Together Session 4

Session 4

[introduction]

Good morning church. This morning wraps up our IMPACT Weekend that we have had with the students. The theme of the weekend was Together: Living in Christ-Centered Community. We had the opportunity to gather 130 students from 4 churches and talked about what it means to be the church.

The 3 main points we made with them this weekend about living in Christ-Centered community are these:

As Christ-followers, you are called together as the Body of Christ.

As the Church, we are the body but Christ is the head.

We must care for and value every part of the Body.

This morning we are going to see the main purposes of being called together as the Church.

[Transition]

The first purpose of being called together as the Church is this:

Teaching Point 1: You are to be unified on mission for God.

Turn to Romans 15:5-6.

The Apostle Paul wrote Romans as a letter to the Christians in Rome.

Since the church in Rome was very young and had not really received any in-depth theological teaching on salvation and other implications of following Christ, Paul wrote Romans to ensure a good understanding of such things.

In addition, since many Jewish Christians were rejecting some of the new Gentile converts, it was essential that a level playing field be given to all believers.

Read Romans 15:5-6

“Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, according to Christ Jesus,

so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one mind and one voice.”

As those called together as a church, you are to be unified on mission for God.

It’s part of who you are as a Christ-follower. It’s part of what it means to be together. Paul understood this and was trying to pass this along to the Christ-followers in Rome.

Look at verse 5. What phrase did he use to describe their relationship with each other? They are to “live in harmony.” As a church, you are called to be on the same page, having a unified spirit, so that, in the words of Paul of verse 6, you can “with one mind and voice” glorify God. This is one of the primary purposes of you being called together as a church.

Can you imagine what would happen if everyone on a football team did their own thing? What if the quarterback wanted not to play offense but wanted to actually hit someone for a change? So instead of taking the snap, he sat on the sideline until it was the defense’s turn to take the field. What if the 300 lb. center wanted to play wide receiver? So when the ball was snapped (to whom we’re not sure since the quarterback isn’t on the field), the center and the wide receiver were both trying to run the same route. What if your kicker wanted a chance to call the plays and was fighting the coach for the play sheet? How successful would that team be? Not very! the same is true for us as a church. We are more successful in our mission to lead people to Christ when we are all on the same page. There is not room for us to do our own thing, not if we’re interested in being obedient to God’s call to bring others to a relationship with Him. Being on mission together is how we were designed to function.

[Transition]

As those called together as a church, you are to be unified on mission for God.

the second purpose of being called together as the church is this:

Teaching Point 2: You are to be unified in service to one another.

Turn to Philippians 2:1-4.

Paul wrote this letter to his close friends before he was martyred. He was thanking them for their kindness and prayers while he was in prison. And he was encouraging them not to lose their faith because of his persecution.

Read Philippians 2:1-4

If, then, there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,

make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.

Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.

Paul reminds us here of another aspect of our unity as those called together as a church. Paul helps us see that we’re to be unified in service to one another.

This can only happen when we see other people’s needs as more important than our own.

Look what Paul says here in verses 1-2.

If, then, there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,

make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.

He says that our unity should encourage us to be like-minded in both our spirit and our purpose. That means we should all be on the same page regardless of our differences. But on the same page about what?

In verse 3 Paul says that we should be guided by humility in how we treat each other. What does that mean?

Paul defines it for us. We have to think of others as “more important” than ourselves.

This doesn’t mean making ourselves a doormat. But it does mean we have a heart for serving other people and making sure they are taken care of.

Paul is talking to the Philippians about how they treat each other. And in verse 4 he drives the point home. He says we have to look to the interests of others.

Taking care of one another is one of the primary aspects of God calling us into togetherness as the church.

Everyone should care deeply about each other and should WANT to help in any way. This is what it means to be united together in service to one another. It’s a big deal and one of the things we should strive for a church.

2017 was a remarkable year for the number of major hurricanes that impacted the US. Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria devastated many parts of the US, most notable Texas and Florida. The amount of devastation was historic in some places. The flooding in Houston, for example, was unprecedented. But in the midst of the devastation, what you saw across the country was people coming together to help each other. Story after story showed that people were going out of their way, sometimes at great risk to their own safety, to help each other. Even in the midst of a season where there was much tension in our country because of divisive national issues, we saw people come together as one in these times and serve each other.

As the church, our calling is to have this same mindset with each other all the time. We are called to selflessly give our own time and energy to be there when our brothers and sisters are in need. It’s what being together is all about.

The church is to be unified in their service to one another.

[Transition]

The last purpose of being called together as the church is this:

Teaching Point 3: You are to be welcoming to outsiders.

Turn to Colossians 4:5-6

Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time.

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.

In this passage, Paul is helping the Colossian Christians understand a foundational principle of their role as a church.

Paul is showing them that as those called together as a church, they are to be welcoming to outsiders. We are called to be about the same work.

Paul says that we are to be “wise” in how we engage with people who may not know Jesus. We’re supposed to see encounters with others as “opportunities” to draw people closer to Christ.

Look at Verse 6

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.

Here we see Paul challenging us to be graceful in how we approach those who may not have a relationship with Christ.

Sometimes, if we’re not careful, we can put up barriers to people coming to know God or being welcomed into our group. We don’t do this on purpose. But we expect people to adapt to fit in with us.

While we know that there is change that has to take place when someone comes to faith in Christ, Paul is urging us to be graceful with those coming into contact with our church, make sure they feel welcomed. This is the call on everyone who is a part of this church. It is an important part of what it means to be together.

A Church’s capacity to love and serve its community is directly proportional to its members’ ability to befriend visitors one at a time.

-Brad Berglund

The church, our church, is supposed to be a light in this community and to the world.

It’s easy to think of engaging with your surroundings when you think about it in general terms.

Yeah I go to the store, we go out to eat occasionally, we take walks at the park.

But when you think about your community as individuals, it can be harder to think about the impact you personally have.

We must be willing to welcome in people no matter how different they seem. If we’re not welcoming to individuals, we’re not fulfilling our call to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the world around us.