Living in the Body - Part 3: Learning in Community

Thesis: If we want to grow, we have to submit ourselves to a teacher.

For Kids: We are not good at everything, but you can always get better if you will look for a teacher.

- Teacher statue from Jacob’s Grove class in Summerville.

Thesis:

For Kids:

Me:

Found Jesus in Assembly of God Youth Group

Powerful worship

Felt loved and made friends, but never really felt like part of that church

I did bible study on my own

Led bible study with a few friends at school

It felt like the things I was learning about God had slowed down a lot and I was just rehashing the basics

Truthfully, it wasn't even the basics. I just felt like everyone should have the same kind of experience I had getting saved, because that was really all I knew.

Changed churches - not entirely by choice and joined a bible study with about 9 other high school students.

My learning and my experiences with God began to grow again, faster than ever before.

We:

Bible study works basically the same way every time

Observation

Interpretation

Application

Why do we seem to grow in certain studies more than others?

God:

2nd Powerful Bible Study - Manuscript Study of James

Manuscript studies:

No study notes, No headings, No verses, No chapters, No paragraphs

Let the text speak for itself before you invite in the man-made commentary

Romans 14:1 NRSV

Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions.

The heading “Do Not Judge Another” - skips past the problem.

The heading “Do Not Judge Another” - skips past the problem.

The heading “Do Not Judge Another” - skips past the problem.

Problem: the community of faith was growing, but some people were trying to grow it for their own agenda.

Problem: the community of faith was growing, but some people were trying to grow it for their own agenda.

Romans 14:2–4 NRSV

Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

Romans 14:2-

Food distinctions - diet beliefs

2 Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. 3 Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lordb is able to make them stand.

We still see today between Jews and Gentiles, Muslims, HIndus, Buddhists, etc.

Food distinctions

Traditional food in Chicago and New York is more pizza and hotdogs instead of fried chicken and bbq like we have in the south.

Even things like bbq taste really different depending on where it is made

These food beliefs often cross over with yearly or seasonal celebrations

Romans 12:5–6 NRSV

so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith;

Romans 14:5–6 NRSV

Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God.

Romans 12:5-

Celebrations

Nowadays, people move around great distances from home to home and job to job, so we could easily have 100 different “traditional Christmas dinners” including food and activities, throughout Campbellsville, but in the days of Paul, people were really just starting to travel a lot, and when they did, they mostly stuck with their own kind.

5 Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. 6 Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God.

Rome tolerated diversity, but did not encourage you to show off your culture too much

Those who did were either mocked or no longer tolerated, thrown in prison, or killed

Let me summarize vs.1 again for you, in light of Paul’s comments on food and celebrations

Come to Church. Leave your politics behind.

Leave your politics behind.

Politics? The word I might use instead of opinions, which Paul used.

He didn’t realize there was such a thing as church politics yet, but he was right in the middle of the beginning of it.

Here is how (at least in the best case) we get our politics from Scripture.

Ideas - appears to be

Ideas - appears to be

Interpretations - could be

Opinions - should be

We get ourselves into a mess when we skip either step 1 or 2 before we make our opinions and politics at step 3

Romans 14:7–9 NRSV

We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Romans 14:7-

You no longer belong to yourself.

Why would anyone give themselves up like that?

Military

Missionaries

Anyone following God’s call on their life

2 Chronicles 7:14 NRSV

if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

2 Chor

my people, called by my name

not just one or two scattered around

humbling themselves, coming together, repenting, and submitting to God’s will

Prayer will bring a match, but without repentance and submission to God’s will there will be nothing for the fire of revival to light into flame.

Any prayer for revival needs to be followed by a prayer like this

Hymnal 607

I am no longer my own, but yours.

Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will;

put me to doing, put me to suffering;

let me be employed for you, or laid aside for you,

exalted for you, or brought low for you;

let me be full,let me be empty,

let me have all things,let me have nothing:

I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal.

And now, glorious and blessed God,Father, Son and Holy Spirit,you are mine and I am yours.

So be it. And the covenant now made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven.

Amen.

Finding your identity in the team you are not the leader of - Patrick Lencioni

Fellow employee of...

Part of the St. Mark Education Team instead of Sunday School teacher

Co-laborer in God’s kingdom instead of pastor

daughter instead of mother

child of God, instead of grandpa

If you truly live humbly, not taking those titles, it will mess up the social structure around you

but God will lift you up higher through it.

The discipline of submission to authority in spiritual instruction

Following the revivals of church throughout history

Begins with prayer

followed by a discipline of submission to others for spiritual instruction

500 A.D. - Monastic movements - Benedictine monks - everyone has a superior mentor they obey

1000 A.D. - Monastic movements - Franciscan monks - giving up possessions and living in community together

1500 A.D. - Reformation - Accountability groups in Protestant Church - Spiritual directors in Catholic groups

2000 A.D. - Everybody needs a coach or mentor

Romans 14:10–12 NRSV

Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.” So then, each of us will be accountable to God.

You:

11 For it is written,

“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,

and every tongue shall give praise tof God.”

12 So then, each of us will be accountable to God.g

You:

Is it wrong to judge?

No, sometimes it is necessary

Whenever we are teaching, we are judging whether the students are learning or not and hopefully adjust our teaching so they can learn better

Our problems usually begin when we find ourselves always the teacher and never the student

We slow or stunt our growth

We miss out on the joy of learning in community

Are you growing in your faith?

Do you have a teacher/mentor/guide?

Are you following them and doing your homework?

We:

We as a church are not God and we do not always know what encouragement or pruning our brothers and sistsers around us may need.

The best doctors do not start their conversations with prescriptions - they start by asking the patient questions

We come from a lot of different places and experiences.

Maybe we can grow better together if we start off our learning together with questions to each other instead of answers from ourselves.