, you reflect what you worship not only to the object itself but also outward to the world around. Those who worship money increasingly define themselves in terms of it and increasingly treat other people as creditors, debtors, partners, or customers rather than as human beings. Those who worship sex define themselves in terms of it (their preferences, their practices, their past histories) and increasingly treat other people as actual or potential sex objects. Those who worship power define themselves in terms of it and treat other people as either collaborators, competitors, or pawns. These and many other forms of idolatry combine in a thousand ways, all of them damaging to the image-bearing quality of the people concerned and of those whose lives they touch.” (Surprised by Hope)
Remember, we were made by God, for God, and for God’s glory.
I want to offer a simple, practical challenge to you regarding passion. It involves your treasures. Just to be clear, we ended 2018 in the black. This is not a backdoor, passive aggressive fundraising tactic. I simply want to ask, “Does your budget reflect your passion for God?”
Some of you may be asking, “What’s a budget?” If so, I urge you to talk with me, Google search “budget,” watch some free Dave Ramsey videos on Right Now Media, or take a class on personal finances.
Like any challenge, this question is more relevant to some of you than others. To all of you who are faithful in your generosity, I want to say thank you on behalf of God. Thank you for honoring God with your finances. Thank you for declaring your allegiance to Jesus every time you write a check, put cash in the offering plate, or give online. I can think of no greater investment than in God’s Kingdom…and our family’s budget reflects that.
Everything We Have Belongs To God; We Are His Stewards (1 Chronicles 29:14)
The word “tithe” means 10% and was established in the Old Testament as a starting point for generosity and stewardship. 100% of what we have is from God and belongs to God. As this Core Value of The Alliance states, we are His stewards.
When you give with passion to your local church, three things happen:
1. You honor God. You put your money where your mouth is, so to speak. The only time in the Bible I know of where God says, “Test me” is with our finances. In the book of Malachi, the people were instructed to give at least a tithe—ten percent—to God. They were stingy, giving God their scraps and leftovers. Unfortunately, many do this today. When the offering plate comes by, if there’s some spare change in the pocket or purse, they’ll drop it in. If not, nothing. It’s really their loss. God told the people,
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. (Malachi 3:10)
There have been many days when Heather and I could not afford to give, but we did anyway in obedience to God…and every time God provided. If you think you can’t afford to give, I’m here to say you can’t afford to not give. The dollar amount is not as important as the percentage. The city and state take 7¼% of everything we buy. Washington takes even more. And some of us give God nothing?
If ten percent—which I believe is God’s minimum—seems overwhelming, start with 5% or even 1%. If your boss came to you tomorrow and said you’d have to take a 10% pay cut, most of you would find a way to make that work. This isn’t a pay cut, though. It’s an investment in God’s Kingdom. Test Him! See how God honors your faith and obedience.
To be clear, I’m not guaranteeing that you’ll get $100 in the mail tomorrow after you put $100 in the offering plate today. But God honors those who honor Him. Don’t miss out on God’s blessing.
2. You bless our church, city, and world. God is at work in and through First Alliance Church. We are seeing broken marriages healed, the sick receiving care, the hungry fed, those in prison visited, children tutored, artists trained, youth challenged, meals delivered, and the homeless housed. Because of your generosity the gospel is proclaimed—both here and around the globe. God has used this church—His church—to send missionaries around the world, to plant churches, to launch ministries such as Cherry Street Mission and Proclaim FM, to bring hope to the hopeless, love to the unloved, and peace to the troubled. We are a family on mission, God’s mission, and I can’t imagine a greater investment.
Let’s face it, our world is messed up. It needs help, and our government, schools, and businesses are not the answer, though they do good work. There’s no force on our planet like the power of God moving in and through His people.
3. Thirdly, you experience freedom. So many people live paycheck-to-paycheck with a scarcity mentality, hoarding and living in fear. When you give to God before you pay your bills, you put your faith in action, trust God, and can truly pray for your daily bread. Remember, God says to test him. He can be trusted. In nearly 29 years of marriage, He’s never failed us (and we’ve been through some massive financial storms!).
As James K.A.Smith’s book title states, You are what you love.
When Jesus was asked the greatest commandment, He replied,
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ (Mark 12:30)
What’s missing? Nothing! He said if we are his friends, we’ll do what he commands (John 15:14). He wants us to love him with ALL our heart, ALL our soul, ALL our mind, ALL our strength. When you are passionate about something, you give it your time, your attention, and your money. The word “passion’ means several things, including “a powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, a strong or extravagant desire, or a strong love,” but another definition is “the sufferings of Christ on the cross.” Jesus suffered because he is passionate about you and me. His love is so great that he gave everything for us—even his own life. That’s passion! That’s commitment. That’s love.
One of the primary ways we love God, one of the tools we have for surrendering to the Holy Spirit, one of the best expressions of trusting God, one of the most practical declarations of our faith is how we invest our money. I pray that your greatest passion in the world would be for God, and that your time, talents, and your treasures would truly reflect your worship and allegiance to Him.
Unity
Before we enter a time of worship through music in this slightly unusual Sunday morning gathering, I want to talk about another prayer I pray for First Alliance Church in addition to passion. It’s unity.
Two weeks ago we saw from Romans chapter 14 how judging and condemning others can threaten unity…and even cause people to leave our church family. After all, who wants to be with people who are critical, negative, and self-righteous? Tragically, I’ve learned of several people who no longer attend First Alliance Church because of judgmental attitudes and rejection. One Connection Card from two weeks ago said a young persons, “First Alliance peers no longer come because they say they are judged and spoke to as sinful ‘lost sheep’ when they visit so they go to different churches now, or not at all. So sad.”
Family, I don’t want to “judge and condemn” you, but we’ve got work to do. Actually, the Holy Spirit has work to do…on our hearts. I want to return to the book of Romans, this time chapter 15. Some preachers have spent years going through this incredible book of the Bible. Two weeks ago, we were in chapter 14 and it continues…
We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. (Romans 15:1-2)
In chapter 14, Paul tells the church in Rome to avoid quarrelling over disputable matters (14:1). Furthermore, we must be sensitive to those whose faith is weak, not causing them to stumble. Love means looking out for the best interest of another person, and for me to truly love you, I must be willing to sacrifice my freedoms for your conscience. I used the example of a person choosing not to drink a glass of wine around their friend who is an alcoholic. We’re naturally selfish creatures, but love means thinking of others.
This is radical! This is counter-cultural. This is the way of Jesus. He did not come to be served, but to serve. He did not come to save His life, but to offer it up for us. He set a perfect example for us to follow…an example that requires surrender to God, a filling of the Holy Spirit, and a willingness to die to our own selfish desires for the sake of loving God…and others.
This Saturday I’m performing a wedding ceremony in Michigan and one thing I often say to couples is marriage is not 50/50. It’s 100/100. If your attitude is to go halfway, that might be fine in some situations, but there are times in life when the other person—a spouse, child, parent, friend—simply can’t go halfway themselves. Maybe they are sick or struggling in some area of life and they need you to go the extra mile, so to speak. Jesus went all the way with his love. It was unconditional. He didn’t say, “I love you if” or “I love you because,” but “I love you. Period.” As we remembered last Sunday, he gave everything for us, even his very life on the cross.
For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. (Romans 15:3-4)
I’m so glad Jesus did not live a selfish life. Aren’t you? Paul continues,
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 15:5-6)
You were made by God, for God, and for God’s glory. When we live for ourselves, any hope of unity is lost. When we humbly gather together at the foot of the cross, bowing in adoration of Almighty God, seeking to love God and one another, unity is certain.
The ultimate purpose of unity is to glorify God, to worship and praise Him.
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. (Romans 15:7)
This doesn’t mean to accept sin, but to accept sinners…that’s all of us. We’ve been accepted by Jesus, despite our brokenness. His love is amazing, and he commands us to love one another, to accept one another, and in doing so, we praise God, in word and deed.
This is really hard. It’s easy to disagree with one another. It’s easy to gossip, slander, and judge. It feels quite natural to be critical, negative and be divisive…especially in our current culture. I’m sorry to say I’ve witnessed this repeatedly within our church family…and it must stop. Now. Our mission is not to about a donkey or an elephant. What brings us together is not having similar educational or economic backgrounds. Our purpose in gathering is not to “have our needs met” or to enjoy the music or feel good about the preaching (especially today, right?!). We are a Jesus-centered family and we exist for the glory of God. Period.
Even if you were an only child, you know family can be difficult. You won’t always agree on what restaurant to visit on vacation, what color to paint the living room, or what to name the puppy. But God uses others to shape us, teach us, and transform us. Others help us to become patient, kind, generous, loving, and selfless…to become like Jesus.
Today we’re going to close with not one song but several. We want to create space for your voice to join others. You can download sermons all day long. You can give money online. You can chat with friends on Facebook. One thing that is unique about our gatherings is corporate worship. You can sing in your car, but there’s something so beautiful about praising God together. This isn’t glee club or choir hour, but rather singing songs to God. He’s the audience. The people on stage are not the performers. We all are performers, together, for God. As a symbol of our unity, of loving God and one another, as a family, we praise God.
Worship Music
I pray for passion, expressed in our time, talents, and treasures.
I pray for unity, expressed in our love for one another, encouragement, sensitivity to one another, and lack of condemnation.
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
Harmony, 15 November 2015
Note: This message is similar to one preached at Scio Community Church, September 20, 2015.
Harmony: Christian Togetherness
Series: What In The World Is Going On? A Study of 1 Peter
1 Peter 1:22-2:10
Series Overview: God’s grace is present in the midst of suffering.
Big Idea: When persecuted, we have not only hope and a call to holy living but also a harmonious family of God we are to love.
Introduction
This morning we continue our series on 1 Peter, “What in The World is Going On?” This short letter to the early, suffering church is a powerful message not only to an ancient people but is increasing relevant to modern Christians as we face persecution. We may never face the horrors of ISIS victims, but nevertheless we can—and perhaps should—feel in the minority as followers of Jesus in a world consumed with money, sex and power. The theme of this book may well be called hope and grace in the midst of suffering.
The book of 1 Peter was never written as a book. It’s a short letter, often called an epistle. As we noted two weeks ago it was written by Peter—one of Jesus’ three closest friends— to early Christian exiles scattered in five provinces. If you read through 1 Peter, you may find it lacking order. I was relieved to read one writer who said,
Once again, Peter’s style here—weaving in and out of topics, exhorting and then stating the foundation for the exhortation, and digressing to cover important ideas— prevents many readers from finding any logical sequence. (Scot McKnight)
If you like a neat, organized, three-point sermon with each point beginning with the same letter or forming an acrostic, you will not find it today or probably in any sermon in this series. You’ve been warned! But don’t take that to mean this letter is disorganized or unimportant. The messages are timeless, timely for us today, and a true treasure.
Two weeks ago the focus was hope. Last week the key word was holy, being and living different, set apart lives reflecting Jesus. Today’s word is harmony.
As a musician, I love harmony. On the piano, I take it for granted since I can play several notes at once, but when I began playing the trumpet I realized only one note can be played at a time. An unaccompanied trumpet sounds okay, but when additional instruments are added, the result is exponentially more beautiful.
I have great memories of my grandparents playing their trumpets together in church, my grandpa playing the melody line and my grandma playing the harmony, blending together so beautifully.
As we dive into today’s text in 1 Peter, bear in mind we were not created to live our lives as solo individuals. We were made for community, for relationship—with God and with one another. The only thing God said was not good during creation was a single man (The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” - Genesis 2:18). This letter we’re studying is not written to an individual but rather a church, a community, a people.
Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. (1:22-23)
Children of God have been born again (John 3). We have been born again through the word of God. We’re all related…by blood. Notice Peter connects obedience and loving one another. As we’re going to see, following Jesus is more than an individual journey. We are a part of a family. We have not only a Father and a Big Brother, Jesus, but also spiritual brothers and sisters we are to love…deeply…from the heart.
If we could just do this one thing—love one another deeply—we’d be almost done! The two greatest commands are love God and love others…and we love God by loving others.
The word “deeply” cannot be overstated. We use the word “love” in English to describe so many things, yet this is a radical commitment, fervency, constancy, and effort. We are to share both phileo love—brotherly love—and agape love which is godly sacrificial love. Loving deeply is not tolerance; it may be the opposite of tolerance!
When we are adopted into God’s family we experience a new birth, receive a new family, and are given an unconditional love we are to share with others.
When we were born naturally, we were given bodies that will die. When we are born again, we are given the eternal Word of God. Some modern Christians call the Bible the Word of God—and it is—but the same word, logos, is used in John 1 to describe Jesus Himself.
Remember, Peter’s readers did not have YouVersion on their iPhone or a leather-bound NIV Study Bible! He quotes Isaiah 40:6-8.
For,
“All people are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of the Lord endures forever.”
And this is the word that was preached to you. (1:24-25)
We’re like the grass. We will eventually die. No matter how strong, smart, cool, or talented you are, you’re going to die. God and His word are eternal. That’s why we need to read it. We need to let it read us! We need to study it.
Therefore, …(2:1a)
What’s the therefore there for?
Because this world is temporary and God’s Word is eternal…
Because born people will die but born again people will live forever…
Because we are not merely children of our parents but children of God…
Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (2:1-3)
We need to get rid of sin. Last week we said, “Be holy.” Be set apart.
There are several lists of sins in the Bible. Perhaps the most famous one, the Ten Commandments, talks about murder and stealing and adultery. Peter lists some rather common sins.
Malice is congealed anger; an unforgiving spirit. Are you bitter? Is there someone you need to forgive. They don’t deserve to be forgiven, but neither do you! That’s grace. That’s agape love from God. Get rid of malice. Give it up. Surrender it to God. Replace it with God’s grace.
Deceit is guile. Ananias and Sapphira were deceitful (Acts 5). The devil is a deceiver. We are to be filled with the truth.
Do we need to talk about hypocrisy? One of the greatest criticisms of Christians by non-Christians is we’re hypocrites. We say one thing on Sunday and do something different on Monday. None of us is perfect, but when children of God screw up, they confess and make it right.
Envy. This is one of those somewhat acceptable sins, perhaps because it’s easy to hide. Look around. Whose job do you want? Whose paycheck? Whose car? Whose family? Whose body? I believe the opposite of envy is gratefulness and contentment. God has showered all of us with a vast array of gifts, beginning with Jesus and continuing to our freedom to worship today.
Slander…of every kind. Gossip. Behind-the-back criticism. If you wouldn’t say it in their presence, don’t say it in their absence!
We need to get rid of all sin in our lives…but it’s not enough to just say, “Stop it!” We need to replace sin with Jesus, with the fruit of the Spirit, with character and godliness…because we’re God’s kids, children of the King! We need to confess our sins and invite the Holy Spirit to fill us with God’s presence and power.
I love Peter’s metaphor of spiritual milk. Babies crave milk. They long for it. They are passionate for it. They cry for it! Many of us have tasted and seen that the LORD is good! We used to crave sin and now we are to crave prayer, obedience, serving others, sharing Jesus…God. We can fill our lives with vices or virtues.
The psalmist famously wrote in Psalm 42:
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. (Psalm 42:1)
The LORD is good! He’s so good! He’s greater, smarter, stronger, more present, more loving, more kind, more compassionate, more powerful…than anyone or anything.
One reason we gather is to be reminded we are children of a mighty God!
This week you may have faced criticism, bills, broken cars, broken bodies, bad news, sickness, addictions, temptations, fear, anxiety…but God is greater! The LORD is good! We must run to Him. We must flee sin and run into the arms of our Daddy who loves us unconditionally!
We are to desire the word of God, spiritual milk. We need to grow and will discover the goodness of the LORD. We need to worship. We also need to get into the word of God!
I often pray the prayer of a father who exclaimed to Jesus,
“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)
Does your passion for God grow when you’re with other believers?
Does your passion for God grow when you’re in God’s Word?
Does your passion for God grow when you worship?
LORD, I want to want You! Give me a passion for You such that knowing You is truly the greatest thing in my life!
Now Peter shifts gears.
As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (2:4-5)
Precious is an interesting word, especially for a fisherman, but Peter used it liberally. Jesus said He would build His church. Peter was a little stone like us. God is building a living temple. A better translation is “build yourselves.” Take action. We are to come together as living stones connected to the living Stone to form one spiritual house where—like the old temple—God dwells.
The foundation is salvation. You come to the living Stone broken.
For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.” (2:6)
Jesus is this stone.
Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
“The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”
and,
“A stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.”
They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. (2:7-8)
Here Peter quotes Psalm 118:22 and Isaiah 8:14.
These aren’t rolling stones but stable rocks.
We all choose to accept or reject Jesus. He’s a stepping stone or a stumbling stone.
We live in a world that rejects Jesus. Peter’s audience was rejected by the world. We may be rejected, too, but the world’s rejection pails in comparison to the Father’s acceptance. The story is still being written. Vindication is coming.
Now we come to our focus today.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (2:9)
We are a chosen people/generation. An elect race. These people are a scattered diaspora but they’ve been chosen like the people of Israel. We choose Jesus because He’s chosen us. We love Him because He first loved us.
We are a royal priesthood. In the Old Testament God chose the nation of Israel to be priests. They sinned so God-fearing Jews and Gentiles were chosen to become priests. If you are a follower of Jesus, you are a priest. We are royalty. In Peter’s day, royalty was inherited, but we have been adopted as sons and daughters to be not only children but priests who serve God.
Dr. Scot McKnight says, “To become a Christian is to be raised to the ultimate height in status because we suddenly become children of the God of the universe, and we have direct access to him because we are his children.” Hallelujah!
We are a holy nation. We’ve never been fully holy in conduct but we are holy in our relationship with God. Jesus is our righteousness.
Our purpose is to declare God’s praises. We are to announce good tidings of peace and joy. We are to show the light to our dark world. Some will accept and some will reject.
We are special people, a peculiar people, people of His own, a special possession. We are a ragamuffin collection of broken sinners who have found salvation in Jesus. We are God’s. We belong to HIm. He invites us to not only be with Him but also to love the people of this world and one another.
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (2:10)
God is rich in mercy. He has made us a people, a family filled with mercy.
So What?
God has not created us to know Him in isolation.
God has not created us to live in isolation.
God exists in community—Father, Son and Spirit—and created us to do life together, to be a family, a nation, a people, a group of priests that know God…and make Him known.
We are a family. We are a body. We are various stones that together form a house.
We need one another.
We are to complement one another…and compliment one another!
You need me and I need you.
One of the great lies of our culture is individualism. Just me and Jesus. Or just me and me! We were created to be interdependent and depend on one another and God.
First Alliance, many of you are not connected to the body. Perhaps you’re new—like me—or you’ve just been a spectator, but you’ve not experienced real community, relationships, like together. I urge you to get connected.
Participate in a Sunday School class at 9 AM. There’s a list in the bulletin.
Visit some of our small groups. There’s a list in the bulletin.
Join a ministry team. There’s a list in the bulletin!
I know we live scattered around NW Ohio, but when we come together—Sunday mornings as well as Monday through Saturday—we can experience the deeper meaning and joy of community, of oikos, the Greek word for extended family…on God’s mission together.
No matter what trials we face, we are to be a united, harmonious family, faithful to Jesus. We are God’s people. We are a priesthood, a nation, a people. Nobody serves alone. Nobody plays alone. We were created for harmony. We the people! Let’s live like it!!!
Credits
Some ideas from
Be Hopeful (1 Peter): How to Make the Best of Times Out of Your Worst of Times (The BE Series Commentary) by Warren
Thru The Bible audio messages by J. Vernon McGee
1 Peter (The NIV Application Commentary) by Scot McKnight
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
Harmony: Christian Togetherness
Series: What In The World Is Going On? A Study of 1 Peter
1 Peter 1:22-2:10
Series Overview: God’s grace is present in the midst of suffering.
Big Idea: When persecuted, we have not only hope and a call to holy living but also a harmonious family of God we are to love.
Introduction
This morning we continue our series on 1 Peter, “What in The World is Going On?” This short letter to the early, suffering church is a powerful message not only to an ancient people but is increasing relevant to modern Christians as we face persecution. We may never face the horrors of ISIS victims, but nevertheless we can—and perhaps should—feel in the minority as followers of Jesus in a world consumed with money, sex and power. The theme of this book may well be called hope and grace in the midst of suffering.
The book of 1 Peter was never written as a book. It’s a short letter, often called an epistle. As we noted two weeks ago it was written by Peter—one of Jesus’ three closest friends— to early Christian exiles scattered in five provinces. If you read through 1 Peter, you may find it lacking order. I was relieved to read one writer who said,
Once again, Peter’s style here—weaving in and out of topics, exhorting and then stating the foundation for the exhortation, and digressing to cover important ideas— prevents many readers from finding any logical sequence. (Scot McKnight)
If you like a neat, organized, three-point sermon with each point beginning with the same letter or forming an acrostic, you will not find it today or probably in any sermon in this series. You’ve been warned! But don’t take that to mean this letter is disorganized or unimportant. The messages are timeless, timely for us today, and a true treasure.
Two weeks ago the focus was hope. Last week the key word was holy, being and living different, set apart lives reflecting Jesus. Today’s word is harmony.
As a musician, I love harmony. On the piano, I take it for granted since I can play several notes at once, but when I began playing the trumpet I realized only one note can be played at a time. An unaccompanied trumpet sounds okay, but when additional instruments are added, the result is exponentially more beautiful.
I have great memories of my grandparents playing their trumpets together in church, my grandpa playing the melody line and my grandma playing the harmony, blending together so beautifully.
As we dive into today’s text in 1 Peter, bear in mind we were not created to live our lives as solo individuals. We were made for community, for relationship—with God and with one another. The only thing God said was not good during creation was a single man (The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” - Genesis 2:18). This letter we’re studying is not written to an individual but rather a church, a community, a people.
Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. (1:22-23)
Children of God have been born again (John 3). We have been born again through the word of God. We’re all related…by blood. Notice Peter connects obedience and loving one another. As we’re going to see, following Jesus is more than an individual journey. We are a part of a family. We have not only a Father and a Big Brother, Jesus, but also spiritual brothers and sisters we are to love…deeply…from the heart.
If we could just do this one thing—love one another deeply—we’d be almost done! The two greatest commands are love God and love others…and we love God by loving others.
The word “deeply” cannot be overstated. We use the word “love” in English to describe so many things, yet this is a radical commitment, fervency, constancy, and effort. We are to share both phileo love—brotherly love—and agape love which is godly sacrificial love. Loving deeply is not tolerance; it may be the opposite of tolerance!
When we are adopted into God’s family we experience a new birth, receive a new family, and are given an unconditional love we are to share with others.
When we were born naturally, we were given bodies that will die. When we are born again, we are given the eternal Word of God. Some modern Christians call the Bible the Word of God—and it is—but the same word, logos, is used in John 1 to describe Jesus Himself.
Remember, Peter’s readers did not have YouVersion on their iPhone or a leather-bound NIV Study Bible! He quotes Isaiah 40:6-8.
For,
“All people are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of the Lord endures forever.”
And this is the word that was preached to you. (1:24-25)
We’re like the grass. We will eventually die. No matter how strong, smart, cool, or talented you are, you’re going to die. God and His word are eternal. That’s why we need to read it. We need to let it read us! We need to study it.
Therefore, …(2:1a)
What’s the therefore there for?
Because this world is temporary and God’s Word is eternal…
Because born people will die but born again people will live forever…
Because we are not merely children of our parents but children of God…
Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (2:1-3)
We need to get rid of sin. Last week we said, “Be holy.” Be set apart.
There are several lists of sins in the Bible. Perhaps the most famous one, the Ten Commandments, talks about murder and stealing and adultery. Peter lists some rather common sins.
Malice is congealed anger; an unforgiving spirit. Are you bitter? Is there someone you need to forgive. They don’t deserve to be forgiven, but neither do you! That’s grace. That’s agape love from God. Get rid of malice. Give it up. Surrender it to God. Replace it with God’s grace.
Deceit is guile. Ananias and Sapphira were deceitful (Acts 5). The devil is a deceiver. We are to be filled with the truth.
Do we need to talk about hypocrisy? One of the greatest criticisms of Christians by non-Christians is we’re hypocrites. We say one thing on Sunday and do something different on Monday. None of us is perfect, but when children of God screw up, they confess and make it right.
Envy. This is one of those somewhat acceptable sins, perhaps because it’s easy to hide. Look around. Whose job do you want? Whose paycheck? Whose car? Whose family? Whose body? I believe the opposite of envy is gratefulness and contentment. God has showered all of us with a vast array of gifts, beginning with Jesus and continuing to our freedom to worship today.
Slander…of every kind. Gossip. Behind-the-back criticism. If you wouldn’t say it in their presence, don’t say it in their absence!
We need to get rid of all sin in our lives…but it’s not enough to just say, “Stop it!” We need to replace sin with Jesus, with the fruit of the Spirit, with character and godliness…because we’re God’s kids, children of the King! We need to confess our sins and invite the Holy Spirit to fill us with God’s presence and power.
I love Peter’s metaphor of spiritual milk. Babies crave milk. They long for it. They are passionate for it. They cry for it! Many of us have tasted and seen that the LORD is good! We used to crave sin and now we are to crave prayer, obedience, serving others, sharing Jesus…God. We can fill our lives with vices or virtues.
The psalmist famously wrote in Psalm 42:
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. (Psalm 42:1)
The LORD is good! He’s so good! He’s greater, smarter, stronger, more present, more loving, more kind, more compassionate, more powerful…than anyone or anything.
One reason we gather is to be reminded we are children of a mighty God!
This week you may have faced criticism, bills, broken cars, broken bodies, bad news, sickness, addictions, temptations, fear, anxiety…but God is greater! The LORD is good! We must run to Him. We must flee sin and run into the arms of our Daddy who loves us unconditionally!
We are to desire the word of God, spiritual milk. We need to grow and will discover the goodness of the LORD. We need to worship. We also need to get into the word of God!
I often pray the prayer of a father who exclaimed to Jesus,
“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)
Does your passion for God grow when you’re with other believers?
Does your passion for God grow when you’re in God’s Word?
Does your passion for God grow when you worship?
LORD, I want to want You! Give me a passion for You such that knowing You is truly the greatest thing in my life!
Now Peter shifts gears.
As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (2:4-5)
Precious is an interesting word, especially for a fisherman, but Peter used it liberally. Jesus said He would build His church. Peter was a little stone like us. God is building a living temple. A better translation is “build yourselves.” Take action. We are to come together as living stones connected to the living Stone to form one spiritual house where—like the old temple—God dwells.
The foundation is salvation. You come to the living Stone broken.
For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.” (2:6)
Jesus is this stone.
Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
“The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”
and,
“A stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.”
They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. (2:7-8)
Here Peter quotes Psalm 118:22 and Isaiah 8:14.
These aren’t rolling stones but stable rocks.
We all choose to accept or reject Jesus. He’s a stepping stone or a stumbling stone.
We live in a world that rejects Jesus. Peter’s audience was rejected by the world. We may be rejected, too, but the world’s rejection pails in comparison to the Father’s acceptance. The story is still being written. Vindication is coming.
Now we come to our focus today.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (2:9)
We are a chosen people/generation. An elect race. These people are a scattered diaspora but they’ve been chosen like the people of Israel. We choose Jesus because He’s chosen us. We love Him because He first loved us.
We are a royal priesthood. In the Old Testament God chose the nation of Israel to be priests. They sinned so God-fearing Jews and Gentiles were chosen to become priests. If you are a follower of Jesus, you are a priest. We are royalty. In Peter’s day, royalty was inherited, but we have been adopted as sons and daughters to be not only children but priests who serve God.
Dr. Scot McKnight says, “To become a Christian is to be raised to the ultimate height in status because we suddenly become children of the God of the universe, and we have direct access to him because we are his children.” Hallelujah!
We are a holy nation. We’ve never been fully holy in conduct but we are holy in our relationship with God. Jesus is our righteousness.
Our purpose is to declare God’s praises. We are to announce good tidings of peace and joy. We are to show the light to our dark world. Some will accept and some will reject.
We are special people, a peculiar people, people of His own, a special possession. We are a ragamuffin collection of broken sinners who have found salvation in Jesus. We are God’s. We belong to HIm. He invites us to not only be with Him but also to love the people of this world and one another.
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (2:10)
God is rich in mercy. He has made us a people, a family filled with mercy.
So What?
God has not created us to know Him in isolation.
God has not created us to live in isolation.
God exists in community—Father, Son and Spirit—and created us to do life together, to be a family, a nation, a people, a group of priests that know God…and make Him known.
We are a family. We are a body. We are various stones that together form a house.
We need one another.
We are to complement one another…and compliment one another!
You need me and I need you.
One of the great lies of our culture is individualism. Just me and Jesus. Or just me and me! We were created to be interdependent and depend on one another and God.
First Alliance, many of you are not connected to the body. Perhaps you’re new—like me—or you’ve just been a spectator, but you’ve not experienced real community, relationships, like together. I urge you to get connected.
Participate in a Sunday School class at 9 AM. There’s a list in the bulletin.
Visit some of our small groups. There’s a list in the bulletin.
Join a ministry team. There’s a list in the bulletin!
I know we live scattered around NW Ohio, but when we come together—Sunday mornings as well as Monday through Saturday—we can experience the deeper meaning and joy of community, of oikos, the Greek word for extended family…on God’s mission together.
No matter what trials we face, we are to be a united, harmonious family, faithful to Jesus. We are God’s people. We are a priesthood, a nation, a people. Nobody serves alone. Nobody plays alone. We were created for harmony. We the people! Let’s live like it!!!
Credits
Some ideas from
Be Hopeful (1 Peter): How to Make the Best of Times Out of Your Worst of Times (The BE Series Commentary) by Warren
Thru The Bible audio messages by J. Vernon McGee
1 Peter (The NIV Application Commentary) by Scot McKnight
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
Harmony, 20 September 2015
Harmony: Christian Togetherness
Series: What In The World Is Going On? A Study of 1 Peter
1 Peter 1:22-2:10
Series Overview: God’s grace is present in the midst of suffering.
Big Idea: When persecuted, we have not only hope and a call to holy living but also a harmonious family of God we are to love.
Introduction
This morning we continue our series on 1 Peter, “What In The World Is Going On?” This short letter to the early, suffering church is a powerful message not only to an ancient people but is increasing relevant to modern Christians as we face persecution. We may never face the horrors of ISIS victims, but nevertheless we can—and perhaps should—feel in the minority as followers of Jesus in a world consumed with money, sex and power. The theme of this book may well be called hope and grace in the midst of suffering.
If you’re read through the book of 1 Peter this past week as I challenged you last Sunday, you may have found it lacking order. I was relieved to read one writer who said,
Once again, Peter’s style here—weaving in and out of topics, exhorting and then stating the foundation for the exhortation, and digressing to cover important ideas— prevents many readers from finding any logical sequence. (Scot McKnight)
If you like a neat, organized, three-point sermon with each point beginning with the same letter or forming an acrostic, you will not find it today or probably in any sermon in this series. You’ve been warned! But don’t take that to mean this letter is disorganized or unimportant. The messages are timeless, timely for us today, and a true treasure.
Two weeks ago the focus was hope. Last week the key word was holy, being and living different, set apart lives reflecting Jesus.
We ran out of time last week so I want to begin by looking at verses 17-21 before diving into today’s text.
Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. (1 Peter 1:17)
This fear does not mean anxiety or scary, but rather awe. Dad is watching us now, and one day He will judge each of us. We can have awe or desire the approval of the world as citizens or we can be in awe of and seek the Father as foreigners; visitors.
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. (1 Peter 1:18-21)
We have been redeemed, purchased with a price. Jesus died, shedding His blood for us. Our redemption makes us grateful for not only forgiveness but adoption into our new family and a desire to live in holiness and awe before God.
Our Father is the standard. He is holy. He shows us through Jesus what it means to truly be human, to live as we were created to live, full of faith, hope and love. He shows us the benefits of salvation, an eternal hope that cannot be taken away.
Is your faith and hope in God…or in the stock market?
Is your faith and hope in God…or in your friends?
Is your faith and hope in God…or in your job?
Is your faith and hope in God…or in your social media popularity?
Is your faith and hope in God…or in your stuff…the house, the cars, the vacations?
Is your faith and hope in God…or in our president, governor, or political party?
Is your faith and hope in God…or in your gifts, talents and abilities?
Is your faith and hope in God…or in your education and diplomas?
Is your faith and hope in the present…or in the future?
Peter encourages us to be aware of the future—God’s righteous judgment of our lives and also the hope of the joy of final salvation. The best is yet to come.
Today’s word is harmony.
Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. (1:22-23)
Children of God have been born again (John 3). We have been born again through the word of God. Notice Peter connects obedience and loving one another. As we’re going to see, following Jesus is more than an individual journey. We are a part of a family. We have not only a Father and a Big Brother, Jesus, but also spiritual brothers and sisters we are to love…deeply…from the heart.
If we could just do this one thing—love one another deeply—we’d be almost done! The two greatest commands are love God and love others…and we love God by loving others.
The word “deeply” cannot be overstated. We use the word “love” in English to describe so many things, yet this is a radical commitment, fervency, constancy, and effort. We are to share both philadelphia love—brotherly love—and agape love which is godly sacrificial love. Loving deeply is not tolerance; it may be the opposite of tolerance!
When we are adopted into God’s family we experience a new birth, receive a new family, and are given an unconditional love we are to share with others.
When we were born naturally, we were given bodies that will die. When we are born again, we are given the eternal Word of God. Some modern Christians call the Bible the Word of God—and it is—but the same word, logos, is used in John 1 to describe Jesus Himself.
Remember, Peter’s readers did not have YouVersion on their iPhone or a leather-bound NIV Study Bible! He quotes Isaiah 40:6-8.
For,
“All people are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of the Lord endures forever.”
And this is the word that was preached to you. (1:24-25)
We’re like the grass. We will eventually die. No matter how strong, smart, cool, or talented you are, you’re going to die. God and His word are eternal.
Therefore, …(2:1a)
What’s it there for?
Because this world is temporary and God’s Word is eternal…
Because born people will die but born again people will live forever…
Because we are not merely children of our parents but children of God…
Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (2:1-3)
We need to get rid of sin.
Malice is congealed anger; an unforgiving spirit. Are you bitter? Is there someone you need to forgive. They don’t deserve to be forgiven, but neither do you! That’s grace. That’s agape love from God. Get rid of malice. Give it up. Surrender it to God. Replace it with God’s grace.
Deceit is guile. Ananias and Sapphira were deceitful (Acts 5). The devil is a deceiver. We are to be filled with the truth.
Do we need to talk about hypocrisy? One of the greatest criticisms of Christians by non-Christians is we’re hypocrites. We say one thing on Sunday and do something different on Monday. None of us is perfect, but when children of God screw up, they confess and make it right.
Envy. This is one of those somewhat acceptable sins, perhaps because it’s easy to hide. Look around. Whose job do you want? Whose paycheck? Whose car? Whose family? Whose body? I believe the opposite of envy is gratefulness and contentment. God has showered all of us with a vast array of gifts, beginning with Jesus and continuing to our freedom to worship today.
Slander…of every kind. Gossip. Behind-the-back criticism. If you wouldn’t say it in their presence, don’t say it in their absence!
We need to get rid of all sin in our lives and replace it with Jesus, with the fruit of the Spirit, with character and godliness…because we’re God’s kids, children of the King!
I love Peter’s metaphor of spiritual milk. He’s not writing to new Christians, but instead acknowledging how newborn babies crave milk. They long for it. They cry for it! Because we’ve tasted that the LORD is good! We used to crave sin and now we are to crave prayer, obedience, serving others, sharing Jesus…God. We can fill our lives with vices or virtues.
The psalmist famously wrote in Psalm 42:
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. (Psalm 42:1)
The LORD is good! He’s so good! He’s greater, smarter, stronger, more present, more loving, more kind, more compassionate, more powerful…than anyone or anything.
One reason we gather is to be reminded we are children of a mighty God!
This week you may have faced criticism, bills, broken cars, broken bodies, bad news, sickness, addictions, temptations, fear, anxiety…but God is greater! The LORD is good! We must run to Him. We must flee sin and run into the arms of our Daddy who loves us unconditionally!
We are to desire the word of God, spiritual milk. We need to grow and will discover the goodness of the LORD. We need to worship. We also need to get into the word of God!
I often pray the prayer of a father who exclaimed to Jesus,
“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)
Does your passion for God grow when you’re with other believers?
Does your passion for God grow when you’re in God’s Word?
Does your passion for God grow when you worship?
LORD, I want to want You! Give me a passion for You such that knowing You is truly the greatest thing in my life!
Now Peter shifts gears.
As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (2:4-5)
Precious is an interesting word, especially for a fisherman, but Peter used it liberally. Jesus said He would build His church. Peter was a little stone like us. God is building a living temple. A better translation is “build yourselves.” Take action. We are to come together as living stones connected to the living Stone to form one spiritual house where—like the old temple—God dwells.
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
“ ‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
“Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.” (Matthew 21:42-44)
The foundation is salvation. You come to the Stone broken.
The stone of judgment is also coming according to Daniel.
For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.” (2:6)
Jesus is this stone.
Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
“The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”
and,
“A stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.”
They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. (2:7-8)
These aren’t rolling stones but stable rocks.
We all choose to accept or reject Jesus. He’s a stepping stone or a stumbling stone.
Psalm 118:22 speaks of the temple.
The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. (Psalm 118:22-23)
We live in world that rejects Jesus. Peter’s audience was rejected by the world. We may be rejected, too, but the world’s rejection pails in comparison to the Father’s acceptance. The story is still being written. Vindication is coming.
Now we come to our focus today.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (2:9)
We are a chosen people/generation. An elect race. These people are a scattered diaspora but they’ve been chosen like the people of Israel. We choose Jesus because He’s chosen us. We love Him because He first loved us.
We are a royal priesthood. In the Old Testament God chose the nation of Israel to be priests. They sinned so God chose God fearing Jews and Gentiles to become priests. If you are a follower of Jesus, you are a priest. We are royalty. In Peter’s day, royalty was inherited, but we have been adopted as sons and daughters to be not only children but priests who serve God.
Scot McKnight says, “To become a Christian is to be raised to the ultimate height in status because we suddenly become children of the God of the universe, and we have direct access to him because we are his children.” Hallelujah!
We are a holy nation. We’ve never been fully holy in conduct but we are holy in our relationship with God. Jesus is our righteousness.
Our purpose is to declare God’s praises. We are to announce good tidings of peace and joy. We are to show the light to our dark world. Some will accept and some will reject.
We are special people, a peculiar people, people of His own, a special possession. We are a ragamuffin collection of broken sinners who have found salvation in Jesus. We are God’s. We belong to HIm. He invites us to not only be with Him but also to love the people of this world and one another. This reminds me of Jesus’ prayer recording in John 17:
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. (John 17:20-24)
This is my favorite prayer in the Bible because Jesus prays for us! He says we have been given to Jesus by the Father.
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (2:10)
God is rich in mercy. Paul wrote
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:4-5)
Conclusion
God has not created us to know Him in isolation.
God has not created us to live in isolation.
God exists in community—Father, Son and Spirit—and created us to do life together, to be a family, a nation, a people, a group of priests that know God…and make Him known.
No matter what trials we face, we are to be a united, harmonious family, faithful to Jesus. We are God’s people. We are a priesthood, a nation, a people. We the people! Let’s live like it!!!
Credits
Some ideas from
Be Hopeful (1 Peter): How to Make the Best of Times Out of Your Worst of Times (The BE Series Commentary) by Warren
Thru The Bible audio messages by J. Vernon McGee
1 Peter (The NIV Application Commentary) by Scot McKnight
You can listen to this message and others at the Scio podcast here. You can also subscribe to our podcast here.
Series: What In The World Is Going On? A Study of 1 Peter
1 Peter 1:22-2:10
Series Overview: God’s grace is present in the midst of suffering.
Big Idea: When persecuted, we have not only hope and a call to holy living but also a harmonious family of God we are to love.
Introduction
This morning we continue our series on 1 Peter, “What In The World Is Going On?” This short letter to the early, suffering church is a powerful message not only to an ancient people but is increasing relevant to modern Christians as we face persecution. We may never face the horrors of ISIS victims, but nevertheless we can—and perhaps should—feel in the minority as followers of Jesus in a world consumed with money, sex and power. The theme of this book may well be called hope and grace in the midst of suffering.
If you’re read through the book of 1 Peter this past week as I challenged you last Sunday, you may have found it lacking order. I was relieved to read one writer who said,
Once again, Peter’s style here—weaving in and out of topics, exhorting and then stating the foundation for the exhortation, and digressing to cover important ideas— prevents many readers from finding any logical sequence. (Scot McKnight)
If you like a neat, organized, three-point sermon with each point beginning with the same letter or forming an acrostic, you will not find it today or probably in any sermon in this series. You’ve been warned! But don’t take that to mean this letter is disorganized or unimportant. The messages are timeless, timely for us today, and a true treasure.
Two weeks ago the focus was hope. Last week the key word was holy, being and living different, set apart lives reflecting Jesus.
We ran out of time last week so I want to begin by looking at verses 17-21 before diving into today’s text.
Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. (1 Peter 1:17)
This fear does not mean anxiety or scary, but rather awe. Dad is watching us now, and one day He will judge each of us. We can have awe or desire the approval of the world as citizens or we can be in awe of and seek the Father as foreigners; visitors.
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. (1 Peter 1:18-21)
We have been redeemed, purchased with a price. Jesus died, shedding His blood for us. Our redemption makes us grateful for not only forgiveness but adoption into our new family and a desire to live in holiness and awe before God.
Our Father is the standard. He is holy. He shows us through Jesus what it means to truly be human, to live as we were created to live, full of faith, hope and love. He shows us the benefits of salvation, an eternal hope that cannot be taken away.
Is your faith and hope in God…or in the stock market?
Is your faith and hope in God…or in your friends?
Is your faith and hope in God…or in your job?
Is your faith and hope in God…or in your social media popularity?
Is your faith and hope in God…or in your stuff…the house, the cars, the vacations?
Is your faith and hope in God…or in our president, governor, or political party?
Is your faith and hope in God…or in your gifts, talents and abilities?
Is your faith and hope in God…or in your education and diplomas?
Is your faith and hope in the present…or in the future?
Peter encourages us to be aware of the future—God’s righteous judgment of our lives and also the hope of the joy of final salvation. The best is yet to come.
Today’s word is harmony.
Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. (1:22-23)
Children of God have been born again (John 3). We have been born again through the word of God. Notice Peter connects obedience and loving one another. As we’re going to see, following Jesus is more than an individual journey. We are a part of a family. We have not only a Father and a Big Brother, Jesus, but also spiritual brothers and sisters we are to love…deeply…from the heart.
If we could just do this one thing—love one another deeply—we’d be almost done! The two greatest commands are love God and love others…and we love God by loving others.
The word “deeply” cannot be overstated. We use the word “love” in English to describe so many things, yet this is a radical commitment, fervency, constancy, and effort. We are to share both philadelphia love—brotherly love—and agape love which is godly sacrificial love. Loving deeply is not tolerance; it may be the opposite of tolerance!
When we are adopted into God’s family we experience a new birth, receive a new family, and are given an unconditional love we are to share with others.
When we were born naturally, we were given bodies that will die. When we are born again, we are given the eternal Word of God. Some modern Christians call the Bible the Word of God—and it is—but the same word, logos, is used in John 1 to describe Jesus Himself.
Remember, Peter’s readers did not have YouVersion on their iPhone or a leather-bound NIV Study Bible! He quotes Isaiah 40:6-8.
For,
“All people are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of the Lord endures forever.”
And this is the word that was preached to you. (1:24-25)
We’re like the grass. We will eventually die. No matter how strong, smart, cool, or talented you are, you’re going to die. God and His word are eternal.
Therefore, …(2:1a)
What’s it there for?
Because this world is temporary and God’s Word is eternal…
Because born people will die but born again people will live forever…
Because we are not merely children of our parents but children of God…
Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (2:1-3)
We need to get rid of sin.
Malice is congealed anger; an unforgiving spirit. Are you bitter? Is there someone you need to forgive. They don’t deserve to be forgiven, but neither do you! That’s grace. That’s agape love from God. Get rid of malice. Give it up. Surrender it to God. Replace it with God’s grace.
Deceit is guile. Ananias and Sapphira were deceitful (Acts 5). The devil is a deceiver. We are to be filled with the truth.
Do we need to talk about hypocrisy? One of the greatest criticisms of Christians by non-Christians is we’re hypocrites. We say one thing on Sunday and do something different on Monday. None of us is perfect, but when children of God screw up, they confess and make it right.
Envy. This is one of those somewhat acceptable sins, perhaps because it’s easy to hide. Look around. Whose job do you want? Whose paycheck? Whose car? Whose family? Whose body? I believe the opposite of envy is gratefulness and contentment. God has showered all of us with a vast array of gifts, beginning with Jesus and continuing to our freedom to worship today.
Slander…of every kind. Gossip. Behind-the-back criticism. If you wouldn’t say it in their presence, don’t say it in their absence!
We need to get rid of all sin in our lives and replace it with Jesus, with the fruit of the Spirit, with character and godliness…because we’re God’s kids, children of the King!
I love Peter’s metaphor of spiritual milk. He’s not writing to new Christians, but instead acknowledging how newborn babies crave milk. They long for it. They cry for it! Because we’ve tasted that the LORD is good! We used to crave sin and now we are to crave prayer, obedience, serving others, sharing Jesus…God. We can fill our lives with vices or virtues.
The psalmist famously wrote in Psalm 42:
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. (Psalm 42:1)
The LORD is good! He’s so good! He’s greater, smarter, stronger, more present, more loving, more kind, more compassionate, more powerful…than anyone or anything.
One reason we gather is to be reminded we are children of a mighty God!
This week you may have faced criticism, bills, broken cars, broken bodies, bad news, sickness, addictions, temptations, fear, anxiety…but God is greater! The LORD is good! We must run to Him. We must flee sin and run into the arms of our Daddy who loves us unconditionally!
We are to desire the word of God, spiritual milk. We need to grow and will discover the goodness of the LORD. We need to worship. We also need to get into the word of God!
I often pray the prayer of a father who exclaimed to Jesus,
“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)
Does your passion for God grow when you’re with other believers?
Does your passion for God grow when you’re in God’s Word?
Does your passion for God grow when you worship?
LORD, I want to want You! Give me a passion for You such that knowing You is truly the greatest thing in my life!
Now Peter shifts gears.
As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (2:4-5)
Precious is an interesting word, especially for a fisherman, but Peter used it liberally. Jesus said He would build His church. Peter was a little stone like us. God is building a living temple. A better translation is “build yourselves.” Take action. We are to come together as living stones connected to the living Stone to form one spiritual house where—like the old temple—God dwells.
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
“ ‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
“Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.” (Matthew 21:42-44)
The foundation is salvation. You come to the Stone broken.
The stone of judgment is also coming according to Daniel.
For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.” (2:6)
Jesus is this stone.
Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
“The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”
and,
“A stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.”
They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. (2:7-8)
These aren’t rolling stones but stable rocks.
We all choose to accept or reject Jesus. He’s a stepping stone or a stumbling stone.
Psalm 118:22 speaks of the temple.
The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. (Psalm 118:22-23)
We live in world that rejects Jesus. Peter’s audience was rejected by the world. We may be rejected, too, but the world’s rejection pails in comparison to the Father’s acceptance. The story is still being written. Vindication is coming.
Now we come to our focus today.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (2:9)
We are a chosen people/generation. An elect race. These people are a scattered diaspora but they’ve been chosen like the people of Israel. We choose Jesus because He’s chosen us. We love Him because He first loved us.
We are a royal priesthood. In the Old Testament God chose the nation of Israel to be priests. They sinned so God chose God fearing Jews and Gentiles to become priests. If you are a follower of Jesus, you are a priest. We are royalty. In Peter’s day, royalty was inherited, but we have been adopted as sons and daughters to be not only children but priests who serve God.
Scot McKnight says, “To become a Christian is to be raised to the ultimate height in status because we suddenly become children of the God of the universe, and we have direct access to him because we are his children.” Hallelujah!
We are a holy nation. We’ve never been fully holy in conduct but we are holy in our relationship with God. Jesus is our righteousness.
Our purpose is to declare God’s praises. We are to announce good tidings of peace and joy. We are to show the light to our dark world. Some will accept and some will reject.
We are special people, a peculiar people, people of His own, a special possession. We are a ragamuffin collection of broken sinners who have found salvation in Jesus. We are God’s. We belong to HIm. He invites us to not only be with Him but also to love the people of this world and one another. This reminds me of Jesus’ prayer recording in John 17:
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. (John 17:20-24)
This is my favorite prayer in the Bible because Jesus prays for us! He says we have been given to Jesus by the Father.
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (2:10)
God is rich in mercy. Paul wrote
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:4-5)
Conclusion
God has not created us to know Him in isolation.
God has not created us to live in isolation.
God exists in community—Father, Son and Spirit—and created us to do life together, to be a family, a nation, a people, a group of priests that know God…and make Him known.
No matter what trials we face, we are to be a united, harmonious family, faithful to Jesus. We are God’s people. We are a priesthood, a nation, a people. We the people! Let’s live like it!!!
Credits
Some ideas from
Be Hopeful (1 Peter): How to Make the Best of Times Out of Your Worst of Times (The BE Series Commentary) by Warren
Thru The Bible audio messages by J. Vernon McGee
1 Peter (The NIV Application Commentary) by Scot McKnight
You can listen to this message and others at the Scio podcast here. You can also subscribe to our podcast here.
Covenant & Kingdom: Paul, 12 October 2014
13 10 14 Filed in: Sermons | Covenant & Kingdom
Big Idea: Covenant is the ability to become ONE with the person with whom we are in Covenant. The Father has expressed that he is ONE with his Son. Jesus expresses that he is ONE with his disciples—us!
Key Scripture: Acts 9:1-6
Introduction
We’ve come to the end of our series Covenant & Kingdom: The DNA of the Bible. As we’ve looked at the big picture of the 66-book library we call the Bible, we’ve seen how Covenant and Kingdom are woven throughout the Scriptures like a double helix is woven in DNA.
Covenant is a sacred treaty in which two parties become one. In ancient times, this always involved the shedding of blood by an animal to imply consequences for failure to fulfill the agreement.
Covenant is about relationship. Being. Invitation.
Kingdom reflects the rule and reign of a king with a people. People of the covenant are to serve under King Jesus.
Kingdom is about responsibility. Doing. Challenge.
In a word, covenant is about come. Jesus invites His disciples to come with Him.
In a word, kingdom is about go. He challenged His followers to go and make disciples.
It’s great to read about the roles of covenant and kingdom in the lives of Abram, Joseph, Moses, and Jesus, but the story continued beyond Jesus. Specifically, a man named Saul who may have been public enemy number one of early disciples of Jesus experienced covenant and kingdom and we’re going to look at his life today.
Acts 9:1-6
Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:1-4)
This is crazy! A light and a voice!
“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.
“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (Acts 9:5-6)
This may be the most radical conversion in history! It’s not enough that a threat to Christians became arguably the most important figure in the early church. He receives a personal invitation from Jesus to join His team…while he is on his way to murder Christians! Perhaps not unlike Abram’s call from God, Saul receives a personal message from God that forever changed his life.
Was Saul hurting Jesus? No. He was persecuting followers of Jesus. He is saying, “If you hurt one of My followers, you are hurting Me.” That’s covenant! Jesus’ disciples are one with Him.
Perhaps you recall Jesus teaching explicitly about this.
“When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’
“Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’
“Then he will turn to the ‘goats,’ the ones on his left, and say, ‘Get out, worthless goats! You’re good for nothing but the fires of hell.
And why? Because—
I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.’
“Then those ‘goats’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn’t help?’
“He will answer them, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.’
“Then those ‘goats’ will be herded to their eternal doom, but the ‘sheep’ to their eternal reward.” (Matthew 25:31-46, The Message)
Listen to these words again, this time from the New International Version:
‘Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ (Mt. 25:40b)
‘Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ (Mt. 25:45b)
At Jesus’ baptism, the Father clearly said He was one with Jesus, the Son. Covenant.
At Jesus’ death and throughout His life He lived out the mission. Kingdom.
Heaven touches earth in Jesus. He becomes the portal of the future we long for. The future touches the present in the person of Jesus. He becomes the conduit of the blessings of heaven.
Jesus and His disciples are one. That’s covenant.
Jesus and His disciples are sent on mission. That’s kingdom.
Back to Saul. Saul is dramatically converted. His name is even changed, to Paul. The scales fall from his eyes, he is baptized by Ananias in Damascus on the road called Straight. He preaches in the local synagogue, rests a bit, and is in Jerusalem with Peter for a while. For the next 13 years or so he persecuted. 2 Corinthians 11 and 12 tells us Paul is whipped by 39 lashes on five different occasions, is beaten by rods three times, on the open sea for a day and shipwrecked…most of these before Barnabus finds him and brings him to Antioch. So between Paul encountering Jesus and Barnabus he is persecuted. He’s probably been excommunicated at least five times (hence the 39 lashes) and is alone. Some sources suggest Paul was hiding for his life, living in a cave, abandoned by fiends and family, beaten near death, at the end of his rope…and now God will use him to do the most amazing work in the history of the church! It’s during Paul’s trials and suffering that he grows, that he understands the church as the body of Christ. When Jesus’ disciples are persecuted, Jesus feels it. It’s like they share the same body. They are one. The Christian church is the body of Christ!
The people in our community who are longing for a touch of heaven―if they met Jesus, they would find heaven. They would hear words of forgiveness. They would experience a touch of healing. They would know restoration and deliverance. We know that if they met Jesus, that is what they would experience.
So how will they do that?
Through the body.
Through Jesus, presented to the world, through his Covenant people. And if the people of the community donʼt experience Jesus through us, then we have to look in the mirror and say: Why is that?
If people donʼt experience Jesus through us, why arenʼt they? It really is about Covenant and Kingdom all the way through. Covenant is about Relationship. Kingdom is about representing the King.
It is an invitation to Relationship, to the life of discipleship and ONEness with Jesus. It is the challenge to live into the responsibility of representing the King, to live into what we were created for.
It is about BEING one with God and DOING things for him. But Covenant and Kingdom isnʼt just about you as an individual...it is about us as the body. It is about being a Covenant community doing the work of the King.
And what is the work of the King? To save all that was lost in the beginning through the people who lost it in the first place. It is a rescue mission that God has been on since the Fall in Genesis 3.
We are a Covenant community with the mission of extending the Kingdom of our Father.
Itʼs Covenant and Kingdom. Itʼs BEING and DOING. Itʼs Relationship and Responsibility Itʼs Invitation and Challenge. Itʼs being a Community on Mission.
This community exists to be on mission together.
Itʼs right there. Itʼs why we exist. Together, as the body, covenanted together with Jesus, we represent the King and extend his rule, bringing forgiveness, healing, restoration, and deliverance wherever we go. People will experience the future that is heaven in us today.
That is what it means to be the church. It is know Jesus and make Him known. It is to be the hands and feet of Christ, Jesus with skin on!
We are on a mission from God. It begins with knowing our Father and continues with marching orders as the body of Christ, the kingdom of God. The kingdom is a people. It’s us! There is no Plan B.
One More Thing
Have you ever wondered why Jesus left? Why did He only spend 33 years or so on our planet and then pass the baton to us? He didn’t leave us alone. He sent the Holy Spirit to live inside us. When you receive and follow Jesus, you get the Holy Spirit, too. Unlike Jesus, the Holy Spirit is omni-present, able to be in many places at once, living inside of you and me. I believe this is what is behind Jesus’ promise to His disciples:
I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. (John 14:12)
Notice Jesus didn’t just say this, He began with that emphasized phrase “I tell you the truth.” We are the body. We are to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We are to re-present Jesus—the Head of the body—to the world, making disciples of all nations, teaching them and baptizing them.
So what?
What has God been saying to you through this message? This series? What are you going to do about it?
For some of you, this is a season where you need to lean into relationship with God, embrace the reality that you are precious to your Creator, loved and cherished by your heavenly Daddy.
For others, it’s time to stop talking and start moving into kingdom activity. The king is giving you marching orders to love your neighbor, to serve the poor and weak, to give generously of your resources, to advance the kingdom on your knees in prayer, or even to get a passport and expand the kingdom beyond known territory.
But it’s not just about you. It’s about us. Together. The body. The church. The kingdom is a people and we are that people.
Scio Community Church
By the end of 2015 we hope to travel together to the Dominican Republic and make disciples. We will have numerous opportunities to serve together in Life Groups. Each week we can read God’s Word together via our Facebook Scio Journal and pray using our weekly FirstWork prayer tool. We can help one another, encourage one another, and love one another. That’s the greatest indicator of our effectiveness. Jesus said it plainly:
This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.” (John 13:35)
Are you ready?
Credits
Ideas for this series taken from book of the same title by Mike Breen and 3DMovements.com.
You can listen to this message and others at the Scio podcast here. You can also subscribe to our podcast here.
Key Scripture: Acts 9:1-6
Introduction
We’ve come to the end of our series Covenant & Kingdom: The DNA of the Bible. As we’ve looked at the big picture of the 66-book library we call the Bible, we’ve seen how Covenant and Kingdom are woven throughout the Scriptures like a double helix is woven in DNA.
Covenant is a sacred treaty in which two parties become one. In ancient times, this always involved the shedding of blood by an animal to imply consequences for failure to fulfill the agreement.
Covenant is about relationship. Being. Invitation.
Kingdom reflects the rule and reign of a king with a people. People of the covenant are to serve under King Jesus.
Kingdom is about responsibility. Doing. Challenge.
In a word, covenant is about come. Jesus invites His disciples to come with Him.
In a word, kingdom is about go. He challenged His followers to go and make disciples.
It’s great to read about the roles of covenant and kingdom in the lives of Abram, Joseph, Moses, and Jesus, but the story continued beyond Jesus. Specifically, a man named Saul who may have been public enemy number one of early disciples of Jesus experienced covenant and kingdom and we’re going to look at his life today.
Acts 9:1-6
Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:1-4)
This is crazy! A light and a voice!
“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.
“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (Acts 9:5-6)
This may be the most radical conversion in history! It’s not enough that a threat to Christians became arguably the most important figure in the early church. He receives a personal invitation from Jesus to join His team…while he is on his way to murder Christians! Perhaps not unlike Abram’s call from God, Saul receives a personal message from God that forever changed his life.
Was Saul hurting Jesus? No. He was persecuting followers of Jesus. He is saying, “If you hurt one of My followers, you are hurting Me.” That’s covenant! Jesus’ disciples are one with Him.
Perhaps you recall Jesus teaching explicitly about this.
“When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’
“Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’
“Then he will turn to the ‘goats,’ the ones on his left, and say, ‘Get out, worthless goats! You’re good for nothing but the fires of hell.
And why? Because—
I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.’
“Then those ‘goats’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn’t help?’
“He will answer them, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.’
“Then those ‘goats’ will be herded to their eternal doom, but the ‘sheep’ to their eternal reward.” (Matthew 25:31-46, The Message)
Listen to these words again, this time from the New International Version:
‘Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ (Mt. 25:40b)
‘Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ (Mt. 25:45b)
At Jesus’ baptism, the Father clearly said He was one with Jesus, the Son. Covenant.
At Jesus’ death and throughout His life He lived out the mission. Kingdom.
Heaven touches earth in Jesus. He becomes the portal of the future we long for. The future touches the present in the person of Jesus. He becomes the conduit of the blessings of heaven.
Jesus and His disciples are one. That’s covenant.
Jesus and His disciples are sent on mission. That’s kingdom.
Back to Saul. Saul is dramatically converted. His name is even changed, to Paul. The scales fall from his eyes, he is baptized by Ananias in Damascus on the road called Straight. He preaches in the local synagogue, rests a bit, and is in Jerusalem with Peter for a while. For the next 13 years or so he persecuted. 2 Corinthians 11 and 12 tells us Paul is whipped by 39 lashes on five different occasions, is beaten by rods three times, on the open sea for a day and shipwrecked…most of these before Barnabus finds him and brings him to Antioch. So between Paul encountering Jesus and Barnabus he is persecuted. He’s probably been excommunicated at least five times (hence the 39 lashes) and is alone. Some sources suggest Paul was hiding for his life, living in a cave, abandoned by fiends and family, beaten near death, at the end of his rope…and now God will use him to do the most amazing work in the history of the church! It’s during Paul’s trials and suffering that he grows, that he understands the church as the body of Christ. When Jesus’ disciples are persecuted, Jesus feels it. It’s like they share the same body. They are one. The Christian church is the body of Christ!
The people in our community who are longing for a touch of heaven―if they met Jesus, they would find heaven. They would hear words of forgiveness. They would experience a touch of healing. They would know restoration and deliverance. We know that if they met Jesus, that is what they would experience.
So how will they do that?
Through the body.
Through Jesus, presented to the world, through his Covenant people. And if the people of the community donʼt experience Jesus through us, then we have to look in the mirror and say: Why is that?
If people donʼt experience Jesus through us, why arenʼt they? It really is about Covenant and Kingdom all the way through. Covenant is about Relationship. Kingdom is about representing the King.
It is an invitation to Relationship, to the life of discipleship and ONEness with Jesus. It is the challenge to live into the responsibility of representing the King, to live into what we were created for.
It is about BEING one with God and DOING things for him. But Covenant and Kingdom isnʼt just about you as an individual...it is about us as the body. It is about being a Covenant community doing the work of the King.
And what is the work of the King? To save all that was lost in the beginning through the people who lost it in the first place. It is a rescue mission that God has been on since the Fall in Genesis 3.
We are a Covenant community with the mission of extending the Kingdom of our Father.
Itʼs Covenant and Kingdom. Itʼs BEING and DOING. Itʼs Relationship and Responsibility Itʼs Invitation and Challenge. Itʼs being a Community on Mission.
This community exists to be on mission together.
Itʼs right there. Itʼs why we exist. Together, as the body, covenanted together with Jesus, we represent the King and extend his rule, bringing forgiveness, healing, restoration, and deliverance wherever we go. People will experience the future that is heaven in us today.
That is what it means to be the church. It is know Jesus and make Him known. It is to be the hands and feet of Christ, Jesus with skin on!
We are on a mission from God. It begins with knowing our Father and continues with marching orders as the body of Christ, the kingdom of God. The kingdom is a people. It’s us! There is no Plan B.
One More Thing
Have you ever wondered why Jesus left? Why did He only spend 33 years or so on our planet and then pass the baton to us? He didn’t leave us alone. He sent the Holy Spirit to live inside us. When you receive and follow Jesus, you get the Holy Spirit, too. Unlike Jesus, the Holy Spirit is omni-present, able to be in many places at once, living inside of you and me. I believe this is what is behind Jesus’ promise to His disciples:
I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. (John 14:12)
Notice Jesus didn’t just say this, He began with that emphasized phrase “I tell you the truth.” We are the body. We are to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We are to re-present Jesus—the Head of the body—to the world, making disciples of all nations, teaching them and baptizing them.
So what?
What has God been saying to you through this message? This series? What are you going to do about it?
For some of you, this is a season where you need to lean into relationship with God, embrace the reality that you are precious to your Creator, loved and cherished by your heavenly Daddy.
For others, it’s time to stop talking and start moving into kingdom activity. The king is giving you marching orders to love your neighbor, to serve the poor and weak, to give generously of your resources, to advance the kingdom on your knees in prayer, or even to get a passport and expand the kingdom beyond known territory.
But it’s not just about you. It’s about us. Together. The body. The church. The kingdom is a people and we are that people.
Scio Community Church
By the end of 2015 we hope to travel together to the Dominican Republic and make disciples. We will have numerous opportunities to serve together in Life Groups. Each week we can read God’s Word together via our Facebook Scio Journal and pray using our weekly FirstWork prayer tool. We can help one another, encourage one another, and love one another. That’s the greatest indicator of our effectiveness. Jesus said it plainly:
This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.” (John 13:35)
Are you ready?
Credits
Ideas for this series taken from book of the same title by Mike Breen and 3DMovements.com.
You can listen to this message and others at the Scio podcast here. You can also subscribe to our podcast here.
We Are Gifted, 2 March 2014
Big Idea: We are gifted.
Ephesians 4:1-16
Introduction
Do you like gifts? When do you usually receive a gift? When we get a gift, we usually think about how it can benefit us. Have you ever received a gift that you wanted to use to bless someone else? I’m not talking about regifting! I mean sharing a gift.
Two weeks ago I attended my friend’s daughter’s first birthday party. There was a huge pile of gifts. There were children there, too, that were interested in these gifts. Can you guess what happened?!
Today we continue our series on the book of Ephesians, Who Do You Think You Are? As we begin chapter four, a huge shift occurs, from doctrine to clear directives. Paul spent the first three chapters talking about who we are—and Whose we are. We are in Christ.
Ephesians parallels the book of Joshua. Joshua entered the land of Promised Land, leading the children of Israel over the Jordan speaking of the death, burial and resurrection to the Promised Land where we (should be) living today. Joshua had to take possession (the great word in Joshua).
Ephesians 1-3 is all about position, we are in Christ. Are we walking in possession? Now we enter the Promised Land to be a blessing to others.
We will see a shift from declarations to commands, from propositions to practical stuff for those in Christ.
Our culture often says if you do something, you can be somebody. God says be somebody and then you can do something as a result. Be in Christ. Becoming a child of God. Follow Jesus. Transformation follows.
I believe one of the great tragedies contributing to the decline of the movement of Jesus in our culture is the message we have sent to the world. Many churches communicate the need to behave, believe, and then belong. The order must be reversed. We must welcome the stranger and invite them into relationship with us and God. After they are loved and feel they belong it is likely they will believe, and once they believe and receive Jesus and the Holy Spirit, then and only then do they have the ability to behave.
As we begin Ephesians 4, these words are instructions to believers who are in Christ. Without Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit this text will be nothing more than futile, guilt-inducing moralizing. May it never be!
Paul the prisoner begins to instruct his readers, believers in the early Church.
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (1-3)
We could camp out on these three verses for weeks!
Live a life worthy of the calling you have received. J. Vernon McGee said people may not be telling you but they’re smelling you to see if your faith is genuine. It’s not only how we walk but where we walk, walking in the light (1 John 1:7). Is your life worthy of being called “Christian,” a “little Christ?”
Be completely humble. Humility has been a challenge for me…ever since I was eight years old, played a piano solo in our small church, and responded to a kind old lady who said, “You play very nice, young man” with the fateful words, “I know!” Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less. Few things make loving relationships challenging more than pride. We will in a culture where so many are creating platforms, establishing their own personal brand identity, and seeking as many likes, friends and followers as possible. Those endeavors are not necessarily sinful, but the attitude behind them can be evil. Pride got Lucifer the angel kicked out of heaven where he then became satan. Are you seeking God’s fame or your own.
…and gentle. Gentleness—or meekness—is not weakness. Moses (shattering the stone tablets) and Jesus (turning over the tables in the Temple) were both meek. Meekness is bowing to God’s will.
Be patient, bearing with one another in love. Patience is a virtue, but patience with people is especially challenging. They don’t usually change as quickly as a traffic light!
- Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
This is one of Paul’s core messages—unity.
Perhaps the most significant verse for the people of Israel speaks to this idea of unity.
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. (Deuteronomy 6:4)
There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to one hope when you were called — one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (4-6)
One body (the Church)
One Spirit (the Holy Spirit)
One hope (blessed hope)
One Lord (Jesus)
One faith (Acts 2:42)
One baptism (baptism in the Holy Spirit)
One God and Father (the Father of believers)
God is transcendent, above His creation.
God is through and in all, too.
Unity is one of my four prayers for Scio: unity, passion, protection and direction. LORD, make us one. That was Jesus’ prayer for us (John 17).
But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.” (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) (7-10)
This is an interesting segue from unity to gifts. There are a few possible meanings behind this reference to Psalm 68:18. We know Jesus ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9). Some see “descended” as a reference to the Incarnation when Jesus came to earth as a baby. Others think it refers to when Jesus descended into Hell.
What is clear is God gives gifts to individuals to use not for themselves but for the Church, the Body of believers. It’s to bless others.
If you are a believer you have been given at least one gift to serve others. You are vital part of the body. With the possible exception of a haircut, no surgery is painless!
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (11-13)
Jesus gave the gifts.
He has the authority.
Every believer has at least one gift.
Nobody has all of the gifts.
It’s not that you have or don’t have a gift. There can be degrees.
Gifts may be lifelong or possibly temporary, like healing.
There is no comprehensive list of spiritual gifts.
There are four sections on spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, 1 Peter 4, Ephesians 4).
We are all called to be ministers.
As a pastor, I’m called to equip you to do the ministry, works of service.
Wisdom (1 Cor. 12:8)
Knowledge (1 Cor. 12:8)
Faith (1 Cor. 12:9)
Healing (1 Cor. 12:9)
Miracles (1 Cor. 12:9)
Discernment (1 Cor. 12:10)
Apostleship (1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11)
Teaching (Rom. 12:7; 1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11)
Helps and Service (Rom. 12:7; 1 Cor. 12:28; 1 Peter 4:11)
Administration (1 Cor. 12:28)
Evangelism (Eph. 4:11)
Pastoring/Counseling (Eph. 4:11)
Encouragement (Rom. 12:8)
Giving (Rom. 12:8)
Leadership (Rom. 12:8)
Mercy (Rom. 12:8)
Hospitality (Rom. 12:13)
Tongues (1 Cor. 12:8–10, 29
Prophecy (Rom. 12:6; 1 Cor. 12:10, 28; Eph. 4:11)
Do you know your spiritual gift or gifts? These questions from Mark Driscoll may help you identify them:
Whom/where do you have a passion to serve?
What do you have a burden to do?
What needs do you see in the church?
What do you find joy in doing for others?
What opportunities has God already provided for you to serve others?
What things are you best at and have the most success in?
What have godly people commended you for doing?
What acts of service have given you the deepest sense of satisfaction and joy?
What is the purpose of gifts? The maturity of the Church.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (14-16)
Grow up! We’re not supposed to remain as spiritual babies but we are to grow up. How do you know if someone is a mature person? How do you know if someone is a mature believer?
Questions
Where does your church need to grow towards maturity?
What gifts has God given to enable this to take place?
What challenges, what cunning tricks and false teaching, do you need to watch out for, and how can you combat it?
Not every Christian is called to full-time vocational ministry, but every Christian is called to the “work of ministry.”
Resource
You can take a free spiritual gifts inventory and experience other valuable tools at http://www.chazown.com.
Credits:
Some ideas from
J.I. Packer, Ephesians (sermon series audio)
Mark Driscoll, Who Do You Think You Are (book and podcast series)
GLO Bible
Louie Giglio, Passion City Church sermon series
J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible, http://thruthebible.ca
You can listen to this message and others at the Scio podcast here. You can also subscribe to our podcast here.
Ephesians 4:1-16
Introduction
Do you like gifts? When do you usually receive a gift? When we get a gift, we usually think about how it can benefit us. Have you ever received a gift that you wanted to use to bless someone else? I’m not talking about regifting! I mean sharing a gift.
Two weeks ago I attended my friend’s daughter’s first birthday party. There was a huge pile of gifts. There were children there, too, that were interested in these gifts. Can you guess what happened?!
Today we continue our series on the book of Ephesians, Who Do You Think You Are? As we begin chapter four, a huge shift occurs, from doctrine to clear directives. Paul spent the first three chapters talking about who we are—and Whose we are. We are in Christ.
Ephesians parallels the book of Joshua. Joshua entered the land of Promised Land, leading the children of Israel over the Jordan speaking of the death, burial and resurrection to the Promised Land where we (should be) living today. Joshua had to take possession (the great word in Joshua).
Ephesians 1-3 is all about position, we are in Christ. Are we walking in possession? Now we enter the Promised Land to be a blessing to others.
We will see a shift from declarations to commands, from propositions to practical stuff for those in Christ.
Our culture often says if you do something, you can be somebody. God says be somebody and then you can do something as a result. Be in Christ. Becoming a child of God. Follow Jesus. Transformation follows.
I believe one of the great tragedies contributing to the decline of the movement of Jesus in our culture is the message we have sent to the world. Many churches communicate the need to behave, believe, and then belong. The order must be reversed. We must welcome the stranger and invite them into relationship with us and God. After they are loved and feel they belong it is likely they will believe, and once they believe and receive Jesus and the Holy Spirit, then and only then do they have the ability to behave.
As we begin Ephesians 4, these words are instructions to believers who are in Christ. Without Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit this text will be nothing more than futile, guilt-inducing moralizing. May it never be!
Paul the prisoner begins to instruct his readers, believers in the early Church.
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (1-3)
We could camp out on these three verses for weeks!
Live a life worthy of the calling you have received. J. Vernon McGee said people may not be telling you but they’re smelling you to see if your faith is genuine. It’s not only how we walk but where we walk, walking in the light (1 John 1:7). Is your life worthy of being called “Christian,” a “little Christ?”
Be completely humble. Humility has been a challenge for me…ever since I was eight years old, played a piano solo in our small church, and responded to a kind old lady who said, “You play very nice, young man” with the fateful words, “I know!” Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less. Few things make loving relationships challenging more than pride. We will in a culture where so many are creating platforms, establishing their own personal brand identity, and seeking as many likes, friends and followers as possible. Those endeavors are not necessarily sinful, but the attitude behind them can be evil. Pride got Lucifer the angel kicked out of heaven where he then became satan. Are you seeking God’s fame or your own.
…and gentle. Gentleness—or meekness—is not weakness. Moses (shattering the stone tablets) and Jesus (turning over the tables in the Temple) were both meek. Meekness is bowing to God’s will.
Be patient, bearing with one another in love. Patience is a virtue, but patience with people is especially challenging. They don’t usually change as quickly as a traffic light!
- Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
This is one of Paul’s core messages—unity.
Perhaps the most significant verse for the people of Israel speaks to this idea of unity.
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. (Deuteronomy 6:4)
There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to one hope when you were called — one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (4-6)
One body (the Church)
One Spirit (the Holy Spirit)
One hope (blessed hope)
One Lord (Jesus)
One faith (Acts 2:42)
One baptism (baptism in the Holy Spirit)
One God and Father (the Father of believers)
God is transcendent, above His creation.
God is through and in all, too.
Unity is one of my four prayers for Scio: unity, passion, protection and direction. LORD, make us one. That was Jesus’ prayer for us (John 17).
But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.” (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) (7-10)
This is an interesting segue from unity to gifts. There are a few possible meanings behind this reference to Psalm 68:18. We know Jesus ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9). Some see “descended” as a reference to the Incarnation when Jesus came to earth as a baby. Others think it refers to when Jesus descended into Hell.
What is clear is God gives gifts to individuals to use not for themselves but for the Church, the Body of believers. It’s to bless others.
If you are a believer you have been given at least one gift to serve others. You are vital part of the body. With the possible exception of a haircut, no surgery is painless!
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (11-13)
Jesus gave the gifts.
He has the authority.
Every believer has at least one gift.
Nobody has all of the gifts.
It’s not that you have or don’t have a gift. There can be degrees.
Gifts may be lifelong or possibly temporary, like healing.
There is no comprehensive list of spiritual gifts.
There are four sections on spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, 1 Peter 4, Ephesians 4).
We are all called to be ministers.
As a pastor, I’m called to equip you to do the ministry, works of service.
Wisdom (1 Cor. 12:8)
Knowledge (1 Cor. 12:8)
Faith (1 Cor. 12:9)
Healing (1 Cor. 12:9)
Miracles (1 Cor. 12:9)
Discernment (1 Cor. 12:10)
Apostleship (1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11)
Teaching (Rom. 12:7; 1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11)
Helps and Service (Rom. 12:7; 1 Cor. 12:28; 1 Peter 4:11)
Administration (1 Cor. 12:28)
Evangelism (Eph. 4:11)
Pastoring/Counseling (Eph. 4:11)
Encouragement (Rom. 12:8)
Giving (Rom. 12:8)
Leadership (Rom. 12:8)
Mercy (Rom. 12:8)
Hospitality (Rom. 12:13)
Tongues (1 Cor. 12:8–10, 29
Prophecy (Rom. 12:6; 1 Cor. 12:10, 28; Eph. 4:11)
Do you know your spiritual gift or gifts? These questions from Mark Driscoll may help you identify them:
Whom/where do you have a passion to serve?
What do you have a burden to do?
What needs do you see in the church?
What do you find joy in doing for others?
What opportunities has God already provided for you to serve others?
What things are you best at and have the most success in?
What have godly people commended you for doing?
What acts of service have given you the deepest sense of satisfaction and joy?
What is the purpose of gifts? The maturity of the Church.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (14-16)
Grow up! We’re not supposed to remain as spiritual babies but we are to grow up. How do you know if someone is a mature person? How do you know if someone is a mature believer?
Questions
Where does your church need to grow towards maturity?
What gifts has God given to enable this to take place?
What challenges, what cunning tricks and false teaching, do you need to watch out for, and how can you combat it?
Not every Christian is called to full-time vocational ministry, but every Christian is called to the “work of ministry.”
Resource
You can take a free spiritual gifts inventory and experience other valuable tools at http://www.chazown.com.
Credits:
Some ideas from
J.I. Packer, Ephesians (sermon series audio)
Mark Driscoll, Who Do You Think You Are (book and podcast series)
GLO Bible
Louie Giglio, Passion City Church sermon series
J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible, http://thruthebible.ca
You can listen to this message and others at the Scio podcast here. You can also subscribe to our podcast here.
Jesus Prays For Us: Unity, John 17:13-26, 1 August 2013
Big Idea: Jesus wants us to be joyful, missional, unified, and loved.
Introduction
Two weeks ago we began John 17, the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus in which He prayed for Himself and His disciples prior to His arrest and crucifixion. Essentially John allows us to eavesdrop on Jesus praying. We’re going to review some of our previous text beginning with verse 13 because much of what He prays for His disciples is relevant to us.
Jesus Prays For His Followers
“I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.
My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. (13-19)
Sin always leads to death (chocolate poop!). Joy only comes from the LORD. Jesus said in chapter sixteen that He would send the Holy Spirit (Acts 2). The world is not where we find joy, but where we love and serve others. This world is not our home.
The mark of the Christian is joy, not the pursuit of happiness. Joy comes from the Holy Spirit. It is not dependent upon our circumstances. When—not if—we suffer and die, it can glorify God and be used to grow us and others.
Jesus prays that He would suffer well and that His disciples would suffer well.
We can’t do everything. We need wisdom to know how to live within our many limits.
Again He prays that the Father would protect them.
Sanctify them.
He wants us to be joyful missionaries. Missionaries used to be people that were sent to strange people that don’t know God and live alternative lifestyles…overseas. Those people live in Ann Arbor…and Ypsilanti, and Dexter, and all around us! The world is here and we can reach the world without a passport. We can reach other peoples with a passport, too, but Scio Community Church is a church on mission, God’s mission. I’ve said this many times but it’s worth repeating, Jesus did not come to earth to start another religion. His vision of the Church, His Body and Bride, is not to be a country club dispensing religious goods and services for its members. It is to be a mission outpost seeking and serving the lost in order that they might encounter Jesus and be saved.
We are Christ’s ambassadors, here to re-present Jesus to the world…at Meijer, on Facebook, at Ford and GM, at school, in the subdivision,…and Macedonia, too! It is not a duty but an honor.
Every two years billions of people around the world watch the Olympic games. I’ve often thought of the thrill of participating in the games, but athletes do more than represent themselves. They represent their nation. They stand with pride when medals are presented and the respective national anthem is played. A win for them is a win for their country.
In the same way, we are privileged to re-present the King of kings to the peoples of this world. We are not home nor are we here to make a name for ourselves. We are not here for ourselves, our comfort, or convenience. We are here for Jesus!
If you were a missionary overseas, you’d study the culture, learn the language, understand the traditions, and build bridges. We do the same here today.
Jesus is God sent into human history as a missionary, living and serving and loving in the culture. John tells us more than forty times that Jesus was “sent.”
God determines where and when we live (Acts 17). We are here now. God’s plan is for us to be missionaries here today. There are two aspects of being a missionary:
As we have said in previous weeks, there are two extremes that are dangerous. The first is syncretism. This is when we look and act just like everyone else. If we do not reflect the light of Christ in the darkness, we are just as dark as our surroundings. We are not sanctified, holy or distinct.
The other extreme is separatism. This is when we avoid the world, separating ourselves, ignoring the darkness and keeping the light to ourselves. We are not sent as missionaries, but rather huddle as members seeking shelter from “those people out there.” They know nothing about the world because they’re stuck in Christian subculture watching Christian TV, listening to Christian radio, reading Christian books, and drinking milk from a Christian cow! The question in this camp is, “When do we get to leave?” rather than “How can we live out God’s mission, the missio Dei?”
Jesus prayed against conservatives (separatists) and liberals (syncretists).
We are to be in the world but not of the world. This is a delicate balance, but this is what Jesus did and what He prays for us. The answers can be found in the Bible and by being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Jesus wants us to be in Christ and in the culture, in the Word and the world.
Jesus Prays For Us
Have you ever wished you could be an eyewitness to biblical events? How cool would it be to walk with Jesus and have Him pray for you, not people thousands of years ago, but you!
The final seven verses are Jesus’ specific prayers for you and me…in 2013!
”My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one —I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (20-23)
Jesus sent His followers our two-by-two. We must work together. This point continues in verse 20.
Jesus does not pray for uniformity but unity.
This past week was the beginning of the NFL preseason. Teams of players are assembling. Players are not asked to all do the same thing, but to play a particular position on one, unified team with one unified mission. When they work together, great things can be accomplished. As the old acronym states, Together Everyone Achieves More, TEAM.
History is filled with examples of great groups of players that were unable to win together. They all tried to play the same role or had different missions. A team of good players working together will defeat a team of great individuals most every time.
What does a “win” look like for Scio Community Church? It is found in our mission statement:
We exist to fulfill the Great Commission and follow the Great Commandment by
so that God is glorified.
There is one God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We show God’s character to the world when we are unified. Unity comes from Jesus. We need to focus on Jesus. We need Jesus-centered homes and churches.
Like an isosceles triangle with Jesus at the top and us at the bottom, he closer we get to Jesus, the closer we get to one another. We can’t make unity the focus, but if Jesus is at the center, it will occur naturally.
Unity comes through mission, through working together. It also comes when we follow the Bible. Psalm 133 is all about unity. It begins
How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!
Unity is not uniformity. One of my favorite quotes is from Rick Warren: “We need different types of churches for different types of people,” so long as they partner together follow Jesus.
Unfortunately we are hardly known for our unity and partnerships. The single movement Jesus began has splintered…from one church to the great Catholic/Orthodox schism to Protestantism to more than 41,000 denominations!
There are open-handed and close-handed issues. Of course, there are disagreements on which is which, but open-handed issues like whether or not women can be pastors or what translation of the Bible to use or mode of baptism are different from close-handed issues like is Jesus God and is the Bible reliable.
One helpful metaphor is states and nations. We are one unified nation, the USA, even though there are differences between Michigan, Minnesota, and Montana. Buddhists and Muslims are different countries. We love them, but we are not on the same team.
I have been privileged to be one of the founding pastors of PACT, the Pastors Alliance for County Transformation. For more than a decade, about one hundred churches in Washtenaw County have worshipped together on Palm Sunday at Hosanna, served together at Operation Jumpstart, and prayed together through 40 Days of Prayer and Pastors Prayer Summits.
Is Jesus the center? Are people serving Jesus and His mission? Is the Bible the common language and authority? We can have disagreements without division.
Our tribe, the Christian & Missionary Alliance, wasn’t even a denomination a generation ago. It was and is a missional movement that partners with other groups.
Jesus prays for our unity.
I have four prayers prayers for Scio Community Church—direction, protection, passion, and unity.
Unity Is fragile.
We have a real enemy that wants to steal, kill and destroy. He knows that a house divided cannot stand. If you’ve ever been on a family vacation you know preferences and personalities can create conflict. In many ways, it would be easier if we all WERE similar with identical gifts and passions, but how boring would that be? God created us to be interdependent—dependent upon Him and each other.
I want to serve notice that Scio Community Church is in the midst of…changes. As our world changes, there are increasing needs to change our methods—never our message—to accomplish our mission.
As our one of the Alliance’s values states
Achieving God’s purposes means taking faith-filled risks. This always involves change. Hebrews 1
Every change, big and small, has the potential to be polarizing. If we paint the bathroom, you might like or dislike the color. The thing to remember is we are on a mission to make disciples. That is why we exist, and everything we do must be evaluated on that basis. Our mission must drive our focus and unity, not tradition or even popular vote.
I trust our senior Pastor, Jesus Christ, to guide us forward in making disciples in Scio Township and beyond. In Acts 1:8 Jesus says
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Our Jerusalem is Scio Township and the Ann Arbor area. This is where God has called us to gather and serve.
Judea is the Great Lakes District of Michigan and northwest Ohio. We have sister churches in the region with whom we partner.
Samaria is the area beyond our area—the United States. The Christian & Missionary Alliance provides us with countless connections to make disciples from sea to shining sea, serving in disaster zones like hurricanes.
Finally, the ends of the earth are…the ends of the earth. We have built-in networks with brothers and sisters from Vietnam to Brazil, Macedonia to Mongolia.
Needless to say, there is great diversity in the ways we worship and serve, but throughout we have unity in one LORD, one faith, and one baptism.
Next year we will celebrate our church’s 80th anniversary. God has guided us since the founding of the Ypsilanti Gospel Tabernacle in 1934 to today.
LORD, make us one! LORD, keep us one!
Finally, Jesus prays
“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. (24)
God is a perfect Dad. Prayer gets easier when we remember God is Dad.
“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” (25-26)
This world is not our home. We will be hated. We will be together with Jesus forever, home someday. We will have joy, unity, and a completed mission in a world free of sin and death.
Conclusion
Jesus is praying for us now…daily. Hallelujah!
Credits
Some ideas from The High Priestly Prayer sermon by Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church and The NIV Application Commentary, John by Gary Burge.
You can listen to the Scio podcast here. You can also subscribe to our podcast here.
Introduction
Two weeks ago we began John 17, the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus in which He prayed for Himself and His disciples prior to His arrest and crucifixion. Essentially John allows us to eavesdrop on Jesus praying. We’re going to review some of our previous text beginning with verse 13 because much of what He prays for His disciples is relevant to us.
Jesus Prays For His Followers
“I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.
My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. (13-19)
- 1. Jesus wants us to experience joy
Sin always leads to death (chocolate poop!). Joy only comes from the LORD. Jesus said in chapter sixteen that He would send the Holy Spirit (Acts 2). The world is not where we find joy, but where we love and serve others. This world is not our home.
The mark of the Christian is joy, not the pursuit of happiness. Joy comes from the Holy Spirit. It is not dependent upon our circumstances. When—not if—we suffer and die, it can glorify God and be used to grow us and others.
Jesus prays that He would suffer well and that His disciples would suffer well.
We can’t do everything. We need wisdom to know how to live within our many limits.
Again He prays that the Father would protect them.
Sanctify them.
- 2. Jesus wants us to be missional.
He wants us to be joyful missionaries. Missionaries used to be people that were sent to strange people that don’t know God and live alternative lifestyles…overseas. Those people live in Ann Arbor…and Ypsilanti, and Dexter, and all around us! The world is here and we can reach the world without a passport. We can reach other peoples with a passport, too, but Scio Community Church is a church on mission, God’s mission. I’ve said this many times but it’s worth repeating, Jesus did not come to earth to start another religion. His vision of the Church, His Body and Bride, is not to be a country club dispensing religious goods and services for its members. It is to be a mission outpost seeking and serving the lost in order that they might encounter Jesus and be saved.
We are Christ’s ambassadors, here to re-present Jesus to the world…at Meijer, on Facebook, at Ford and GM, at school, in the subdivision,…and Macedonia, too! It is not a duty but an honor.
Every two years billions of people around the world watch the Olympic games. I’ve often thought of the thrill of participating in the games, but athletes do more than represent themselves. They represent their nation. They stand with pride when medals are presented and the respective national anthem is played. A win for them is a win for their country.
In the same way, we are privileged to re-present the King of kings to the peoples of this world. We are not home nor are we here to make a name for ourselves. We are not here for ourselves, our comfort, or convenience. We are here for Jesus!
If you were a missionary overseas, you’d study the culture, learn the language, understand the traditions, and build bridges. We do the same here today.
Jesus is God sent into human history as a missionary, living and serving and loving in the culture. John tells us more than forty times that Jesus was “sent.”
God determines where and when we live (Acts 17). We are here now. God’s plan is for us to be missionaries here today. There are two aspects of being a missionary:
- - sanctified: holy, set apart (like special China and silverware used for special occasions); every Christian is sanctified and set apart for their mission; we are to live lives that are different from the world; money, sex, and power are different for Christians; we are to be distinct because we belong to God
- - sent: we spend time with non-Christians; we get to know our neighbors; we b.l.e.s.s. others and our communities; we get to know what is happening around us
As we have said in previous weeks, there are two extremes that are dangerous. The first is syncretism. This is when we look and act just like everyone else. If we do not reflect the light of Christ in the darkness, we are just as dark as our surroundings. We are not sanctified, holy or distinct.
The other extreme is separatism. This is when we avoid the world, separating ourselves, ignoring the darkness and keeping the light to ourselves. We are not sent as missionaries, but rather huddle as members seeking shelter from “those people out there.” They know nothing about the world because they’re stuck in Christian subculture watching Christian TV, listening to Christian radio, reading Christian books, and drinking milk from a Christian cow! The question in this camp is, “When do we get to leave?” rather than “How can we live out God’s mission, the missio Dei?”
Jesus prayed against conservatives (separatists) and liberals (syncretists).
We are to be in the world but not of the world. This is a delicate balance, but this is what Jesus did and what He prays for us. The answers can be found in the Bible and by being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Jesus wants us to be in Christ and in the culture, in the Word and the world.
Jesus Prays For Us
Have you ever wished you could be an eyewitness to biblical events? How cool would it be to walk with Jesus and have Him pray for you, not people thousands of years ago, but you!
The final seven verses are Jesus’ specific prayers for you and me…in 2013!
”My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one —I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (20-23)
- 3. Jesus wants us unified
Jesus sent His followers our two-by-two. We must work together. This point continues in verse 20.
Jesus does not pray for uniformity but unity.
This past week was the beginning of the NFL preseason. Teams of players are assembling. Players are not asked to all do the same thing, but to play a particular position on one, unified team with one unified mission. When they work together, great things can be accomplished. As the old acronym states, Together Everyone Achieves More, TEAM.
History is filled with examples of great groups of players that were unable to win together. They all tried to play the same role or had different missions. A team of good players working together will defeat a team of great individuals most every time.
What does a “win” look like for Scio Community Church? It is found in our mission statement:
We exist to fulfill the Great Commission and follow the Great Commandment by
- - serving our communities
- - sharing our story
- - sending disciples to bless the nations
so that God is glorified.
There is one God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We show God’s character to the world when we are unified. Unity comes from Jesus. We need to focus on Jesus. We need Jesus-centered homes and churches.
Like an isosceles triangle with Jesus at the top and us at the bottom, he closer we get to Jesus, the closer we get to one another. We can’t make unity the focus, but if Jesus is at the center, it will occur naturally.
Unity comes through mission, through working together. It also comes when we follow the Bible. Psalm 133 is all about unity. It begins
How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!
Unity is not uniformity. One of my favorite quotes is from Rick Warren: “We need different types of churches for different types of people,” so long as they partner together follow Jesus.
Unfortunately we are hardly known for our unity and partnerships. The single movement Jesus began has splintered…from one church to the great Catholic/Orthodox schism to Protestantism to more than 41,000 denominations!
There are open-handed and close-handed issues. Of course, there are disagreements on which is which, but open-handed issues like whether or not women can be pastors or what translation of the Bible to use or mode of baptism are different from close-handed issues like is Jesus God and is the Bible reliable.
One helpful metaphor is states and nations. We are one unified nation, the USA, even though there are differences between Michigan, Minnesota, and Montana. Buddhists and Muslims are different countries. We love them, but we are not on the same team.
I have been privileged to be one of the founding pastors of PACT, the Pastors Alliance for County Transformation. For more than a decade, about one hundred churches in Washtenaw County have worshipped together on Palm Sunday at Hosanna, served together at Operation Jumpstart, and prayed together through 40 Days of Prayer and Pastors Prayer Summits.
Is Jesus the center? Are people serving Jesus and His mission? Is the Bible the common language and authority? We can have disagreements without division.
Our tribe, the Christian & Missionary Alliance, wasn’t even a denomination a generation ago. It was and is a missional movement that partners with other groups.
Jesus prays for our unity.
- theological
- relational
- philosophical/styles
- missiological (what are we doing?)
- organizational (systems)
I have four prayers prayers for Scio Community Church—direction, protection, passion, and unity.
Unity Is fragile.
We have a real enemy that wants to steal, kill and destroy. He knows that a house divided cannot stand. If you’ve ever been on a family vacation you know preferences and personalities can create conflict. In many ways, it would be easier if we all WERE similar with identical gifts and passions, but how boring would that be? God created us to be interdependent—dependent upon Him and each other.
I want to serve notice that Scio Community Church is in the midst of…changes. As our world changes, there are increasing needs to change our methods—never our message—to accomplish our mission.
As our one of the Alliance’s values states
Achieving God’s purposes means taking faith-filled risks. This always involves change. Hebrews 1
Every change, big and small, has the potential to be polarizing. If we paint the bathroom, you might like or dislike the color. The thing to remember is we are on a mission to make disciples. That is why we exist, and everything we do must be evaluated on that basis. Our mission must drive our focus and unity, not tradition or even popular vote.
I trust our senior Pastor, Jesus Christ, to guide us forward in making disciples in Scio Township and beyond. In Acts 1:8 Jesus says
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Our Jerusalem is Scio Township and the Ann Arbor area. This is where God has called us to gather and serve.
Judea is the Great Lakes District of Michigan and northwest Ohio. We have sister churches in the region with whom we partner.
Samaria is the area beyond our area—the United States. The Christian & Missionary Alliance provides us with countless connections to make disciples from sea to shining sea, serving in disaster zones like hurricanes.
Finally, the ends of the earth are…the ends of the earth. We have built-in networks with brothers and sisters from Vietnam to Brazil, Macedonia to Mongolia.
Needless to say, there is great diversity in the ways we worship and serve, but throughout we have unity in one LORD, one faith, and one baptism.
Next year we will celebrate our church’s 80th anniversary. God has guided us since the founding of the Ypsilanti Gospel Tabernacle in 1934 to today.
LORD, make us one! LORD, keep us one!
Finally, Jesus prays
“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. (24)
God is a perfect Dad. Prayer gets easier when we remember God is Dad.
“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” (25-26)
- 4. Jesus prays that we would know that He loves us. He gives us Himself.
This world is not our home. We will be hated. We will be together with Jesus forever, home someday. We will have joy, unity, and a completed mission in a world free of sin and death.
Conclusion
Jesus is praying for us now…daily. Hallelujah!
Credits
Some ideas from The High Priestly Prayer sermon by Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church and The NIV Application Commentary, John by Gary Burge.
You can listen to the Scio podcast here. You can also subscribe to our podcast here.