Tag Archives: community

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

Many Strands Strong

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“He gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. His purpose was to equip God’s people for the work of serving and building up the body of Christ until we all reach the unity of faith and knowledge of God’s Son. God’s goal is for us to become mature adults-to be fully grown, measured by the standard of the fullness of Christ.” ( Ephesians 4:11-13)

 

This week I had the chance to talk with a brother in our church. He was expressing a desire to be a pastor, even though he is currently in the business world. Through our conversation I got to share that being a pastor is a gift from the Lord to his church, not just a position within the organization of the church. I was able to affirm his desire to be a pastor based on how I’ve seen him live out his faith, mainly caring for people. He is using God’s gift to him to the benefit of others and the glory of God.

 

Why am I sharing this story? It comes out of my preparation for this Sunday’s conversation – The Culture of Joy.

 

An aspect of the culture of joy is celebrating diversity. This is something I think we do well as a faith community. I’ve always appreciated that we strive for unity over uniformity, and the manifold way God uses us for the expansion of his kingdom.

 

If, as we discovered last Sunday, that joy is an expression of God’s character and we rejoice in God’s gift of ministers then we can find strength in the many strands of his people standing together in love for him and one another. Let’s continue to celebrate who God has made us to be in his family!

 

Grace and peace,

Brook

Calling It Like It Is

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Everything is marketed and spun for our allegiance. It’s all about the brand. It’s all about me. This week I was reminded that the church is not immune to this, either.

 

I rarely post comments to blogs I read, but this week I thought I had something to add the that conversation. I won’t get into the details, (If you’re interested, here’s a link to that blog post.) but the issue was embracing a doctrinal “brand” of theology and then qualifying and defining it in such a way that the original label ceased to make sense. The point of the blog was that theologians are at times more interested in keeping the label of a specific doctrine because it is seen as a qualification in order to belong  to a certain branch of Christianity. My comment to the blog was that I agreed with the definition of the doctrine, I just wouldn’t use that brand name anymore. I would call it like it is, then I gave some suggestions.

 

Why am I telling you this story?

 

In recent weeks I’ve been challenged in my view of the church. I’ve found that I’m more willing to hold on to what tradition has taught me than to call it like it is.

 

What do you think of when you hear the word “church?” Immediately I think of two things. 1) The people of God. 2) A localized gathering of that people. The second thought is where I need to call it like it is. I often view this gathering in terms of Sunday morning, and this gathering being the primary entrance into the people of God. This would make us, the local church, the door to the universal church. Jesus said, though, that he is the door (gate) and all who enter through him are saved. (John 10:7-9) If I am honest I will realize that the local church doesn’t house Jesus. He takes up residence in the hearts of people. Wherever these people gather that is the church. This is truer to the meaning of the Greek word that is translated “church,” ekklesia: those called out for the purpose of gathering. I have to constantly remind myself that the church isn’t called into the four walls of a building somewhere, but called out into the world, bringing the presence of Jesus with them as they go. It is not about a brand or about me. It is the people of God loving people that God loves.

 

So what is the Sunday morning worship gathering? It is still vitally important to the life of the Christian for worship, encouragement, discovery, and fellowship. It is a gathering that empowers for its scattering, a calling together for the purpose of sending out.

 

Grace and peace,

Brook

Unexpected Destinations: Faithful Obedience through Uncharted Waters

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“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”  Ephesians 3:20-21, NIV

 

As most of you know, Autumn and I, along with our children, organize the Kids’ Club for our Tuesday Night Community Classes here at VLC. It has been on Autumn’s heart in increasing measure to reach a greater number of children in our neighborhood. We have also been encouraged by others to pursue this direction. To that end, we decided to run what we’re calling a Sports Clinic during Kids Club. The results outpaced our expectations. We had nearly 30 kids from the neighborhood last Tuesday (April 24). Blessed mayhem!

 

I refuse to analyze this for the purpose of divining a formula of success. All I know is that we were obedient in this new direction as we continued faithfully to serve our community, providing a Kids Club for our Tuesday Night Classes. The following is God’s grace, which leads us to praise. We are excited to see where we will end up. I do know this, though, we are making connections and building bridges into our community for the gospel of God’s kingdom. Any who wish to are free to join us. 

 

Grace and peace,

Brook

Unity: Intentional Mutuality

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Today I got the opportunity to tie some knots for a project I was working on. I love tying knots. A well executed knot is as beautiful as it is useful. A unique aspect to the knots I tied today was that I needed to join two pieces of rope together in order to extend the original rope. It’s finished form looked like two hands joining together.

 

Double Fisherman’s Knot


It reminded me of our church family. I’m so blessed to be a part of what God is doing here with this group of people he has joined me and my family with. It also reminded me of the passages we have been reading in Acts and how the early church not only relied on God, but also one another.

 

“The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the community, to their shared meals, and to their prayers. A sense of awe came over everyone. God performed many wonders and signs through the apostles. All the believers were united and shared everything. They would sell pieces of property and possessions and distribute the proceeds to everyone who needed them. Every day, they met together in the temple and ate in their homes. They shared food with gladness and simplicity. They praised God and demonstrated God’s goodness to everyone. The Lord added daily to the community those who were being saved.” Acts 2:42-47

 

Grace and peace,

 Brook

 

The Long Walk with Jesus

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“I’m sure about this: the one who started a good work in you will stay with you to complete the job by the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6 CEB) 

 

Not many of us think about what a decision we make today will look like in 20 years. And that may be a good thing. Some decisions just don’t warrant it. On the other hand, some do. When I gave my life to Jesus as a 14 year old punk kid, I had no idea what I was signing up for, except that any way was better than the way I was going. Jesus intersected my life and put me on a path that led me to where I am and who I am today.

 

Reading this passage from Philippians reminded me that being a Christian is a lifelong experience. And here, Paul reiterates Jesus’ parting words, “Look, I myself will be with you every day until the end of this present age.” (Matthew 28:20)  I concluded last week’s post by saying, “We are not alone.” This week, I want to make the point that our Christian experience is a long walk with Jesus. The scenery will change. The climate will change. Our traveling companions will change. But, Jesus, he will remain. Let’s remain with him. Let’s go where he goes. Let’s be companions with those who come with him. We can find strength in his faithfulness as he continues his good work in us. 

 

I didn’t write this post out of resignation to the prospect of a lifelong commitment, but rather out of the joy of a renewed commitment based on the assurance of Jesus abiding presence in my life. I pray you catch my drift.

 

Grace and peace,

Brook

 

Being a Disciple, Part 2: The Call and the Covenant

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About seven years ago, I had an “Aha!” moment. My eyes were opened to the individualism that defines the American experience. I was taking a sociology class and one of the texts placed major countries or regions of the world on a scale of individualism. Not surprising, the United States was on the top of the list as the most individualistic nation in the world. With individualism comes independence. As Americans, we believe it’s all about me.

 

This got me thinking about how the gospel is communicated in the USA. It is a highly individualistic gospel. The gospel is about me, my salvation, and the benefits afforded me by being a Christian. Ever since that time, I’ve been on a pursuit to understand the gospel according to Jesus and the first apostles.

 

From my reading in Mark lately, I’ve seen a pattern. When Jesus preached the gospel he said, “the kingdom of God is here. Repent and believe this good news.” When he called his disciples he simply said, “Follow me.” When he called the apostles, Mark writes that they were to be with him, to preach, and to have authority to throw out demons. What stands out to me with Jesus’ interaction with his followers is that they were to be focused on him, not themselves. This is part of what it means to be a disciple. A disciples life is not his/her own. As I wrote last week, “Disciple means learner. Jesus taught his disciples along the way of life. To be a disciple of Jesus meant to be in relationship with him and be in community with him and the other disciples. The disciple learned from the master, Jesus, and from the other disciples.” If we receive Jesus’ calling to be his disciple, we enter into a covenant with him and the community of disciples he as called. Like the apostles, we are to be with him, live a life of faithful testimony, and to make a difference in the world around us. When we ask, “What’s in it for me?” we begin to question our role as a disciple. This happened to Peter in Mark 10:28-30.

 

Peter said to him, “Look, we’ve left everything and followed you.”

Jesus said, ” I assure you that anyone who has left house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or farms because of me and because of the good news will receive one hundred times as much now in this life-houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and farms (with harassment) -and in the coming age, eternal life.

 

In our following Jesus, may we find complete satisfaction in his care for us and embrace our responsibility to love him by loving one another.

 

Grace and peace,

Brook