The Irreducible Minimums

Three ways the church can change the world (Jim Dennison) One: Minister to the world. Two: Serve each other. Three: Offer community to the culture. We have evolved into a culture that craves relationships, while starving for them at the same time The Original Plan…Genesis “It is good.” “It is very good.” “It is not good.” “It is not good for man to be alone” There is a God created vacuum that no one but God can fill and there is a God created vacuum that He will not fill Our Relational DNA –The Divine 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. Gen.1:26-27 The Jesus Dream….John 17 that they may be one, just as We are. Jn.17:11 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. Jn.17:21 “ Our relationship with each other is the criterion the world uses to judge whether our message is truthful— Christian community is the final apologetic” Francis Schaeffer God has called the Church to create environments where authentic community can take place Five practices absolutely necessary for authentic relationships in community “ There is no fast food at the table of community.” “Christians want change without challenge, strength without suffering, community without commitment.” Bill Donahue Phil.3:10-14 But to obtain these gifts, you need more than faith; you must also work hard to be good, and even that is not enough. For then you must learn to know God better and discover what he wants you to do. Next, learn to put aside your own desires so that you will become patient and godly, gladly letting God have his way with you. This will make possible the next step, which is for you to enjoy other people and to like them, and finally you will grow to love them deeply. II Pet.1:5-7 TLB # 1….Self Disclosure: To Know and Be Known “True Community is more than being together. A person does not develop trust in others simply by being in a group where members study together, pray together, and share a common group leader. Trust involves relatedness. Relatedness is more than presence although that is the beginning. To relate, one must know, and to know one must work at being open to trust.” Julie Gorman Fuller Seminary # 1….Self Disclosure: To Know and Be Known “True Community is more than being together. A person does not develop trust in others simply by being in a group where members study together, pray together, and share a common group leader. Trust involves relatedness. Relatedness is more than presence although that is the beginning. To relate, one must know, and to know one must work at being open to trust.” Julie Gorman Fuller Seminary Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths…. “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” Gen.3:7,8-10 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths…. “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” Gen.3:7,8-10 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Gen.3:12-14 “Why am I afraid to tell you who I am? I am afraid to tell you who I am, because, if I tell you who I am, you may not like who I am, and it's all that I have...” ― John Joseph Powell, Why Am I Afraid to Tell You Who I Am? Insights Into Personal Growth John 8:1-11 The “ministry” of condemnation must not exist in the church If any man be in Christ he is a new creation II Cor. 5:17 #2….Care Giving: To Love and Be Loved And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. I Jn.3:23 We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. I Jn.4:19-21 #2….Care Giving: To Love and Be Loved Luke 7:41-47 This bold, compassionate life giving love begins with Forgiveness Seeing Hearing #3….Humility: To Serve and Be Served Our example: Phil.2:1-11 He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” Luke 14:12-14 Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world. James 1:27 (The Message) #4... Truth-Telling: To Admonish and Be Admonished Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. Col. 1:28-29 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Col.3:15-16 Admonish means “to put in mind, or to warn” Though primarily corrective, admonition, as in the above verses, is often linked with teaching, encouraging and building up. “The ministry of admonishing calls people to change, then provides encouragement and teaching to help them change. It is an expression of genuine love and truth from which there can be no turning.” Bill Donahue #5 Affirmation: To Celebrate and Be Celebrated W live in an affirmation deprived culture “Rejoice” is used 42x in the NT “Joy” is used 60x in the NT Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance Rom.5:1-3 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. Jn.17:13 Rejoice in hope Rom.12:12 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord…Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Phil.4:1,4 Rejoice always I Thess.5:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Rom.12:15 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. Heb.10:24-25 To cultivate a culture of community requires that the quality of life transcend the traditional experiences of most churches