The Lord Loves Community
Bible Passage:
Ephesians 6:16-20
Pastor:
Pastor Mike
Download:
Sermon Date:
2010-09-11
“I’m spiritual, but not religious,” Rick confesses to his coworkers. “I believe in God, but I’m not a church-going guy.” Across town Nancy is having lunch with her daughter, Katelyn. The topic? Katelyn’s first week at college. “Classes?” “Great.” “Dorms?” “A blast.” “Campus?” “Amazing.” “Money?” “Almost gone.” “Church?” “Well…I’m taking a little break. But I pray every night before bed. Don’t worry, mom. I still believe.” Two miles west, a block party fills the neighborhood with the smells of a summer cookout. Between bites, Lynn mentions her new church to the neighbors. “To be honest, Lynn,” they admit, “we have some issues with organized religion. We love Christ. We’re just not so sure about the church.”
Have you met them? The people who are content with a church-less Christianity? Or are you one of them? Wondering if you couldn’t do better on your own. Questioning the value of getting together with imperfect people. Have you considered following Christ, but without the community?
Let’s be honest—Sometimes avoiding church seems like a good idea. Because organized religion can be the worst. Some spiritual leaders have lied, deceived, and led people astray. They preach one thing, but practice another. Sometimes, like it often was in Jesus’ day, religion is filled with arrogance and self-righteous pride.
But even when a church doesn’t reek of arrogance or hypocrisy, there are plenty of good reasons to avoid it: You can get hurt here. Wherever two or three gather together in Jesus’ name, someone messes up. And someone else gets hurt. Another church member violates your trust. They send an email that hurts your reputation…and copy six others before clicking “send.” Someone from your Bible study makes a private comment public knowledge and embarrasses you. And unlike a Facebook friend, we can’t make them disappear. The same people who hurt us will be back next week. Same time. Same pew. We can’t avoid the tension…unless we leave. If that weren’t enough, a church can restrict you. People tell you what to believe and what to reject. What is true and what isn’t. What to teach your kids and what not to. In a community, you lose some of your independence, your right to a valid personal opinion. And if that weren’t enough, a church takes time and effort. Getting out of bed. Going to church. Getting the kids ready. Joining a Bible study. If you don’t feel you’re getting much out of it, why be part of the community?
So Rick and Katelyn and Lynn’s neighbors go their own way. And millions join them in the confession—“We are community-less Christians.” We pray, but we don’t need others to do it. We discuss God, but we don’t need the church’s answers. We worship in our own way, not in a certain place at a certain time. No labels. No conflict. No denominations. Just me and God. “Myspace” not “Ourspace.” “An army of one” not a band of Christian brothers. “I’ll have it my way” and do my own spiritual thing.
There might be good reasons for flying solo in the faith. But before we accept the “me, myself, and God” philosophy, we need to ask a question—Is God okay with that? If it’s just going to be you and God in the room for the next few decades, you want to be sure God is happy with the limited guest list, right? So, is he? Does God understand why people avoid community? Does he sympathize with those who are spiritual, but not religious? His Word for today answers those questions.
The words of Ephesians 2 were written to people who had been separated from community by race and religion. Here’s what God says to them: “19Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, 20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”
Think about these phrases: “Fellow citizens.” “Members of God’s household.” “A building joined together.” “A holy temple….built together.” They tell you what God thinks about a community-less faith. Add to that the lessons from today—“They shall be one flock,” Jesus said. “My people shall gather together for these festivals,” God commanded. Clearly, God designed us to live in community. Not to be a single brick, but part of the building. Not a wandering sheep, but part of the flock. Not an amputated arm, but part of the body. Not a spiritual loner, but part of the family. God never says community is easy, but it is his will for every believer.
The proof is in the passage. God wants us to worship as a community because we already are a community by faith. In these verses, the Apostle Paul reminds us of the community we sometimes call the Holy Christian Church. The Holy Christian Church is the sum total of all believers. All those who believe Jesus died on the cross for their sins and rose again to make them right with God are card-carrying members of the Holy Christian Church. Disregard race, color, age, height, weight, gender, and every other outward factor and look at the heart. If saving faith is there, simple trust in Jesus’ forgiveness, you have a member of the Holy Christian Church.
Paul tells us that Church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets.” All believers look to the words of the apostles and prophets in the Bible for our faith’s foundation. The “chief cornerstone,” he says is “Christ Jesus himself.” He is the reason this community is called “Christian.” Jesus is the reason this Church is called “holy.”
We might wonder about our place in a community of saints. After all, we realize how often we are consumed by having it our way, that selfish attitude that cares little for community. How many people needed our prayers, but we were too caught up in our issues to even ask how they were doing? How many neighbors needed our encouragement, but we were hiding behind our fences and minding our own business? How many times have we self-righteously thought the problem with the church was “them” when it really was “them…and us”? How many weeks went by where we never helped, never listened, never loved because we were at home being “spiritual and not religious”? When we count the countless unholy moments, we realize a “holy” Christian Church is the last place we belong.
But what we could not fix by ourselves, Jesus fixed by coming into community with us. Instead of isolating himself from unholy people, Jesus was born on our earth and walked among us. He lived selflessly for others. And then he died on the cross to make us holy. In this same chapter, Paul writes, “Jesus reconciled us to God through the cross…Through Jesus we have access to the Father.” We were unholy, but Jesus made us part of the Holy Christian Church. We were enemies of God, but Jesus reconciled us and made us part of God’s family. We were lost sheep, but Jesus, our Good Shepherd, pursued us and brought us back to the flock. We were useless scraps, but Jesus made us useful bricks in God’s building. Christians long for community because we want to reflect what God has done for us, brought us into community with Him.
And for the next few weeks, we’ll see why God wants us in community with each other and why he is against unorganized religion. Perhaps this picture will help: Look at the bricks on the wall of our church. Focus on just one—let’s call him “Bob the Brick”. From Bob’s perspective, life with all the other bricks isn’t that great. He wants to move to the right, but this brick stops him. He wants to move to the left, but this brick stops him. He wants to move up, but this brick holds him down. He wants to move down, but this brick holds him up. Pressure on every side.
Isn’t that how many people feel? Being part of a Christian community is like being a brick. Cemented in place with the other bricks. It’s tough to move. People are giving you advice. Telling you what to do. Confronting you for what you haven’t done. Restricting you. Holding you back. Life would be better without all these bricks!
Or would it? Think about Bob again. What if the same brick that keeps him in place also prevents him from falling off the edge and crashing down? What if the same brick that won’t let him move down is the same brick holding him up? What if the brick that won’t let him go flying up from his place is the same brick preventing him from flying out of control?
Maybe these “bricks” aren’t so bad. Maybe the community God has placed us in, as imperfect as we are, is a blessing and not a curse to be avoided. Maybe these “bricks”, these fellow Christians, are here to hold us up when we lose our jobs, get cheated on, or need someone to tell us of God’s forgiveness after we’ve messed up. Maybe these bricks are here to hold us down when we get caught up in the moment and are about to fly out of control with our anger or revenge. Maybe these bricks hold us back from believing the twisted ideas about Jesus, forgiveness, and getting to heaven. Maybe these bricks keep us in a godly place when we get too close to the edge with our finances or our sexuality. And maybe we are the bricks who do the same for them. Maybe community isn’t a curse, but a gift of God. To keep us right where he designed us to be.
If you have been scarred by the church, we understand. We’ve been, too. And sometimes we did the scarring. But God has called us to forgive one another and embrace once again his design for community. That’s why we celebrate community here at Eastside. In one of our confessions of faith, we say, “We believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church.” We begin sermons not by saying, “Dear individuals who just happen to be sitting in the same building,” but “Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.” We join our voices together and pray, “Our Father…give us today our daily bread; forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” We speak in the plural because we believe God’s design for community is a good thing.
As we look forward to this series, remember what community looks like. A man holds his little nephew over the water at baptism and promises his family he will help raise this little one to know Jesus. That’s community. Three kids embrace their mother as dad’s casket closes and remind each other of Jesus’ promises. That’s community. A man opens his home for a small group Bible study where friends will be made and faith will grow. That’s community. A teacher prays before the bell rings and commits herself to reflect the love of Christ to her students. That’s community. Countless bricks who support, encourage, hold back, teach, correct, guide, and bless. That’s God’s design for us. That’s community. Amen.
K3/K4 Early Childhood Info
Get Involved!
Scrip Program
Eastside Eagle Gear Store
Post new comment