Guilty Disciples
Notes
Transcript
Birthday Manipulation
Birthday Manipulation
Yesterday was Drew’s birthday. All week long he has been playing the birthday card.
I get shotgun… it’s my birthday.
Can I choose the movie, the tv show, the game… it’s my birthday?
Can we have pizza for dinner… it’s my birthday.
Can I stay up late? It’s my birthday.
How many times do you get to play that card.
KK had a great response. After the first 100 “it’s my birthday” requests she setup a barter system. Okay, we will take back one of your presents, how about your rollerblades, and then you can choose the movie :D.
I’m not above that. You see next Sabbath is my birthday. I think I’ve dropped the birthday line once or twice already. :D.
“What do you mean you won’t be at church this next week… don’t you know it’s my birthday???”
Let’s see how far that gets me.
Playing the birthday card. What am I really doing?
I am looking to change people’s behavior, modify their choices by making them feel like they have to do it, they are obligated to do it… they feel guilty if they don’t do it because it’s my birthday.
It’s not the birthday card, it’s the guilt card. Emotional Blackmail.
Love God, Love People
Love God, Love People
Love God and Loving Others.
Focusing on renewed covenant relationship,
Loving the least of these - homeless Jesus knocking on our front door,
and being bold witnesses.
In rejection of “easy evangelism by osmosis” we are going to practice bold witness with one another… so that we can go out and be bold witnesses for Jesus. We will practice with one another, sharing our testimonies, I trust that you are all planning your five-minute testimony video if you haven’t already. I have volunteers ready to help you if you need to talk it out, help writing it, help videoing it, whatever you need.
I am excited for how God is leading us forward.
There is a big catch here. A big gotcha. A very real and present danger.
Guilt. Shame.
Our mission is to guilt one another into being better disciples of Jesus.
Our mission is to guilt you into making disciples of Jesus.
Easy easy easy trap we could fall into. As we try to be “more faithful” we could so easily slip into “more manipulative.” Behavior modification by application of guilt can look super productive… but it is anti-gospel and anti-Christ.
Our goal is not, never has been, never will be manipulating one another into appearing like slightly better “Christians” by guilt or relational pressure or any other thing.
We are on Mission:
To encourage and equip one another to take the next bold step in being and making disciples of Jesus.
We recognize that it is a process, a lifelong process, and our role in community together is that of encouraging and equipping.
Giving one another tools.
Giving one another courage.
Where does this idea come from? If it’s just our idea, it isn’t worth much. But as we will see, this is the model Jesus took with his disciples, and the model the early church is founded on.
The thesis statement of Ephesians. This is a master course in how we are to do life together, called into unity and called onto mission.
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Sounds like “love one another” famously?
Because we love God and God is one:
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
(then he gets distracted a minute by Jesus’ ascension…)
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
Building up - edification - encouraging
Equipping the saints, all the saints, all the gifts, all the ways...
By the way, this list isn’t comprehensive… but these are at the top of his mind. I pray we could look around our church fellowship and begin to recognize the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, the teachers… I bet some names came to mind just now. We need all the gifts, all the roles, all the saints equipping the saints...
for how long? What’s the goal?
until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
We could that as our mission statement! Eph 4. Boom! Let that be us!
But we trim it down a bit.
What are we trying to be and do? Be like Jesus and help other people be like Jesus. Being a disciple, making disciples.
What is our role in that as a church community? We each have the responsibility, but the church community is a place where we help one another do that, in the uniquely gifted way Jesus has prepared us to help one another to do that.
Encouraging, equipping, edifying, teaching, leading, prophesying, shepherding… all the things in all the ways.
We could pick 1000 words. I like the two that we have. Encourage and equip.
When we talk, I want you to feel like you
a) know what God is calling you to do
b) have the tools to do what God is calling you to do
c) and have the courage to do it.
I know what "it” is, I can do it, I will do it.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if we did that for one another. If after every encounter with someone in our church you felt more equipped and encouraged than before?
Feel lost? Call one of our church shepherds.
Not sure where God is leading? Follow one of our church leaders. Listen to one of our prophets.
Let’s pick up one more beautiful picture of “church” life together.
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,
by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,
and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
Let us consider that...
Seriously. Take a minute. Consider it.
Let’s think on it. How do we do it?
How do we stir up one another to love?
How do we stir one another to good works?
We do it as we meet together, hence the next verse:
not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Hard to “stir one another up” if we never see one another. Stinkin’ Corona! But it doesn’t stop us from meeting together in all the ways.
Meeting together is part of it… but not just dinner parties. yes, we get together for cards, or coffee, or hanging out, or kid play dates, or any other thing… but whenever and wherever we meet together we can “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works!”
There intention, purpose, direction to it.
Did you read about guilting one another into behavioral modification?
Nope.
But careful, intentional encouragement.
Thoughtful and gifted preparation, through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, giving one another the tools to be disciples of Jesus… to make disciples of Jesus.
And this is where that mission comes from.
We are on Mission:
To encourage and equip one another to take the next bold step in being and making disciples of Jesus.
I love this as a mission for the church.
Do you need courage? Yes. Encouragement? Yes.
Do you need equipping? Yes.
“God equips the called, he doesn’t call the equipped.”
Equipped or Equipping?
Equipped or Equipping?
Are you encouraged by the church?
Are you equipped?
Those are good questions. I don’t say this to be cute, it isn’t a “gotcha”… I want those things for you. I want to encourage and equip you. That is the burden and calling God has given me for you. I want it for you.
So because I want that for you, I want you to carefully consider what God has actually called you to. Has he called you to make sure you are encouraged and equipped?
Or does He call you to encourage. To equip.
How are you encouraging others? Today?
How are you equipping others?
It is a radical shift in focus. You can go shopping for churches finding a place that will feed you more, bless you more, encourage you more… that’s consumer Christianity and there will always be people ready to cater to it. But God is calling you, as Hebrews put it, “consider carefully how to stir up one another to love and good works.” Not “be stirred up” in a passive way. How are you stirring? It is active, it is giving, it is serving, it is loving...
And not encouraging and equipping without direction - towards the very specific goal of following Jesus and acting like him.
Being a disciple and making other disciples of Jesus. That’s our mission.
We are on mission… to be and make disciples of Jesus. Couldn’t we do that alone? What is the role of the community in that mission? We are to teach one another the tools, skills and habits to be and make disciples. We are to inspire one another with the courage to press on towards Christ and Christ-likeness. We are to walk alongside one another in this lifelong process. Encourage and equip to take the next bold step.
We encourage and equip
We encourage and equip
Can you imagine if we all did that?
Imagine yourself, knowing that God is using you, again and again, to encourage other people in their walk, equipping them to be better disciples. And because everyone in our fellowship is doing that, you are also receiving that encouragement from person after person, you are being actively, persistently, constantly equipped to be and make disciples. That is church. That is our mission. That is us.
As disciples of Jesus we covenant together to love God and love others, inside and outside the fellowship, by the Spirit of God, in sacrifice, submission and trust, we are on mission: to encourage and equip one another to take the next bold step in being and making disciples of Jesus.