JESUS - COMMUNITY - MISSION
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It’s Jesus - Community - Mission
It’s Jesus - Community - Mission
Real Christianity is simple. It’s Jesus Community Mission. You can leave out many traditions. You can make many mistakes. But if you have Jesus Community Mission, you’re into real Christianity, and your life will matter forever.It starts with Jesus, and his good news for bad people. Is it too obvious to say? I don’t think so.
We need constant refocus on the Lord.
We need constant refocus on the Lord.
One man put it this way:“Believers may not often realize it, but even as believers we are either centered on man or centered on God. There is no alternative. Either God is the center of our universe and we have become rightly adjusted to him, or we have made ourselves the center and are attempting to make all else orbit around us and for us.”
We are not well-integrated beings.
We are not well-integrated beings.
We are divided and scattered, hassled and unfree. We think it’s because we’re busy. The truth is deeper. We’ve established in our hearts something like aboard room, with a big table and chairs all around it. A big committee of competing selves sits at the table in that board room deep in our hearts. There is the professional self, the family self, the religious self, the goof-off self, the financial self, and so forth.
Our greatest problem is this committee never agrees.
Our greatest problem is this committee never agrees.
They argue and shout and vote against each other. We feel the pull of each self-staking its claims. Then we invite Jesus onto our committee and give him a vote, thinking that’s Christianity. But that isn’t the real Jesus. That’s committee member-Jesus. And that’s when being a Christian is a chore. It isn’t sincere, from the inside out. It’s a performance we put on, even for ourselves. As long as our committee still has voting power, what else can we expect?
Wouldn’t it be honest and freeing to admit this morning,“I need to get re-centered on Jesus”?
Wouldn’t it be honest and freeing to admit this morning,“I need to get re-centered on Jesus”?
Aren’t we tired of being pulled in so many directions with our chaotic selves? Will you give Jesus the mastery of your life? Real Christianity feels like an adventure, because Jesus comes in and fires the committee and takes over. He can quiet you and focus you and satisfy you. Only he can. Real Christianity begins with Jesus.
Community
Community
Again, is that too obvious to say? I don’t think so. We have lots of churches, but little community. Walking in the light, being honest with one another about our problems, loving one another in life groups, not treating church as another weekend activity along with the ball game but as the defining center of our weekly schedules–that is rare in the world today.
Real Christianity is a community experience.
Real Christianity is a community experience.
Gospel doctrine creates a gospel culture. The message of grace creates an environment of grace. When we come into church, we walk out of an environment of law and criticism and fault-finding and judgment, and we walk into an environment of gospel + safety +time, where we can start relaxing and changing. Here’s how Keith Miller describes a healthy church:
The neighborhood bar is possibly the best counterfeit there is to the fellowship Christ wants to give His church. It’s an imitation, dispensing liquor instead of grace, escape rather than reality, but it is an accepting and inclusive fellowship. It is unshockable. It is democratic. You can tell people secrets and they usually don’t tell others or even want to.
The neighborhood bar is possibly the best counterfeit there is to the fellowship Christ wants to give His church. It’s an imitation, dispensing liquor instead of grace, escape rather than reality, but it is an accepting and inclusive fellowship. It is unshockable. It is democratic. You can tell people secrets and they usually don’t tell others or even want to.
The bar flourishes not because most people are alcoholics, but because God has put into the human heart the desire to know and be known, to love and be loved, and so many seek a counterfeit at the price of a few beers. With all my heart I believe that Christ wants His church to be a fellowship where people can come in and say, ‘I’m sunk!’ ‘I’m beat!’ ‘I’ve had it!’ Alcoholics Anonymous has this quality. Our churches too often miss it.
The bar flourishes not because most people are alcoholics, but because God has put into the human heart the desire to know and be known, to love and be loved, and so many seek a counterfeit at the price of a few beers. With all my heart I believe that Christ wants His church to be a fellowship where people can come in and say, ‘I’m sunk!’ ‘I’m beat!’ ‘I’ve had it!’ Alcoholics Anonymous has this quality. Our churches too often miss it.
Every week when we gather, we come in with many wounds.
Every week when we gather, we come in with many wounds.
We come out of a world where we’ve been beaten up all week long. We all need a soft place to land, where we can breathe again. That’s community at Eureka, with gospel + safety + time–lots of gospel,lots of safety, lots of time, for lots of people. Many more people need to be experiencing this.
To all who are spiritually weary and seek rest, to all who mourn and long for comfort, to all who fail and desire strength, to all who sin and need a Savior, to all who hunger and thirst for righteousness, and to whoever will come, this church opens wide her doors with a welcome from Jesus Christ, the mighty Friend of sinners
To all who are spiritually weary and seek rest, to all who mourn and long for comfort, to all who fail and desire strength, to all who sin and need a Savior, to all who hunger and thirst for righteousness, and to whoever will come, this church opens wide her doors with a welcome from Jesus Christ, the mighty Friend of sinners
Jesus - Community – and now Mission.
Jesus - Community – and now Mission.
When we serve others here at Eureka, that’s Community. But when we serve people outside Eureka, that’s Mission. Mission answers the question; what are we going to do with this newness God is giving us? It can’t be for us only. Jesus said,
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”
We are going to make Jesus undeniable in our city and far beyond through a faith that works.
We are going to make Jesus undeniable in our city and far beyond through a faith that works.
On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem,
with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family.
And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders,
if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed,
let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.
This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
We cannot make Jesus acceptable but we can make Him undeniable.
We cannot make Jesus acceptable but we can make Him undeniable.
We cannot make Jesus any more acceptable than we can raise the ocean level by spitting in it. We aren’t called to make Him acceptable.If we attempt to make Jesus acceptable to all people we will be guilty of creating various types and forms of Jesus. We present Jesus as is . . .
But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.
For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,
to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?
For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.
King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.”
And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?”
And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.”
But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.
We don’t make Jesus into something because he is something; we make known and make clear.
We don’t make Jesus into something because he is something; we make known and make clear.
We must get Jesus right!
We must get Jesus right!
We must distinguish his uniqueness among all other Jesus’s who are being presented today. I take this from
And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them,
greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
This we will discuss more in future days. Next the word undeniable.I take this from;
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.
“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated(no formal education), common men(a person who has not acquired systemic information or expertise in some field of knowledge or activity—‘layman, ordinary person, amateur),they were astonished.
“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated(no formal education), common men(a person who has not acquired systemic information or expertise in some field of knowledge or activity—‘layman, ordinary person, amateur),they were astonished.
I AM A COMPLETE IDIOT, MY FUTURE IS INCREDIBLY BRIGHT, ANYONE CAN GET IN ON THIS.
I AM A COMPLETE IDIOT, MY FUTURE IS INCREDIBLY BRIGHT, ANYONE CAN GET IN ON THIS.
I AM A COMPLETE IDIOT.“The simple fact is that there isn’t one nano-second when God looks at me and says, ‘Ooh, that’s impressive.’”The Good news is MY FUTURE IS INCREDIBLY BRIGHT.And if it is not too far beneath you ANYONE CAN GET IN ON THIS.
Remember this . . . we weren’t meant to be somebody but we were meant to know someone and make Him known.
Remember this . . . we weren’t meant to be somebody but we were meant to know someone and make Him known.
And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.” (Acts 4:13–14, ESV)
Undeniable means;“unquestioned as to quality, merit, and indisputably good”.
Undeniable means;“unquestioned as to quality, merit, and indisputably good”.
How do we make Jesus undeniable? By Living Spirit filled lives(4:8) meaning that we live lives that reflect that the word of God is dwelling in us richly.
We make Jesus undeniable by living lives of boldness.
We make Jesus undeniable by living lives of boldness.
Boldness is not brashness or being obnoxious. Sometimes when Christians try to serve the Lord, they act in silly ways. But the Bible says,
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.
In other words, anticipate how people are going to react, and behave as winsomely as you can. But when the only way people will like you is if you allow Jesus to be ignored, you have to be bold. You can be a soft-spoken, gentle person and be bold.
In other words, anticipate how people are going to react, and behave as winsomely as you can. But when the only way people will like you is if you allow Jesus to be ignored, you have to be bold. You can be a soft-spoken, gentle person and be bold.
Boldness is a compound Greek word “all” + “saying”
Boldness is a compound Greek word “all” + “saying”
Boldness is an all-saying candor, freedom, and openness in the way we speak and live. Boldness refuses to shave the radical edge off. It is confidence in the gospel. One of the followers of Martin Luther said this:
If I profess with the loudest voice every portion of the Word of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing him. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be steady on all the battle front besides is mere flight and disgrace, if he flinches at that point.
If I profess with the loudest voice every portion of the Word of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing him. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be steady on all the battle front besides is mere flight and disgrace, if he flinches at that point.
We make Jesus undeniable by how we pray.
We make Jesus undeniable by how we pray.
And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them,
who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, “ ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’—
for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.
And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness,
while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
We make Jesus undeniable through our unity.
We make Jesus undeniable through our unity.
Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.
Unity does not mean uniformity.
Unity does not mean uniformity.
We make Jesus our generosity.
We make Jesus our generosity.
There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold
and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus,
sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
We make Jesus undeniable through our testimony.
We make Jesus undeniable through our testimony.
And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’
For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark,
and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Before Jesus can become undeniable in our city and far beyond He must become real in our community.
Before Jesus can become undeniable in our city and far beyond He must become real in our community.