A Better Family
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Introduction
Introduction
Review Mission
Review Mission
We are in the middle of an important sermon series regarding the direction of our church. The elders and I have been praying and discussing over who we are as a church and where we are going. I know that many of you have been praying as well.
We believe that God has given us the vision for who we are and what we are to be doing. So two weeks ago we unveiled our new mission statement: We exist to invite all people to life under a better King.
Having clarity regarding our purpose will help us fulfill that which God has called us to.
Review Values
Review Values
Last week I introduced the first of four values that we desire to shape our church. A value is what characterizes our mission. It is not something that we do but something that characterizes what we do. Our values will serve as guardrails that will help create the kind of culture that we want here at WSBC.
As I mentioned last week, our values are not all fully realized. In other words, they are somewhat aspirational. That being said, I believe that each of these values is on display in our church, even if only a spark. Our goal is to capture that spark and pour gas on it it so that it turns into a roaring blaze.
The value that I introduced to you last week was A Better Message. By that we mean that our church will be a gospel centered church. There is no better message than the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection for sinners. By stating gospel centrality as one of our values we are committing to keeping the gospel as central to all we do. We believe the gospel is not simply the foyer to the Christian faith, but the foundation, the walls, the wiring, and the roof.
Value: A Better Family
Value: A Better Family
Our second stated value that will define us as a church is a better family. Part of what makes life under King Jesus so good is that we have been brought in to a better family than any other family under the sun. By emphasizing this reality are saying that biblical community will be essential to everything we do as a church. Why ought we value biblical community, our better family, this way?
We were created for community
We were created for community
From day one, God created human beings to be in community.
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
Genesis 1.
Notice here that the text emphasizes the fact that human beings are made in God’s image. That means that one of the central purposes to human existence is to represent God to the rest of creation. We are to represent him in his dominion and his rule. But notice the other way that we image God.
The text says that we image God by being created as male and female. Now there is much to say about this passage, but for our purposes here, I want to ask how our being male and female images God.
God exists eternally in a community, doesn’t he? We have a trinitarian God, Father, Son, Spirit. God did not create out of loneliness. He has always existed in a holy, happy community. So, when God set out to create image bearers he created a community, male and female, which would go on to become a larger community.
So yes, each individual human being as dignity as an image bearer. But God never intended that you and I would image him all by ourselves. We were designed to image him in community. By valuing a better family, we are saying that we are commited to live out our original design.
Jesus died for a people
Jesus died for a people
In our western culture we prize individualism. We speak of a personal relationship with Jesus. We focus on personal spiritual disciplines. We often emphasize the individual at the expense of the communal. Notice though what Paul says to Titus, speaking about God’s grace shown to us.
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
Titus 2.
This is huge. I have heard well meaning preachers take and tell people to replace the word WORLD with you own name, so that you can say God so loved Glen, or Susan, or Steve, or Lindsey, etc. that he sent his Son. Similarly, I have heard speakers say that if you were the only person who would receive Jesus, he would have come just for you. How would Paul feel about such statements?
Jesus Christ DID NOT GIVE HIMSELF TO REDEEM JUST YOU. He gave himself for US to redeem US to purify for himself A PEOPLE for his own possession.
It is not about you and Jesus verse the world. It is about you and Jesus and his people verse the world. Yes of course, Jesus saves individuals. But he does not save individuals to keep them as such. He saves individuals to bring them in as a part of his family, his people. He has no intent on you merely keeping a personal relationship with him. He wants you to be a part of his entire family. You need to have a personal relationship with Jesus’ people as well.
Here is one of the ways that this value shapes our mission. When we share the gospel with others we are not just trying to win people to Jesus. We are trying to win them to ourselves. We are after new brothers and sisters for our family. We want to be committed to reproduction more than a home school family reality TV show. We want to be the weirdos with a massive family, brothers from different mothers, but the same God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
There is no such thing as lone ranger Christianity.
It is not about you and Jesus vs. the world. It’s about you and Jesus and his people vs. the world!
A blood thicker than our own binds us.
We are better together
We are better together
Our mission depends on us valuing biblical community rightly. Why? We have no shot at actually winning our city to Jesus individually. Or to put it positively, we will win our city as a family because we are better together. Listen to Paul again.
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
Romans 12.3-
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
God in his wisdom has created the church to be a living, breathing body. God has designed us to fail spectacularly by ourselves. At the same time he has hard wired us for success together. Each of us is gifted by God’s Spirit differently. We need each other in order to survive. We also need each other to succeed at our mission.
Romans 12.6-8
God in his wisdom has created the church to be a living, breathing body. God has designed us to fail spectacularly by ourselves. At the same time he has hard wired us for success together. Each of us is gifted by God’s Spirit differently. We need each other in order to survive. We also need each other to succeed at our mission.
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 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.
Not all are preachers. Not all are gifted at service. Not all are gifted with encouragement. Not all have the same gifts of generosity. Not have leadership abilities. Not all are musically inclined. Not all have financial know how. Not all have gifts of mercy. Not all have the same passions.
This is intentional. I may have the gift of preaching, but I need your gifts to help me and you need mine to help you. No one will be won to Jesus through preaching or encouragement or generosity alone. Our gifts all functioning as one unit will be what it takes.
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
There is no such thing as lone ranger Christianity. All who try to live as such will fail. That is why we must value our better family as a church, because we know we need each other and we know that we are better together.
Our culture needs our community
Our culture needs our community
Of the four values that we are adopting as a church, this one may be one of the most counter-cultural. We live here in the birthplace of independence. Individuals in our culture pride themselves in not needing anyone to function. We are content with waving at neighbors across the street, but never have them into our homes. We avoid eye contact with strangers on the street. We maintain a small closed circle of friends. We keep things to ourselves and value our privacy above all.
I think that our culture is starved for genuine community. God has designed us as a church to be the kind of community that this culture doesn’t even realize yet that it needs. Let us embrace biblical community for the good of our city. They need to see in us not just individual transformed lives. They need to see us operating as a family. Remember the words of Jesus:
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
As we love each other as a family, only then will our lost and lonely friends see that life under Jesus is truly better.
What’s this mean for us?
What’s this mean for us?
Our culture needs our community
Our culture needs our community
Of the four values that we are adopting as a church, this one may be one of the most counter-cultural. We live here in the birthplace of independence. Individuals in our culture pride themselves in not needing anyone to function. We are content with waving at neighbors across the street, but never have them into our homes. We avoid eye contact with strangers on the street. We maintain a small closed circle of friends. We keep things to ourselves and value our privacy above all.
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I think that our culture is starved for genuine community. God has designed us as a church to be the kind of community that this culture doesn’t even realize yet that it needs.
Doing away with personal ministry
Doing away with personal ministry
Here is what often transpires in many churches. Individual Christians come to churches looking to fulfill their personal ministries and passions. So, whenever a person comes up to the leadership with a ministry they want to do, they have them do it.
Over time such a church is filled with Christians all with there own ministries and agendas. One has a ministry to the homeless, another to pregnant teens, another to nursing homes, another hands out tracks. You end up having a church with a hundred different ministries with all of its members running in different directions.
In such churches it can be hard to get a church wide ministry up and moving because people are more committed to their own personal passions than the ministry of the church at large.
Now of course all of those ministries are good things. But how effective can you really be by yourself? We are so much more effective together. The ministry of the church at large must always carry more weight than your personal hobby ministries. For some of us that might be challenging to accept, but we must keep in mind that Jesus saved us to be a functioning part of his body, not an amputated limb.
So moving forward, our hope is that members of WSBC would prize our ministry together over our ministries as individuals. Of course we aren’t asking you to stop serving outside the church or to abandon your passions! But we are asking you to prioritize the churches mission and ministry above your own. We need you.
Emphasizing discipleship in community
Emphasizing discipleship in community
The other element of this value that we hope to see in play will be a commitment to discipleship in community. We believe being a part of a small group will be the best way to see growth as a follower of Jesus in our church. You and I need to be in a smaller functioning community within the church where our needs can be met and we can grow and meet the needs of others.
I will talk more about this in a few weeks when I unpack our strategy moving forward, but suffice it to say that part of valuing our better family will be having our Christian growth happen in community.
growth happen in community.
As individuals
As individuals
For those of us that already know Jesus, if we are to value biblical community we must ensure that we are making the church as a community our priority. Too often my decisions are made based on what’s best for me or my own family.
Before I move, before I take the new job, before a get married, before I buy that vehicle, before I go on that vacation, I need to consider its impact on the church, not just myself. Is this what is best, not just for MY personal relationship with Jesus, but for the church’s relationship with Jesus?
For those of us that do not yet have a relationship with God through his Son Jesus, I would like to invite you to become a part of a better family. It is said that blood is thicker than water. But we have found a blood thicker than our own. Jesus gave his life so that we could become a part of his forever family. If you are looking for a more meaningful community, you need to become a part of God’s Kingdom. If you would like to know how to do that, I would love to share with you how after the service.