A message delivered on 2/10/2008 at Washington Assembly of God

REVIEW –

Last week - I brought a message which I titled - “This thing called, ‘church.’”

I urged you not to privatize your Christianity and made this statement - You and I need the Church to thrive spiritually! Church is where God calls us into relationships that bring completeness to our spirituality and that bring us to greatest joy and maximum effectiveness in our service to Christ and others.

In church, God plans that in the church we will find:

- people who steady us and keep us accountable,

- people who love us enough to fight with us,

- people who are both comforting and irritating, who rub away at our rough edges.

Church should be a place where we un-learn our love for Self, and discover the amazing power of loving and being loved.

_____________________________

So, we’re a community?

For many reasons, too numerous for us to explore this morning, Americans have adopted a lifestyle of radical individualism.

Randy Frazee, in his book, The Connecting Church,
points to several trends that have emerged as serious social ills coming out of our insistence that we can live life strictly on our own terms and in a way that suits our preferences. They are:

- Me Over We (If I don’t take care of myself, who will?)

- Lawsuits over Reconciliation

- Career advancement over company loyalty

- Cynicism over Trust (I don’t know you, so why should I trust you?)

- Relative ‘truth’ over Absolute Truth (I make up my own rules!)

I believe his observations are dead on accurate, and I also believe that this individualism is not just something that effects the lives of those outside of the church. Most of us right here in this room think as individualists, whether knowingly or not, and that has real effect on who we think we are and how we do church.

For example -

About 50 years ago the accepted wisdom became that if the church were to survive, it must adapt to the culture. And so we did! We broke our churches up into all kinds of special interest groups.

Men’s Ministry met on Saturday for breakfast.

Women’s Ministry met on Tuesday morning and Thursday night.

Kids went off to the church basement for Sunday School and Children’s Church.

Teens were moved into Youth groups in the Fellowship Hall or church gym.

What’s wrong with that?

Nothing, if the church survives all this fragmentation. But what often happened was that the various sub-groups became more important than the Body, and the sense of being a ‘community’ – a group of people that spanned generations – broke down.

Because individual ministries frequently focus on their own needs rather than looking for ways to serve the mission and goals of the larger church, they become part of the problem instead of part of the answer!

So, we’re a community, right?

Community is a big buzz word in church right now. We pastors are trying to grapple with the problems created by America’s individualism. We know that we could/should be a strong, closely knit group, because that is what we see in the Bible, but it’s not happening!

To try to make it happen, there are all kinds of experiments in worship and church life being suggested as cures for our lack of community.

∙ Some suggest that we must have ‘small groups.’ And, I cannot deny that being in a small group of Believers allows things to happen in our hearts and minds that just do not happen in this big room!

But even small groups can simply feed our self love.

Princeton’s Robert Wuthnow somewhat cyncially writes that small groups mainly “provide occasions for individuals to focus on themselves in the presence of others. The social contract that binds members together asks only the weakest of obligation - come if you have time, talk if you feel like it, respect everyone’s opinion, never criticize, leave quietly if you become unhappy.’ -

as quoted in The Connecting Church, pg 47

∙ Some suggest that we need to get rid of church sanctuaries and organizations completely and go back to house church gatherings. I’m not so sure about that one - obviously!

∙ Others scold us for our lack of commitment! They urge us to spend more time at church, to get involved in ministries, to give to missions.” And, those are worthy, but they will not, in and of themselves, produce community. They may only produce tired Christians.

The goal of getting people involved is great – but many hear that scolding and tune out wondering how they could possibly add one more commitment to their lives which are already stretched to the maximum with work and activities.

This morning, Believer, I want to challenge you with the idea that we are not going to become the ‘community’ of Christians God desires by just tinkering with programs. That’s like trying to cure cancer with aspirin! The real way to Bibical community is a radical rethinking of what we value most in life, about the way we organize our lives.

Turn with me to a familiar text. 1 Corinthians 12, Pew Bible page 1787

read v. 27, then read v. 14, 17-20, re-read v. 27

Now some of us read that and what we hear - “some of us are Sunday School teachers, some of us are pastors, some of us are Ranger leaders, some of us are musicians....” But that is not even remotely close to the real intent of the passage! God is not talking about functions or roles in an organization. He is talking about being part of something larger than ourselves, about defining the purpose and meaning of our lives, not by our individual achievements, but by our place in the community of Believers into which He called us!

Let me tell you a story that hopefully will help you to start to grasp what the Bible means when we read about ‘community.’ I apologize, in advance, for the long run-up, but the point needs a context.

This past Thursday I went to visit my father and to go with him for his first appointment with the oncologist (cancer specialist). That is an unnerving experience, to say the least. Though heart disease and diabetes are greater health problems in America by far, cancer still has the edge when it comes to 'fright factor.' Just the word makes us feel dread. The tension built up in the three of us; Mom, Dad, and me. We were all wondering,

What would Dr. Patel say?

What is Dad facing in terms of treatment?

That's the other thing with a cancer diagnosis. Sometimes the treatment looks as bad as the disease!

As it turns out, before a prognosis can be offered or a treatment regimen suggested, there are some more tests the physician wants, so we did not really get answers to our questions. So, now there is more waiting, which adds to the tension.

There was a bright spot of encouragement in the day, however, which I want to share with you, which is to the point of this story.

When Mom and Dad moved to Pennsylvania in March of 2006, I was not too happy about their decision to be that far away, in case of the very kind of circumstances that they are dealing with right now. But God had a different plan which became even more clear to me yesterday. For those of you not acquainted with my Dad, there is something you need to know that helps this story make sense. He is a friendly guy who feels the need to talk to everybody he meets, who treats people he meets in WalMart like members of the family, something that has been as source of embarrassment to me more than once, especially when I was growing up.

In the area where they now live there are many members of the Old Order Mennonite sect as well as the Amish. Both groups reject much of the modern world, living without phones, electricity in their homes, automobiles, or computers. They dress plainly in homemade clothing, live simply, and most distinctive of all - practice radical communal living. They are tightly knit groups that few in the world outside really know.

But, as the Lord would have it, Dad has found a 'home' with these groups. He has befriended many and they, in return, have reached out with care for him and his family at this time.

On Thursday evening, after the stress of the day, 'round 7 PM, there was a knock at the door. There stood about an extended family of Old Order Mennonites; straw brimmed hats, overalls, and plain dresses. They asked if they might come in and lift up Gerald (they are a very formal people, too) with songs. They looked like they just stepped out of the 1600's. There were about 12 adults and several little children. Jason, one of the young men in the family, has been doing some work for Dad and knew of his illness. Without being asked, without any prompting other than concern for a person in need, he rallied his family to give what they could!

So, they came in and after a few moments of friendly chat, they gathered around the dining room table and opened their hymnals. For a little over an hour, they sang without accompaniment, in simple harmonies, songs about heaven and hope! They communally gave my parents (and me!) a great big hug. These strangers touched my heart deeply.

What a simple gift, but powerful, amazingly powerful!! They gave what they value most - community!

Now, here’s the point that I have taken all this time to make. As I pondered the events of the evening during the two and half hour drive home, I began to realize the genius of their practice of Christianity. We outsiders tend only to see the hats, home made dresses, or horse drawn buggies. We ‘ooh and aah’ about the difficulties of living in houses without electricity, indoor plumbing, or other conveniences. But, the plain people are not focused on these externals. Those things are just attempts to maintain their distinct lifestyle of radical community. By living simply, in difficult circumstances, they cannot live with any illusions of independence. They cannot survive without depending on each other. Being in community, serving and loving, respecting the authority of leadership, and respect for tradition are hihg values to them; more important than comfort, success, or having the latest, greatest toy! And, now they are giving the thing they value most to my parents, love and support of their community. Most remarkably to me, they do this for my Dad and Mom who are not even 'in' their group!

These people know the meaning of love that is beyond sentiment. They don't send a card or flowers, they bring themselves.

Incidentally, another Amish man showed a similar love to my father on Thursday, too. Mr. Stauffer takes care of trimming the hooves on Dad's horses. He came by to do that work about 3. He knocked on the door and asked to see Gerald (again, that formal thing). He was so gracious. Two hours later, after he had finished his work, he came back to the house and when Dad went to make payment, the man said, "No, this is my time to give to you." He refused payment for his services. Obviously, he isn't a rich man by any stretch of imagination, but he understands the meaning of caring, sharing in love.

Believer, I am not suggesting that we all need to go back to farming, sell our cars, and try return to the 17th century. But, we do need to recapture the radical love which leads to the practice of community that is the heart of Christian faith.

Jesus' words that are recorded in John’s gospel took on a whole new meaning for me last night. He said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”" (John 13:34-35, NIV) He is not talking about a sentimental kind of love. He is talking about a way of life that touches every decision we make. He’s talking about the death of selfishness.

As I thought about the Amish community, the ‘cost’ of being a community started to come a little more into focus, for I could see a living example of what the Bible describes as a normal way of life for Believers.

What choices must we make to become a real community, a compassionate people?

Randy Frazee, in The Connecting Church, discusses these in some depth, but I want to touch on them very briefly as I close.

1. The first and obvious choice is that of surrendering to the loving embrace of Jesus Christ!

John reminds us that “we love because He loved us!” This week, I encourage you to open your Bibles to John’s letters, not the Gospel of John, but the letters of John near the end of the Bible. The whole letter is framed around the issue of being loved and loving.

2. The second choice is accepting authority.

A community cannot exist where everybody is doing his own thing. Community requires accountability, and not what we often call ‘accountability’ either. Usually when we speak of accountability, we are just talking about disclosure. “I tell you my story and you tell me that I’m normal and give me affirmation.” Real accountability is allowing those in authority to call us to change.

The Amish and Old Order Mennonites I met live under the watchful eye of their Elders, who administer the discipline of the community when someone wanders. Try that in the average church and watch the response. Commonly, the pastor who attempts to provide guiding authority will come under attack and the wayward Believer will find unquestioning support for his rebellion!

3. The third choice is

adopting a common creed, shared beliefs and practices that supercede personal interpretations and preferences.

Dear friend, I would guess that most of you in this room would be hard pressed to clearly and intelligently state what this church believes beyond the fact that we follow Jesus and believe in the Bible. Why is that true? Because we do not think a creed is important! In fact, we think that asking people to conform their ideas to a statement of doctrine is a negative thing! The truth is that unified community will, by necessity, have a clear creed that guides the thoughts and ideas of those who belong to it. And from that creed, we derive standards that define acceptable practices for our individuals lives.

4. The fourth choice is similar. There must be shared traditions.

In the OT, God instituted many feasts and festivals and commanded that His people celebrate them, year in and year out. Why? One reason was that the tradition bound them together. Jesus commanded Believers to practice two traditions: The Lord’s Supper (Communion) and Baptism. Again, these rituals have spiritual signficance, but they also give us a common experience.

5. The fifth choice is to create a commonly accepted mission.

One need look no further than the military to understand this. The military does not exist to heal sick people, or to build hospitals, or to preach the Gospel, or to educate children. One joins the military to become a defender of the nation, to serve the purposes of the government. Soldiers do not get to pick the war they want to fight, or the general under whom they will serve. They accept the mission given to them.

Churches have a shared mission of loving God and loving people and they also have more localized missions that give them a reason to exist. If that mission is not clear, unity will suffer and the community will break down!

Many of our local congregations are tremendously weakened by the rampant individualism that people with them to church. They insist that the pastor preach what they want to hear, not what they need to hear. They insist that the church fund programs that serve what they believe are their family’s needs, not what the Lord has called that church to do. Fearing the individuals in the pew, Pastors become politicians that take polls to determine the church’s next step, rather than being prophets who spend time before the Lord and emerge to lead boldly where God is leading.

Let me ask you, dear Believer, to think about those statements in summary.

Are you willing to

- surrender to the loving embrace of Jesus Christ?

- accept godly authority?

- adopt a common creed and standard?

- practice shared tradition in a meaningful way?

- be guided by the mission and purpose of the church?

_________________________

My intent is not to scold, but rather to ask you to think hard about this question:

Is there any quality to the way you relate to the Believers in this church

that would compel a non-Believers to say, “He/she must be a follower of Jesus Christ!”?

Becoming that kind of community, will require more of you and me than forming a small group program in our church. It will demand that we give up large chunks of ourselves, our privacy, our treasure. I hope that I have given you a compelling reason to pray about beginning the process of building a community, raising your level of commitment to this local expression of the Body of Christ!

Here's a word from the Word. Let the Spirit speak to you today. I hope you will join me in asking Him how we can better become a radical community of love, so that we may demonstrate the truth of the Gospel to those who live around us.

" My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.
And friends, once that’s taken care of and we’re no longer accusing or condemning ourselves, we’re bold and free before God! We’re able to stretch our hands out and receive what we asked for because we’re doing what he said, doing what pleases him.

Again, this is God’s command: to believe in his personally named Son, Jesus Christ.

He told us to love each other, in line with the original command.

As we keep his commands, we live deeply and surely in him, and he lives in us.

And this is how we experience his deep and abiding presence in us: by the Spirit he gave us."

(1 John 3:18-24, The Message)

Amen