The Work of the People: Gather and Scatter

-How many times per day do you reach into your phone pocket? Are you itching to grab it right now? What are the 3 or 4 apps that you are going to cycle through in the checkout line in the store, at the stop light?

-The small habits; coffee, food, entertainment, work, rhythm

-Reptile brain…safety, ease, security, no thinking

-Training in sport: we train our instincts so that our brains do what is most strategic when there is no time to think.

“Liturgies aim our love to different ends precisely by training our hearts through our bodies.” ― James K.A. Smith, Desiring the Kingdom (Cultural Liturgies): Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation

“It's not that we start with beliefs and doctrine and then come up with worship practices that properly "express" these (cognitive) beliefs; rather, we begin with worship, and articulated beliefs bubble up from there. "Doctrines" are the cognitive, theoretical articulation of what we "understand" when we pray.” ― James K.A. Smith, Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation

Cultural liturgies are shaping us constantly to value the things of this world:

-Debt/Materialism

-Conflict, War, Racism

-Sex/Gender/Entertainment

-Social Media/ 15 sec at a time

-Schools, institutions, government

-Busyness, Work

-Family, home, rest

If we want to change and grow in the way of Jesus, it requires that we transform the habits that shape us.

Liturgies are about the rhythms and habits that shape us in worship. What do you worship, what do you put your faith in? What patterns do you rely on to shape your responses in flash daily decisions.

This summer is all about crafting what we call a Rule Of Life.

What is a rule of Life?

A rule of life is a commitment to live your life in a particular way. It is meant to be crafted with prayer and discernment, in partnership with God, as you consider the way God made you and the values He has inscribed upon your heart. Once written, it serves as a tool that can help you make decisions for your life and determine how best to order your days.

The first example of a Christian rule of life came from the Desert Fathers, a monastic community of mystics living in Egypt around the third century AD. The most well-known rule is the rule of St. Benedict, written fifteen hundred years ago, which was created to help his community of monks translate their faith into the habits and rhythms of their shared daily life. His famous rule has inspired many communities and individuals to develop their own rules with a similar intention.

-Intentionality

-Listening

-Responsive

-Filled with Grace

-Empowered by Spirit

-In Community

We have a set of values that are meant to speak to our shared life and rhythms that we will work through this summer. You can see them under our beliefs on our website under the Syndicate Core Values:

Syndicate Plug: Family Reunion Aug 28th Baptisms, picnic

Our values shape our future: Bylaws are an expression of our values.

This week we’re talking about The rhythms of being together.

Rule of Life is not an individual exercise for personal enrichment: LTI and individual expressionism....vs monastic orders.

-Last week the core value we jumped into was Living the way of Jesus....this is the true north of our behavior, our choices, our community…we look at Jesus and we ask, how do we do that? We look at our lives and ask: does it look like Him, what do we need to stop doing or start doing in light of this mandate.

Lets start in Hebrews 10 today

Hebrews 10:19–25 NLT

And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

-Priestly language

-Worship is trust

-Rhythm/practice is gathering, encouraging, motivating one another to acts of love and good deeds. (isnt this what we do?)

Some of this we can do altogether on Sundays. Most of it happens in Micro-church.

Its about the Rhythm of Gathering and Scattering.

-If we’re together all the time, its weird. like a cult/commune....outsiders will never belong to a peculiar people who are inaccessible.

-If we’re never together we are like coals that arespread out. we lose our heat, our passion....we forget who we are.

Weekly gathering with thousands won’t shape us in the way of Jesus because we need encouragement, we need to be known and spurred on.

So as good as Sundays are, they are just a taste of the real thing.

Lets look at the earliest expressions of this in the church:

Acts 2:42–47 NLT

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

First Church was a micro-church movement with mega-sized gatherings (Both and)

Meant to be lived in extended family units.

Shared life…not just planned meetings

New Wrinkle: Food---vital to the way of Jesus and community

Colossians 3:16 NLT

Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.

Ephesians 4:16 NLT

He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

Ephesians 2:22 NLT

Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

Acts 14:23 NLT

Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.

Acts 16:4–5 NLT

Then they went from town to town, instructing the believers to follow the decisions made by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in their faith and grew larger every day.

Acts 20:20 NLT

I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes.

-this is something some of you need to here: Your rhythms of gathering are too thin and too seldom…other things crowd out the extended spiritual family of God.

Romans 15:5–6 NLT

May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

When we gather it is not contentious but collaborative. Unified around Jesus.

1 Corinthians 3:16 NLT

Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?

Our gathering is true worship.

1 Corinthians 14:26 NLT

Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you.

1 Corinthians 16:19 NLT

The churches here in the province of Asia send greetings in the Lord, as do Aquila and Priscilla and all the others who gather in their home for church meetings.

Running List:

Core Value: Community-Micro Church

-Rhythm of Gather and Scatter

-Rhythms of Up-In-Out

-Food

-Homes

-Large Gatherings

-Shared Resources

-Generosity

-Communion

-Prayer

-Message of Christ - Teach and Counsel

-Sing Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs

-Inclusive and Diverse

-Elders (authority and teaching)

-Say Hard Things

-Use all our gifts

Micro-church, When we pursue regular connection in covenant community, we are transformed by our shared lives.

-How do we do this in our MC’s?

-1. HIgh priority…showing up makes a difference. Is it blocked out in your calendar? Have you created a PP?

-2. Rhythm of Gather Scatter: Sundays all together? If you have to choose, choose MC. Circles better than rows