Transformed Minds

South of I70 within the Fishlake National Forrest in south-central Utah, there is a 107 acre grove of quaking aspen trees that is called Pando (Latin for “I spread”).

Made of 47000 trees, Pando has been deemed the most massive organism in the world.

See, the 47000 trees are genetically identical and share a common root system.

They don’t grow like normal trees, rather new trees are actually clones of older trees.

For more than 80,000 years, older, established trees have brought forth newer trees while keeping this massive organism thriving.

From the outside each looks like an individual tree, but underground there is one, interconnected and interdependent root system.

They share resources, they strengthen one another, they bring life to new trees, and they support one another through tough weather and fires that may come.

I can’t help but think of the church when I think about Pando.

There is a sharing of resources

At least what God’s design for His church is in His Word.

Wanting to talk about God’s design for and our need for Biblical Community.

I didn’t expect that we would be in a divisive season in our church, but God’s timing and wisdom go far beyond ours.

The Target: GOSPEL-MOTIVATED, SELF-SACRIFICING Community

Romans 12:9–19 ESV

9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

Romans 12:9–18 NLT

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! 17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

This is our target, what we should be aiming at if we are to grasp at the Heart of God for His church.

Real love, real honor, commitment to working hard and serving alongside one another, rejoicing with one another, weeping with one another, being patient with one another, praying with and for one another, helping and giving to one another, having one another over to our homes, living in harmony with one another, forgiving one another...

Though this is our target, it it does not come naturally to us.

Barriers to Community

Paul says in verse 2—Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”

In order for us to be the community God desires for us to be (and what we all, DEEP DOWN, desire for ourselves) we must first be transformed.

I read a book on an airplane a long time ago called “Tangible Kingdom” by Hugh Halter

In the book, Halter presents 3 barriers to Gospel community and church unity.

These are the 3 defining marks of our culture and what influences everyone of us in this room without us even realizing it.

Halter challenges our traditional ideas of church and argues for a re

In the book, Halter presents 3 barriers to Gospel community and church unity.

These 3 things are also confronted in the first view verses of .

1) INDIVIDUALISM

Halter defines individualism as the “deep-seated bias that fights against anything that doesn’t directly serve our individual interests.”

The Cultural Mantras are:

You be you.

Be true to yourself.

Follow your heart.

Find yourself.

In the context of the local church it is:

The desire to not be stretched outside of what we are comfortable with.

Seeing your needs and your preferences as more valuable than the needs and preferences of others.

Not wanting to commit to serving, giving, or being a part of something that may require you to give up something else (time doing something you want to do, money for things you want…)

Romans 12:3 ESV

3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

Paul challenges our instinctive individualism with these words.

In a nutshell Paul is saying:

It is NOT ABOUT YOU!

You are not the most important person here.

Your preferences, your desires, and your comfort are not the priority.

Paul is speaking to our ingrained tendency to think about ourselves before we think about others, or the community as a whole.

Deep down in all of us there is a desire to be connected to something bigger than ourselves.

Philippians 2:1–8 ESV

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 selfish ambition 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 emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

phil 2 1-

There is JOY, REAL JOY, in giving up the fight for self and embracing the way of love and sacrifice for the sake of others.

Let us be transformed by the “renewal of our minds” as we die to self and live for Christ in loving and serving one another.

2) CONSUMERISM

Halter says consumerism “is based on the belief that I can’t help others until I help myself, that my own wants and desires trump those of others.”

At the heart of consumerism is the desire to be entertained, to be served, and to be satisfied by the experiences and programs provided by the church.

What does this church have for me and my kids

- What does this church have for me, my kids

Do I enjoy the worship

- Do we enjoy the worship

Do I get anything from the pastor's message

- Do I get anything from the pastor's message

Is the coffee as good as the church down the street

The coffee is not as good as the church down the street

But there is a better way:

Romans 12:4–5 ESV

4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

romans 12

The heart of consumerism is “how does this serve me?”

But the heart of the “renewed mind” says “how can I serve US.”

Again Paul is declaring to your native hearts

It is NOT ABOUT YOU!

“Jesus didn’t summon us to consume. He taught us to love God and neighbor, meet each other’s needs, enact justice and mercy, and proclaim the gospel of the kingdom.

This is made evident in the attitude of the early church. They didn’t ask, What am I getting out of this? or Am I being fed? but rather, What gifts and resources can I leverage for this family? and Am I counting my brothers and sisters as more significant than myself?”

In another passage very similar to this one Paul says:

1 Corinthians 12:4–7 ESV

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

1 cor 12

God has designed you, empowered you, and equipped you for service.

We need you, each and every one of you for the purpose of serving the COMMON GOOD, the GREATER GOOD.

It might be waving to cars as the come into the parking lot.

It might be helping kids get to and from the bathroom on a sunday morning

Or teaching a group of 3 and 4 years olds about God’s great love for them.

It might be cutting donuts, making coffee, running a sound board, or something else we haven’t even thought of.

But we need you.

We need your voice at the table in decisions we make as a church.

We need you commitment to give so that we can continue to do what God has called us to in reaching Ohio county and the world for Him.

It isn’t about being served, it is about serving.

Commit yourself to the greater good in the community of Christ.

3) MATERIALISM

Finally, Halter points to materialism as a barrier to community.

Materialism is connected to consumerism, but it is more concerned with how we tangibly serve the needs of others.

Materialism is a condition of our culture as we define our success based largely on the accumulation of stuff of the accomplishes of our lives.

Whether it be cars, houses, clothing, or something else, we find our significance in the world based on how much stuff we own or the.

Or it is experiences we have or accomplishes we can point to.

We spend considerable amounts of time feeding our need to succeed at the expense of serving and connecting with others.

We don’t have time to serve because there are jobs to be done, bills to be paid, games and practices to be made, and experiences to be had.

Serving the needs of others just isn’t all that appetizing.

But there is a better way:

romans 12 6-

Romans 12:6–8 ESV

6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

Paul says of his service in

Philippians 2:17 NIV

17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.

phi 2 17

the reality is you will never be satisfied by more stuff, more experiences, or more accomplishments.

But there is joy in using the gifts you have been given in serving the needs of others as a way of worshipping God.

Paul again is yelling at us:

It is NOT ABOUT YOU!

True WORSHIP

True, God-honoring, soul-satisfying worship requires us to die to our wants, our preferences, our comforts, and our desires.

It requires that we “present our bodies as living sacrifices to the Lord.

Harkens back to the sacrificial system of Jewish faith.

o We aren’t to sacrifice ourselves for our own salvation, but,

We aren’t to sacrifice ourselves for our own salvation, but,

like the sacrifices were meant as instruments of worshipping God

o like the sacrifices were meant as instruments of worshipping God

We should give ourselves fully in worship of God

o We should give ourselves fully in worship of God

Give ourselves in obedience to Christ

- Give ourselves in obedience to Christ

Give our WHOLE selves in serving others

- Give our WHOLE selves in serving others

- The motivation is worship of God not getting something out of it.

The motivation is worship of God not getting something out of it.

Nature of True Worship

Worship is making much of something, expressing love, adoration, and awe. it is focusing our attention to something.

We worship lots of things: time, money, family, possessions, jobs, security...

o We worship lots of things: time, money, family, possessions, jobs, security...

Paul is calling us to show our worship of God, because of His mercy shown in Christ Jesus, in giving ourselves to Him and therefore giving ourselves in service to others.

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