The Practice of Community

Transformed - Incorporating the Practices of Jesus: The Practice of Community Luke 6:12-36 | August 18, 2024 Back in 1994, a silly movie titled "Airheads" was released. In short, the movie was about a struggling rock band trying to make it big by getting a radio station to play their demo tape. So, they create a hostage situation to get the station to play their demo, and as expected, it ends up being an hour and a half or so of foolishness. Now, the plot of the movie aside, the name of the band is noteworthy. They called themselves the "Lone Rangers." Yes, that's a bit of an oxymoron, isn't it? Just as the radio DJ pondered, how can a group of people be called "Lone Rangers"? To be completely honest, I feel the same way sometimes when I hear of Christians who are not a part of a church community. According to a recent study, only about 44% of protestants attend church weekly or almost weekly, but 16% of protestants do not attend a church service at all during the week. At Thornydale Family Church, we believe that regular attendance is critical and necessary for the body. In fact, here is our official position as found in our Statement of Faith: Thornydale Family Church is a local body of believers which meets together to bring glory to God as we carry out the Biblical purposes of the universal church. Every member of our body is called to be a minister and God has given our church gifted men who equip the entire body to engage in ministry. In other words, there no such thing as a lone ranger Christian, as we are all members of the same Body. Of course, this does not mean you cannot be a Christian if you don't have a church home, but my counterargument would be, why wouldn't you want to have a church home? As we've been doing for the past several weeks, we're looking at the practices of Jesus, and in doing so, encouraging one another to be transformed by incorporating these practices into our lives. This morning, we look at the practice of community. Let's take a look at Luke 6:12-26 to see Jesus' example: 12 IN THESE DAYS HE WENT OUT TO THE MOUNTAIN TO PRAY, AND ALL NIGHT HE CONTINUED IN PRAYER TO GOD. 13 AND WHEN DAY CAME, HE CALLED HIS DISCIPLES AND CHOSE FROM THEM TWELVE, WHOM HE NAMED APOSTLES: 14 SIMON, WHOM HE NAMED PETER, AND ANDREW HIS BROTHER, AND JAMES AND JOHN, AND PHILIP, AND BARTHOLOMEW, 15 AND MATTHEW, AND THOMAS, AND JAMES THE SON OF ALPHAEUS, AND SIMON WHO WAS CALLED THE ZEALOT, 16 AND JUDAS THE SON OF JAMES, AND JUDAS ISCARIOT, WHO BECAME A TRAITOR. JESUS MINISTERS TO A GREAT MULTITUDE 17 AND HE CAME DOWN WITH THEM AND STOOD ON A LEVEL PLACE, WITH A GREAT CROWD OF HIS DISCIPLES AND A GREAT MULTITUDE OF PEOPLE FROM ALL JUDEA AND JERUSALEM AND THE SEACOAST OF TYRE AND SIDON, 18 WHO CAME TO HEAR HIM AND TO BE HEALED OF THEIR DISEASES. AND THOSE WHO WERE TROUBLED WITH UNCLEAN SPIRITS WERE CURED. 19 AND ALL THE CROWD SOUGHT TO TOUCH HIM, FOR POWER CAME OUT FROM HIM AND HEALED THEM ALL. THE BEATITUDES 20 AND HE LIFTED UP HIS EYES ON HIS DISCIPLES, AND SAID: "BLESSED ARE YOU WHO ARE POOR, FOR YOURS IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 21 "BLESSED ARE YOU WHO ARE HUNGRY NOW, FOR YOU SHALL BE SATISFIED. "BLESSED ARE YOU WHO WEEP NOW, FOR YOU SHALL LAUGH. 22 "BLESSED ARE YOU WHEN PEOPLE HATE YOU AND WHEN THEY EXCLUDE YOU AND REVILE YOU AND SPURN YOUR NAME AS EVIL, ON ACCOUNT OF THE SON OF MAN! 23 REJOICE IN THAT DAY, AND LEAP FOR JOY, FOR BEHOLD, YOUR REWARD IS GREAT IN HEAVEN; FOR SO THEIR FATHERS DID TO THE PROPHETS. JESUS PRONOUNCES WOES 24 "BUT WOE TO YOU WHO ARE RICH, FOR YOU HAVE RECEIVED YOUR CONSOLATION. 25 "WOE TO YOU WHO ARE FULL NOW, FOR YOU SHALL BE HUNGRY. "WOE TO YOU WHO LAUGH NOW, FOR YOU SHALL MOURN AND WEEP. 26 "WOE TO YOU, WHEN ALL PEOPLE SPEAK WELL OF YOU, FOR SO THEIR FATHERS DID TO THE FALSE PROPHETS. Notice how early this account is in Luke's account. While early in Jesus' ministry, we see that He is already hard at work. At this point in Jesus' ministry, He has already preached in the synagogues, healed many people - to include casting out demons, claimed to be the Lord of the Sabbath - which affirms His role in Creation and therefore His deity, and has called disciples to follow Him. In other words, Jesus is beginning to shape His ministry, and His ministry team. This passage is a little longer than others in this series, but they all point to Jesus forming and organizing a community of believers, which is our focus for the day. So, what does this passage tell us about community? Maybe a definition is a good starting point, which will act as our main idea for the morning: A biblical community is a place where disciples of Jesus meet together for worship, prayer, learning, and edification. I'd like to first look at ... HOW JESUS PRACTICED COMMUNITY * With others (vv.12-19) o If you have not been with us for this series yet, let me quickly catch you up. o Week one, Pastor Pat opened with the practice of solitude, followed by prayer. o In week three, I returned and taught on the practice of fasting, then the following week on the Scriptures. o Finally, last week, we looked at the practice of the Sabbath. o Why do I mention this now? o Look again at verse 12: IN THESE DAYS HE WENT OUT TO THE MOUNTAIN TO PRAY, AND ALL NIGHT HE CONTINUED IN PRAYER TO GOD o See that? Jesus, right before He choose the Twelve in verses 13-16, He practiced solitude and prayer. o This is so instructive for us - especially for those of us in leadership or ministry - as Jesus perfectly illustrates the need for prayer and solitude when making decisions. Of course, this can be true of any of us, in any circumstance. o Notice again that Jesus begins His ministry by surrounding Himself with others. o Jesus immediately affirms a community of believers, through both calling the Apostles, but also through teaching multitudes. o Related, Jesus practiced community ... * With order (vv.20-26) o This is to say that there is a right and a wrong way to act within community. o The first part of this section is what we know as the "beatitudes," which simply means "blessings." o Author and pastor, Chris Castaldo wrote: The Beatitudes dig beneath the surface, exposing what we really need. To satisfy our hunger for wealth, Jesus offers poverty. He commends meekness over hostility. Instead of personal pleasure and glory, he proposes patience and a commitment to justice. Instead of lust and greed, he offers purity of heart. For the soul riddled with anxiety and fear, he suggests peace. Rather than vanity and pride, he bestows security and inner strength. o In contrast to these blessings, Jesus pronounces woes to the rich, and the full, and those who laugh. o Jesus sought out to show the difference of those in His community, and those who were not. o I couldn't help but see a parallel here and in the Exodus account. o In Exodus, God calls His people out of slavery to be a nation set apart. God does this by means of the Law, to guide the nation of Israel to stand out from other nations, as a nation under God. o Jesus was ordering the lives of His followers. o Before we get to the next way Jesus practices community, let's pick up Luke's account in verse 27: LOVE YOUR ENEMIES 27 "BUT I SAY TO YOU WHO HEAR, LOVE YOUR ENEMIES, DO GOOD TO THOSE WHO HATE YOU, 28 BLESS THOSE WHO CURSE YOU, PRAY FOR THOSE WHO ABUSE YOU. 29 TO ONE WHO STRIKES YOU ON THE CHEEK, OFFER THE OTHER ALSO, AND FROM ONE WHO TAKES AWAY YOUR CLOAK DO NOT WITHHOLD YOUR TUNIC EITHER. 30 GIVE TO EVERYONE WHO BEGS FROM YOU, AND FROM ONE WHO TAKES AWAY YOUR GOODS DO NOT DEMAND THEM BACK. 31 AND AS YOU WISH THAT OTHERS WOULD DO TO YOU, DO SO TO THEM. 32 "IF YOU LOVE THOSE WHO LOVE YOU, WHAT BENEFIT IS THAT TO YOU? FOR EVEN SINNERS LOVE THOSE WHO LOVE THEM. 33 AND IF YOU DO GOOD TO THOSE WHO DO GOOD TO YOU, WHAT BENEFIT IS THAT TO YOU? FOR EVEN SINNERS DO THE SAME. 34 AND IF YOU LEND TO THOSE FROM WHOM YOU EXPECT TO RECEIVE, WHAT CREDIT IS THAT TO YOU? EVEN SINNERS LEND TO SINNERS, TO GET BACK THE SAME AMOUNT. 35 BUT LOVE YOUR ENEMIES, AND DO GOOD, AND LEND, EXPECTING NOTHING IN RETURN, AND YOUR REWARD WILL BE GREAT, AND YOU WILL BE SONS OF THE MOST HIGH, FOR HE IS KIND TO THE UNGRATEFUL AND THE EVIL. 36 BE MERCIFUL, EVEN AS YOUR FATHER IS MERCIFUL. o You see, Jesus practices community ... * With love (vv.27-36) o You see, we didn't have to go far into Jesus' ministry to see that He ministered in and with love. o And we see here that He expects the same of us. o So, He gives us some guidelines and examples, beginning with loving our enemies. Back in verse 22, He already warned about these enemies, but now explains how to handle them. o Of course, we handle them with love. o Has anyone ever wronged you? Treated you poorly? Called you names? Falsely accused you? Slandered you? I'm sure most of us can answer 'yes' to each of those questions. Jesus says ... love them. Pray for them. o This entire section emphasizes the character of the disciple of Jesus as loving, charitable, and good. o None of these characteristics are possible without a changed and transformed heart. o Author John Mark Comer emphasizes that these practices are not simply things that we just decide to do, rather they are part of our training as we become Christlike. o I try to remind myself that it is very hard to hate someone when you are praying for them. It is very hard to want to do evil to someone when you are serving them. It is very hard to sit back and watch someone suffer when you are providing for their needs. o This is how Jesus practiced community, and how He teaches us to do the same. Now that we've seen how Jesus practiced community, let's discuss: HOW DO I PRACTICE COMMUNITY * Meeting together o This one is obvious, I know. o But just as we saw earlier, there are many who simply do not have a church home, and do not care to find one. o But seemingly, this isn't new. Even the early church dealt with this, evidenced by the writer of the Hebrews, who tells the Hebrews in chapter 10:24-25: 24 AND LET US CONSIDER HOW TO STIR UP ONE ANOTHER TO LOVE AND GOOD WORKS, 25 NOT NEGLECTING TO MEET TOGETHER, AS IS THE HABIT OF SOME, BUT ENCOURAGING ONE ANOTHER, AND ALL THE MORE AS YOU SEE THE DAY DRAWING NEAR. o We see this example from Jesus after He chose the Twelve. Verse 17 tells us that He came down from the mountain and taught the great multitudes that were gathered to hear Jesus preach and to receive healing. o Luke records back in chapter 4 that Jesus' reputation was spreading. o Jesus illustrates that we are to meet together, and as we meet we are to be ... * Worshiping together o Of course, we don't see this from our text in Luke, but since we're discussing ways that we can practice community, we must include worship. o I'm sure many of us attribute the term 'worship' with music, and it includes that, but it encompasses much more than just music. o Worship is an outward expression of our love and reverence for God. o Or, more broadly, worship is "our response to whatever we value most in our lives," according to Louie Giglio. o Paul makes it very clear in Ephesians 5:19-21 that worship is part of the Christian's responsibility in community. Here's what he said: 19 ADDRESSING ONE ANOTHER IN PSALMS AND HYMNS AND SPIRITUAL SONGS, SINGING AND MAKING MELODY TO THE LORD WITH YOUR HEART, 20 GIVING THANKS ALWAYS AND FOR EVERYTHING TO GOD THE FATHER IN THE NAME OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, 21 SUBMITTING TO ONE ANOTHER OUT OF REVERENCE FOR CHRIST. o Next, we practice community by ... * Praying together o Recall Pat's definition of prayer from July 21: Prayer is the intentional, conversational engagement of my heart and soul with the heart and soul of God. o When we pray together, it accomplishes much, for example, prayer: * Unifies us with other believers * Connects us with God's will * Demonstrates our unity as members of the body of Christ o Several weeks ago, of course, we looked at Jesus' example of prayer, and we can even look to Paul's letters where he often refers to his personal prayers for the churches, but I think looking at the very first disciples of Jesus after His ascension is another great example. I want to look at several examples of this from Acts, which records the acts of the Apostles as guided by the Holy Spirit as they carried out the Great Commission. o Following the ascension of Jesus to heaven, Acts 1:12-14 tells us: 12 THEN THEY RETURNED TO JERUSALEM FROM THE MOUNT CALLED OLIVET, WHICH IS NEAR JERUSALEM, A SABBATH DAY'S JOURNEY AWAY. 13 AND WHEN THEY HAD ENTERED, THEY WENT UP TO THE UPPER ROOM, WHERE THEY WERE STAYING, PETER AND JOHN AND JAMES AND ANDREW, PHILIP AND THOMAS, BARTHOLOMEW AND MATTHEW, JAMES THE SON OF ALPHAEUS AND SIMON THE ZEALOT AND JUDAS THE SON OF JAMES. 14 ALL THESE WITH ONE ACCORD WERE DEVOTING THEMSELVES TO PRAYER, TOGETHER WITH THE WOMEN AND MARY THE MOTHER OF JESUS, AND HIS BROTHERS. o Later in chapter 2 (verses 42-47), we see this community in fellowship with one another. They focused on three areas according to verse 42, which reads: AND THEY DEVOTED THEMSELVES TO THE APOSTLES' TEACHING AND THE FELLOWSHIP, TO THE BREAKING OF BREAD AND THE PRAYERS. o Then, one of my favorite verses tells us the result of this focused community of believers, verse 47 says: PRAISING GOD AND HAVING FAVOR WITH ALL THE PEOPLE. AND THE LORD ADDED TO THEIR NUMBER DAY BY DAY THOSE WHO WERE BEING SAVED. o Prayer was a necessary staple to their lives in community under Christ. o Next, we are to practice community by ... * Learning together o We saw this example moments ago from the early church example from Acts. o Obviously, preaching and small groups are staples for the modern church. o Paul tells us in Ephesians that we are to mature, and part of how that is accomplished is through the teaching of the Word of God. o Paul further tells us in 2 Timothy that the Word of God serves a purpose of Scripture, which includes training in righteousness and equipping. o I won't spend more time here, since we just covered this topic a couple of weeks ago. o Finally, we practice community by ... * Being edified together o Edification means to be built up and strengthened by one another. o Paul gives a model of this in Titus 2, where he encourages the older men and women to mentor the younger men and women. o Paul also provides a reason for gifts that are used within the church in 1 Corinthians 12:7: TO EACH IS GIVEN THE MANIFESTATION OF THE SPIRIT FOR THE COMMON GOOD. Or as the New Living Translation renders, "A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other." Through the example of Jesus' ministry, and the ministry of the New Testament church, we can confidently say: A biblical community is a place where disciples of Jesus meet together for worship, prayer, learning, and edification. Of course this is not a complete list, but this does cover the general purpose of the church. I want to challenge you to put this into practice. At the risk of offending someone, I say this with love, as I know there are some very good reasons why people miss church and are not able to be here in person. Consider nonetheless ... Maybe you leave right after the service, and do not participate in Roundtable or one of our classes. Would you consider staying? Maybe you have not been attending one of the small group offerings we have. Would you commit to getting more information and praying about it? Maybe you have been coming here for a while and have not committed to membership. Can you pray about a decision to join? Maybe you're one of those church goers that only come to church once and awhile. Can you commit to one more in-person visit per month? Maybe you do not attend worship in person, but from the comfort of your own home. Can you commit to joining us in person regularly? A biblical community of believers, as Jesus modeled through His own ministry, reminds us that His body should be together, that we're to be purposeful in how we present ourselves before God and man, and that we're to be driven by love. So, as we gather, be fully engaged in worship, and in prayer, and sit under the Word of God, and be fully engaged in the building up of one another. That's a biblical community. One that I am proud and blessed to be a part of. One that I'm inviting you to be a part of. Let's pray. 2