I LIKE CHURCH, BUT. #1/8

#1 · April 23, 2007, 1:28 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on April 23, 2007, 1:28 pm
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>
I LIKE CHURCH, BUT #1/8

FAMILY OF GOD

April 22, 2007

Text: Romans 12:9-21

During the summer of my first year in Bunker Hill, 1997, I received some ads in the mail about an upcoming seminar on the 50-Day Spiritual Adventure. As one who is experienced in receiving numerous invitations to seminars and conferences, I was prepared to file this one appropriately when I remembered that earlier in the year I had heard radio ads sponsored by the First Baptist and First Christian Churches in Peru about a 50-Day Spiritual Adventure. So, I held onto the seminar invitation and called Pastor Ron of FBC, Peru, to ask him about it. He gave a positive review of the plan, so I talked with our Deacons about it and attended the seminar. I think some others from the church attended, too, but I do not recall who. At any rate, I was impressed with this thematic ministry plan produced by Mainstay Ministries, and I suggested that we give it a try. So in August of 1997, we did our first 50-Day Spiritual Adventure.

In fact, for the next eight years, we engaged in a 50-Day Spiritual Adventure that involved every participant in studying the same Scriptures, preaching on topics from those Scriptures, and taking action steps designed to lead us in a closer walk with the Lord through dedicated discipleship. I remain convinced that anyone who actively participated in a 50-Day Spiritual Adventure grew in every aspect of Christian discipleship, such as worship, devotion, Bible study, prayer, confession, outreach, stewardship. Unfortunately, Mainstay Ministries no longer publishes 50-Day Spiritual Adventure resources, and the last formal 50-Day Spiritual Adventure we celebrated together was in 2005.

My personal favorite 50-Day Spiritual Adventure theme was that first one we did in 1997. It is entitled The Church Youve Always Longed For. It was elements of this theme that I began to remember as I led my Bible study classes in Revelation 2 and 3, and then preached a series about the seven churches in Revelation at the beginning of this year. My thinking is that revisiting that earlier Spiritual Adventure theme is a good way to reinforce the lessons Christ teaches in the letters to the seven churches. We learned from Revelation 2 and 3 several dos and donts of the Christian Church. Now, how do we apply them to our church? I am going to address that by going back to those themes covered by our first Spiritual Adventure. Unfortunately, we do not have the printed resources available like we did the first time, but we do have the Scripture references and some of the action steps, which will be reprinted as we go along.

One of the realities of Christs Church is that it forms a fellowship family. The concept of family may be good news to some and less than good news to others. Some people look forward to family reunions to recall the joy of their relationships within their families. Other people hope to leave a family situation and never return. Human families can be as different from one another as night and day.

This is why I am encouraging you right now to set aside your concepts and pre-conceived notions of family when we contemplate Christs Church and family relationships. I know that it is impossible to completely set aside such thoughts, though, so I ask you to try the second best thing: remember that the relationship among Christians set forth in the Bible is far different than anything you have ever experienced. When God calls us His children, and when Jesus calls us brothers and sisters, we are entering into a relationship that far exceeds any relational experience we have ever known or will ever know from the human framework.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. This is one of the many sets of passages throughout the New Testament that describes the Christian family relationship the family of God. One of the first things that we notice is that it calls us to love sincerely and to honor others more than self.

Well, we already know that relationships human and Christian require love to succeed. So what is new here? Admittedly, nothing. But let us not pass over this vital foundation too quickly. The word love that Paul uses here is the Christian concept of agape, or sacrificial love. It is the love demonstrated by Christ as he suffered, bled, and died for our sake.

Far too often, we substitute human sentimentalism for New Testament love. The love prescribed for the family of God is not mere feeling and emotion. It can, and should, certainly include those parts of it, but when we take the starkest meaning of New Testament love to heart, we come away knowing perfectly well that love can hurt. It can hurt tremendously. For those who have seen the portrayal of the crucifixion in The Passion of the Christ, you know just how much agony and suffering Jesus went through because of love. His application of love was not sentimentalism; it was the brutal acceptance that nothing else could possibly reconcile us to the Father, and that he was determined that nothing not even his own life would keep us from being separated from the Father.

Christian love gives the power to act. It demands that we act. There is a passage in the New Testament that gives rise to the concept of sins of omission. James 4:17. We well know that there are things that we can do that displease God, and that those acts are sinful. Those are sins of commission. God does not want us to cheat another person; He does not want us to tell falsehoods. Murder is bad; dont do it. He forbids adultery and fornication. When we refrain from these actions, we refrain from sinful behavior. But not all restraint is good. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and does not do it, sins. Its not fair, is it? We work so hard to keep from actively sinning only to turn around and discover that we have been passively sinning. Sins of omission. What? Did you think it was going to be easy living in the family of God? If so, you must not be reading the same book Ive been reading.

Love is an active, living verb. It is action. It is what propels every believer to honor one another above yourselves. This is what we practice in the family of God. This is what sincere love leads to in the family of God. This is why I invite you to lay aside all of your previous notions about family when we enter the household of God. It gets really radical here.

Without knowing fully this kind of love, we have no hope of comprehending what follows. Back to Romans 12:17. Do not repay evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. Sometimes things go wrong in family relationships. No matter what the size, someone is always referring to their particular University as a family. In some ways, it is. Professors and students have common tasks. They get to know each other in close relationships. Sporting events draws students and fans to cheer for their team. Just a lot of common interests and activities draw a University campus together as a type of family.

Something went very wrong with the Virginia Tech University family last Monday. The traumatic tragedy suffered by students, faculty, and staff on that campus should not have to be experienced by anyone, especially not the young men and women on a University campus looking ahead to the hope of life ahead of them. A lot of issues are being discussed to the point of overkill by the media coverage. The questions and issues surrounding this tragedy are not my concern this morning.

Look at the Scripture again: Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Thats verse 17. Three verses preceding, verse 14, we are told, Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Did you think it was going to be easy living in the family of God?

If the young man who shot all those people were still alive, those who profess Jesus Christ as Lord are commanded to not seek to do him evil. Keep in mind the full meaning of this. To not repay anyone evil for evil includes both action and thought. In Luke 6:27-28, Jesus teaches, But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Now this does not mean that he would be free from the God appointed responsibility of civil authority, but it does mean that no Christian could legitimately seek to bring him harm through revenge. This is Gods Word.

So, if we are to develop this kind of radical attitude toward enemies, doesnt it become quite silly for petty grudges and squabbles to infect the family of God in a church? Are hurt feelings supposed to cause a split? They are not, but it has certainly happened in the history of quite a few churches. Living in the family of God means go back to the beginning that we honor one another above ourselves. That means that we are actively looking for and thinking of ways to not needlessly offend our brother and sister in Christ. Instead, we are to consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works as we are told in Hebrews 10:24. In all things, whether pointing out a deficiency that needs correcting or praising for a job well done, we need to do so in ways that are in the best interests of our brother and sister.

This is all tough stuff. Did you think it was going to be easy living in the family of God? When we take the word of our Lord to heart, it is not easy because we struggle to keep control of our life. At the same time, when we take the word of our Lord to heart, it becomes possible to turn over control of our life to Him. Why should we go through all the difficult trouble to love our enemies and to honor others more than ourselves? Because this is what Jesus expects. And why does he have any authority to demand this from us? Well, we sing an answer almost every Sunday. The choir expressed it well this morning:

Poor and lowly as I am,

Helpless as a wondring lamb.

All but lost without a fold,

My waywardness has left me cold.

As shadows fall a voice draws near,

It stirs my heart, expels my fear.

Tis Jesus Christ, the Shepherd King,

Come to pay the price for me.

Bleeding Shepherd sacrificed,

Thou hast paid too high a price

To reach and save the weak and small,

And wrap your arms around them all;

When Love laid down upon the cross,

Hope sprang up, called out to us.

Sins great debt now satisfied,

Jesus paid the highest price.

(Jesus Paid the Highest Price, David M. Edwards & Regi Stone, © 2005 Mercy Street Music, Belden Street Music Publishing, Worship Today Music Service, used by permission.)

We cannot get any more basic than that. The Father loved us so much that He sent His Son. Jesus loved us so much that he suffered and died. So much of the New Testament writings are directed toward how we are to live as we grow in gratitude and thanksgiving for the price that Jesus paid. We cannot commit one act of goodness that can blot out our sin and allow us to stand in the presence of the almighty, holy God. We cannot find a perfect sacrifice among all of the flocks of sheep and herds of cattle throughout the entire world. We cannot remove by our own actions our sin spot or anyone elses. Only Jesus can do that. Only Jesus has done that. And that is why we are a part of the family of God. That is why we are a grateful, thankful, loving Church. If we replace that reason with any other, we shall fail. It is not easy living in the family of God, but it is certainly possible because of Jesus strength, not ours.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Rev. Charles A. Layne
First Baptist Church
Bunker Hill, Indiana
-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org   

Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

I LIKE CHURCH, BUT #1/8

FAMILY OF GOD

April 22, 2007

Text: Romans 12:9-21

During the summer of my first year in Bunker Hill, 1997, I received some ads in the mail about an upcoming seminar on the 50-Day Spiritual Adventure. As one who is experienced in receiving numerous invitations to seminars and conferences, I was prepared to file this one appropriately when I remembered that earlier in the year I had heard radio ads sponsored by the First Baptist and First Christian Churches in Peru about a 50-Day Spiritual Adventure. So, I held onto the seminar invitation and called Pastor Ron of FBC, Peru, to ask him about it. He gave a positive review of the plan, so I talked with our Deacons about it and attended the seminar. I think some others from the church attended, too, but I do not recall who. At any rate, I was impressed with this thematic ministry plan produced by Mainstay Ministries, and I suggested that we give it a try. So in August of 1997, we did our first 50-Day Spiritual Adventure.

In fact, for the next eight years, we engaged in a 50-Day Spiritual Adventure that involved every participant in studying the same Scriptures, preaching on topics from those Scriptures, and taking action steps designed to lead us in a closer walk with the Lord through dedicated discipleship. I remain convinced that anyone who actively participated in a 50-Day Spiritual Adventure grew in every aspect of Christian discipleship, such as worship, devotion, Bible study, prayer, confession, outreach, stewardship. Unfortunately, Mainstay Ministries no longer publishes 50-Day Spiritual Adventure resources, and the last formal 50-Day Spiritual Adventure we celebrated together was in 2005.

My personal favorite 50-Day Spiritual Adventure theme was that first one we did in 1997. It is entitled The Church Youve Always Longed For. It was elements of this theme that I began to remember as I led my Bible study classes in Revelation 2 and 3, and then preached a series about the seven churches in Revelation at the beginning of this year. My thinking is that revisiting that earlier Spiritual Adventure theme is a good way to reinforce the lessons Christ teaches in the letters to the seven churches. We learned from Revelation 2 and 3 several dos and donts of the Christian Church. Now, how do we apply them to our church? I am going to address that by going back to those themes covered by our first Spiritual Adventure. Unfortunately, we do not have the printed resources available like we did the first time, but we do have the Scripture references and some of the action steps, which will be reprinted as we go along.

One of the realities of Christs Church is that it forms a fellowship family. The concept of family may be good news to some and less than good news to others. Some people look forward to family reunions to recall the joy of their relationships within their families. Other people hope to leave a family situation and never return. Human families can be as different from one another as night and day.

This is why I am encouraging you right now to set aside your concepts and pre-conceived notions of family when we contemplate Christs Church and family relationships. I know that it is impossible to completely set aside such thoughts, though, so I ask you to try the second best thing: remember that the relationship among Christians set forth in the Bible is far different than anything you have ever experienced. When God calls us His children, and when Jesus calls us brothers and sisters, we are entering into a relationship that far exceeds any relational experience we have ever known or will ever know from the human framework.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. This is one of the many sets of passages throughout the New Testament that describes the Christian family relationship the family of God. One of the first things that we notice is that it calls us to love sincerely and to honor others more than self.

Well, we already know that relationships human and Christian require love to succeed. So what is new here? Admittedly, nothing. But let us not pass over this vital foundation too quickly. The word love that Paul uses here is the Christian concept of agape, or sacrificial love. It is the love demonstrated by Christ as he suffered, bled, and died for our sake.

Far too often, we substitute human sentimentalism for New Testament love. The love prescribed for the family of God is not mere feeling and emotion. It can, and should, certainly include those parts of it, but when we take the starkest meaning of New Testament love to heart, we come away knowing perfectly well that love can hurt. It can hurt tremendously. For those who have seen the portrayal of the crucifixion in The Passion of the Christ, you know just how much agony and suffering Jesus went through because of love. His application of love was not sentimentalism; it was the brutal acceptance that nothing else could possibly reconcile us to the Father, and that he was determined that nothing not even his own life would keep us from being separated from the Father.

Christian love gives the power to act. It demands that we act. There is a passage in the New Testament that gives rise to the concept of sins of omission. James 4:17. We well know that there are things that we can do that displease God, and that those acts are sinful. Those are sins of commission. God does not want us to cheat another person; He does not want us to tell falsehoods. Murder is bad; dont do it. He forbids adultery and fornication. When we refrain from these actions, we refrain from sinful behavior. But not all restraint is good. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and does not do it, sins. Its not fair, is it? We work so hard to keep from actively sinning only to turn around and discover that we have been passively sinning. Sins of omission. What? Did you think it was going to be easy living in the family of God? If so, you must not be reading the same book Ive been reading.

Love is an active, living verb. It is action. It is what propels every believer to honor one another above yourselves. This is what we practice in the family of God. This is what sincere love leads to in the family of God. This is why I invite you to lay aside all of your previous notions about family when we enter the household of God. It gets really radical here.

Without knowing fully this kind of love, we have no hope of comprehending what follows. Back to Romans 12:17. Do not repay evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. Sometimes things go wrong in family relationships. No matter what the size, someone is always referring to their particular University as a family. In some ways, it is. Professors and students have common tasks. They get to know each other in close relationships. Sporting events draws students and fans to cheer for their team. Just a lot of common interests and activities draw a University campus together as a type of family.

Something went very wrong with the Virginia Tech University family last Monday. The traumatic tragedy suffered by students, faculty, and staff on that campus should not have to be experienced by anyone, especially not the young men and women on a University campus looking ahead to the hope of life ahead of them. A lot of issues are being discussed to the point of overkill by the media coverage. The questions and issues surrounding this tragedy are not my concern this morning.

Look at the Scripture again: Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Thats verse 17. Three verses preceding, verse 14, we are told, Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Did you think it was going to be easy living in the family of God?

If the young man who shot all those people were still alive, those who profess Jesus Christ as Lord are commanded to not seek to do him evil. Keep in mind the full meaning of this. To not repay anyone evil for evil includes both action and thought. In Luke 6:27-28, Jesus teaches, But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Now this does not mean that he would be free from the God appointed responsibility of civil authority, but it does mean that no Christian could legitimately seek to bring him harm through revenge. This is Gods Word.

So, if we are to develop this kind of radical attitude toward enemies, doesnt it become quite silly for petty grudges and squabbles to infect the family of God in a church? Are hurt feelings supposed to cause a split? They are not, but it has certainly happened in the history of quite a few churches. Living in the family of God means go back to the beginning that we honor one another above ourselves. That means that we are actively looking for and thinking of ways to not needlessly offend our brother and sister in Christ. Instead, we are to consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works as we are told in Hebrews 10:24. In all things, whether pointing out a deficiency that needs correcting or praising for a job well done, we need to do so in ways that are in the best interests of our brother and sister.

This is all tough stuff. Did you think it was going to be easy living in the family of God? When we take the word of our Lord to heart, it is not easy because we struggle to keep control of our life. At the same time, when we take the word of our Lord to heart, it becomes possible to turn over control of our life to Him. Why should we go through all the difficult trouble to love our enemies and to honor others more than ourselves? Because this is what Jesus expects. And why does he have any authority to demand this from us? Well, we sing an answer almost every Sunday. The choir expressed it well this morning:

Poor and lowly as I am,

Helpless as a wondring lamb.

All but lost without a fold,

My waywardness has left me cold.

As shadows fall a voice draws near,

It stirs my heart, expels my fear.

Tis Jesus Christ, the Shepherd King,

Come to pay the price for me.

Bleeding Shepherd sacrificed,

Thou hast paid too high a price

To reach and save the weak and small,

And wrap your arms around them all;

When Love laid down upon the cross,

Hope sprang up, called out to us.

Sins great debt now satisfied,

Jesus paid the highest price.

We cannot get any more basic than that. The Father loved us so much that He sent His Son. Jesus loved us so much that he suffered and died. So much of the New Testament writings are directed toward how we are to live as we grow in gratitude and thanksgiving for the price that Jesus paid. We cannot commit one act of goodness that can blot out our sin and allow us to stand in the presence of the almighty, holy God. We cannot find a perfect sacrifice among all of the flocks of sheep and herds of cattle throughout the entire world. We cannot remove by our own actions our sin spot or anyone elses. Only Jesus can do that. Only Jesus has done that. And that is why we are a part of the family of God. That is why we are a grateful, thankful, loving Church. If we replace that reason with any other, we shall fail. It is not easy living in the family of God, but it is certainly possible because of Jesus strength, not ours.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Rev. Charles A. Layne
First Baptist Church
Bunker Hill, Indiana

-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org