La Familia Part 4

Jesus Builds A New Family

Family On Mission Book by Mike and Sally Breen

-Rejected by family and village in Nazareth.

-thrown out of His oikos.

--Extended Family

-Workers

-Neighbors

-In Laws

-Anyone connected through relationship or responsibility

-Try to kill him

-Even the Son of God needed a family

-Oikos from the beginning to the end

-Creation (God creates from Oikos of Trinity—love = creation)

-Fall

-Abraham

-Birth of Jesus into Oikos

-Jesus is rejected by Oikos

-Still created Oikos but a different kind

-From Obligation to choice/joy

-Exclusion to Open doors

jesus doesn’t pack it in and decide to do it on his own.

-We follow not just the Words of jesus, but the teachings of Jesus.

-Discipleship should look like how he did it.

-no 1on1 discipleship

-no calling preaching ‘discipleship’

-God is relational...

-we are a relational people

-God is not a loner, so we are not loners

Even the Son of God needed a family to function fully in His calling

-relationship (care and understanding)

-Partnership (people working alongside to train)

-Loyalty (people who would be with Him through His trials)

-Financial Support (God allowed the wealthy women of Judea to be His benefactors so they would be connected.

Ok, so Jesus hits the road after losing His Family. Where does He go?

-Nazareth is out of the question, almost killed by His village because He claimed to be the messiah

-Goes to Capernaum, why?

-That’s where His new friends are from. The ones who tagged along and followed after John was sitting with a couple disciples, saw Jesus, walking by and John said: “Look There is the lamb of God!”

and they followed Him.

John 1:35–42 (NLT)

The following day John was again standing with two of his disciples. As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, “Look! There is the Lamb of God!” When John’s two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus.

Jesus looked around and saw them following. “What do you want?” he asked them.

They replied, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

“Come and see,” he said. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon when they went with him to the place where he was staying, and they remained with him the rest of the day.

Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus. Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ”).

Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “Your name is Simon, son of John—but you will be called Cephas” (which means “Peter”).

-Persons of Peace.

-Jesus uses this when he sends out the 72:

-Someone who receives you in peace

-Gives you hospitality

-Feeds you

-provides protection

-In this case we see them call Jesus Rabbi:

Jesus goes to capernaum and after he teached in the Synagogue and heals bunches of people, His new friends invite them over.

They were amazed at his teaching because he spoke with authority.

-Jesus heals Peter’s Mother in Law and she starts to make food for them: Really high fever

Jesus is inviting these people in.

-They took interest and offered hospitality and gave him honor for His teaching by calling him Rabbi.

-Jesus wants to see, are these guys really with me or just being polite.

-Crowds are pushing in on the shore by the boats

-Jesus asks if they can use the boat for natural amplificaiton and so he doesn’t get wet.

-Really intimate request (can I borrow your toolbelt? Can I borrow your work laptop?)

-They jump in and push the boat out.

Jesus is seeing if they’ll make the move from friend to follower.

-People of Peace are friends

-Know Jesus and are friendly, offer hospitality (sign of interest in God’s kingdom)

-Appreciate HIs teachings

But this is limited. We all know those people who like or respect us but don’t want to get too close. They like you from a distance because they are afraid what they will find when they move in close.

But you can’t build an Oikos with People of Peace.

-”Friends serve when they can, followers submit their skills and resources to someone else’s mission”

Jesus want’s to test the water If they’re followers or friends

Luke 5:1–11 NLT

One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking. When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.” For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.

-Carpenter telling fishermen how to do their job....would they submit themselves to Jesus, even where they felt pride about their professional accumen?

-This is like when I sit down with Mike and Ernie, Bryan and Sam....we talk about where they lead in work and they listen to Jesus’ teachings on how to lead as engineers, editors, Foremen and business owners.

-This is how Jesus knows they are ready to follow.

-Simon is overwhelmed when he submits himself to Jesus and sees this miraculous catch.....

“Go away from me Lord!; I am a sinful man.”

Jesus gives them an invitation when they taste the power of the kingdom and reassures them. “don’t be afraid. From now on you’ll fish for people.”

The first disciples go from friends (PoP) to Followers:

”Friends serve when they can, followers submit their skills and resources to someone else’s mission”

But there is one more progression they have to make to be the Oikos that Jesus is building to replace His family and be the center of the movement of His kingdom coming.

-the disciples go from friends to followers and everything changes when they invite them into their OIkos.

-a huge difference between inviting Jesus into your Oikos and becoming a part of Jesus’ Oikos.

Friends are those who serve the cause when they can.

Followers are those who submit their skills and resources to have Jesus transform them.

Family are those who surrender completely, laying down their agenda fully for the agenda of Jesus.

Jesus and his disciples don’t stay in Capernaum in Peter’s house…they move out and gather other disciples, leaving their Oikos to Join Jesus’ Oikos to join in the Jesus mission whereever it goes.

Leaving their nets is more than a symbolic gesture…it was a sign of leaving the family trade and Oikos of their father to join the Jesus mission (to become mathetes of Jesus and learn to be a Rabbi like Him).

It was the ultimate test to see…are they ready to leave their Oikos identity and join Jesus’s Oikos?

And then they find out what Jesus Family Mission is really about.

-They head to Caesarea Philippi. The Las Vegas of Gallillee.

-immorality, idolatry, the gates of Hades, cave that was the portal to the underworld.

Matthew 16:13–20 NLT

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.” Then he sternly warned the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Jesus wants to lean into identity.

Who do you say that I am.

He is redefining what it means to be a part of His family.

and God gives Simon this incredible Holy Spirit inspired heavenly insite that begins the work of building a new kind of Oikos.

Jesus as builder: Rock-mason.

Family trade: Builder

Simon is getting a nick-name like Sparky for electricians.

Petra. Rocky.

You’re a part of the builders guild now..but He’s not building houses…he is building His gathering....but He is building His Oikos (household....is a building term and a social distinction.)

Oikodomeso (build up)…this is house building language Literally This is the rock on which I will build an OIkos for my people.

And then like the Father entrusted to Christ the primo-genitor, First born among men and God…to be head of His household, representative to creation…to form His new household as an extension of the Father….

Jesus entrusts to His disciples this same work…Binding and Loosing.

You have heard it said, but I say to you.

Permitting, Forbidding and interpreting the law with authority.

This is the authority of the Rabbi to pass along Spiritual authority to those who will take the yoke of the Rabbi and teach it….and make sense of it in the context of these passages.

This is how Jesus will build up the Oikos Household of His people. Through the people he taught the Way.

And this house will prevail against the depths of Hades and all the monsters that will be unleashed by the underworld From that cave right over there.

Jesus was building his house with teenage and 20-something boys and it would stand the test of millennia.

So much here. A few things I want to camp on.

-Challenges of Clarity:

-Where are you with Jesus? Friend, follower, family?

-Where are you with Us? Friend, Follower, Family?

-Are you preparing to be a Rabbi like Jesus or just planning to stay a friend for your whole life?

Invitations to Access:

-You can be where you want to be and God will give you grace to work through these phases of faith.

-If you want more access to the people of God and to God’s presence it will require submission and surrender

-You can join us Sundays, sit in the back and learn some stuff. You’ll be friends, people of peace that we love and want to walk with in life….but you’ll miss out on the best parts (the deep community that comes from shared life and covenant relationships.

-You can follow and serve, join in the church chores and justice, mission and partnerships of the church in service and use of your resources, you can give generously as a follower and enjoy close connection with the community, and even grow deeply in the way of Jesus…..but there is a wall you will hit

-Covenant relationship comes through commitment to surrender to Jesus, to one another in mutual submission and to the leadership of micro-church and network decisions (even when we don’t like them). Not because they are always right but because they have the responsibility and joy to serve as directional leaders.

-What does this mean:

-Surrender to Jesus:

-His words and way are absolute. We surrender to accountability to be transformed in the way of Jesus

-We trust that the voice of covenant OIkos family is sacred challenge that is for our benefit, so we listen and let it have authority over how we see or think.

-Mutual Submission out of reverence for Christ:

-No one is above reproach.

-It is not about power and position but rather humbly pleasing our Father

-It isn’t about moral purity but rather growth in the Way of Jesus

-Humble submission is expected of humble challenge. Prideful challenge is to be dealt with first.

-Submission to leadership:

-Primarily to Spiritual Parents, at micro church level

-Those further along the path who have been entrusted the sacred work of leadership through position and character and competency

-Coaching rather than directing

-Humble leaders Who lead with one ear to the ground, easily redirected and listen well to the community.

-Community of leaders who submit to one another

-Have to make decisions about time, money, rhythms, space…and it isn’t about power and position but rather about discerning the will of God. Dialectical, listening, but entrusted with power

-not a democracy, not a congregational rule. Humble dance of listening, seeing who is Eldering and inviting them to lead Microchurch and serve as Elder over the network.

-Covenant to Oikos, what does it look like?

3 commitments:

-I will follow Jesus and the leaders of this Oikos

-I will make the community and the mission a priority over all else

-I will serve with my time, energy and resources to submit myselves to the Jesus Mission

MC will have Friends, Followers And Family. It’s good to know which is which and which direction you are going.

Network will have both.

Responsive prayer:

-Invitation to assessment. Where are you? Friend, follower, family?

-Friend: Come all you who are weary and heavy laden. I will give you rest. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

-Follower: Come and Follow Me and I will make you fishers of Men.

-Family: Join the family business, the family Guide and take my name: Rocky.