Love One Another

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Q: What does it mean for you to be participating in this church?

Does it mean you listen to the same preacher week after week?
Does it mean you receive communion from the same pastor regularly?
Does it mean you sing songs in the same service week after week?
Does it mean you listen to one of the elders pray in a service week after week?
Does it mean you attend a Bible study regularly?

Let me suggest none of these things means you are participating in a church

John 13:34-35

Only someone who is loving his brothers and sisters is participating in a church

attending a meeting or attending to a man is not being part of a church

Teaching is important
Singing praises is important
but it does not make a church or make you part of a church

a transient, someone just passing through,
can come in here and sit in the service

but many of us act like transients or tourists
you sit in the service and you pass on

Jesus prayed that we would be one
John 17:22-23

be devoted to one another in brotherly love
live in harmony with one another
serve one another in love
be kind and compassionate to one another
forgive one another
admonish one another
encourage one another daily
love one another deeply from the heart
build each other up
carry each other’s burdens

Is this what your church life looks like?
Is this how you act with your brothers and sisters in this church on a daily basis?
If not, consider the question: Are you really part of the church?

What marks a church as “disciples of Christ”?
the word “Christian” in the name?
baptizing in the name of Jesus?
eating bread and wine and calling it the Lord’s Supper?
reciting the Apostle’s Creed?
singing songs about Jesus?
reading the Gospels and Epistles in the service?

No.
It is the way we love one another.
as Christ loved us

A Church that does not this is not showing the world they are “disciples of Christ”
this is the way we show our connection to Jesus to the outside world

Because you are facing forward giving the pastor your attention
(even during communion!)
you can’t be loving those around you

you are not loving the pastor and the pastor is not loving you in return

who is ministering to you in a service? a handful of people

Think of the many other people around you
who are not ministering to you
and to whom you are not ministering

There is always the great danger of church becoming all about you
you come to receive your spiritual feeding
for your own self-spirituality
it can be narcissistic and self-serving

that is not the church
that is a Seminar or a Conference
not a church

When you choose a church how do you choose?
do I like the preacher? the music? do they do things the way I like it? Do my kids like the programs?

but the real reason to be involved is obey Jesus’ command to love one another, to minister to others and be ministered to by many (not just clergy/leaders)

Some of us look for a few people that we like, find easy to get along with, people just like us, same interests, same place in life, same thinking, someone who is a mirror of us, makes us comfortable
This is another kind of corruption of God making us one.

The weakness of “worship services” is there is no relationship in them
many of you I barely know
I don’t know what you are going through
we need talking between people who really know each other

sermons are generic so they are not enough
only in real relationships can you help each other in your specific contexts, situations
how else can we bear one another’s specific burdens?

In a “worship service” there is no place for people to be honest and talk about sin and questions and struggles

in a sermon you can hear a lecture on love
but only in a small group or living together can you practice love

The Lord’s Supper cannot be celebrated by people who do not love one another
Paul said such a meal is not the Lord’s Supper

***Let us love one another throughout the whole week

Jesus said “as I have loved you”
you must know Jesus’ love before you can love others
his standard shows us how we have failed to love others
all of us have
he shows all of us our sin

but at the same time his love makes us rejoice
because his love is for sinners and failures
and that joy in his love for us
fuels our love for others

Love One Another

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8.3.08

John 13:1-17

verse 13
Lord was not a word that only meant God, but meant master or honored person
It was something God could be called

14
“wash one another’s feet” is not to be taken in a literal manner
it means “serve one another”
and the “one another” means fellow disciples, so this is a command to disciples to serve each other

15
Jesus set us an example by what he did
an example for his disciples to imitate
he is Teacher and Lord
and his disciples must follow his example

16
we should not try to act greater than our master by refusing the work of serving others because it is too low for us

Jesus did not refuse it
we should do what he did,
humble ourselves to serve others

17
“Now that you know these things
you will be blessed if you DO them”

you have been taught them,
now do them,

it is not enough to know them
from words to ACTION

13:31-35

“new commandment” does not mean there has never been a command to love before

New in 2 ways at least
Jesus establishing a new community of love
this command has to do with love between those in the community

new standard “as I have love you”

How will the world recognize you and
know that you are disciples of Jesus?
by your love for one another

disciples loving one other
is our witness to the world
being a loving community

here in this church
we should serve and love one another

as a church the Elders believe the members need a challenge in this area

The church is like a great ship with many people on board
Most of us seem to think
that there are a few people who are the crew doing the work and running the ship,
keeping it in order and on course
and the rest of you are passengers
here to be served and receive the benefits of the work of the crew
there are a handful in this church who are loving you, serving you
while you are along for the ride
but this is not the way it is to be
if we are all disciples
then we are all the crew,
we are all to be working together for the good of everyone, loving one another
I want to encourage you to stop thinking of yourself as a passenger in this church
Start thinking of yourself as a crew member

let me show you 4 ways
that we should be loving and serving one another

1) Showing up

how can you love and serve people when you are only loosely connected to the real people in this body?

Many of you show up once a month
and you seem to have little commitment to the people here
we almost never see you

I am only talking about Sunday morning service now

we can’t love one another and serve one another if we don’t even show up

so my first counsel to you is start showing up every week

2) Helping

this church should be an all hands on deck,
everyone is crew operation
at the present time it is not

Now there are 150 here on Sunday morning
but if something must be done to keep the teaching ministry of this church running
it is the same 10-20 people every time
where is everyone else?
They are passengers
for many years now this church has gotten into the bad habit of paying people to do things

we don’t really believe we can expect God’s people to love and serve each other,

and the small crew is overwhelmed by how much needs to be done

so we hire people from outside the church to do the work and we pay them,
work that should be done by us

my second counsel to you is to join in the work of the church, to start helping and looking for opportunities to help
the deacons and elders will be informing you of many
tomorrow evening we have such a chance
moving Jeremy in

3) Giving

disciples should pay money to receive teaching from teachers
Paul taught this as a business transaction
(I know we don’t like this)

1 Cor. 9:13-14
“Don’t you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.

Galatians 6:6 “Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with him who teaches.”

So you give to the church
so you can receive good teaching
so your spouse can receive teaching
and so your children can receive teaching

but ALSO you give to serve your brothers and sisters in this church who don’t have as much so that they can receive teaching

most of you are passengers and so give little or nothing to the budget of this church

other people are right now sacrificing and serving YOU by paying for your teaching

why are so many of you not willing to pay for your own teaching?
not willing to serve and love your fellow disciples by sharing the financial burden
that is on just a few

The fault is largely mine because I have not instructed you in this area and made clear to you your duties as a disciple

But my third counsel today is begin to give to the teaching ministry of this church

4) Living with one another on a daily basis

There is no way we can love one another and serve one another if the only time we see each other is one hour on Sunday

If we see each other so seldom
how can this be a life of loving one another?
will outsiders really look in to this church and know we belong to Jesus because of how we love each other?

My fourth counsel is that you make an effort to live with one another during the week
and live with each other day by day

one. Attend a weekly small group (starting up again in the fall)
two. Eat meals with others (invite in, go out)
three. Join with others in helping others (example: the moving day yesterday)

REMINDER
only Jesus can give you the grace to love your fellow disciples in this way

John 15:5-17

True Disciples

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7.27.08

John 8:30-31

Speaking to Jews who had put their faith in him

this did not mean they were true disciples
almost everyone here today would say I believe in Jesus
but according to Jesus there is a certain kind of belief that is worthless

literal: if you abide in my word
then you are TRULY disciples of MINE.

remain in my teachings
persevere in them
keep doing what I told you to do

Luke 6:46-49

Jesus is teaching that a disciple must do what Jesus says
must put Jesus’ words into practice

the one who puts his words into practice stands firm no matter what comes

the one who does not is destroyed

Luke 6:43-45

A tree is recognized by its fruit
a man is recognized for what he is
by his ACTIONS

Good actions
Come from “good stored up in the heart”:
teachings of Jesus and a devotion to Jesus

if your actions are evil
then there is evil stored up in your heart

6:41-42

We are so interested in pointing out some sin we see in someone else
we are quick to criticize and correct others

while we ourselves disobey Jesus teachings every day in major ways

Jesus says: YOU obey my teachings first
before you ever think to guide someone else

6:39-40
a student or disciple will be like his teacher
we are to become like Jesus

we should not follow blind guides
we will become like them
bumpersticker: “don’t follow me. I’m lost.”

Jesus is to be our master, we are to become like him

I saw a movie a few years ago
The main character was a young man who was rich, living crazy, spending money on fast cars and women and big purchases, partying

there is a scene where he runs into an old girl friend

she looks at the way he is living and acting and disapproves

and he says to her “I am still the same on the inside” in other words “I am still good no matter what you see me doing”

she responds
“It’s not who you are underneath,
it’s what you do that defines you.”

As Christians we often play the game: don’t look at what I do—I am justified and it is inside here, you can’t see it
Don’t look at what I do to know who I am.
Wrong. This does not agree with Jesus.

we are defined as disciples of Jesus by our action—what we do

you want to know what you are –
look at what you do

if what you do looks like Christ and his way, then you are a disciple of Christ

if it looks like something else than you are something else

no matter what you “believe” or say about yourself or claim for yourself “I am a Xian”

A good tree has good fruit.
A student is like his teacher. Period.

Now 2 things are very important:
1) Our ACTIONS can change only
if our hearts are changed
into the character of Jesus himself

only if our hearts become like the heart of Jesus

2) Our hearts can be changed only
by the ACTION of the Spirit
(your ACTION can’t change your heart)

Daily repetitious surrender and seeking in prayer (not prayer for things you want but prayer for change of heart and action!)

Daily, direct communication with Jesus Christ, speaking to Jesus as your master, receiving from Jesus his grace and truth
You need to meditate on the Bible and listen to pastors, but you also need direct communication with Jesus your Teacher
Times of silence and solitude and prayer

When the reformers separated from the Catholic Church
they needed to come up with a definition of the church,
to know what is a real church
their definition was the church is present wherever the word is preached and the sacraments are administered
but I think that is wrong

the church is present only where
1)people are being directly transformed by Jesus Christ and the ACTION of the Spirit
2)where their hearts have become like his heart
3)they walk in his way, do what he says

APPLICATION
What action do I call you to this week?

I bring it from Luke 6:32-35

Love in ACTION the one find impossible to love,
The one you have good reasons not to love
The one you consider bad or wrong

Who is that one? Today, go from here and love him or her, this very week,
that one impossible for you to love

Take ACTION today

Now what am I doing?
I am asking you to love someone it is impossible to love? To do the impossible

Do you believe you can change and do what you never did before? You can act like Jesus? You can love like God? You can do what he says?
If you don’t, then why did Jesus tell us to do these things?

“If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Jn 8:36
Yes, you can free to do these things by Jesus

Seek Jesus directly, ask to be led and given the Spirit.
Meditate on this teaching in Luke 6 and store up good in your heart.

And then love that impossible one this very day, this very week.

Pleasing People and Pleasing God

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11.11.07

John 12:42-43
Galatians 1:10

pleasing people is not our job
our job is pleasing God

The first problem many of you have I want to address:

Many of you live to please people
to win the approval of people

and what you fear above all else is the rejection of people

seeking the approval of people
is not the life Christ called us to

Examine yourself right now:
Are you living for people’s approval?
Is your real purpose in what you do to please people?

It is not our job to please people
this is a truth
that can set you free

many of you are not free
because you are living
to win the approval of people

it will make you miserable
it will overburden you
and it will kill you in the end because it is impossible
to please people.
People will always criticize.
People will never be happy.

*Trying to please people
distracts us from being singleminded about pleasing God
you forget God trying to please people

*trying to please someone
is not the same as loving someone

how many people who love others receive no recognition?
you can love someone
without their admiration or approval
remember “love your enemies”

What people think of you
does not matter
all that matters is what God thinks of you

people have shifting opinions
about what they like and don’t like
people make many requirements that God does not make

if God is pleased with you
then it does not matter
if no one else is pleased with you
Paul says I am a servant of Christ
I am not trying to win the approval of men

The second problem that many of you have is that
you don’t believe that you can please God.

and yet the NT teaches we can

Understand this first:
You do not try to please God
in order to win his love
you try to please God
because he already loves you in Christ

many of you think God is a harsh master
who makes impossible demands on you
and you can never please him

Mt. 11:29-30

Jesus said he had a yoke for people to bear
which means he has work for us to do

but he says he is a gentle master
and the yoke he gives
is easy and light

this means Jesus is gentle and will not overburden you–
the burden fits you and you can carry it

what he asks us to do we can do–
by his love and grace
it is not impossible,
does not overburden us
but give us rest

Love your neighbor
does not mean love in action
every single person you see
That is beyond us.
We can’t love in real action everybody we see.
That is not possible.
Don’t think God is giving impossible standards like that.
We can only love in action a few people a day
with the time, energy and resources we have.

Much of what you must do to please God is your regular work already

love in action your family
this is you first job from God
your spouse, children, parents
your first work
next is your work, your regular duties
your job
you know where Christ wants you to be 8 hours a day!

next love the brothers and sisters in Christ
who you live in community with– there should be some
you can’t love all in this church!

last love the needy God has already placed in your life
be faithful to them

*
now also surrender before God ready for any interruptions
he may send your way
he will not flood you with more than you can handle
a stranger or an acquaintance
who needs your loving action
even someone who does wrong to you
is sent by God for you to love
respond with good in the moment

*
Today
give up trying the win the approval of people
and rest in God’s love alone

today
believe that by grace you can please God
and devote yourself to pleasing him alone

Mere Christian

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9.23.07

John 17:20-23

Jesus prays that all those who believe in him
will be one
will live in unity with one another
If they live in unity
then the world will know that God sent Jesus
Part of our witness to the world
is our unity as Christians

This morning I want to examine
one thing that divides Christians

every Christian has some beliefs
that are not agreed upon by all Christians
These beliefs cause division among Christians
These beliefs are usually non-essential
even Jesus said there were “weightier matters”
that were more important than other things in the Scripture
I am not arguing that
We should pretend that such differences do not exist

but we must live in unity
with those who do not agree with us
we should not be divided by
issues that are not essential for salvation
and not of primary importance

We should not insist that people believe such non-essential ideas
and we should not part company
with a brother because he disagrees with us
on some non-essential idea

Richard Baxter, a British pastor in the 17th century,
said that he did want to be called an Episcopalian, a Presbyterian or a Congregationalist, he wanted to be called a “mere Christian”

Baxter also said
“In things essential, unity;
in things secondary, liberty;
and in all things, charity.”

and
“It is the name of a Christian which is more honourable than the name of any division or subdivision among Christians, whether Greek, or Papists, or Protestant, or Presbyterian, or Independent, or Baptist. It is easy to be of any one of these parties; but to be a Christian, which all pretend to, is not so easy. It is easy to have a burning zeal for any divided party or cause; but the zeal for the Christian religion is not so easy to be kindled or kept alive; but requires as much diligence to maintain it, as dividing zeal requires to quench it. It is easy to love a party as a party: but to keep up catholic charity to all Christians, and to live in that holy love and converse which is requisite to a communion of saints, it is not so easy. Satan and corrupted nature befriend the love and zeal of faction, which is confined to a party on a controverted cause; but they are enemies to the love of saints, to the zeal for holiness, and to the catholic charity which is from the spirit of Christ. You see I call you not to division, nor to side with sects; but to live as members of a holy catholic church, which consists of all that are holy in the world; and to live as those that believe the communion of saints.”

CS LEWIS wrote “It is at her center where her truest children dwell, that each communion is really closest to every other in spirit, if not in doctrine. And this suggests that at the center of each there is something, or a Someone, who against all divergences of belief, all differences of temperament, all memories of mutual persecution, speaks with the same voice.”

there is a famous quote about the Reformation that says
on the basis of the Bible,
the Lutherans damned the Zwinglians,
the Zwinglians damned the Anabaptists,
and the Anabaptists damned all the others

John Wesley said
“I refuse to be distinguished from other men by any but the common principles of Christianity. . . . I renounce and detest all other marks of distinction. But from real Christians, of whatever denomination, I earnestly desire not to be distinguished at all. . . . Doest thou love and fear God? It is enough! I give thee the right hand of fellowship.”

George Whitefield said
“Father Abraham, whom have you in heaven? Any Episcopalians? No! Any Presbyterians? No! Any Independents or Methodists? No, No, No! Whom have you there? ‘We don’t know those names here. All who are here are Christians. . . .’ Oh, is this the case? Then God help us to forget party names and to become Christians in deed and truth.”

Revelation 20:1-3
What is this thousand years or millennium?
Some say it is the age of Christ in which we live–
waiting for his final appearing
others it is the golden time at the end of this present age
before Jesus returns
others say it is a future day
after Jesus will return to this earth
others say it will happen only after things happen:
a secret rapture and tribulation, etc.

and here is my answer:
“I do not know.”
I have guesses but I cannot say with any certainty that they are right.
and the matter of the millennium is not a central matter,
not of first importance,
The scripture is obscure and not clear in meaning
We must live in unity
with those who disagree with us
on interpretations of difficult texts
We are fellow brothers and sisters of Jesus
and he is our Lord

Acts 5:12-16
14:1-3
10:44-46
19:5-6
11:27-28
13:1-2

Signs and Wonders
Speaking in Tongues or Languages
Prophecy

The church is divided on these things

They happened in the first century.
Should they still be happening today?
Cessasionists say these things have ceased
and we should not expect these things to happen anymore.
They were only for the time of the apostles.
Continuationists say all of these thing should still be happening
and we should be seeking them.
They are for today, just as they were for the first century.
Some are right in saying that nowhere is it clearly taught
that these gifts would cease.
On the other hand,
nowhere is it prescribed that we must do these things.
The matter is not central.
We must live in unity with people on both sides of the debate.
The Scripture does not make this point clear
and we cannot give a definitive answer.

I stand in a middle place:
not insisting that God work signs and wonder and prophecy and tongues
but at the same time ready to take these things with both hands
if he gives them.
And I will live in unity with my brothers and sisters
on both sides of this debate

And what of other issues that divide?
Baptism
I do not know
that only those old enough to repent may be baptized.
I also do not know with absolute certainty
that infants were baptized in the first century.
There are favorite Scriptures on both sides
Should we sprinkle, pour, or dunk?
There are good arguments on all sides.
even Paul did not think Baptism was of central importance:
“Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel”

What of the Lord’s Supper?
Is it a memorial meal only?
is it a love feast?
is there a special spiritual presence of Christ in the supper?
is the body of Christ somehow present in the bread and wine?
I have an opinion, but I must admit that I am not absolutely certain.
We must remember the NT gives little teaching on the topic.
It is not of first importance.

What of the Sabbath?
In the NT nowhere do any of the Apostles say
Gentile Christians should observe the Sabbath.
In the NT nowhere any place does it say
that Sunday has now become the Christian Sabbath.
Also nowhere in the NT does it say clearly and indisputably
that the Sabbath commandment is no longer applicable.
And yet many make the point that how can we set aside one of the ten commandments
if we were not told to cease keeping the Sabbath?
Others argue that we were never told to switch to the first day,
and we should keep to the seventh.

And my answer to all of this:
“I don’t know.”
I have my guesses.
But I do not believe that this is a central matter
when the NT never even addresses it in a clear, unmistakable fash
ion.
I believe this is a secondary matter.

*
It is easy to let all these secondary matters
keep us from unity with our brothers and sisters,
but another problem with all these matters is
they distract us from keeping our attention on that
which is of “first importance”

1 Cor 15:3-5