Jun 28, 2010
DISCIPLESHIP: Life Together
Posted by Pastor Todd Murphy in | Comments (3)
The church is the family of God. In the Old Testament and Ancient Near east, when the Hebrews were at odds with someone, the way they remedied the situation was to become family members with them. The way they did this was through an act called covenant. Covenant was a way to extend the bonds of family unity beyond the boundaries of blood. So when people were enemies or potential enemies, they would make a covenant with each other to create a state of peace, what the Hebrews called Shalom. This is precisely what God has done with us in the cross. He has made a new covenant with us, who were originally his enemies. Ephesians 2:13-16 states this like no other:
(Eph. 2:13) But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down tin his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
Through his work on the cross, Jesus has brought us into a spiritual family called the Church, and because of this, we are called to live as a family of God. Being a family takes commitment. A family is founded upon a covenant, a mutual commitment between two people who love and are devoted to each other. It is when a man and a woman make this commitment, they are married and then naturally go on to have a family by having children who are the product of the commitment of mutual love, devotion, and commitment. The marriages that last are those by people who understand the import of that commitment, and retain it for the rest of their marriage. Those who only meant what they vowed on their wedding day will end soon after. The commitment that makes a marriage survive is not the one you made days, months, or years ago, but the commitment you still have today. The same thing is true in faith. The faith that matters most in your life, is not the one on the day of your initial conversion, but the one you still have today. The faith you had years ago does not matter if you do not still have it.
Such is life in the human family and in God’s family. Because we are brought into a community of faith together through the work of Christ, we are called to a constant practice of our faith and devotion to Christ and each other. We are called to not only be a family, but to practice acting like one. That is why Luke in Acts 2:42 says that they also devoted themselves to “the life together.” Because of the bonds they had in Christ, they saw themselves as members of a divine family who shared the same common Gospel calling. This living together as a the family of God requires certain postures in us as a community of people.
Time Together: People cannot grow in mutual respect, care, and love for each other without face-time. The most important ingredient in any marriage or family is “time.” You cannot escape this. If you you do not have time for people, you do not have time for the Gospel. If everything else in your life precedes being with God and his community, you might as well quit your Christian acting and go be openly honest about being self consumed.
Serving Each Other: As any family, it is for the care and nurture of each and every member to grow them toward maturity. The Church and our discipling communities are just that place, to nurture, serve and edify people spiritually and as children of God. One of the ways this is done by meeting each other’s needs.
This is what families do. They take care of their own. Look at these couple verses in Acts.
Acts 2:45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
Acts 4:35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and sit was distributed to each as any had need.
But this does not have to be merely physical necessities (though that is a big part) but in fact also such things as encouragement prayer, and so on. The beautiful thing about this family model that God gave to the church is that it does not necessarily need to be taught. We as humans know it somewhat intuitively. But that still does not mean it comes easy. We are sinners, and because of that, it takes purpose and commitment. This is why Luke tells us that the early disciples “devoted themselves” to the “life together” as much as the other three. Like any marriage or family, it takes love, commitment, and single-minded devotion to God and his people. Probably no passage of the new Testament captures the mind and posture we are to have to each other as Christians more than Philippians 2:1-5:
Phil. 2:1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,* 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant,
To pursue the life together that Luke describes requires the mind of Christ, that is the mind of servant that humbles itself before our brothers and sisters. Therefore Paul commands us to do nothing out of rivalry and and conceit “but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” He then goes on to say “look not to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” This describes the posture of a parent toward a child. A parent is not good at being one unless the needs of the child are always placed first. That is our calling in the Gospel, to shepherd and parent each other as a community. Our vision of community at SJC is not to leave the shepherding to a handful of “professionals,” but for our Church to be a community where the whole church cares for the spiritual needs of the whole church.
Posted by Pastor Todd Murphy in | Comments (3)
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