TOGETHER 1

TOGETHER PT 1

Good morning and welcome! We’re so happy to have you join us on this Back to Church Sunday.

As a church, we are the collective hands and feet of Christ -- who reflect Him and do His work in the world as we grow in our relationships with Him and with each other.

That’s not just us as a group of friends and family within these four walls -- that includes those gathering in the church across town and on the other side of our country and around the world.

Together is the theme of our Back to Church Sunday, and as I thought about togetherness and what it means for us as followers of Jesus, I thought of . . . LEGOS

ILLUSTRATION

That’s right. You know this favorite childhood toy, right? Those small plastic bricks with little raised circles. Who could imagine that these pieces of plastic are worth billions of dollars? Literally, a fortune. The Danish toy company that began in the 1930s has built a Lego empire around the building bricks that they introduced in the 1950s.

Individually, Legos are just cheap pieces of plastic — and, I might add, the cause of great distress to parents who, in the darkness of night, step on the lone Lego left on the bedroom floor. But despite their basic design, the magic is in the way they fit together. Legos are designed to be TOGETHER — that’s what those little raised circles are for, to attach each brick to another. AND TOGETHER these plastic pieces can be made into fantastic creations. Full-scale models of castles, cars, airplanes, spaceships have all been built from LEGOS.

It seems that Legos can be put together to create almost anything. They are just pieces of plastic. BUT TOGETHER they create something much bigger and better than the sum of their parts.

The CHURCH is like Legos — a collection of individuals of various sizes, shapes, and colors. Individually, we may not be much to look at — or kind of a big jumble at a glance — but when WE COME TOGETHER THE WAY GOD INTENDED, WE FORM THE CHURCH, which is a creation much greater than the individual members.

God Takes Our Chaos And -- By His Design -- Makes Something Spectacular And Gives Us Purpose.

Christ invites us to be TOGETHER with Himself and together with one another. TOGETHER we are on this journey of transformation.

Let’s start this journey with a bit of a road map. The guide for our journey comes from the book of Ephesians. While in prison in Rome, the apostle Paul wrote a letter to a group of believers in the city of Ephesus about 30 years after Jesus’ death and resurrection; that letter is the New Testament book of Ephesians. It’s a short book of the Bible — just six chapters — And togetherness is a theme that Paul comes back to again and again.

I know you know this -- but the people of Ephesus did not have smartphones, or the Internet, or even TV or radio. I remind you of this obvious fact because it’s easy to forget the original context and culture of the people of the Bible. And like all of the early church, the believers in Ephesus got their information in a very communal way. Although Paul wrote to them in a letter, the people receiving it did so by gathering together and listening to the letter being read.

When it came to processing and understanding what the letter meant, the people of Ephesus (and all of the early church) did so — TOGETHER.

TOGETHER they listened and learned and shared and discussed and wrestled through the challenges of living out their faith in Christ in the midst of a culture that operated in a vastly different way..

Does anyone know where Ephesus is, or was? If you search it on Google Maps, your first hits might include a city in the state of Georgia, an elementary school in North Carolina, and a Mediterranean food restaurant in Houston, Texas. If you keep scrolling, you might eventually find the Ruins of Ephesus, which are located at the site of the ancient city in what is now modern-day Turkey.

In the early history of the church -- Ephesus became a place of evangelism where the gospel spread quickly and many people came to be believers.

(GW) He came with the Good News of peace for you who were far away and for those who were near. So Jewish and non-Jewish people can go to the Father in one Spirit. That is why you are no longer foreigners and outsiders but citizens together with God’s people and members of God’s family. You are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Christ Jesus himself is the cornerstone. In him all the parts of the building fit together and grow into a holy temple in the Lord. Through him you, also, are being built in the Spirit together with others into a place where God lives. and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief corner stone;

He came with the Good News of peace for you who were far away and for those who were near. So Jewish and non-Jewish people can go to the Father in one Spirit. That is why you are no longer foreigners and outsiders but citizens together with God’s people and members of God’s family. You are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Christ Jesus himself is the cornerstone. In him all the parts of the building fit together and grow into a holy temple in the Lord. Through him you, also, are being built in the Spirit together with others into a place where God lives. and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief corner stone;

Our world seeks peace in so many different ways. We seek peace among nations, peace in our cities, peace in our families, peace in our churches, and peace in our own minds and hearts. As we explore the concept that Together We Find Peace .... HOW

[1] PEACE IN UNITY — NO LONGER FOREIGNERS AND STRANGERS

Do you ever find yourself, or those you know, searching for a place to belong? Searching for a way to be part of something bigger than yourself? Where do you experience that sense of belonging? Paul says that the body of Christ — the church — is our place of belonging -- rooted in the restoration and unity brought by Jesus.

Nobody can claim a higher position or status, because all believers are of the same status — sinners in need of grace. Earlier in chapter 2, Paul emphasizes the fact that the very life we have received from God is only because of God’s grace.

(PassionNTPsa) Throughout the coming ages we will be the visible display of the infinite, limitless riches of his grace and kindness, which was showered upon us in Jesus Christ. For it was only through this wonderful grace that we believed in him. Nothing we did could ever earn this salvation, for it was the gracious gift from God that brought us to Christ! So no one will ever be able to boast, for salvation is never a reward for good works or human striving.

Throughout the coming ages we will be the visible display of the infinite, limitless riches of his grace and kindness, which was showered upon us in Jesus Christ. For it was only through this wonderful grace that we believed in him. Nothing we did could ever earn this salvation, for it was the gracious gift from God that brought us to Christ! So no one will ever be able to boast, for salvation is never a reward for good works or human striving.

Christ’s purpose was to unify the two major divisions of people — Jews and Gentiles. By including these two groups, Paul is basically including everyone. Those who weren’t Jews, those who weren’t part of God’s covenant people, were Gentiles. But Paul clarified,

(GW) So he is our peace. In his body he has made Jewish and non-Jewish people one by breaking down the wall of hostility that kept them apart.

So he is our peace. In his body he has made Jewish and non-Jewish people one by breaking down the wall of hostility that kept them apart.

By coming to save the world — all people of the world — Jesus broke down the deepest divisions of eternity between God and man, and the deepest divisions of humanity between God’s covenant people and others. In doing away with that separation -- He brought PEACE — real, lasting, ultimate peace.

OBVIOUSLY -- that peace will not be completely realized until Christ returns to complete God’s ultimate restoration. But through Jesus’ death and resurrection, the door to peace is open to us all. And it opens up to UNITY as a definitive characteristic of God’s people.

Paul is clear that we find peace in unity -- but that does not mean in uniformity or sameness.

The church at Ephesus was full of diversity, and the goal was not to change this.

The goal was unity in the midst of those differences.

It’s the same goal for US AS the CHURCH today.

So We Find Peace Not Be Separating Ourselves From The World Or From Others -- But By Leaning Into The Grace And Unity That Jesus Brings TOGETHER !!!

SO -- Let’s be a people of unity. Let’s be a people of grace. Let’s be a people of peace.

[2] PEACE IN GOD’S PRESENCE—HE IS OUR PEACE

That’s much easier to say than to do, isn’t it? We live in a world that seems increasingly full of discord and anxiety. News stories demonstrate every day that as a population we struggle with anxiety, depression, and isolation.

Headlines proclaim divisions and conflicts of all sorts -- from personal disagreements to political wars -- We need PEACE!

Paul is crystal clear in verse 14 that CHRIST HIMSELF is our PEACE. Peace is not a thing. It’s a person.

We find peace — both personally and as a body — in relationship with Jesus.

And we experience it as a fruit of God’s Spirit living in and through us,

(PassionNTPsa) But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions: That sure is good news to my ears! We are not alone. We are citizens, family, and most importantly, a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit. While our struggles do not magically disappear, together in the middle of our struggles we can experience peace, because we have the presence of the Holy Spirit. And we can share and offer peace to others, even when struggles or disagreements arise.

But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions: That sure is good news to my ears! We are not alone. We are citizens, family, and most importantly, a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit. While our struggles do not magically disappear, together in the middle of our struggles we can experience peace, because we have the presence of the Holy Spirit. And we can share and offer peace to others, even when struggles or disagreements arise.

So what does peace look like in our lives this week? I can tell you first what it is not.

Peace is not ignoring differences, conflict, or reality. Peace is not an image to be upheld or a feeling to be pursued.

PEACE IS THE PRESENCE OF GOD IN HIS PEOPLE.

And His presence through the Holy Spirit enables us to experience PEACE and to remind each other and the world around us that HE is the source of all PEACE.

Where Anxiety And Fear Are Strongest -- We Can Be A Living Reminder That God Cares For The Details Of Our Lives

And We Can Rest In The Peace That Comes From Knowing He Will Care For Us Just As He Does The Birds Of The Air And The Flowers Of The Field

[3] THE WAY OF PEACE — ALL BEING BUILT TOGETHER

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could find peace once and be done with it? But peace is not just a one- time event. When faced with an unpeaceful world, Jesus invites us to return to Him and to each other again and again.

The prophets who foretold the coming of Christ gave Him the name PRINCE OF PEACE -- And through His death and resurrection, He made the way of peace available to each of us.

In the face of all life’s battles – WHAT BATTLES ARE YOU FACING NOW -- Jesus offers the terms of peace and the way forward. When we surrender to His power and accept His life -- we embrace the way of PEACE.

The Good News Is That As Believers Our Peace Goes Beyond A Circumstance Or A Feeling.

In Fact, Our Peace Is The Never-Changing, Always-Present Spirit Of God.

Jesus knew the hardships His disciples would face, and He promised them peace.

(GW) However, the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything. He will remind you of everything that I have ever told you. “I’m leaving you peace. I’m giving you my peace. I don’t give you the kind of peace that the world gives. So don’t be troubled or cowardly.

However, the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything. He will remind you of everything that I have ever told you. “I’m leaving you peace. I’m giving you my peace. I don’t give you the kind of peace that the world gives. So don’t be troubled or cowardly.

But We All Need Reminders.

We All Need Encouragement And Support.

We All Need Others To Relate With In Unity And Share Peace And Bring It Into A World That Needs It.

AND THAT’S WHERE THE CHURCH COMES IN.

(GW) In him all the parts of the building fit together and grow into a holy temple in the Lord. Through him you, also, are being built in the Spirit together with others into a place where God lives.

In him all the parts of the building fit together and grow into a holy temple in the Lord. Through him you, also, are being built in the Spirit together with others into a place where God lives.

I LIKE THE PASSION BIBLE ....

(PassionNTPsa) This entire building is under construction and is continually growing under his supervision until it rises up completed as the holy temple of the Lord himself. This means that God is transforming each one of you into the Holy of Holies, his dwelling place, through the power of the Holy Spirit living in you!

This entire building is under construction and is continually growing under his supervision until it rises up completed as the holy temple of the Lord himself. This means that God is transforming each one of you into the Holy of Holies, his dwelling place, through the power of the Holy Spirit living in you!

Like those Legos we talked about earlier, we fit together to form the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit fills and enables us with the peace of Christ.

Why do we come back to church -- and invite others to join us?

Because coming together here does not just put us in the church. Instead, it is here that we realize we are the church — and as the church, God dwells with us.

So we come together to live and worship in unity, to collectively turn our focus to Jesus and experience the source of our peace, and to offer the way of peace to the world.

Together we are so much greater than the sum of our parts.

Together we encourage and support each other when we are weak.

Together we reflect the nature and relationship of God.

THAT’S WHY WE NEED EACH OTHER -- THAT’S WHY WE NEED YOU HERE -- WE ALL FIT TOGETHER & WITHOUT ONE PIECE HERE -- THERE IS AN EMPTY PLACE

Thank you for coming together on this Back to Church Sunday. I hope to see each of you in the coming weeks as we continue this journey — TOGETHER.