Replay: Looking forward to a Super Bowl party
Ironically, two years ago, I wrote a post called “Looking forward to a Super Bowl party.” And, guess what I’m doing this weekend? I’m looking forward to a Super Bowl party again! I think I know which teams are playing this year, but I’m not certain enough to type it here without looking it up. I love football – mainly college football. I don’t watch much professional football. But, I love Super Bowl parties!
Are you looking forward to a Super Bowl party? Why?
——————————————-
Looking forward to a Super Bowl party
I understand that we’ve been invited to a Super Bowl Party by some good friends this Sunday night. I’m really looking forward to this party. Actually, I look forward to any party involving our friends and family.
Yes, the Super Bowl will be on the television, and we’ll laugh at some of the commercials.
But, my main purpose in going to the Super Bowl Party has nothing to do with the football game or the commercials. Instead, I’m looking forward to building and deepening with relationships with people who are at the party.
I never know what will be discussed during a party like this… but there are always discipling relationships… both for me to help someone else grow in maturity in Christ and for someone else to help me grow. This is what I’m looking forward to the most!
Sharing our life in Christ together and the mission of God
On this blog, I primarily focus on the gathering of the church… that is, times when believers gather together with one another.
These times are extremely important to the life and maturity of the children of God. We need one another, and we need to spend time with one another – or, as I like to say it, share our lives with one another. I believe this is part of the mission of God – seeing his children grow in their understanding of him, their trust in him, their unity with one another, and their way of life in demonstrating who he is.
However, there is another extremely important aspect of our life in Christ: taking part in the mission of God toward those who are not (yet) followers of Jesus Christ.
Last week, I wrote a couple of posts about “organic church life.” But, what about “organic church life” towards those who are not in Christ? How does our relationship with God and with one another stretch out to those who are not (yet) part of God’s family?
I’ve written about this some before, and I will probably write about this more in the coming weeks. But, for now, I want to ask you this question:
Do you have any examples of how sharing your lives with other brothers and sisters in Christ resulted in a positive impact for Christ among those who are not (yet) followers of Jesus?
Replay: Teaching in the context of living
Three years ago, I wrote a post called “Teaching in the context of living.” The post was inspired by a conversation that I had with a young man who I had recently met. The young man loved to listen to his pastor teach/preach, but also recognized that something very important was missing. Since he did not actually know his pastor, he had no context for what was being said. The “teaching” was in word only.
I thought this post would also go along well with the “teaching workshop” that we’re currently going through on Sunday mornings.
——————————–
Teaching in the context of living
Several days ago, I had the opportunity to have lunch with a young, single guy who has been meeting with us on Sundays for a few weeks. In the course of the conversation, he said that he wanted to talk about ecclesiology. Even though I’m not really interested in that subject (ahem), I was cordial to his request.
He began to talk about the church that he had been part of. He was not talking negatively about the church – in fact, he praised the church for what it was trying to do, and he praised the pastors and leadership. He said that he really appreciated the main pastor’s preaching, and he usually agreed with him.
Then he said something that I’ve been thinking and writing about for some time, but it was encouraging hearing it from someone else. This young man said that while he enjoyed the pastor’s sermon, he did not have a context in which to understand what the man was trying to teach.
I asked my new friend what he meant. He said, “My only relationship with this pastor is through a 30 minute sermon on Sunday morning. I don’t know anything about his life, or his family, or the way he treats his neighbors, or anything else. I only know what he tells me during his sermons. There is no relational context for learning what he is trying to teach.”
As I continued to talk to this young man, and to hear his heart for learning through relationships as well as through the spoken message, I couldn’t help but think of the examples that we have in Scripture.
Notice, for example, what Paul tells the elders from Ephesus:
And when they came to him, he said to them: “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia…” (Acts 20:18 ESV)
Also, this is what Paul reminds the believers in Thessalonika:
For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. (1 Thessalonians 2:9-10 ESV)
He tells the Philippians:
What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me – practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:9 ESV)
The obvious exception to this pattern seems to be that when Paul wrote to the church in Rome, he had not been to Rome, although he seemed to know many of the believers there. However, even in this case, Paul later lived among the Roman believers for at least two years (Acts 28:30).
In other words, Paul did not intend for his words alone (neither his spoken words nor his written words) to make up the extent of his service to the people of God. He recognized the importance of living with the people as part of his work. He shared his life with them, and they shared their lives with him. Paul had much, much more than a “speaking ministry” among the people.
His words then often pointed back to his example of living and working among the people.
Today, too often, teachers spend very little time with the people they are attempting to teach. As my young friend said, there is no context for their teaching. This is not discipleship or teaching in the biblical sense, or in the sense that either Jesus or Paul modeled for us.
Instead, we need to live with the people that we hope to teach. Our teaching must be in the context of our living if we hope to see transformation – both our own transformation and transformation in the lives of others.
The Church: Not an ideal but a divine reality
Recently, a friend of mine returned my copy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community. I’ve read the book a couple of times, and my friend had asked me if he could borrow it. To be honest, I had completely forgotten that I had given it to him.
But, when my friend returned the book, I decided to read through it again. Early in the first chapter, I ran across a paragraph that I know that I had read several times. But, this time, it caused me to stop and think and think some more. As a matter of fact, I’ve been thinking about this paragraph for the last week or so.
This is the paragraph that I’m talking about, the first paragraph in a section titled “Not an Ideal but a Divine Reality”:
Innumerable times a whole Christian community has broken down because it had sprung from a wish dream. The serious Christian, set down for the first time in a Christian community, is likely to bring with him a very definite idea of what Christian life together should be and to try to realize it. But God’s grace speedily shatters such dreams. Just as surely as God desires to lead us to a knowledge of genuine Christian fellowship, so surely must we be overwhelmed by a great disillusionment with others, with Christians in general, and, if we are fortunate, with ourselves.
Our dreams and designs are NOT community in Christ. This point that Bonhoeffer is making is so important for our life in Christ and for our life with one another.
The reality in Christ is that we are broken people, and any designs or dreams that we place on community in Jesus Christ will be broken as well – even and especially when it looks perfect to us. What we design will always reflect us, not God.
However, God places broken people together – people who should never be able to share life together. This reality, as Bonhoeffer says, God shatters by his grace. Doesn’t that sound strange? God shatters our idealistic dreams of community by placing us among real people… this is his grace.
So, what is this “knowledge of genuine Christian fellowship” that Bonhoeffer talks about in the middle of this passage about real, divine community (not ideal community)? It is just that – sharing life in the midst of real, divine, broken, overwhelmed, hurting, disillusioned, wrong, selfish, unloving, stressed, messy community. When we can fellowship with one another IN SPITE of our brokenness and THROUGH Jesus Christ only (not our designs or dreams), then we are living in community in Jesus Christ.
Community in Christ is realized among those with whom we should not have community. It’s similar to what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount. Even those who are not God’s children know how to love people who love them back. But, God’s children love those who hate them, who persecute them, who curse them. God’s children fellowship with those who are different than them, who disagree with them, who are disillusioned with them.
Why? Because God’s children seek community and fellowship ONLY in Jesus Christ… and everything else is allowed to fall away.
Longing for change while others are fine with the way things are
Over the weekend, after I wrote my previous post linking to a great comment by Arlan, Bettie left another comment that I would like to highlight so that more people read it and think about it.
As with the previous post, Bettie is actually introducing himself to me and my readers. However, her comment touches on an issue that I often struggle with as well. What do you do when you have a longing to change the way you live among the church (in whatever aspect), but others around you are “fine with the way things are”?
Here is Bettie’s comment:
I’ve been enjoying your posts for a while now, and sharing them from time to time. I guess when you say something that I’ve been thinking the same way about, it feels safer to let you say it than for it to be just my opinion… You have a nice way of challenging our thinking from a perspective of humility.
I have been a missionary in Guatemala for 14 years now, involved in different forms of ministry, and attending a megachurch. For the last three years or so I have been feeling more and more restless with that situation, studying both on my own and with the help of others like you, and coming to some disturbing conclusions about the current state of church in general.
My challenge here is that Guatemala is highly evangelized. Sometimes I wonder why I stay here when the Gospel has been so widely preached, but in reality Christ-followers are difficult to find. There is a church on almost every block but mostly full of religion, legalism and man’s traditions. I feel that with the religious freedom here we have a wonderful opportunity to be a greenhouse, so to speak, to raise up missionaries to go to places where the need is greater but North Americans wouldn’t be so welcome.
So when I read of missional communities, house church, simple church, organic church, etc. etc. I feel a longing for something like that but the culture here hasn’t seemed to be conducive to that sort of movement. People seem to be just fine with the way things are but I just can’t go on this way. So I feel like I’m longing for a home that I’ve never seen, and wrestling with the thoughts of whether I am to start something, keep looking for something already existing, or what. Somehow I know that I’m not the only one around here that feels this way.
So, I’ll ask you the same question that I asked Bettie in response to her comment: Why do you think you feel a restlessness about “the way things are” while others seem to be fine with it? How does someone move forward in this situation?
The need to live the truth, love, and service
Last week, on my post “Have you signed my ‘Guest Book’,” Arlan left a comment that I would like to highlight so that more people read it and think about it.
In the comment, Arlan is actually introducing himself to me and my readers. But, I think his comment goes along well with several of posts investigating fellowship and unity among brothers and sisters in Christ in spite of various kinds of disagreements. My latest post to discuss these issues was called “Unity and Fellowship: Where do you draw the line?”
Here is Arlan’s comment:
I was raised outside of the regular (institutional) church and have spent most of my life outside of any church. I have had some Christian fellowship, particularly with my own family, but I hesitate to call all Christian contact “church” in the sense of those called out by God assembling for the purpose of mutual edification.
Your recent post on unity and fellowship really strikes a nerve. In most of my childhood my family could not find enough unity to maintain fellowship. As I have tried things out on my own I have more often found too much fellowship without unity–a circle of friends, but not of servants, and without much honesty about the real differences between members.
Church, in all its institutional and organic flavors, seems to be a contest between doctrines and good feelings. On the one side they insist on truth at all costs and forget that God loved us while we were his enemies; on the other side they insist on love at all costs and forget that love without truth is false love–treachery, really. If we neglect to admonish each other we are abandoning one another to our sins.
A year ago I went to a Baptist Sunday school that was more concerned with Being Right and also to a home fellowship that was more concerned with Joy, Peace, and Encouragement. In June I moved and I haven’t gotten with any fellowship since. It is hard to even know how to look.
I’ve been to the Searching Together conference in 2008, 2009, and 2011, which is nice to do once a year; but I feel the need to live the truth, love, and service where I am without yet knowing how.
I appreciate Arlan’s last line especially: “I feel the need to live the truth, love, and service…”
Replay: New and Improved “One Anothers”
Three years ago, I published a post called “New and Improved ‘One Anothers’.” Now, I don’t know if you’ve noticed it or not, but there are alot of passages in Scripture that instruct us how to interact with “one another.” But, I’ve found that instructions to be just too difficult and idealistic. So, I put together this list of “one anothers” that are a little more realistic. I’m happy to say that (from what I’ve seen) the church is doing a great job of living by these “one anothers.” What do you think?
———————————
New and Improved “One Anothers”
Most Christians are familiar with the “one anothers” of Scripture, such as love one another, serve one another, forgive one another, accept one another, teach one another, encourage one another, be kind to one another… These exhortations worked well for the early church, but now they’re outdated.
The modern church lives by a set of “one anothers” that are both new and improved! While on the surface it may seem that these “one anothers” are negative, in reality they strengthen the church by keeping it from being changed or transformed – just the kind of church that God wants!
Be acquainted with one another
Yes, the Bible said to “love one another”, but we know that we can’t love everyone. So, its much better to be acquainted with people. That way, you can call their name when you pass in the hallway. Name tags are especially helpful in keeping this new exhortation.
Ignore one another
This one is related to “be acquainted with one another”, but its a little more spiritual. We don’t want people to think they they are the center of the universe, so its better to ignore people and their problems, especially when you have something better to do. So, when you ask someone, “How are you?”, if they say something more than “Fine” or “Okay”, its best to simply ignore them.
Ridicule one another
Again, on the surface this looks bad. However, in reality, there is nothing better to get people to have the right theology – MY theology – than to ridicule them and their beliefs. The more theological terms you use while ridiculing them the better. This is especially useful in response to new ideas and suggestions.
Give a little to one another
Keep some change in your pocket in case someone needs something. That way, you have fulfilled your spiritual responsibilities while, at the same time, not costing yourself too much. If you want to be very spiritual, keep an extra one or five dollar bill in your billfold.
Organize one another
People need help knowing what to do and how to do it. Who better to show them than you? Keep people in line, or the church could be in big trouble!
Remind one another of their wrongs
People often forget that they are sinners and that they’ve hurt you in the past. Remind them of this… often… especially if someone good happens to someone. Again, we don’t want people to think too highly of themselves, so its our responsibility to knock them down a notch.
Be served by one another
People like to serve you. Let them… but only a little, and only in insignificant things. You don’t want people to think that you aren’t independent. So, give them little, meaningless jobs to remind them that you are too important to do them yourself.
Kick one another when they’re down
I really don’t have to mention this, because the church is so good at it. But, its always good to have a reminder. When someone falls, make sure you keep them down for a long time. Then, when they get up, don’t help them. They need to learn to stand on their own two feet.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, smile at one another
No one wants to be around someone who is hurting or sorrowful or depressed. So, put a big smile on your face regardless of your circumstances or how you’re feeling.
As long as the church keeps following these new and improved “one anothers”, the church will continue to make a difference in the world – in the same way that it does now.
Serving a second helping of dinner to the church
I often write about eating together as the church. I think that sharing meals is incredibly important for the church. In Scripture, one of the most common activities among followers of Jesus Christ is eating together.
I want to point out a post and a Facebook comment that help round out the importance of sharing food (breaking bread) together as the family of God.
First, Felicity at “Simply Church” asks, “Why is food important when it comes to church planting?”
I’m going to combine one of her earlier paragraphs with one of her later paragraphs for this quote:
Food is very important in the context of seeing multiplying churches. Luke 10 is our signature passage on how to reach out to those who don’t yet know the Lord. It tells us that we are to look for people of peace–those who have influence and are open to our message. We can identify them because they offer us hospitality…
If you reject food, you are doing far more than saying you don’t want to eat. You are rejecting friendship. There have been times when I would have preferred to refuse food. (You try eating a hamburger you have just watched a cockroach walk over!) If you want to see disciples made in the harvest, swallow your squeamishness and eat what is set before you!
Also, on Facebook, I recently posted a link to an older but related post that I wrote called “Church and Meals.” My friend Ron left this comment in response:
I think we need to be very careful not to equate eating together as fellowship. While meals can open the door for fellowship, it does not necessarily mean fellowship. It can be a means, but it is not an end. Often in sharing meals together people sit with the same people, have the same conversations, same people doing the dishes and cleaning up, and leave the same people eating by themselves. Seeing the early church eating together was their way of providing fellowship. Simply copying the `program`does not make a church more a community or not. Even in the meals, there must be intentionality.
Both Felicity and Ron make good points about meals. Meals are an excellent (and I would say necessary) aspect of church life because of the possibility of fellowship. Of course, we must be intentional about that fellowship. We can share a bowl of soup and only talk about the weather and the latest sporting event.
Of course, if we don’t share meals, then even the possibility of fellowship is drastically reduced…
(By the way, the thumbnail for this post shows the chicken vegetable soup that we shared with the church last weekend. We also ate “second helpings” of some wonderful food that others shared with us. And, then, there was the fellowship… learning more and more about our brothers and sisters in Christ…)
The Spiritual Gift of Connecting People
Okay, so it probably isn’t a spiritual gift, but I love connecting people to one another. And, from what I’ve been able to tell and from other people have told me, it is a kind of “gift” or talent that I have.
What do I mean by “connecting people”?
Well, when I meet someone for the first time and begin to get to know them, something happens in my brain. As the person tells me about himself or herself, I immediately start relating their interests, concerns, location, passions, etc. to other people with similar or complimentary interests, concerns, locations, passions, etc.
If I meet someone who is a mechanic, I’m immediately reminded of friends with car problems. When I’m first introduced to someone who lives in Franklinton, I think of people I know who live in or near that city. A new friend says that she likes to study Revelation, and I remember other friends who love prophecy and apocalyptic literature.
Of course, I’m not always able to connect people like this. Sometimes there are other issues that keep people apart, such as work schedules. In fact, I don’t think it is my responsibility to make sure that people build relationships, but I do think it’s good to introduce them to one another and point out the points of connection.
I’ve found that this has been a huge benefit in developing and building community. Pointing people to other with similar interests help them fit in with a group. Linking people who have the skills or means to those who have certain needs can help them serve each other.
Like I said, I don’t know if this is a spiritual gift or not. Perhaps it is an offshoot of encouragement, or helps, or serving. But, I have seen how God has used this ability in the past, and I hope that he continues using me to connect people in the future.
Do you have the ability to connect people? Do you know someone else who does? How have you seen this ability work among the church? Can you see benefits outside the church?
Organic life within traditional church structures?
I was greatly encouraged when I read a post by Trey (from “Practical Christianity – Living God’s Way“) called “Non-Comformity within Traditional Church.”
In the post, he writes about a group of believers who meet as part of a traditional church. But, according to Trey, the group demonstrates a living and active community in Christ.
He writes:
Within the context of a largely traditional Southern Baptist church, I witnessed an outside-the-box, passionate ministry of believers that simply did not follow the “script”. No Sunday School quarterlies were passed around. The teacher did not read from the teacher’s guide verbatim. The participants of this class were not grouped according to age. No lesson was taught in the traditional sense. What did happen looked surprisingly like the New Testament. A group of believers ages 20-60, united and changed by the power of Christ in the Gospel, were engaging with one another with the goal of growth and edification. Challenges were made to one another about walking daily with Christ. Prayers were prayed spontaneously. New believers were asking lots of questions. Every member ministers were commissioned for service in other areas within the church. These folks loved this traditional church yet were free to express themselves within the context of their small group community.
Like I said, I’m greatly encouraged to read about this kind of life in Christ within a traditional church. (This is one of the things that I wrote about in my post “Why I’m not a house church proponent.”)
My hope and prayer is that others would see this group living in community in Christ and seek the same kind of fellowship with other brothers and sisters in Christ. I also hope that the leaders of the traditional church organization would be willing to make any necessary modifications so that this kind of growth would no longer be seen as “outside-the-box,” but would become normal. Finally, I hope that all brothers and sisters in Christ would welcome and encourage this kind of growth and community, regardless of our thoughts concerning traditional, institutional, organic, simple, or any other adjectival church…
(By the way, don’t miss another great post by Trey called “Contentment is key.”)