What Does Faith in God Mean?

Posted by on March 30, 2006 under Bulletin Articles

Questions: Is God at work ONLY when good things happen to us? Or is God working when ?bad’ things happen to us as well as ?good’ things? How can we know when what we perceive as a ?bad’ thing is actually a ?good’ thing? If what we want would eventually destroy our souls, is what we want a ?bad’ thing or a ?good’ thing?

Was God at work when Moses was adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter? Was God at work when Moses killed the Egyptian? Was God at work when Moses fled to the wilderness? Was God at work at the burning bush? Was God at work when Moses finally agreed to return to Egypt to lead Israel out of Egypt?

Was God at work in the ten incredible events? Yes. Was that a miserable time for some people? Yes. Was God at work when Israel left Egypt at night? Yes. Was that a convenient moment to begin an exodus journey? No. Was God at work in the wilderness? Yes. Was that a wonderful, simple vacation experience? No. Was God at work when Israel conquered Canaan? Yes. Did Israelites die in that conflict? Yes. Do you think that was ?family fun time’ for those grieving the losses?

Consider. Was the fall to the Babylonians fun? No. Was the Babylonian captivity fun? No. Was God at work? Yes. Were Daniel and other righteous people taken captive? Yes. When Nehemiah rebuilt Jerusalem’s walls, was it ?fun time’? No. Was God at work? Yes.

What about the crucifixion of Jesus? Or the death of James? of Paul? of Peter? of a number of Christians? of persecutions? of imprisonments? of riots in protest of faith in Jesus Christ?

Is our attitude to be ?if it’s good, God is at work; if it’s bad, God is absent’? Is a real war between God’s purposes and Satan’s anger raging? If so, will there be casualties? Can God’s purposes be accomplished as surely through the wounding or death of Christians as certainly as through good things happening to Christians?

To me this is an obvious truth throughout the Bible: God works through sacrifice as well as reward. God’s people do not belong to Him because they cannot be touched by evil circumstances. God’s people belong to Him because evil circumstances cannot defeat them. Because they are so strong? No! Because in any circumstance, Satan is NEVER bigger than God.

Christians place full confidence in Jesus’ cross! They place equal confidence in Jesus’ empty tomb! Evil may hurt any of us physically, but it cannot stop the triumphant resurrection of every person in Jesus Christ! Because we are good? No! Because God is good! Of that there is no question in the heart of every Christian man or woman!

Repentance (part 1)

Posted by on March 26, 2006 under Sermons

In the readings, pay special attention to the word ‘repent’ and ‘repentance.’

A statement about the ministry of John the Baptist:

  • Matthew 3:1,2 Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

    A statement about Jesus’ ministry:

  • Matthew 4:12-17 Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles– The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light, And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, Upon them a Light dawned.” From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

    A statement from Jesus to the Jewish cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum:

  • Matthew 11:20-24 Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”

    A statement from Mark about Jesus’ ministry:

  • Mark 1:14,15 Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

    A statement from Mark about Jesus sending his twelve disciples on the limited commission:

  • Mark 6:7-12 And He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits; and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff–no bread, no bag, no money in their belt–but to wear sandals; and He added, “Do not put on two tunics.” And He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.” They went out and preached that men should repent.

    Tonight I want us to focus on a word we are quite familiar with that represents a concept we are not nearly as familiar with as we should be.

    The word ‘repent’ declares a concept that all of us struggle with in daily life on a continuing basis. How do you know when someone has really changed? If the person is claiming he or she has changed, how do you know if the change occurred? In a business person who had taken advantage of you? In an authority figure who has lied to you? In a spouse who has betrayed you? In an adult child who has broken promises? How do you know when they truly repent?

    1. The word repent focuses on very simple concept: it simply talks about a change in a person the produces a redirection of life.
      1. A genuine Bible repentance involves much more than saying you are sorry.
        1. In an act of repentance, a person can be sorry for lots of reasons.
          1. “I am sorry I got caught.”
          2. “I am sorry I have to pay the consequences.”
          3. “I regret what I will lose.”
          4. “I am sorry I chose to do that then,” rather than, “I regret having involved my life in that lifestyle.”
        2. The repentance that the Bible discusses involves two basic considerations:
          1. “I realize my life has been going in the wrong direction, and I truly want to change the direction of my life.”
          2. “I appreciate God so much, I want God to inform me about the direction my life should take.”
      2. Conversion must be based on a person’s desire to direct his or her life in God’s direction.
        1. Repentance is a faith in God and Jesus Christ response.
        2. It basically declares that the person has such appreciation for what God did and does in Jesus Christ that he or she wants God to determine how he or she lives.

    2. This evening I want to call your attention to some facts.
      1. Fact one: note that all the readings we used and will use were directed to the Jewish people.
        1. All these people believed that Jehovah God was the only God.
        2. They all believed that God was the living, creator God.
        3. They all believed a person should keep the commands of God.
        4. They all believed they were the people of God.
        5. Yet, they were told to repent.
        6. That would be like Jesus coming to this assembly tonight and saying to us as Christians, “You people need to repent.”
        7. The message of repentance was declared to many people who did not think they needed to repent–after all, they were God’s people.
      2. Fact two: they needed to redirect their lives because their understanding of God’s purposes and objectives were incorrect.
        1. What they thought were God’s purposes and what God’s purposes actually were, were two different things.
          1. Some of them saw that they misunderstood God’s purposes, and were open to repenting.
          2. However, time revealed those people were a minority.
          3. Most Jews did not think they misunderstood God’s purposes and did not repent.
        2. To illustrate the problem, I am going to do something risky because it is entirely possible I could be misunderstood.
        3. These verses have long been adopted as the original mission purpose statement of the church.
          Matthew 28:19,20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
        4. We, and most other evangelistic churches, regard that statement as a mandate for Christian evangelism.
        5. Do not take the statements I am about to make as anti-evangelism statements.
          1. I thoroughly, without question, believe in evangelism.
          2. I am deeply impressed with what many of the people we support are doing, as well as some I likely know that you have no contact with.
          3. I have used my life in a lot of ways the last 50 years because I believe in our call to evangelism.
        6. Let me declare to you my understanding of the Matthew 28:19, 20 statement made by the resurrected Jesus who had all of God’s authority.
          1. First, there was a reason for going into all the world to share the good news.
            1. The reason was to make disciples.
            2. A disciple is the follower of a teacher–in this case a person who wanted to follow Jesus’ teachings.
            3. If ever there was a man who lived by the principles he taught, it was Jesus.
          2. Second, they were to baptize men and women who wanted to be disciples.
            1. They did not convince them of the need to be disciples after they were baptized.
            2. They baptized the person because he or she wanted to be a disciple.
            3. To me it is artificial to separate baptism and a commitment to discipleship.
          3. Third, they were to continue to teach those who were baptized in their desire to be disciples after baptism was a past event.
            1. They taught them Jesus’ teachings in order to keep God’s instructions.
            2. That teaching did not involve church buildings and programs–such did not exist.
            3. To me, it involved learning how to live and act as a person who is a disciple of Jesus Christ.
      3. Does a failure to understand Jesus’ basic emphasis cause us problems?
        1. I say it surely does!
        2. We baptize a number of people who have neither a desire to be nor are committed to be disciples of Jesus.
        3. Then we spend years trying to teach that baptized person the need to be a disciple when he or she has no desire to live the lifestyle of a disciple.
        4. There is more involved in becoming a Christian than hearing, believing, repenting, confessing, and being baptized as those things are often presented today.
        5. There must be a kind of love for Jesus that motivates a person to desire to be a follower of Jesus.
        6. We will not convert the world to Christ:
          1. Through politics.
          2. Through superior programs.
          3. Just because it is a responsibility.
          4. Or because we find an effective way to ‘win’ in the competition.
        7. We will give meaning and appeal to what we teach by a lifestyle based on love of Jesus Christ.
          1. Anything less than that will be inadequate!
          2. Faith in Christ is meaningless to most others until faith in Christ changes the way we live!

    3. Let me share a reading with you. Listen in an understanding of our call to repentance.
      Luke 13:1-5 Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. And Jesus said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
      1. Suffice it to say in both of these instances two unexpected, really bad things happened
        1. How do you explain people offering God a sacrifice being killed?
        2. How do you explain something representing security and safety unexpectedly killing people?
        3. They were just like us in that the unusual occurrence needed an explanation.
      2. They explained it much like many people today explain it.
        1. Those people did something really evil, and God was punishing them for it.
        2. Jesus said, “Wrong explanation!”
      3. Jesus said something astounding to them that, if understood, is just as astounding to us.
        1. He said, “Those people were no more in need of repentance than you are!”
        2. “In fact, if you do not repent, God will destroy you.”
        3. Who was Jesus talking to? Religious people who studied the same scriptures we do, and they did that every week in the synagogue! Jesus spoke to people who in a lot of ways were much like us.
      4. You want to help teach society and the world to repent? Then live a life that repents!

    Use your life to show people how to live for Christ! Live your life in a way that shows people how to repent!

    • Worshipping God for the Sake of the World

    Posted by on under Sermons

    Worship. Do we ever stop and consider the significance of this hour on Sunday? I know I do. I think about it quite a bit. And yet, I know that this assembly has significance – an importance – beyond anything I can plan. I have learned over the years that … Some Sunday’s will be very special. Some will be very ordinary. Some of you are uplifted and some of you will be discouraged. Some of you are about to hear something that may change your life forever – and some of you are just trying to calm a fidgety child.

    Worship. It is the at times the most spiritual and transcendent event of our week, and at other times it is the most mundane and human. And thought we always want worship to be on the holy mountaintop, worship will sometimes take place in the ordinary spaces – in the halls of our schools, around the water cooler at work, in the shopping mall, downtown at the corner of forgotten streets.

    Jesus met a Samaritan woman at the hub of her city – the local well. And in the midst of business and daily chores worship broke out. Jesus met an outsider to the house of Israel – a Samaritan woman – and they began to talk about eternal life, her life, and family and (wouldn’t you know it) they talked about worship. “So are we supposed to worship on the mountain or in the temple?” she asked Jesus.

    Jesus answered, “21Jesus replied, “Believe me, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father here or in Jerusalem. 22You Samaritans know so little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. 23But the time is coming and is already here when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for anyone who will worship him that way. 24For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4)

    Worship in spirit and truth. Jesus invited the Samaritan woman – and all of us who hear his teaching – to understand worship in a new light. Worship isn’t the little “insider club” for the “saved.” But neither is it a recruitment rally to draw in the “outsiders” and get them saved. God is looking for anyone who will worship him in spirit and truth. What does this mean? Well, when you place this statement of Jesus in the context of God sending his son (John 3) and the life that we live as we participate in the life of the son, then worship has something to do with living the true life of a disciple and being a part of a people who are gathered together by the spirit of God.

    It sort of turns worship “inside out” from the way we often think of worship because we see that worship is really at the center of God’s mission to turn the “inside” out. You see, God is the focus of the worshipper – of every worshipper and of course the focus of the whole worshipping community. And the focus of God is the whole world. He’s not just looking for his “core group” of insiders, no he wants the whole world to come to worship. So our worship takes place in a sort of “glass house” with wide open doors and everyone is welcome to worship.

    That way of thinking of worship cuts against the grain of some of our typical assumptions about worship. We often think that worship is …

    • Worship is private. Consider the language we use to prepare ourselves for worship. We often strive to “forget” the cares and worries of the world. I wonder if that is really what God intends? When Jesus speaks with the Samaritan woman, he brings up all her cares and worries. He makes mention of her five husbands and he isn’t diplomatic about it – he’s really just abrupt about it. But maybe that’s because worship in spirit and truth isn’t about pretense dressed up as privacy. Worship isn’t a fashion pageant nicely divorced from the realities of the world we live in. When we encounter the God who is passionately trying to rescue the world we may find that he has little time for pomp and circumstance but like the awesome God he is he is engaged in a mission that calls upon all of us to be very serious and very genuine about the matters of life and death in which we find ourselves.

    • Worship is personal. Of course when worship turns inside out – that is to say, when we become aware of the passion of our God who loves a lost world – it cuts against the grain of the assumption that worship is a user-friendly service “just for me.” This is the typical assumption that worship is personal. Consider the ways evaluate worship: Even if we are kind we might say, “Well it wasn’t what I was used to,” or “I didn’t really get anything out of it.” Now that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have some high personal expectations of worship. There is no justification for defending pitiful, lazy, mediocre worship by saying “Worship isn’t about what you get out of it but what you put into it.” That statement may be true, but when no one wants to put anything into worship it suffers. We need high expectations, but not as critics of how others perform, rather we need to expect something out of one another. We need to work together to build one another up. If you witnessed any of the Air Show this weekend you saw aviation teams that demand the most of one another. Worship isn’t personal in the sense that we are spectators, rather we are all participants in praising God before a watching world.

    • Worship is about preference. In America, we have all been told that you can worship at the church or synagogue of your choice. And choice is often the key word. We have heard of worship wars. These are often wars over preference in worship style and not really about doctrine or faith (after all, churches with praise teams and churches with shape notes all worship Jesus). Because we are such individuals and such consumers, we tend to think that worship is just another personal choice. Another pursuit that fits our preferences – and please understand that all of us have preferences. Everyone has preferences – except for me because my preference is the right way to do it. (Get it?). Two stories: 1) I spoke to an elderly woman who attended a church where the preacher wore khakis and a golf shirt. She said, “I just can’t used to a preacher not wearing a suit and tie.” I asked why and I appreciated her honest answer. “It’s just what I am used to I guess – that’s all.” 2) The custodian of one of my congregations would find cards that people had used to write notes during the less thrilling portions of worship. One card was obviously written by some teens that were visiting with their friends. It said: “This church’s style is so old-fashioned” “Yeah! It’s so 1990’s.” And this was in 1999!

    We can get so distracted by these that we miss out on what worship in spirit and truth. Worship that participates in God’s mission is …

    • Worship is proclamation – (2 Corinthians 4:5-6 – For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.) In worship we proclaim certain things. Whenever we eat and drink the Lord’s Supper we proclaim the Lord’s death and affirm our hope that he will come again. When we preach the word of God we are proclaiming that this is the truth that shapes our identity and shapes our community. The church in worship is the church in mission – “you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9)

    • Worship is political – Please pay attention to me on this one! It is ingrained in our culture that politics and religion do not mix. We are not comfortable with “politics in the pulpit.” I am not talking about using the worship assembly to advance political agendas. That is too mundane and mediocre of an agenda for worship. But worship is political in the sense that it participates in “kingdom politics.” In ancient times worship was viewed as politics. In the first century when Christians affirmed that there was no Lord but Christ they found themselves at odds with the Roman Empire. The governments of nations like Laos and Vietnam understand that worship is political. Their authoritarian rule is threatened by a people who pledge their allegiance to the Lord Jesus. (Read Acts 4:23-31.) Is our worship any less political because we worship in America? No, thankfully our nation allows us freedom to worship, but do we realize that our God calls upon us to place his rule above the rule of our government. We are pledging our ultimate allegiance to God and his kingdom when we worship.

    • Worship is public – (ekklesia) – an assembly of the citizens regularly summoned, the legislative assembly. Why would the early church choose this term to refer to their assembly? Terms with a more religious connotation could have been used. I think they chose this term because their worship was not a mystery cult or insider club but a public assembly for the Kingdom of God and all the world is invited. Paul seems to understand that the worship of the church is open to the public. In 1 Corinthians 14 23So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who do not understand or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? 24But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, 25and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”

    I recall a story a colleague told me about worship in India. They do not worship closed off from the general population in a place of comfort and privacy. Rather, they gather outside often around a tall tree where they can hang a lantern and the faithful gather to worship. And along with them come on-lookers and spectators who simply watch. No one can really tell where the “church” folk end and the on-lookers begin. And part of the reason for that is that the circle is ever widening because those who start on the outside looking in find their way inside as they too become disciples and begin to worship the God who seeks worshippers in spirit and truth.

    Chris Benjamin

    West-Ark Church of Christ, Fort Smith, AR
    Morning Sermon, 26 March 2006

    Treasure in Clay Jars
    Lesson Six: Pattern 5 – March 26, 2006
    “Worshipping God for the Sake of the World”

    What is this lesson all about?

    1. You will perceive how worship is directed toward God rather than directed toward insiders or outsiders.
    2. You will understand that mission and worship are closely connected.
    3. You will explore the public and communal implications of God-focused worship.
    4. You will explore how worship celebrates God’s presence and God’s promised future by focusing the church on both memory and hope.
    5. You will explore how memory and hope inform our practice of communion, the ministry of the word, prayer, praise, and other worship activities.

    Getting Started:

    1. Recall a time that worship was particularly meaningful to you.
    2. Can you remember worship services in and around the time of 9/11? Tell these stories then reflect on the following:
      1. How did worship become very public then?
      2. How was it ekklesia or public assembly?
      3. How is this different from our assumptions about worship being private, internal, and spiritual (to the exclusion of physical)?
    3. When you visit a new church, what do you look for? What helps you find your way around?

    Searching the Word:

    1. Discuss the following texts that show how worship is a public witness to the reign of God as well as an opportunity for identity formation:
      1. Genesis 12:1-9. God calls Abraham to participate in his mission within the world. When Abraham arrives in the land of the Canaanites he builds an altar to the LORD and worships.
      2. Exodus 12:1-16. Notice how the Passover worship is public in nature. What does this worship communicate to the watching world? How does it shape the identity of the participants throughout generations? How does it proclaim the reign of God?
      3. 1 Corinthians 14:22-25. How is worship open to both “insiders” and “outsiders?” What should God-focused worship communicate to the watching world? (Notice the anticipated response of the unbeliever in v. 25).

    Making It Real: Exploration and Response

    1. What are the symbols and expressions of allegiance and values that are present in various ways in our worship?
      1. Exploration Strategy: Take a “field trip” through the worship center of our congregation (either mentally or physically). What symbols of allegiance are present? (Be sure and notice utilitarian items such as clocks, etc.). What rule or reign is being proclaimed through these symbols? What powers and principalities are acknowledged?
      2. Consider the order of worship for your congregation. Consider the words and phrases that comprise worship for your congregation. What allegiance and reign is being proclaimed? How would an unbeliever respond to what we proclaim in worship? (Notice: Focus on what we actually proclaim, not on what the unbeliever might think about our style).
      3. Consider how believers worship in countries that persecute Christian believers. What do the governments of countries that persecute worshippers understand about worship as a political act? Why would it be any different in the U.S.? [For information on persecuted churches see www.persecution.com]
    2. Discuss how worship sustains and shapes the identity of the church that is gathered and called by God’s missional activity.
      1. What assumptions set the agenda for worship in our congregation? How do we decide the content and structure of worship?
      2. What worship activities enable us to experience God’s presence in worship?
      3. Discuss this statement: “The church’s worship is not about itself but about God.”
      4. Do we typically view worship as being for our benefit or is directed toward God? How would God-directed worship actually benefit the church? Can you imagine ways that it might be more satisfying than worship aimed at “meeting our needs?”
    3. Explore how memory of God’s acts and hope in God’s promised future inform our worship.
      1. Exploration Strategy: Use a table with columns labeled memory, hope and witness and rows with various acts of worship (add those that are particular to your context). Use this to discuss the various ways that worship shapes our identity and serves as a witness to the world.

       
      Memory
      (What memory about God’s act or character does this worship act recall?)
      Hope
      (What promise or hope about the future does this worship act inspire?)
      Witness
      (What does this worship act communicate to “the watching world”?)
      The Lord’s Supper
      		      
      Sermon
      		      
      Singing
      		      
      Confession
      		      
      Baptism
      		      
      [Add other acts]
      		      

    4. Discuss what it means for worship to be public without thinking of worship as “seeker-sensitive” or “worship evangelism” or “insider motivation.”
      1. Imagine you are hosting your traditional Thanksgiving Dinner for family and new friends are joining you. Would you change anything for the sake of your friends? Would you continue with your traditions? How would you help your friends feel welcome even though they lack the understanding of your family traditions? How does the presence of new friends enable your family to appreciate their tradition? How does it renew and change tradition? How is God’s presence communicated at your Thanksgiving meal? Would the new friends understand that communication?
      2. What parts of our faith can be adapted to welcome those who know nothing about Jesus? Musical styles, attire, meeting times, avoiding strange words (i.e. – thee, thou, foyer, pew).
      3. What parts of our faith cannot be adapted? What are the things we need to maintain, even though we know it is difficult for a non-Christian to embrace? Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, and now he calls us to follow him by denying ourselves and serving others.

    Prayer:

    1. Pray for some people God is trying to reach in our community. By name, if you know.
    2. Ask God to make us more aware of what our assemblies communicate to outsiders.
    3. Pray for the guests who will attend our next worship service.
    4. Pray for our group to live in a way that is inviting to non-Christians.
    5. Pray for persecuted churches. What can we do in our worship to bless and intercede for those churches – publicly? How can their public witness inspire us in our public witness of worship?

    Kid-friendly activity:

    1. Read I Corinthians 14:26 aloud.
    2. Pair up kids & adults one-on-one and answer the following questions:
      1. What is something that is good about worship?
      2. What is something that is difficult about worship?
      3. What are we trying to accomplish in worship? Why is it worth our time?

    Special Discussion: “Inside Out” Worship

    1. Use the graphics in Appendix to introduce the biblical relationship between worship and mission. By compartmentalizing the activities of the church we have begun to think too rigidly about what is for “insiders” and what is for “outsiders.” It has created an “us and them” way of thinking that hampers our participation in God’s mission in the world. This rigid “us and them” way of thinking is seen most vividly in two typical misconceptions about the relationship between worship and mission.

    2. Slide 1: Inside and Outside – The first, and probably the most prominent, view is a traditional one that for the purpose of discussion we will call the “Inside and Out” view. The inside and out approach views worship as the activity for those inside the church which spiritually empowers them for the task of mission which is limited to work “outside” the church.
    3. Slide 2: Outside In – The “outside in” approach responds to the conventional approach by bringing the “outside” mission activity of the church “inside” to the worship assembly. In this approach the worship is regarded as either a presentation of the gospel or a platform to rally commitment to social action. This approach may be an attempt to unite worship and mission, but the relationship is still understood instrumentally – that is, worship is an instrument to accomplish mission. Bringing the outside in to the inside is sometimes called worship evangelism. But attempts at worship evangelism do not consider the unity of the two. Rather they attempt to re-orient the focus of worship on the outsider. Notice however that the “us and them” thinking is still in effect. What remains is the false choice that worship is strictly for insiders and evangelism is strictly for outsiders.
    4. Slide 3: Inside Out: The trouble with both of the previous approaches is that they are flat. They are two-dimensional and do not account for God’s missional activity in the world and our participation in that activity. The “inside out” approach avoids the weaknesses of the other approaches because it understands mission as the mission of God toward the world rather than the evangelistic efforts of the church. Since worship takes place within the arena of the mission of God in the world, “the assembly for worship is mission.” The church worships because it is gathered up into the mission of God moving within the world. The church in worship reflects the reign of God in a public way.

    Learn more about “Inside Out” on our Web site.

    The Power of Contentment

    Posted by on March 23, 2006 under Bulletin Articles

    When Paul wrote the above statement, he discussed people who used Christianity as a means of financial success. These were people who viewed godliness as a means of obtaining wealth. Why should they not reach that conclusion? In both the worlds of Judaism and idolatry, those who controlled the workings of temples were wealthy people. Obtaining wealth was not to be Timothy’s motivation in his ministry.

    Paul recommended a different focus to Timothy: godliness combined with contentment. Both are complex subjects. One focuses on a correct view of God. The other focuses on our attitude toward our complete environment. Of the two, we American Christians likely find ?contentment’ the more complex. That does not suggest we have ?mastered’ godliness! Yet, rarely do we humans [at least in this society] find and experience contentment. When we think we find it, we likely are ?discontent’ with our contentment. Everything that is ?good’ with us could be better!

    I laughed at myself this week. I fell in late August and dislocated my left shoulder. This week for the first time I slept one night without my left arm awakening me. Even the few times I slept all night, I was aware that my arm hurt. Had I slept all night two months ago without an awareness of my left arm hurting, I would have shouted, “Wonderful!” Last week I said to myself, “Wonder when it will happen two consecutive nights?” When (if) that happens [knowing me], I already know what I will say to myself: “Wonder when it will happen for a week?” If that occurs, I will say to myself, “Wonder when it will happen for a month?” At that milestone, I will say to myself, “Wonder when it will happen indefinitely?”

    What should I say each step of the way? “Thank you, God!” [with genuine appreciation!] I seek to remind myself of something we all need to remember: “Instead of complaining about the bad things, be aware of and grateful for the good things.” In our society, it seems to be more ?natural’ to keep tract of complaints than to be grateful for blessings!

    To me, a powerful Christian example of the principle of contentment combined with godliness is found in Philippians 1. Paul, who unjustly was in prison, comforted Christians at Philippi by declaring how his imprisonment blessed the spread of knowledge about Jesus Christ. Wow! What awareness in horrible circumstances!

    Are you a Christian? Pray to God and ask Him be your source of strength as He enables you to see His blessings in every situation and circumstance. Being a godly person is a complex commitment. Being content is a choice. Choose to see and acknowledge blessings even when your circumstances are a mess!

    The Christian Worldview (part 7)

    Posted by on March 19, 2006 under Sermons

    THE CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW
    part 7

    In these readings, take note of the word “gospel.”

    Matthew 9:35-38 Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

    Mark 1:14,15 Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

    Acts 8:25,40 So, when they had solemnly testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, and were preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans. … But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he kept preaching the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea.

    Acts 15:6-11 The apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter. After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”

    Acts 20:18-24 “You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, bound in spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.”

    This evening I want to challenge you to think about something you likely are sure you understood a long time ago. In fact, all of us are sure we have a complete understanding of this subject. There has been no need to think about it, because we understood all there was to know about it. There was no need to discuss it because everything was settled about this subject a long, long time ago.

    This evening I want you to think with me for a few minutes about the gospel.

    1. The basic meaning of the word “gospel” is “good news.”
      1. Personally, I wish for our sakes today that the Greek word for “gospel” had been translated “good news.” The concept of good news is familiar; the word “gospel” is a strange word to most of us.
        1. Outside of a religious context, do you ever use the word “gospel” in any other context?
        2. For most of us, the word “gospel” is strictly a religious word used only when we use our “church language.” We just assume when we use the word other people know what we are talking about.
      2. When we tell someone we want to teach the “gospel” to them, many of them cringe. In fact, some people will do anything they can to prevent us from sharing the “gospel” with them. They may say, “I don’t want to talk about church things,” or, “I don’t want to talk about religion.”
        1. Do you understand the why of that?
        2. The word means good news, but many people do not expect good news when we tell them we want to discuss the gospel with them.
        3. The truth is that when people discuss the “gospel” with others, they might hear anything. Would you like to tell someone what to expect in such a discussion?
        4. Consider some of the ways we use the concept of gospel:
          1. Good news–you are going to hell!
          2. Good news–you are going to held accountable for every mistake you make!
          3. Good news–you cannot escape God’s judgment after death!
          4. Good news–you should be living in a sense of guilt and despair!
        5. Is there any way we would consider any of those statements good news?
          1. “Good news–God is going to stomp all over you, and there is nothing you can do about it because you are no match for God!” That is good news?
          2. “Good news–God is keeping a list of your mistakes, and you can never fool Him!” That is good news?
          3. “Good news–after you die you are going to suffer so much that you will wish you could die again–but you can’t!” That is good news?
          4. “Good news–there is coming a time when you are going to pay for every wrong you have done–without exception!” That is good news?

    2. Then what is the good news?
      1. The problem:
        1. All of us are very weak, and our own worst enemy.
        2. We–all of us–do a horrible job of distinguishing between right and wrong, good and evil, what is kind and what is mean, being compassionate and being judgmental, and showing mercy instead of demanding justice.
        3. So often when we face a complex situation we just do not know what to do.
        4. Yet, when we are in need, we all want kindness, compassion, and mercy.
        5. If we are compared to God in any way, we just do not measure up at all.
        6. We are trapped by our own mistakes, and there is nothing we can do of ourselves to get ourselves out of the trap we created as a consequence of our own mistakes.
      2. The good news:
        1. God is not our enemy! As undesirable and “yukkie” as we are, God wants us.
        2. God does not merely want us, but He loves us. And He has worked very hard for thousands of years and has been very patient to solve our problem.
        3. He loves us so much that He sent us Jesus to enable us to do all the things we could not possibly do without him.
        4. Jesus is the forever symbol of how real, how genuine, and how deep God’s love is for us. When you look at Jesus, you see in flesh and blood God’s love for us.
        5. God wants to forgive us and has done everything necessary for us to receive forgiveness.
        6. The good news: who we were does not have to determine who we are; we can be cleansed; we can start over; we can be released from the trap and be forgiven.
        7. This can happen for any one regardless of who they are or what they have done because a loving God is on our side and wants for us to be forgiven.

    3. We need to be very careful not to give people the wrong impression of God.
      1. Are we ultimately responsible for our choices and behavior? Absolutely!
        1. Must we assume responsibility for the way we live our lives? Surely!
        2. Must we seek God’s will and obey him? Certainly!
        3. However, the truth of those statements does not mean that God is our enemy.
      2. Speaking as a parent, my children must be responsible for their choices and behavior.
        1. When they lived with me, I made it no secret that I expected obedience.
        2. After they leave home, I hope they will continue to make choices on the basis of the principles that I taught them
        3. However, in no way does that mean I did not love them as children or do not love them now.
        4. In no way does that make me their enemy.
      3. We are not declaring we do not need to obey God when we declare the truth that God is not our enemy.
        1. We really need to understand that stressing people’s responsibility to come to God is not declaring the core of the gospel, the good news.
        2. The core of the good news is that God loves us and wants to help us even if our lives are a mess.
        3. The proof of God’s commitment to us is Jesus Christ.

    4. God specializes in what seems to us to be lost causes.
      1. The night that Jesus was tried by the Jews, Peter (Jesus’ most committed friend who vowed he would never deny Jesus) cursed and swore the he had never known Jesus (Matthew 26:74).
        1. If someone treated us that way, we would be very angry!
        2. Less than two months later (50 days), it was this same man God used to preach the resurrection of Jesus and the fact that God made Jesus Lord and Christ in the city he denied Jesus.
          1. People simply do not do things that way!
          2. Did Peter repent (turn himself around)? Surely!
          3. The man who was a fearful coward the night of Jesus’ betrayal, publicly in broad daylight stood up for God’s work in Jesus on the day of Pentecost.
      2. Let me call your attention to a statement Paul made (a statement very familiar to most of you).
        1 Timothy 1:12-16 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.
        1. Prior to being a Christian, Paul was a very religious man, but a very mean man–his religious perspective made him mean.
        2. He said of himself when offering his defense before King Agrippa in Acts 26:9-11:
          So then, I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them. And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities.
          1. By our standards, the pre-Christian Paul was an obsessed hate monger, not a nice man.
          2. He did many things hostile to the name of Jesus; he put Christians in Jewish prisons; he encouraged the executions of Christians; he used physical force (pain!) in his attempt to get Christians to blaspheme; he was furiously enraged at Christians; he was willing to go outside of Palestine to arrest Christians.
        3. In the statement to Timothy, he described himself at that time as a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent aggressor.
        4. To put his point in our words, Paul said, “If God could save me, God can save anyone.”
        5. He even said that this was one of the reasons God forgave Paul.
        6. That is how serious God is about saving people!

    5. I want to share a biblical example with you that I have thought about for a few years.
      1. The example I call you attention to is found in a letter of Paul’s to Corinthian Christians we know as 1 Corinthians 7:21-24.
        Were you called while a slave? Do not worry about it; but if you are able also to become free, rather do that. For he who was called in the Lord while a slave, is the Lord’s freedman; likewise he who was called while free, is Christ’s slave. You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men. Brethren, each one is to remain with God in that condition in which he was called.
        1. The slavery discussed in the New Testament and American slavery years ago were quite different in some specific ways.
          1. First century slavery was not racial–you did not have one race serving another race.
          2. A person could become a slave in many ways–failure to pay debts, birth, a P.O.W. in a Roman war are some examples.
          3. It was not unusual for people who were slaves to be well educated and from the highest levels of society.
            1. Such people were commonly bought to be household slaves.
            2. In a world that very much sanctioned fornication, adultery, and homosexuality, it was not unusual for slaves to be expected to serve in sexual roles.
            3. Slaves were property; to refuse a order from a member of the owner’s family could mean harsh penalties including death.
        2. Paul said if you are a Christian who is a slave, do not make the goal of your life escaping slavery.
          1. He said that your circumstances as a slave was not a hindrance to God’s purposes.
          2. He said you could be a Christian even if you had no control over what happened to you.
        3. That is how much God is on your side!
      2. “Does it make you nervous to realize how we today might misuse that example?” Certainly!
        1. Paul was not talking about justifying our behavior.
        2. Paul was talking about circumstances we have no control over.
        3. He said that even if a Christian was in circumstances he or she could not control, he or she had no choice in, he or she still belonged to God and could was useful to God.
      3. That is how much God loves us and wants to save us!

    The issue is not and never has been, “Can God save me?” The issue is, “Do you want God’s forgiveness? Do you want to belong to God?”

    Because of God’s acts in Jesus, it is every person’s choice! That is the good news!

    Living Out God’s Intent for the World

    Posted by on under Sermons

    Review
    The treasure of the Gospel in Clay Jars. Patterns of Missional Faithfulness: Following God’s Calling, Being Shaped by Scripture, Taking Risks for the Sake of the Gospel, Living Out God’s Intent for the World.

    The Story of EPCOT
    entrance to EPCOTThe name Epcot derives from the acronym EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow), a utopian city of the future planned by Walt Disney. Walt Disney’s original vision of EPCOT was for a model community, home to twenty thousand residents, which would be a test bed for city planning and organization. The community was to have been built in the shape of a circle, with businesses and commercial areas at its center, community buildings and schools and recreational complexes around it, and residential neighborhoods along the perimeter. Transportation would have been provided by monorails and conveyor belts. Automobile traffic would be kept underground, leaving pedestrians safe above-ground. Walt Disney said, “It will be a planned, controlled community, a showcase for American industry and research, schools, cultural and educational opportunities. In EPCOT there will be no slum areas because we won’t let them develop. There will be no landowners and therefore no voting control. People will rent houses instead of buying them, and at modest rentals. There will be no retirees; everyone must be employed.”
    This vision was not realized. Walt Disney wasn’t able to obtain funding and permission to start work on his Florida property until he agreed to build the Magic Kingdom first, and he passed away before its opening day. The Walt Disney Company later decided that it didn’t want to be in the business of running a town.

    God’s City of Tomorrow, Today – God’s Intent for the World
    Walt Disney wasn’t the first to have a hopeful vision of a prototype city. His vision isn’t the only vision to inspire us to think about the way it could be. Since God called Abraham, God has always intended for his people to be a prototype city of tomorrow. He intended for Israel to live out and demonstrate the shalom peace that he intended for all the nations. Jesus spoke of a city – a city on a hill that would serve as a shining example of righteous community. Matthew 5:14-16 – A city set on a hill. A light to the world. When Luke writes about the early church he describes it as the continuation of God’s Israel-dream. Acts 4:32-35. They were living out God’s intent for the world.
    The church is a sign, foretaste, and glimpse of God’s kingdom rule. We are the prototype community. A people living now as if the complete and total reign of God has broken into this world. God has a vision for the world as it should be. God’s mission is for the world to he create and his intent for the world to be realized. So, living out God’s intent for the world is how we participate in God’s mission.

    Living Out God’s Intent for the World
    A prototype is more than an idea, it is a tangible example. It is not enough to know what God intends for the world. We have to live it out. God calls his church to practice habits and ways of living that embody his ideas. We see these most often in Scripture when we read texts that speak of the way we should treat one another.

    Listening to One Another: The beginning of “one another” community is paying attention to one another. Sometimes church business is just “busy-ness.” I don’t think that’s how God intended us to live. How can we really help each other or love one another if we are not paying attention to one another? Listening is the beginning of unity … 15“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.”
    God intends for us to speak honestly and truthfully with one another. This is how we overcome anxiety and worry – by truly listening to one another.

    Helping One Another: Acts 4:32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.
    The people of God live in hospitality. Hospitality was a very important virtue in the ancient world. A traveler depended on hospitality not just for comfort, but for survival. We think of hospitality as something exceptional or special. We think of it as playing host or hostess at the Martha Stewart level, but consider how basic it is. My friend Jeff Christian told the story of an elder and his wife who invited others to their house for PBJ sandwiches and popsicles. This couple wanted to show everyone that hospitality was about love and fellowship rather than scoring social style points. 12:13 – Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

    Bearing with one another – This involves not only bearing sorrows, but also (to put it quite bluntly) putting up with one another! Ephesians 4:2 – Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. One of the ways we practice God’s intent for the kingdom is by enduring all the little things that could so easily cause us to divide. Romans 14:13-19 – Let us stop passing judgment on one another. . . 19Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.

    Loving one another – Some of us remember sermons that list the “identifying marks of the church.” The identifying marks are one of thinking about the practices that demonstrate God’s intent for the world. Jesus had one identifying mark that he considered to be the clearest in terms of identifying his people … John 13:34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

    Welcoming the other – We cannot limit love in the kingdom of God. We are not concerned about the boundaries or demographics this world uses to divide us (age, race, gender, etc.) We respect those differences, but they are not barriers to love in fellowship if all are in Christ (Galatians 3:28)

    The world is watching … Dale Ziemer and Lois Barret (Treasure in Clay Jars, Eerdmans, 2004) tell the story of the Holy Ghost Full Gospel Church in Detroit. This church moved into a neighborhood that was run down and dominated by the problems of drug abuse and the attending evils of a drug addicted, hopeless class of people. One of the residents of this neighborhood was Luther. Luther described himself as a “big time drunk” and church members noticed that Luther was a sort of ringleader among those who sought solace with alcohol. All of the church’s programs and techniques to reach someone like Luther failed. But Luther was watching. We took notice of the people who gathered in the church’s building. In time, Luther took such an interest in this people that he started directing traffic in the evening. After all, they were in his neighborhood. Luther also began escorting the elderly women to their cars after the evening services, after all they were in his neighborhood and Luther would tell them that it wasn’t safe. Luther took notice of these very different people and in time he came and stood in the foyer during worship. Then he started to come in a bit closer and stand in the door to the auditorium. Then he stopped drinking so much. And eventually he was baptized.
    At every stage of Luther’s journey, the people welcomed him. He was never told to go away, nor was he feared, neither was he ignored. He was welcomed. And the one who was once “the other” became one of the “one anothers.”

    Chris Benjamin

    West-Ark Church of Christ, Fort Smith, AR
    Morning Sermon, 19 March 2006

    Treasure in Clay Jars
    Lesson Five: Pattern 4 – March 19, 2006
    “Living Out God’s Intent for the World”

    What is this lesson all about?

    1. To understand that the character of the church’s life together is what God intends for the life of the whole world.
    2. To understand how the habits and characteristics of the church community and not simply responsibilities of staff or the focus of programs.
    3. To explore “one another” practices that witness to the gospel, such as listening to/spending time with one another, actively helping one another, bearing with one another, hospitality, and unity.

    Getting Started:

    1. When is a time that you feel lonely?
    2. When have you felt like a minority?
    3. Name someone who does a good job inviting others to feel like they belong?
    4. Where are some places in our society that people think they will feel accepted?

    Searching the Word:

    1. Read James 2:1-17 aloud. This text addresses two problems that were going on in this church. What problem is described in 1-4?
      1. How could such a situation develop in a church?
      2. Who might face obstacles when they desire to worship with us?
    2. What problem is addressed in 14-17? (Faith that hesitates to act for the good of another.) Why are Christians sometimes drawn to an intellectual faith?
      1. When have you been tempted to discuss scripture without actually following it?
      2. What helps you to put your beliefs into actions that help others?
    3. When the world sees a church that discriminates against certain groups, what do they think about Jesus? [See John 13:35 – see below].
      1. What could we do to let the world see that we are not acting like the James 2 church?
    4. When have you seen a church do a great job of loving one another? How did that affect their impact on their community?
    5. Special Discussion of John 13: You may choose to examine John 13 as Jesus’ demonstration of and teaching about practices that demonstrate God’s intent for the world.
      1. John 13:1-17 is the narrative of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. Consider Jesus’ question to the disciples: “Do you understand what I have done for you?” How do we understand what Jesus has done? What does Jesus mean when he says, “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”
      2. John 13:31-38 is Jesus’ new command. How is the practice of love for one another a demonstration of God’s mission within the world? Notice that the behavior of a loving fellowship is a witness to the watching world. (“Everyone will know you are my disciples if you love one another.”)

    Making It Real: Exploration and Response

    1. Review the “one another” texts that demonstrate practices of unity and love:
      1. Romans 12:9-13 (hospitality and bearing with one another);
      2. Romans 14:13 (resolving conflict, unity);
      3. 1 Corinthians 1:10 (overcoming divisions);
      4. Ephesians 5:19 (singing as a sign of unity);
      5. Hebrews 10:25 (spending time with one another/encouragement);
      6. 1 Peter 4:9 (hospitality).
      7. Note: You may consider other “one another” texts or encourage the group to search for others. Ask the group to indicate the real practice that demonstrates “one another unity” in each text.
    2. As a group, explore specific examples of practices that demonstrate the work of God among the congregation to cultivate unity and love.
      1. Exploration Strategy: Encourage the class to share examples or stories about the church being recognized for practices that demonstrate the loving character of God. If you are aware of some of these stories invite people to your group who can best tell that story. This is the practice of testimony. Perhaps there is someone in the congregation who became a member because of real practices they witnessed in your congregation.
      2. Suggestion: If group members cite “church programs” within the church, press them to get more detailed and personal about their reason for naming that program. What is the character of those who work in that program? Is that program successful because of their technique or because of the attitude and heart? The intent here is to emphasize that it is in the quality of our life together before the world that we demonstrate God’s intent for the world and not simply in the application of formulaic methods.
    3. Focus on the following four practices of the church’s life together that demonstrate Christ-like love as a contrast to cultural norms. These are: a) listening to one another/spending time with one another; b) helping one another; c) bearing with one another; d) overcoming cultural barriers.
      1. Listening to One Another/Spending Time with One Another: Have each group member write a number between 1 and 10 on an index card indicating how busy they feel their current schedule is. (10 = extremely busy/overwhelmed). Now have the group line up according to their numbers. Ask the 10’s (or highest number) to relate why they feel busy. Ask the middle number(s) to relate why they feel as busy as they do. Now ask the lowest numbers to repeat what the 10’s said. The purpose of this exercise is to demonstrate: 1) That “busy-ness” makes it difficult for us to listen and spend time with one another, and 2) that listening to one another is essential to practicing the sort of “one another” relationships necessary for the sake of mission. (Transition: How can we help one another if we do not listen to one another?)
      2. Helping One Another: Ask the group to discuss the phrase “God helps those who help themselves.” Is this phrase biblical? (Some might even assume this is a Scripture). Ask the group to give biblical or personal examples of those God helps. How do these examples demonstrate the reign of God? Ask the group to discuss which is more consistent with the reign of God: actively helping one another or rugged individualism. Thought question: If we cannot be “one” by helping one another lovingly, can we really be “one” with God?
      3. Bearing with One Another/Reconciling Differences: Read Matthew 18:15-20. What is the common goal of every level of the attempt to reconcile with the sinner? (Forgiveness and Reconciliation.) How does the practice of reconciliation and bearing with one another’s weaknesses demonstrate God’s presence to the world (cf. Matthew 18:19-20)
      4. Overcoming Cultural Barriers: Read Galatians 3:26-28 & Colossians 3:11. Invite group members to write down on index cards occasions when they became very aware of cultural barriers (discrimination, ostracism, class distinctions, or other barriers). It may be a personal experience or one they observed in a certain context. Tell the group members that they should not identify themselves on the card. Now collect the cards, shuffle them, and redistribute them. Call upon class members to read what is written on the card they have. (Do as many as time permits). Ask the reader to relate how he/she feels about this experience of a barrier. Ask the class to recommend practical ways that unity in Christ overcomes these barriers. What can the church do to overcome these barriers and demonstrate God’s intent for the world?

    Wrapping It Up

    1. Prayer time: Pray for God to give us listening hearts. Pray for those who might be lonely. Pray for the courage to reconcile longstanding grudges. Ask God to guide you into relationships with godly friends. Pray for the unity of the church.
    2. Close by singing “We Are One in the Spirit”
      1. Before the group sings this song emphasize the chorus: “And they’ll know we are Christians by our love.”

    Kid-friendly Activity

    1. Ask an adult in the group to point out some constellations. If it’s a cloudy night, meet indoors and turn off the lights. Hide some items around the darkened room, including some flashlights or something that glows in the dark. Talk about why you can see stars or lights so well at night. What makes them stand out?
    2. Read Philippians 2:14-15 aloud.
    3. What causes Jesus’ followers to stand out? Why is it hard to do things without complaining or arguing? What helps you to complain less and argue less?

    Who Do You Seek to Please?

    Posted by on March 16, 2006 under Bulletin Articles

    To be a ruler in Palestine who had to maintain allegiance to Roman control was complex. The Jewish people in the first century hated their loss of independence. They viewed rulers dependent on Rome as enemies. They were endlessly on the verge of defiance through violence. They were almost impossible to appease. Ruling first century Jewish people was a headache, not a picnic! Their anger and volatility could make or break Roman appointed rulers! They often “broke” such rulers!

    There is a small but insightful statement in Acts 12:3. Herod Agrippa I mistreated the church. The verse begins this way: “And when he saw that it pleased the Jews …” Mistreating Christians was in his political best interest as he tried to rule some very difficult people, so he continued to mistreat Christians in order to make his work easier.

    In life’s complicated challenges, always consciously keep service to God as a real option. When you deal with complex situations in your family, ask yourself, “Where is God’s place in my options?” When you deal with complex situations in your marriage, ask yourself, “Where is God’s place in my options?” When you deal with complex situations in your work, ask yourself, “Where is God’s place in my options?” When you deal with complex situations in your training, ask yourself, “Where is God’s place in my options?” And when you are tempted to be selfish in your decisions, ask yourself, “Where is God’s place in my selfishness?”

    Who do you seek to please? Your wife? Your husband? Your children? Your boss? Your clients? Your peers? Yourself? Whose interests define who you are and what your life is about?

    Ungodly people typically cannot be pleased. To the degree that they are ungodly, they are unappeasable. To the degree that a person is selfish, he or she is unappeasable. Godly people can be pleased when their focus is on God. To the degree that a situation focuses such people on God, they are challenged to do and produce good.

    Who do you seek to please? Ungodly people? Yourself? God? The more it is your intentional aim to please God, the more life’s journey becomes a joy and the less it becomes drudgery. Making the reactions of anyone else the foundation of your life is simply too complicated!

    Taking Risks for the Sake of the Gospel

    Posted by on March 12, 2006 under Sermons

    TAKING RISKS FOR THE SAKE OF THE GOSPEL
    PATTERN OF FAITHFULNESS #3
    Illustration: I recently had the opportunity to join a police officer on patrol. He apologized that the shift wasn’t more exciting. I was okay with that.

    Taking Risks
    We are not accustomed to taking risks. About as risky as most of us get is managed risk. We devote so much to playing-it-safe. Every morning the talk shows let us know what we should fear and tell us how to be safe. I am glad that we have weather radar and as I was watching the reports of the storms last night I marveled at how the technology could pinpoint the action of tornadoes. I realized that this was a private company that owned this hi-tech. They invest in it because people are interested in being safe.
    However, risk is part of life and especially life in Christ. As a friend recently said, “No one said this would be easy.” Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. ” John 15:20.

    Read 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, 8-9. Paul reflects on the life that follows Jesus and he acknowledges that the world resists the gospel even though it is good news. Why? Because the darkness has veiled their hearts. Their vision has been obscured. But when we have beheld the light of the gospel, we have a hope that allows us to take risks – not for the sake of being risky, but for the sake of the gospel.

    Clay Jars That Shine Like Stars
    Today our brothers and sisters in Vietnam and Laos worship. Worship is a very risky activity for them to do. But we admire them for taking the risk. Why do they take that risk?
    What would you say about a group of believers that moved their worship out of suburban safety and into a neighborhood plagued by drug abuse and burglaries? Not an outreach, but they moved everything down there! They take it for granted that their building will be broken into and that equipment will have to be replaced. Would you consider them foolish? Bad stewards? ( Is Jesus going to get really upset over a stolen sound system?) Would you call the believers fanatics? Why do they take the risk?
    Whether they are in Laos or the Southern United States, these risky Christians seem to be playing by a different set of rules. I suggest that they are simply taking their calling seriously. Why should it be any different for us – we are trying to conform to Jesus Christ rather than the surrounding society. Don’t we realize that that is risky?

    When we follow Jesus Christ, we have different priorities that may act against common sense. We are not going to conform to the dominant culture in every way. Are we okay with that? I don’t mean that we won’t conform to the things we don’t like, but we will also not conform to some of the things we do like! To be faithful to God’s mission we must often stand in contrast to the culture around us. (Read Philippians 2:12-18.)

    Clay jars that shine like stars — the light of the gospel shining off the treasure. We are different. We are called to follow Jesus and we are shaped by scripture. And that means we will have to take some risks for the sake of the gospel. But what sort of risks?

    What’s so risky about the Gospel?
    God is calling us to take some risks, not risk for the sake of being risky, but for the sake of the gospel: [Note: I am indebted to Paul Clark and Jeff Christian for suggesting these three examples of how the church takes risks for the sake of the gospel. These points come from their unpublished sermons based on the Treasures In Clay Jars book edited by Lois Y. Barrett]

    1) IT IS RISKY TO BE COMMUNITY: We live in a very individual age. Living in unity with one another in the church can be challenging.
    I have never forgotten the story I heard Rick Atchley tell about an elderly sister who was walking into the foyer of her church house one Sunday. She looked over the bulletin board that featured pictures of the mission in Africa and she said softly, “I wish they would stop baptizing so many of those kind of people.” This sister’s version of heaven was segregated. A pearly gate with the banner “WHITES ONLY” above it and a back gates labeled “COLORED.” How can we be one in heaven if we cannot live as the community of Christ here? Do we think that Heaven will have high-rent and low-rent neighborhoods?
    It is risky to live in community with others when we have a play-it-safe and build tall fences mentality. I think we would be more effective at sharing our faith if we would just simply be kind to people in the community and talk to them about God. What if we welcomed them to our home before we welcomed them to worship. I am convinced that people “go to church” with their friends. This risky living in community is how we unleash the treasure?
    Christ took the risk of creating community. He wanted community and unity between us and God.

    2) IT IS RISKY TO BE GENEROUS: It is risky to share with one another and with our community without expecting a return on our investment. We are generous with our wealth, but shall we also be generous with our love.

    3) IT IS RISKY TO BE DIFFERENT: When the Christians of the second century were ridiculed and scorned by the society around them. They were called incestuous, cannibalistic, and atheistic. They didn’t overcome this by standing up for their rights or wielding their power to influence. They certainly didn’t overcome by conforming to the expectations of a dying culture. They overcame by kneeling in prayer in the arenas where they were slaughtered. And do you know who they prayed for? The Roman Emperor.

    Taking Risks can be fearful – especially in church. That is because everything else in culture is changing so quickly. We want to have some place we can come that stays the same.
    But the reason there are some things that do not change is not because someone opposed change. The reason is because some people did something to be faithful rather than do nothing because they were fearful. They took a risk for the sake of the gospel that does not change.

    Chris Benjamin

    West-Ark Church of Christ, Fort Smith, AR
    Morning Sermon, 12 March 2006

    Treasure in Clay Jars
    Lesson Four: Pattern 3 – Mar. 12, 2006
    “Taking Risks for the Sake of the Gospel”

    What is this lesson all about?

    1. You will examine ways in which scripture calls for Christians to exchange personal comfort and predictability for risk taking and dependence on God.
    2. You will recognize the risks involved in being set apart from the world because of the gospel.
    3. You will explore how the Spirit of God empowers believers to be risk takers for the gospel
    4. You will gain understanding of the implications of personally becoming greater risk-takers in taking the saving gospel of Jesus to culture.

    Getting Started:

    1. When have you done something risky? How well did you come through the experience?
    2. What would be the most difficult part about being a missionary in a third-world nation? What would motivate someone to give up the comforts of life in America for the sake of the kingdom? Offer a prayer of blessing for missionaries living in dangerous places.
    3. What would be the most dangerous place to live in our community? How many children do you think live in that neighborhood?

    Searching the Word:

    1. Read Matthew 10:11-31 aloud. Who was Jesus speaking to? The twelve apostles, before he sent them out to preach. What kind of welcome did he expect that they would find as they talked about him? What were some of the risks the first followers of Jesus faced?
    2. How did Jesus instruct his followers to respond to opposition? Generate a list. See verses 16, 17, 19, 23, 28. What kind of opposition have you faced because of your faith?
    3. In what ways does verse 24 connect Christians’ persecution with Jesus’ suffering. How much do you think this helped? How do you feel when you hear of believers who suffer for Christ? Do you ever feel guilty for having it so easy? (See the attached Parable On Perspective).

    Making It Real: Exploration and Response

    1. Do we believe that Jesus is sending us into our community to call attention to the kingdom? If so, then what instructions do you think he would give us?
    2. Where might be some neglected or dangerous neighborhoods in our community where Christians are afraid to go? Who is speaking for Jesus in such places? How could we help children in those neighborhoods? What do we have to risk?
    3. Every church wants to recruit prosperous, educated, moral leaders as members. Who are some people that nobody is inviting to their church? How could we reach out to them? Why do we consider it risky to help these people?
    4. Ask the group to identify ways in which they perceive Christians as being different or set apart from the world. Possible responses include how Christians use their time or resources, how they treat fellow workers, employees, how they speak, etc. In what ways are we reluctant to take risks because we are “captive to our culture?”
    5. Taking the discussion one step further, ask the group to respond to this quote: “Some congregations seem to be living by a set of rules different from that of the dominant culture. Their priorities are different. They act against the “common sense.” They are trying to conform to Jesus Christ rather than to the surrounding society. (Treasure in Clay Jars, p. 75)
    6. Creative Generosity — How does a church responsibly respond to needs, some of which are “spur of the moment,” such as a natural disaster, when those funds are not in the budget?
    7. Invite the group to respond to these questions:
      • How can we encourage each other to be greater risk takers in taking the gospel into our culture?
      • In what ways does God’s Spirit empower and lead Christians when they are risk takers for the gospel?
      • How do we answer the question today, “Who is my neighbor?”

    Prayer Time

    • Pray for the lost
    • Pull out a local map and pray for specific streets where there is little hope. (You could say, everywhere, but try and make it personal. Divide into prayer groups if that helps).
    • Ask God for courage to take risks for the kingdom.

    Kid-friendly Activity

    • Read Luke 10:25-37 aloud. You might act it out (the story of the Samaritan). What risks did the priest and Levite avoid? What risks did the Samaritan take?
    • Pair up kids with adults. Share about a kid you know who has a rough time behaving at school. Adults share with kids about a struggling kid you knew when you were younger. How could we as God’s followers help kids who are having a hard time?
    • What would be hard about helping a kid who is having a hard time?

    The Christian Worldview (part 6)

    Posted by on under Sermons

    THE CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW
    part 6

    1 John 2:12-17 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

    John 16:25-33 (Jesus to his twelve disciples shortly before His betrayal) “These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father.” His disciples said, “Lo, now You are speaking plainly and are not using a figure of speech. Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God.” Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

    When it comes to personal satisfaction, Americans have an important love affair with speed. Though the speed limit on highways is 55 to 65 in this region of the country, we insist on owning cars that go twice that fast. We want food fast. If the food does not come as fast as we think it should in a restaurant, we will not go back to that place. If we make a purchase that involves a lot of money, we want possession of what we buy “right now.” If we have to wait, we complain–and want to know why our wait was necessary!

    We expect “one hour development” for our film. Yet, better still is to go digitial–we like to see the picture we just made. We want the oil and filter changed in our cars and trucks in less than 30 minutes. We want a convenient ATM close to where we live. We love convenience in stores. We hate waiting in line. Most states have removed waiting periods for a marriage to occur. We have made it as convenient as possible to divorce quickly. We not only want a cure for an illness; we want a fast cure.

    This society [and some others] wants gratification “now.” We just do not want it; we demand it. It is our right! Some of the most popular commercial words and phrases in our society are “fast acting,” “instant relief,” “immediate delivery,” “quick service,” and “no waiting.”

    All wars involving us should be fast, bloodless, and pose no danger to the American people. All jobs need to consider the needs of the workers above everything else. The highest form of responsibility is responsibility to self. As we say, “You owe it to yourself.”

    The American worldview is “immediate gratification.” The Christian worldview is “delayed gratification.”

    Tonight I want us to consider a huge topic in just a few minutes.

    1. Gratification basically is the pursuit of something that brings satisfaction.
      1. In this society, gratification is the pursuit of things that bring me personal satisfaction.
        1. In this country, being a teenager is often about seeking what makes “me” happy.
        2. In this country, dating is often about seeking what makes “me” happy by providing “me” satisfaction.
        3. In this country, marriage is often about “me” being happy in a lifestyle that satisfies “me”.
        4. In this country, one of the most important qualities of a job is “my satisfaction” in the context of “my sense of personal fulfillment.”
        5. In this country, quality of life is commonly considered everything.
      2. While we often laugh at some ideas, it seems to me that our laughter regarding personal satisfaction is often a mask for realities we do not care to consider seriously.
        1. For example, all of us most likely have heard or asked the question, “Are we having fun yet?”
        2. In this society “having fun” is the ultimate expression on personal satisfaction.
        3. If we are not having fun, we are being deprived of what many regard as a personal right, and we get depressed.
        4. Many think, “It is my right to be happy, and I cannot be happy if I am not having fun.”
        5. Thus if we look at someone and say, “That is no fun!” we are basically saying, “You cannot be happy living that way because that way of life is not fun, and if there is no fun, happiness is an impossibility.”
      3. In some societies, people live in the knowledge they will never have what they want-in fact they rarely think about what they want because they spend most of their thinking time trying to determine how to survive.
        1. Some of us have lived through times in which it was quite unlikely that the common person would have what he or she wanted.
        2. Many of us have lived through times that declared maybe someday in the distant future we might have what we want.
        3. Now most of us live in a time when we want what we want yesterday because today is not soon enough.
      4. I truly feel sorry for adults who marry having never experienced anything but prosperity.
        1. I have three children 42, 40, and 37–thus I speak as a parent who has thought about this.
        2. Have you added up the cost a newly wed couple faces today when they begin life together?
          1. A house or apartment?
          2. Furniture, appliances, television, CD player, microwave, etc.?
          3. One maybe two road worthy cars?
          4. Clothes for job or career?
          5. Recreational equipment?
        3. If you have lived all your memory life in a prosperous home, those things are just “normal living.”
          1. So what the couple expects from the first day of marriage is to “live normally.”
          2. One of the biggest threats to new marriages is expense!
      5. An essential part of the credit mentality in this and other Western societies is this: “I cannot wait until I can afford to buy what I want [need]. Therefore I will give you a part of what I plan to make in the future to have what I want [need] right now.”
        1. Too many of us cannot understand the concept of delayed gratification.
        2. Too many of us insist on having immediate gratification.
        3. “If you will give me the personal satisfaction that I want right now, I will pay you for that satisfaction for years and years.”
      6. We think that the key to happiness in this life is having the things you want.
        1. That is not true!
        2. Many are surrounded with the things they want and are very unhappy!
        3. Happiness involves much, much more than merely surrounding ourselves with the things we want!

    2. This world [I am speaking of physical existence in this physical environment] is basically evil.
      1. To think that there is an existence in this physical world that will provide me an existence of daily fun through a satisfying lifestyle is to be deceived.
        1. There is no way that everything in physical existence is going to be “okay” in the sense of always working out just exactly like we want it.
          1. I am not trying to be pessimistic, I am trying to get you to think honestly.
          2. I am surely not saying that there are not many thoughtful, caring people.
          3. I am saying that we cannot and must not equate God’s blessings with physical benefits.
          4. Just look among us–and my perspective is to consider the people in this congregation good people who care about others.
            1. There are lots of widows and widowers here, and most of them represent a commitment story of love.
            2. There are lots of single, divorced people here, and everyone of them represent a broken heart.
            3. There are lots of blended families here, and many in those situations have memories they would prefer never to think about.
            4. There is lots of premature deaths here that represent accidents, diseases, and sickness we do not like to think of as being part of godly people’s experiences.
            5. There is a lot of financial struggle and disappointment here when physically things are anything but okay.
            6. There is a lot of disappointment and heartache here–most of us could tell a sad story that is completely true.
        2. If we think that we someday in this world are going to achieve a fulfilling lifestyle in which everything is wonderful, we are setting ourselves up for a major spiritual crisis.
      2. There are two basic ways to look at physical existence.
        1. One way is to view humanity as basically good.
          1. We can go about doing good as Jesus did because people make it easy to do good.
          2. When people are less than good, that is the rare exception, not the rule.
        2. One view is humanity is basically evil.
          1. If people are left to do as they please, they collectively will sink to their lowest common denominator.
          2. Humanity’s appetite for pleasure, appetite for greed, appetite for power, and appetite for selfishness continually will move it in a downward spiral.
        3. We live in the most prosperous, free society on earth–what we have is the envy of the world.
          1. Yet, everyone of us has to account for injustice in this society.
          2. Everyone of us have to account for spouse abuse in this society.
          3. Everyone of us have to account for child abuse and child neglect in this society.
          4. Everyone of us have to account for pornography, affairs, casual sex, and adultery in this society.
          5. Everyone of us have to account for theft, blue collar crime, dishonesty, financial scams, and violent crime in this society.
        4. How do you explain a people having the highest standard of living in the world and being so unjust in their actions at the same time?

    3. To be Christian is to understand God’s promise of delayed gratification.
      1. We will not make this physical world “heaven on earth.”
        1. Instead we prepare to be part of an existence in which there is no evil.
        2. In that existence people will never be used or neglected in order to acquire things.
        3. People will be valued because they are in the image of God.
      2. Yes, Christians want to be God’s light and preserving power for good in this world.
        1. However, many in this world do not want what God offers–they prefer the pleasures of evil.
        2. There are consequences to doing evil, but the gratification is immediate.
        3. There are consequences to doing good, and the gratification is greater, but it is delayed.

    I want you to consider two readings as we close.

    1 Peter 2:9-12 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.

    Hebrews 11:13-16 All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.

    We exist to encourage people to belong to God. That is our purpose. However, we do not belong here, and never will.

    Taking Risks for the Sake of the Gospel

    Posted by on under Sermons

    Illustration: I recently had the opportunity to join a police officer on patrol. He apologized that the shift wasn’t more exciting. I was okay with that.

    Taking Risks
    We are not accustomed to taking risks. About as risky as most of us get is managed risk. We devote so much to playing-it-safe. Every morning the talk shows let us know what we should fear and tell us how to be safe. I am glad that we have weather radar and as I was watching the reports of the storms last night I marveled at how the technology could pinpoint the action of tornados. I realized that this was a private company that owned this hi-tech. They invest in it because people are interested in being safe.
    However, risk is part of life and especially life in Christ. As a friend recently said, “No one said this would be easy.” Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. – John 15:20.

    Read 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, 8-9. Paul reflects on the life that follows Jesus and he acknowledges that the world resists the gospel – even though it is good news. Why? Because the darkness has veiled their hearts. Their vision has been obscured. But when we have beheld the light of the gospel, we have a hope that allows us to take risks – not for the sake of being risky, but for the sake of the gospel.

    Clay Jars That Shine Like Stars
    Today our brothers and sisters in Vietnam and Laos worship. Worship is a very risky activity for them to do. But we admire them for taking the risk. Why do they take that risk?
    What would you say about a group of believers that moved their worship out of suburban safety and into a neighborhood plagued by drug abuse and burglaries? Not an outreach, but they moved everything down there! They take it for granted that their building will be broken into and that equipment will have to be replaced. Would you consider them foolish? Bad stewards? ( Is Jesus going to get really upset over a stolen sound system?) Would you call the believers fanatics? Why do they take the risk?
    Whether they are in Laos or the Southern United States, these risky Christians seem to be playing by a different set of rules. I suggest that they are simply taking their calling seriously. Why should it be any different for us – we are trying to conform to Jesus Christ rather than the surrounding society. Don’t we realize that that is risky?

    When we follow Jesus Christ, we have different priorities that may act against common sense. We are not going to conform to the dominant culture in every way. Are we okay with that? I don’t mean that we won’t conform to the things we don’t like – but we will also not conform to some of the things we do like! To be faithful to God’s mission we must often stand in contrast to the culture around us. (Read Philippians 2:12-18.)

    Clay jars that shine like stars – the light of the gospel shining off the treasure. We are different. We are called to follow Jesus and we are shaped by scripture. And that means we will have to take some risks for the sake of the gospel. But what sort of risks?

    What’s so risky about the Gospel?
    God is calling us to take some risks, not risk for the sake of being risky, but for the sake of the gospel:[Note: I am indebted to Paul Clark and Jeff Christian for suggesting these three examples of how the church takes risks for the sake of the gospel. These points come from their unpublished sermons based on the Treasures In Clay Jars book edited by Lois Y. Barrett]

    1) IT IS RISKY TO BE COMMUNITY: We live in a very individual age. Living in unity with one another – in the church – can be challenging.
    I have never forgotten the story I heard Rick Atchley tell about an elderly sister who was walking into the foyer of her church house one Sunday. She looked over the bulletin board that featured pictures of the mission in Africa and she said softly, “I wish they would stop baptizing so many of those kind of people.” This sister’s version of heaven was segregated. A pearly gate with the banner “WHITES ONLY” above it and a back gates labeled “COLORED.” How can we be one in heaven if we cannot live as the community of Christ here? Do we think that Heaven will have high-rent and low-rent neighborhoods?
    It is risky to live in community with others when we have a play-it-safe and build tall fences mentality. I think we would be more effective at sharing our faith if we would just simply be kind to people in the community and talk to them about God. What if we welcomed them to our home before we welcomed them to worship. I am convinced that people “go to church” with who they know. This risky living in community is how we unleash the treasure?
    Christ took the risk of creating community. He wanted community and unity between us and God.

    2) IT IS RISKY TO BE GENEROUS: It is risky to share with one another and with our community without expecting a return on our investment. We are generous with our wealth, but shall we also be generous with our love.

    3) IT IS RISKY TO BE DIFFERENT: When the Christians of the second century were ridiculed and scorned by the society around them. They were called incestuous, cannibalistic, and atheistic. They didn’t overcome this by standing up for their rights or wielding their power to influence. They certainly didn’t overcome by conforming to the expectations of a dying culture. They overcame by kneeling in prayer in the arenas where they were slaughtered. And do you know who they prayed for? The Roman Emperor.

    Taking Risks can be fearful – especially in church. That is because everything else in culture is changing so quickly. We want to have some place we can come that stays the same.
    But the reason there are some things that do not change is not because someone opposed change. The reason is because some people did something to be faithful rather than do nothing because they were fearful. They took a risk for the sake of the gospel that does not change.

    Chris Benjamin

    West-Ark Church of Christ, Fort Smith, AR
    Morning Sermon, 12 March 2006

    Treasure in Clay Jars
    Lesson Four: Pattern 3 – Mar. 12, 2006
    “Taking Risks for the Sake of the Gospel”

    What is this lesson all about?

    1. You will examine ways in which scripture calls for Christians to exchange personal comfort and predictability for risk taking and dependence on God.
    2. You will recognize the risks involved in being set apart from the world because of the gospel.
    3. You will explore how the Spirit of God empowers believers to be risk takers for the gospel
    4. You will gain understanding of the implications of personally becoming greater risk-takers in taking the saving gospel of Jesus to culture.

    Getting Started:

    1. When have you done something risky? How well did you come through the experience?
    2. What would be the most difficult part about being a missionary in a third-world nation? What would motivate someone to give up the comforts of life in America for the sake of the kingdom? Offer a prayer of blessing for missionaries living in dangerous places.
    3. What would be the most dangerous place to live in our community? How many children do you think live in that neighborhood?

    Searching the Word:

    1. Read Matthew 10:11-31 aloud. Who was Jesus speaking to? The twelve apostles, before he sent them out to preach. What kind of welcome did he expect that they would find as they talked about him? What were some of the risks the first followers of Jesus faced?
    2. How did Jesus instruct his followers to respond to opposition? Generate a list. See verses 16, 17, 19, 23, 28. What kind of opposition have you faced because of your faith?
    3. In what ways does verse 24 connect Christians’ persecution with Jesus’ suffering. How much do you think this helped? How do you feel when you hear of believers who suffer for Christ? Do you ever feel guilty for having it so easy? (See the attached Parable On Perspective).

    Making It Real: Exploration and Response

    1. Do we believe that Jesus is sending us into our community to call attention to the kingdom? If so, then what instructions do you think he would give us?
    2. Where might be some neglected or dangerous neighborhoods in our community where Christians are afraid to go? Who is speaking for Jesus in such places? How could we help children in those neighborhoods? What do we have to risk?
    3. Every church wants to recruit prosperous, educated, moral leaders as members. Who are some people that nobody is inviting to their church? How could we reach out to them? Why do we consider it risky to help these people?
    4. Ask the group to identify ways in which they perceive Christians as being different or set apart from the world. Possible responses include how Christians use their time or resources, how they treat fellow workers, employees, how they speak, etc. In what ways are we reluctant to take risks because we are “captive to our culture?”
    5. Taking the discussion one step further, ask the group to respond to this quote: “Some congregations seem to be living by a set of rules different from that of the dominant culture. Their priorities are different. They act against the “common sense.” They are trying to conform to Jesus Christ rather than to the surrounding society.” (Treasure in Clay Jars, p. 75)
    6. Creative Generosity – How does a church responsibly respond to needs, some of which are ?spur of the moment’, such as a natural disaster (reflect on ways in which God used the faith community in reaching out to Katrina evacuees), when those funds are not in the budget?
    7. Invite the group to respond to these questions:
      • How can we encourage each other to be greater risk takers in taking the gospel into our culture?
      • In what ways does God’s Spirit empower and lead Christians when they are risk takers for the gospel?
      • How do we answer the question today, “Who is my neighbor?”

    Prayer Time

    • Pray for the lost
    • Pull out a local map and pray for specific streets where there is little hope. (You could say, everywhere, but try and make it personal. Divide into prayer groups if that helps).
    • Ask God for courage to take risks for the kingdom.

    Kid-friendly Activity

    • Read Luke 10:25-37 aloud. You might act it out (the story of the Samaritan). What risks did the priest and Levite avoid? What risks did the Samaritan take?
    • Pair up kids with adults. Share about a kid you know who has a rough time behaving at school. Adults share with kids about a struggling kid you knew when you were younger. How could we as God’s followers help kids who are having a hard time?
    • What would be hard about helping a kid who is having a hard time?

    Attachment 1: A Parable On Perspective

    WHAT IT MEANS TO BE POOR

    One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people can be. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

    On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?” “It was great, Dad.” “Did you see how poor people can be?” the father asked. “Oh Yeah” said the son. “So what did you learn from the trip?” asked the father.

    The son answered, “I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.

    We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.”

    With this the boy’s father was speechless. Then his son added, “Thanks dad for showing me how poor we are.”

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