Author Archives: Brook Fonceca

Salvation: A Collective Experience

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At last Sunday’s VLC worship gathering, Pastor Stuart talked about the Essentials of Family Culture in which he made some comparisons between church family and natural family. As part of this comparison, he asked the gathering, “What are some qualities of a ‘perfect church?’” In VLC fashion, responses were shouted out, one of which was “grace,” “grace for those coming into the local church and grace for those moving on from that local church.” At this moment I started reflecting on the phrase from Ephesians 2:8, “It is by grace you have been saved.” Families are integral to salvation, which is more than just making sure we get to go to heaven when we die.

 

The Greek word for “save” is a common word with a broad range of definition. It, of course, carries the meaning of rescuing or delivering from danger, peril, or judgement. But, it also can mean to make well, heal, restore to health, or deliver from suffering.

 

The grace we extend to one another is a gateway for salvation, both in the here and now and for eternity. When grace is extended, it affords the opportunity for people to receive salvation by placing their faith in God and in his people. Faith is the act of receiving the gift of grace, which is only ever a free gift. A church that is maturing in Christ will be a family of grace and a community of healing. Salvation is a collective experience.

 

Grace and peace,

Brook

Grace for the Humbled

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This week I had a conversation with a friend that is going through an ordeal. She commented, “I must have quite a bit of pride in my life, because I feel like God is humbling me.” This comment brought to mind the passage in James’ letter, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6) My response to her comment was, “Then receive God’s grace.”

 

So often we feel that when a difficult situation comes through our life it is directly from God’s hand with the intent to humble us. The thing to remember, though, is that difficult situations are a part of our broken world and are humbling in themselves. God’s grace is extended to us in the moment of humiliation and helps us to see the situation from a different perspective. It’s from this perspective that change can occur in our lives. Receive God’s grace to those who are humbled and follow him in the the power of his Holy Spirit. 

 

The way of Jesus is the way of humility, which means dying to self, one way or another. In Christ, when we die there is the promise of resurrection. When we receive the grace of humility, James reminds us that God will lift us up. (James 4:10)

 

Grace and peace,

Brook

First, Be Human: To Yourself

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Last night I was at a parents’ meeting for Cub Scouts. My two oldest boys will be in the Scouting program this year. While the Cubmaster was listing the requirements for parents of Scouts, he said something to this effect, “I know we live in the Silicon Valley, and that we are all busy. If you think you are too busy to volunteer to help out in your son’s Cub Scout pack, then maybe you need to take a look at your life to see where you are too busy.” His challenge caused me to take stock of my life’s activities. Even though I am busy, my wife and I are aware of our limitations and seek to not over extend ourselves. But, in a lot of ways, I treat myself as if I am a machine. I inundate myself with information (reading books and  blogs, and listening to lectures, sermons, and interviews) most of which I won’t ever do anything with, and the flow is unending. And, this is only one of a few areas like this.

 

This morning I was reflecting on this and felt that God was saying to me that to the same extent I want people to treat me humanly, I need to do the same for myself. (This is a continuation of my thoughts in last week’s newsletter.) We are not machines, animals, or gods. We are humans created in God’s image. Then I felt God say to me, “Relax, live well, and love well.” (again, Luke 10:27) It is easy to let life run away with us, but we don’t have to let it. 

 

Grace and peace,

Brook

First, Be Human

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As an encouragement during this election year with all its posturing, positioning, and finger pointing, before we jump in to the fray (politically, theologically, societally) let’s remember that we are first human before anything else, and that we are dealing with other humans. I believe that Jesus speaks to this in two ways, his teaching on the two greatest commandments, and through his life as the incarnated Son of God. I interpret Jesus’ teaching on the two greatest commandments (love God and love others) as we love God well when we love others well. (Luke 10:27) The Apostle Paul encapsulated Jesus’ earthly life in Philippians 2:5-8.

 

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own     advantage;

rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death-
    even death on a cross!

 

God, in order to deal with the sinful condition of humanity, himself had to become a human in the person of Jesus Christ, and in so doing overcame sin and became for us a perfect sacrifice for our sins. In all this he became our example of how to live humanly, treating all with dignity, grace, and love. 

 

So, before we decide to make our case, let’s remember that the one with whom we may disagree is, too, a person that Jesus loves and died for.

 

Grace and peace,

Brook

The Hope of Equality

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This week I had a conversation with a young man, which ranged over many topics, but one topic is something that I have taken for granted for many years, the role of women in the church. This young man attends a church in which women are not allowed to hold leadership roles in the church. Though he and his wife feel called to that congregation, they do not agree with their church’s stance on the role of women in the church and beyond. I, on the other hand, have been in churches, from the time I was saved until the present, that embrace women in ministry, even women pastors. This is not only my personal heritage, but that of the Foursquare Church as well. This is why I have taken it for granted. It is normative within the circles I engage. But this is not the norm for a large portion of the Christian church in America and around the world. And, though this saddens me, I still have hope. I have hope, because this is a current conversation in both social and theological circles. I have hope, because there are denominations and movements, like the Foursquare Church, that license and ordain women in roles of ministry and leadership. I have hope, because I know that my daughters are and will continue to be raised in a home and church that will embrace them as equals, gifted by God, to serve as God’s Spirit leads in the capacities that they choose to aspire to. My hope, conviction, passion, and experience are founded on this passage of Scripture (one among many).

 

“There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)

 

Herein lies the universality of the atoning work of Christ, and if we are unified in his one salvation as equally saved, then we are also unified in his one Spirit as equally equipped to minister his love and grace to a world that desperately needs to be touched by his love through his people, both male and female. 

 

Grace and peace,

Brook

Participating in the People of God: Through the Way of the Cross

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Whenever I get a chance to share a talk during our worship gatherings at VLC, I almost always walk away with a list of things I wish I had shared. This last Sunday I continued the discussion Participating in the People of God (podcast, blog) in which we explored how love empties, creating change, and rewriting the story of those involved. I wanted to take this a bit further but in the interest of time and anticipating a lively discussion, I chose to save it for later. 

 

What I wanted to share is that the way of loving that is expressed in Colossians 3:12-17 can be found in the way of the cross. The cross is an implement of death, and Jesus urged his disciples to take up their crosses and follow him. This was understood both literally and symbolically as an act of sacrificial worship. When the people of God choose to love sacrificially we can say that we die to self, die for others, and die in Christ. Through the way of the cross, we lay aside self-interest, embrace the interest of others, and find our complete identity in Christ. But, if the way of the cross leads us to death, is there hope? Is there good news? Yes. This cross we speak of is the cross of Christ. After he died, he has raised to life again. The cross of Christ leads to resurrection. We cannot predict what our resurrections will look like or when it will happen when we choose to live sacrificially in Christ, but we do know this, as the kingdom of God is counterintuitive and often exceeds our expectations, so will our resurrections be. The same Jesus that said “take up your cross” is the same Jesus that said, “I will never leave or forsake you.” 

 

I pray that through these discussions of participating in the people of God we will find that God has made a way for us to love one another that brings honor not only to God and others but encompasses us as well. 

 

Grace and peace,

Brook

 

 

Concerning the Chosen

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As a result of the talk I gave this last Sunday at VLC, Participating in the People of God, I was asked, referring to my text, Colossians 3:12-17, “Who are the chosen?” The answer that came out of the conversation was that all are chosen, but not all accept the invitation to become part of the chosen. Though I agree with this answer, I also acknowledge that it is an over simplification. The ramifications of which cannot be simply borne out. I believe that the work of Jesus Christ for salvation is universal in its scope. I also believe that not all who enter into eternity enter peacefully into the Lord’s presence. In the end we will find that the chosen are those who have trusted Jesus Christ as their righteousness, receiving forgiveness of sins, and living in him, with him, and for him. Those who have not accepted God’s choosing, are not the chosen.

 

Colossians 3:12 begins with “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, …” In this the Apostle Paul gives two descriptions of God’s chosen, holy and dearly loved. (These are not exhaustive.) God’s love is not at issue here. His love extends to all. But, the chosen are also holy. Holiness is only ever a gift to those who renounce their own righteousness and receive Christ’s righteousness as their own. As such, Christ sets them apart as his (the meaning of holy: set apart). This is a simple explanation of the chosen.

 

The “therefore” in Colossians 3:12 points to the balance of the passage up to verse 17, which describes how the chosen are to live among one another in this world. There is a cost and responsibility to being chosen, but this too can only be accomplished by the grace of God.

 

My point in all this is that being chosen is a gift we receive, open up, and put on. None deserve such a gift, but it is available to all.

 

Grace and peace,

Brook

Participating in the People of God

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Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

 

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:12-17

 

In my last few posts I wrote about participation in the mission of God and the word of God. There is one thing that ties these three posts together, the mission, word, and people all belong to God. With that in mind, God is not looking for us to bring our resources, but to be the resource. He desires that we lay aside our agendas and align ourselves to what he is doing, saying, and building. In love he has made us to be gifts to his people. 

 

In the above passage the Apostle Paul works out what it means to love one another, which is the hallmark of the people of God. The priority of this passage is otherness, seeking what’s best for one another to the glory God. 

 

I know this is hard to hear as an American, and even harder to embrace, but we know that in the counterintuitive way of the kingdom of God, receiving is in giving, honor is in serving, and living is in dying. 

 

So as we participate in the people of God, again we realize it’s not about us. And what we do need, God will provide as we give ourselves to one another and to him. The least and the greatest thing of all is that we belong to the people of God. We are his.

 

Grace and peace,

Brook

 

Participating in the Word of God

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I have been following along in reading the Bible with Pastor Stuart’s Daily Scripture Reading email. I have to admit, though, I am quite a few chapters behind. I find myself stopping after only a few passages to reflect on what I read. This is not a bad thing, it just doesn’t work well for reading programs. My point is that I find myself asking questions about what I just read and asking questions about myself in regards to what I just read. I want to be a person who not only knows the word of God, I want to be transformed to be more like Jesus by the time I spend in the word of God.

  

With this in mind, I read a blog today in which the author states, “[The gospel] is a story that is not told to be claimed as our own so much as it is written to claim us as its own.” This impacted me because so often we read Scripture for ourselves (to change and grow, to have an answer or defense, for good luck, etc.). The statement I quote above encourages us to be people of the word by not simply ingesting it, but by being drawn into it and participating in the story, finding ourselves a part of something bigger than us. Though this can be done individually, I believe it is best done collectively, not persons of the word, but a people of the word, informed and transformed by the story of God so that we can be bridge, inviting others to participate with us in this story as we authentically retell it through our lives.

 

Grace and peace,

Brook

Participating in the Mission of God

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With this Sunday being Guatemala Mission Sunday at Valley Life Center, I’ve been thinking about the mission of the church as being grounded in the mission of God. I even mentioned the mission of God as the framework for our Sunday conversations on joy over the last few weeks. I described it like this, the mission of God is a mission of love (John 3:16) and it’s out of God’s unconditional love for his creation that the Son was sent to redeem not only the people of God, but as well, all creation. My point about joy and the mission of God was that just as love and joy were integral to creation they are both integral in redemption, making all things new. 

 

The beautiful thing about the mission of God is that God invites us to participate in this mission in Christ. The goal of the mission of God is to establish the kingdom of God both in this age but also in the age to come. We participate in this mission when we orient ourselves to God’s mission, to others, and to the world – in the context of the local church. (Thanks, Scot McKnight.)

 

It sounds silly, but we first must become aware of God’s mission to be able to participate in it. I only mention this because Christianity has over the generations become more and more individualistic, focusing on the benefits to those who believe, instead of becoming part of something God wants to do in the world. If God is others oriented, then his church should be as well. The fun and challenging part is exploring how the mission of God can be expressed within the local church. 

 

Even though we do a lot of things at VLC that can be described as missional, I pray that we continue to ask God how we can connect to the mission of God both as individuals and the body of Christ.

 

Grace and peace,

Brook