Uncomfortable People | UNCOMFORTABLE

[VIDEO] Uncomfortable Bumper

Introduction

Welcome / Church Online

Part 3 - Uncomfortable

Wk 1 - Embrace the Discomfort: We give up the idea that we need a community to worship Him but rather we embrace the idea of living stones, being built into a place where God can dwell.

Wk 2 - The Uncomfortable Cross: We should look to Jesus as an example for how to deny ourselves and take up our crosses.

Theme Verse:

1 Peter 2:4–5 NLT

4 You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. 5 And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.

>>> Today, we are taking uncomfortable to a whole-nother level. We’re talking about Uncomfortable People.

We’ve all encountered people who make us uncomfortable.

Joy in San Antonio

Churches seem to be a magnet for these kind people. Not ours....

Aggressive huggers, know-it-alls, overly needy, prayer gossipers, the cryers, etc.

Thankful we don’t have any of these here.

Yet, even with all the fantastic, beautiful, not-weird people here, it seems like no matter what, there’s always at least one person who rubs us the wrong way—someone we try to avoid when we see them at the donut station.

[SHREK] Like I hate when you got someone if your face and you keep trying to give them a hint and they won’t leave. And there’s that big awkward silence, you know?

But what if this diversity, however uncomfortable, is part of God’s design—part of His plan—and a picture of Heaven?

Rev7.9

Revelation 7:9 NLT

After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands.

R

The body of Christ is made up of people from all backgrounds and all walks of life, and sometimes that makes living in community difficult.

The point is, we should not expect our church, or any church, to be free of people who annoy us—and that’s a good thing. God’s family is comprised of people with different backgrounds, personalities, and opinions. And sometimes it gets messy.

>>> This week we’re digging into what it means to be part of a church [≠ Church Lite], and how we can commit more deeply to the community of believers that God has put us in [Partnership]. And this is true regardless of the church you attend. You can’t run from it. Around here, we’ve decided to be people who embrace this responsibility.

I. Everyone is Welcome an Has a Part to Play in the Body of Christ

1 Corinthians 12:12–14 NLT

The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part.

1cor12.12-14

Paul uses the metaphor of a body to describe the church (vv. 12–13).

A body is made up of many different parts—toes, arms, legs, a head—and each part has a unique purpose. Every part belongs to the body, and without that part, the body is no longer whole.

Paul says, the same is true of Body of Christ—His Church.

It’s easy to look at the worship team, the preachers, and the greeters and assume that these are the important people in the church, but in fact everyone—“whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free”—plays a crucial role in the body of Christ (v. 13).

1 Corinthians 12:15–21 NLT

If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”

1cor12.15-

Paul is emphasizing that each part of the body is important.

1cor12.15-

1 Corinthians 12:15–27 NLT

If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.

This is a beautiful perfect of how the church is supposed to function.

We need pastors, teachers, Life Group leaders, and worship leaders.

But we also need check-in staff, coffee makers, security team, etc.

Yet, our temptation is to downplay our role/our importance to the mission, and feel that the work others do is more important/more influential.

This gives us an excuse to do nothing. To sit on the bench. To never enter the game.

The Apostle Paul challenges this mindset:

1 Corinthians 12:22–27 NLT

In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.

Studs vs Microwaves

The biblical image of the people of God is that we are stones being built together into a dwelling place.

A dwelling place requires not one big stone but many pieces of stone, interlocked and fortified together.

It’s not that the stones lose their individuality or their unique textures or shapes; the image is not one of identical bricks or prefab concrete blocks.

Brett McCracken: “Only together do individual stones achieve the structural purpose of becoming the household of God. … Together our unique shapes complement each other and create a more structurally sound ‘building’”

Unity ≠ Melting Pot

Psalm 133:1 NIV

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!

ps1

Application: The question we should ask when we’re thinking about our church community, is not “Does this community hit all of my check boxes, my preferences, and my desires?” but rather, “Is this a place I can faithfully serve the community and be a committed part of this body?”

II. Being Part of the Church is Uncomfortable

1 Corinthians 12:13 NLT

Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.

Imagine how awkward this would be

Jews & Gentiles

Slaves & Free

Another way to read Paul’s words in verse 13 is this: “For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—regardless of background, nationality, social status, political belief, or any other arbitrary dividing lines that don’t matter in the kingdom of God.”

The reality is that living in community with people, especially people different from ourselves, can be challenging.

Disagreements, uncomfortable moments, awkward silences, frustrations, etc.

Often, when we feel that we’re not fitting in or under value/utilized, we are tempted to just leave and find a place that is decidedly more within our comfort zone.

We want people who worship like us, dress like us, laugh at the same jokes, teach our blend of doctrine and theology, etc.

In our culture and society, our loyalties to groups—even outside the church—have become weak. So we opt to leave and withdraw, rather than stay, press in, and grow.

Yet, the Bible doesn’t really give us this option.

Imagine standing before Jesus and say, “Hey, just want you to know how much I appreciate you and love—I just hate your wife.”

The church is the bride of Christ. And it’s not always easy. It’s often messy. But He has promised to present us—His bride—without spot, wrinkle, or blemish. Holy and without fault.

Charles Spurgeon: “The church is faulty, but that is no excuse for your not joining it, if you are the Lord’s. Nor need your own faults keep you back, for the church is not an institution for perfect people, but a sanctuary for sinners saved by grace, who, though they are saved, are sinners still, and need all the help they can derive from the sympathy and guidance of their fellow believers. The church is the nursery for God’s weak children, where they are nourished and grown strong. It is the fold for Christ’s sheep; the home for Christ’s family.”

Application: Rather than searching for a church full of people who look, think, act, and believe like us, we must realize that that church doesn’t exist. And even if it did, it wouldn’t be the church we need. Embracing the tension and struggle of being apart of a church community teaches us how to love others and love God.

III. We Are United by the Spirit

1 Corinthians 12:13 NLT

Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.

The church is not made up of a motley group of people who just so happen to enjoy getting together for worship once a week and meeting for small groups on Wednesday night.

No, the uniting factor, the thing that brings the church together week in and week out, despite differences and conflicts, is the Holy Spirit.

The church is made up of people who have all experienced something life changing—repentance from sin and the grace and forgiveness of Jesus Christ.

This has consequently bound us together with a bond that calls us to transcend every difference and dividing line, a bond that challenges each of us to yield our own preferences and comfort for the sake of our brothers and sisters.

That doesn’t mean all churches must look alike or worship alike, but Paul is reminding his readers that in the Spirit all Christians are united as one.

In Shakespeare’s “Henry V,” King Henry delivers an inspiring speech to his peasant soldiers, rousing them battle, declaring that the men who fought with him that day would be united forever as a “Band of Brothers.”

Football

When you spend hours working hard towards a common goal with someone your differences and your preferences tend to fall by the wayside. -Chip Gaines

We too are in battle. A battle not against flesh and blood, but against evil rulers and authorities, against mighty powers in the dark world, and evil spirits in heavenly places.

We are in a battle for the souls of our lost spouses, children, family, and friends.

The stakes have never been higher.

The constant bickering throughout the American church over preference and style is because we have lost sight of the mission.

When the mission is our aim, we don’t have time to waste on silly things like style of music and whether “I have a best friend at church.”

God didn’t come to make you comfortable. God came to set you as a city on a hill, as a light that shines in the darkness, calling all men into relationship with their Creator.

Conclusion

It is easy to forget, but the church is made up of people who have the most important thing in common: the forgiveness of sins and our love for Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

Because of the work God has done in all of our lives, we can embrace the uncomfortableness and live in community with people with whom we may not naturally connect.

We are stones being chiseled and smoothed and refined together, and at times, it’s painful. But the house the Spirit is building through us is beautiful. We are united, and we’re on mission.

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“The truth is, we don’t have to agree on everything to be friends, but a lot of people—a lot of people—seem to think we do. That popular and toxic lie has taken our beautiful planet and turned it into a battleground. The assumption is, if you don’t think like me, not only are you wrong, but you are bad and possibly even evil.” -Chip Gaines

“If I populate my life with people just like me, then my world is going to be mighty small, indeed—maybe one person deep in all directions. If there are no opposing views, no fresh vantage points, then there is no stretching beyond myself. No growth. No change.” -Chip Gaines

When you spend hours working hard towards a common goal with someone your differences and your preferences tend to fall by the wayside. -Chip Gaines