Learning and change happens around the table

In our Bible study held on Sunday mornings at 11(hint, hint) we are studying 2 Corinthians, labeled as such but many scholars believe that this letter was Paul’s third letter to that church. In reading 1 Corinthians it doesn’t take long to see that that church had problems ranging from possible incest to inappropriate worship expressions and debates about what to eat or not to eat with regards to meat sacrificed to idols. There were also disputes about when and how to worship. We can and have benefited from Paul’s answers to their questions and his wise solutions to their problems.

2 Corinthians moves beyond those issues and calls the church in Corinth to a deeper, more mature understanding of the essentials of our faith. Last Sunday we had a deep,

provocative discussion of these basic essentials. This forum doesn’t allow for deep

scriptural teaching but it does give me space to introduce some ideas that we can talk

about with each other and build each other up in our conversation. Learning and change happens around the table.

Most of Paul’s letters to churches deal with similar issues. His earliest letter was to Galatia and the following letters either added to his teaching or explained his theology from different perspectives. So here goes... Paul taught that behavior doesn’t get you into heaven. We are saved by grace, not of works, so we can’t boast. He teaches that we in the natural sense are not inclined to a relationship with God and so God gracefully sends His Spirit, the Holy Spirit to woo us to Himself. When He gets our attention and we say “Yes” the Spirit shows us our need for a relationship with God, convicts us of sin in our lives, shows us Truth, comforts and counsels us and dwells within us, a deposit guaranteeing our eternal relationship with God. We know that the Gospels affirm these things and that the Acts of the Apostles demonstrate the work of the Spirit in the early Church. As the former verse says He saved them from distress and brought them out of darkness breaking away their chains. Paul’s teaching affirms this Old Testament truth. We don’t do this ourselves, God does it well, perfectly. In this series, over the next few months we will discuss how HE does it all, FOR US.

Pastor B

Sacred Generosity

As I have previously written, you and I find ourselves to be in Sacred Relationship with God. That Sacred Relationship involves a Sacred Calling, Sacred Gifting and Sacred Service. This month I will focus on Sacred Generosity. The transformation of a life by God, through the sacrifice of Christ and the power of His Spirit is indeed SACRED. God does it all. We have been transformed from objects of His wrath to objects of His grace and mercy. Christ sacrificed Himself that we might experience an abundant life. Some are confused about what that abundant life is all about, assuming that abundant is referring to having many things and lots of money with which to enjoy them. Abundance is so much more! Having been saved by Christ’s shed blood, we are also raised out of the muck and mire of life and its consequences, by His power. All of the promises of God and all that we need are provided IN CHRIST JESUS.

As God has been generous with us so are we called to a life of generosity. Certainly, this

involves generosity to the support of the Church as we give as an act of worship but also

generosity to those in need and each other. Acts 2 clearly says that the early church took

care of each other. As Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, he commended them for their generosity in helping other churches in the region that were experiencing famine. Paul in this letter established a powerful principle for generosity that each should decide what they wanted to give and then to do so cheerfully. To me this paints an attitude picture. We believe that God is generous and as we are created in His image, He has planted this generosity DNA in US. It’s how we were created to be and yet we wrestle as humans to be generous with JOY, FREEDOM, and PEACE. When we feel compelled to be generous it can be a sour apple. The journey from a place of fear and guilt to the land of redemptive gratitude and redemptive generosity is not a simple “follow these three steps to financial freedom”! It is indeed a journey and God will empower us and strengthen us, one step at a time.

The movement towards generosity is emotional, practical and spiritual. God has created us to be generous with our LIVES, not just our stuff. I’ll close with this illustration. I know that some of you have heard this story before but please bear with me. I lived at home through college and until I was married at the age of 24. My brother, who is 5 years younger, and I shared a small bedroom. He walked and talked in his sleep. The stories I could tell! Since we shared a room, he erroneously believed that we should share clothes as well. I understand as I wore some pretty cool clothes. Do you remember those platform shoes and cuffed, hip hugger bell bottoms? Righteous! We fought and argued all the time about my clothes until one Sunday when Pastor Jimmie Jackson proclaimed that the stuff we possessed didn’t really belong to us and that God gave us stuff so that we could learn to be good stewards. Glorifying God by how we used things. I became convinced that my clothes were really God’s clothes, went home and told my brother that he was free to wear God’s clothes any time he wanted. He never wore those clothes again. That wasn’t my intent but it worked out....! Withholding, grasping and clinging to that which isn’t ours entangles our lives. Generosity makes us free!

Pastor B

Sacred Service

As followers of Jesus, you and I find ourselves to be in Sacred Relationship with God. As I

wrote last month that Sacred Relationship involves a Sacred Calling, Sacred Gifting, Sacred Service, and Sacred Generosity. This month I would like us to consider Sacred Service. Previously I wrote that our Spiritual Gifts and talents are given to build up others and the Body of Christ, the Church. Since our Sacred Calling woos us to make disciples, I would like to suggest that our Sacred Service might be primarily expressed in making disciples, not of the Church but rather of Jesus.

Take a moment and read Matthew 28: 18-20 and then Acts 1:8 and the verses around it. We clearly have a mandate to make disciples, at home and abroad. Heaven will be populated by the nations! There is a difference between making disciples and telling people to be disciples. We tend to stage events for disciple making instead of relationally and intentionally engaging folks in their journey of becoming a disciple. How might we do this as a church? Vicki and I have learned that in our technologically focused society, people are hungry for friendship and so we like to connect with them one on one, over coffee or breakfast. We then invite them into our home to be part of a huddle that eats together, gets to know each other and then talks Bible. We find that building relationships breaks down walls and barriers. We have also discovered that learning happens around the table.The Word of God becomes relevant to real life.

Why am I writing about this? I would like to encourage you to connect with the people who are all around you. Don’t view them as them. They are potential disciples. Meet one on one. Intentionally. Not everyone will be responsive, so ask God to guide you to People of Peace, individuals who you connect to, that you have relational capital with. Invest in them. Intentionally invite them into your home, weekly or monthly. By the way-they don’t care if you have a clean or nice house. They care that you care.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Brian