My Hope for You as a Community - Part 4

That your family rhythm would be transformed by these principles.

MISSIONAL, CHRIST-CENTERED FAMILY - 19But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. 20For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. 21For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus. 22But you know of his proven worth, that he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel like a child serving his father. 23Therefore I hope to send him immediately, as soon as I see how things go with me; 24and I trust in the Lord that I myself also will be coming shortly. 25But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my need; 26because he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. 27For indeed he was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow. 28Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly so that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned about you. 29Receive him then in the Lord with all joy, and hold men like him in high regard; 30because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was deficient in your service to me.

Paul didn’t have the wife and kids story…he really didn’t even settle down long enough to have a home. Paul’s family was made up of people that he resonated with along the way [this isn’t just about husband, wife, and kids (if that’s not your situation)…it’s about whoever you consider your family].

The men mentioned in Philippians 2:19-30 were part of Paul’s family. RE: Timothy (his spiritual son): [no one else of kindred spirit {SIGHT}…genuinely concerned for you {ATTITUDE}…seeks after Christ/kingdom driven {PURPOSE} = has been led well by Paul]. RE: Epaphroditus (whom they had sent to minister to Paul while in jail): [brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier {SIGHT, PURPOSE}…minister to Paul’s need…and was worried about others worrying about him {ATTITUDE} even when he was actually very sick.]

When we talk about having Spiritual SIGHT, an ATTITUDE of Christian Submission, and God’s mission as our PURPOSE, we’re not just learning to do church; we’re learning to do life.

Why FAMILY? For all of us, our families are our first calling – and I think we often run danger of giving the actual good stuff to other people. There is the chance that you may offer your transformed life to your church, to your local compassion agency, and even to a co-worker without intentionally leading your family in this way. The Bible deems the person who cares for others, but not his own as “worse than an infidel” (1 Tim 5:8 KJV). [Don’t you love the KJV!]

One of the biggest challenges for any disciple is family life. Incarnational families don’t come easy.

When we focus on how our families are affected by kingdom principles, the question is of what the culture of your home is going to be. What is Christian Culture (Kingdom Culture) in the home? I don’t think that it is enough just to say a prayer together or read a bible story together. Your family must see you live Jesus-stories in front of them…and they need to be as much a part of them as possible.

Here are some notes of Overview for this series, and the situations/opportunities that we brainstormed in group:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/47815847/Kevin-s-Notes-for-Kingdom-Principles-Overview-and-Application

2 Churches

My Hope for You as a Community is what I have called this series, though the actual emphasis is living out a kingdom culture in the world. Consider the Lord's Prayer:

“Pray in this way:
Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

If we are to live by these words of Christ in the prayer that He modeled for us… what would it be like if we actually lived life on earth as the church body… “on earth as it is in heaven”?

For the church, this implies a fundamental shift from the mission-minded people we have become to being a missional people. That may seem as bit confusing; but I do not intend for mission-minded to mean the same thing as missional. The mission-minded church has concern for and is supportive of God's mission (which is good), while the missional church holistically and actively participates in God's mission (which is better).

Consider 2 churches:
Trinity Church operates out of a mindset of *centripetal force. (Centripetal force is a force that makes a body follow a curved path.) I say that TC operates out of centripetal force, because their church locations/meeting times/programs/plans/agendas are looked at as the main place for conversion and life transformation. Those who are far from God must be pulled by some path into a center for change.

Cornerstone Church operates out of a mindset of *centrifugal force. (Centrifugal force (from Latin centrum "center" and fugere "to flee") represents the effects of inertia that arise in connection with rotation and which are experienced as an outward force away from the center of rotation.) I say that CC operates out of centrifugal force, because they see their church locations/meeting times/programs/plans/agendas as building-up-sending-out opportunities. While conversion and life transformation does happen in those environments, the focus is to send out from those centers, changed lives that will change lives.

At PBC, we think and speak more like CC, but as life gets busy and difficult (like it always does), our action can begin to look more like TC. Don't get your feelings hurt, western Christians especially struggle with this. We have been nutured to compartmentalize our life into categories of family, work, friends-close friends-best friends, business, money, education, spiritual matters, social action, etc. It is no easy task for us to break out of the compartments that have been prepared for us and begin to see the whole of our life as fluid and all centered around 1 thing (the mission of God). All of these categories are environments for "knowing God, and making Him known", and all should be pointed to our main purpose.

Our mission statement is to: "Make God known by making disciples who are changed by God to change their world". This is not to be only characteristic of our Home Group time, Community Group time, worship time, serve time, with our church-people, etc. This is to be the way you and I live out our life in all of our categories, so that all are threaded together by this mission. If this is the way we think, speak, and act, we will be like CC. We will be a center for change that sends changed people out to change their world (in their world).

This week, we're dealing with how you can Live as a Missional Family. *See next Post

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*Also, for more on the missional church, click HERE.

My Hope for You as a Community - Part 3

That you would serve as a team. “That you would have clear kingdom purpose and see your community as purposed together to build up the church."

PURPOSE - 10so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Ephesians 4:1-12 (NASB)
We've been tracking Paul's letter to the christians and churches throughout Ephesus. In it, he clearly exposes the contrast between Christ's Kingdom and the kingdom of the world. Whether talking about dark and light, old and new, self or selfless, he makes the point that Christians are to live under a different value system and for a different purpose than all others. Our purpose is the magnification of Christ, and we are to be participators in building up His Kingdom; and all of our values should align with that as our aim. In short, "it's not about me". This is the theme of Paul's writing, and it matches the example Christ gave - "came to serve, not to be served...that My Father be glorified". Ephesians 4:1-12 is a call to live up to the calling of Christ-likeness.

Here are some study questions for dealing with Ephesians 4:1-12:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/47375592/Ephesians-4-1-12-Discussion-Qs

Here are my answers and reflections on the study questions:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/47375602/Kevin-s-Eph-4-1-12-Answers-to-Discussion-Qs-and-Notes
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(*why a diagram of centrifugal force???

come back to this blog next week to find out!)

My Hope for You as a Community - Part 2

That you would treat one another rightly. “That Christian submission would define your relationships with these people”

ATTITUDE - 3Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but [a]emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

EPHESIANS 5:18-33
Paul has gone from what the church is to what we should be.
In the church, our relationships should be greatly different than they were before we met Jesus.

Verse 21: Submit to one another

READ 5:21-6:9

What Submission is not
Christian Submission is not about being a Doormat
Paul, who writes this passage deals harshly with both secular authorities and with Christian brothers and sisters when they overstep their bounds and treat him as less than he is.
The Submission that Paul is calling us to is a mutual submission – not one where there is one person in submission, and another in authority, but that we would submit to each other.

Christian Submission is not about over-the-top politeness like those two chipmunks in the cartoons who say, “no, no, no, after you,” “no, I insist after you,”
It is not the ignoring of responsibility or authority so we get nowhere and no decisions get made because we are so worried about stepping on each others toes.

Christian Submission is not about the lowest common denominator.
IT is instead, the highest potential can be reached in relationships…and it is completely necessary for participating in God’s mission.

There in a sense in the term of submission of coming under the other person, not to be held down by them, but to lift them up! (SUB / mission)

DO YOU REMEMBER THE OLD ADAGE: two are better than one because they have good return for their work. If one falls down his friend can help him up, but pity the man that falls and has no one to help him up.

-it is much more than an adage…it is God’s instruction and provision for how we are to SURVIVE (outwit, outplay, outlast)…and more than just survive…excel….live life fully.

What Submission is
Definition - a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden".

"put others first" - Contemporary English Version

Instead of looking out for ourselves, we are to be looking out for everyone else, and they are to look out for us.

Christian Submission flows out of Strength, not weakness.

JESUS IS OUR EXAMPLE IN THIS.
SCRIPTURE SAYS: (John 13:3-5)
“Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.”

If I suddenly had the divine revelation that Jesus did – all things under my feet, I think I would like to try it out! Not take up the lowliest servant’s job! But because of Jesus’ place of strength, he is able to serve – to subject himself to his own disciples; not as a weak person beaten into submission, but as the strongest person in the universe, choosing to submit.

SCRIPTURE SAYS: (Philippians 2:6-7)
“(Jesus)Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”

We too come from a place of strength – (Ephesians 1:3) “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”

We respond to that strength, not by taking up any high handed authority, but by submitting to each other.

Christian Submission must come in Relationship
Without knowing each other, knowing the heart’s desire, talking things through with each other, there can be no mutual submission – one will always just be giving in to the will of the other. That is why we need face to face relationships with others – in small groups and close friendships, so that we can obey God’s commands!

Christian Submission is about Sacrifice
Just because submission is not about all these bad things doesn’t mean that it is easy – if it is working it should hurt.
(John 15:12-13)
“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

Laying down one’s life is not just about dying it is about giving up what we hold dear because our friend is even more dear to us.
- giving up preferences, honor, possessions… laying down our living lives for each other!

Christian Submission is about Honor
Romans 12:10 “love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor.” - NRSV
We are to be a people who lift each other up, not knock each other down.

Christian Submission flows from the filling of the Spirit
Here is a real interesting one…
READ 5:18-21-----fruits of the spirit of Christ in us…
– Be filled with the Spirit, speaking in psalms, hymns, & spiritual songs, singing and making music, giving thanks, submitting to each other…

Our Submission to each other is an outworking of the Spirit’s filling of our lives. If someone likes to call themselves a “Spirit-filled” Christian but cannot submit to others because of pride or rebellion, I want to question their adjective! As this is connected to the filling of the Spirit, we cannot do it without the grace of God flowing through our whole being.

Key words - "out of reverence for Christ"
Just as you have submitted to Christ, submit to each other.

Here are some study questions for dealing with Ephesians 5:18-33:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/46942921/Eph-5-Discussion-Qs

Here are my answers and reflections on the study questions:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/46942922/Kevin-s-Answers-to-Discussion-Qs-Eph-5

My Hope for You as a Community - Part 1

That you would SEE differently together. “That the eyes of your heart would be open”

SIGHT - 1Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.

BELONG to Christ, Community, Church – if we all belong to these things, there must be a common factor…and Paul encourages this factor, namely, that we can SEE differently than the world! And by seeing differently (the natural result) is that we walk differently (in the newness of life).

EPHESIANS 1:17-23
Paul desired the Ephesian Christians to understand what great wealth they had in Christ. Paul knew of their faith and love toward men, and in this he rejoiced.
**The Christian life has two dimensions: faith toward God and love toward men, and you cannot separate the two. But Paul knew that faith and love were just the beginning.

He doesn’t ask God to give them what they don’t have, but rather prays that God will reveal to them what they already have. And that the SEEing of this would change everything!

Here are some study questions for dealing with Ephesians 1:17-23:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/46963518/Eph-1-Discussion-Qs

Here are my answers and reflections over the study questions:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/46963519/Kevin-s-Answers-to-Eph-1-Discussion-Qs