We begin by pointing at four biblical facts we should recognize about creation.
1. All creation was created by God.
Ps 33, 6,9 and John 1:3 tell us that everything there is came from God.
2. All creation is ruled by God.
Genesis 1 shows God to be in complete control over everything. He created it all and rules over it all.
3. All creation is dependent on God.
God is greater than creation, yet he is deeply involved in creation. Creation's ongoing existence depends on God. See Ps 104:10-11, 14-15, 24.
4. All creation is meant for God and meant to show God off.
See Rom 11:36, Ps 19:1, Rom 1:20. As Herman Bavinck writes, "The world in its length and breadth is for Him a mirror in which He sees His excellencies at play."
Creation was meant to be at rest and in harmony with God. And the high point of creation was man. Man was uniquely made in the image of God and to him was given the special task of stewardship over the creation (see Gen 1:28). The first expression of man's stewardship is seen in Genesis 2, where man is charged by God to work and keep the garden (showing man's responsibility over the creation) and is involved in naming the animals (showing man's authority over the creation).
Sin however irrevocably disrupts the harmony of creation. As we see in Genesis 3:17-19, disharmony now comes between man and creation. Creation itself becomes in "bondage to decay" and "subject to futility" (Rom 8:20,21). Its original goodness has been corrupted.
The world no longer works well for mankind. This goes along with man now having the tendency to relate to creation in sinful and ultimately destructive ways. Some examples:
1. The consumer approach
The consumer approach says that the world is here for me to use and bleed dry however I wish. In this approach we cease reflecting the God who made us and instead reflect Satan, since Satan is all about exploitation, oppression and destruction, all hallmarks of the sinful consumer approach.
It is interesting to note here the third temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. In effect, the temptation was for Jesus to grab for himself the kingdoms of the world in exchange for worshiping Satan. The selfish pursuit to try to gain as much as you can from creation is in fact one of the most obvious but unrecognized examples of Satanic worship.
2. The idolatrous approach
The earth, and specifically the things of the earth, becomes an object of worship for us. Romans 1:20-25 is the passage that gives us tremendous insight into how we exchange God for the things of creation.
All of these sinful approaches to creation will eventually lead to our self-destruction. However, we do not have to stay trapped in such approaches. God set forth a plan from the beginning of the world to free mankind from sin and the world from the ravages of sin. This plan culminated in the person of Jesus Christ. As it's written in Colossians 1:20, "through Jesus God reconciled to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of the cross."
Because of Jesus a new way to approach creation is opened up for us. These ways link us back to our purpose and the ultimate purpose of creation, which is to glorify God.
Here then are some God glorifying approaches to creation:
1. Praise God for his creation/Affirm god's glory in creation
See Ps 148:5 and Rev 4:11. Creation shouts out its praise to God. We should do the same in and through all the various ways we interact with creation (i.e. in and through our culture). This would include art, music, politics, sports, family life, work, vacations, school, dance, theater, etc.
All of these various aspects of creation we can participate in and enjoy as long as we do it in thankfulness and praise to God. Note here especially the words of 1 Tim 4:4-5.
2. Wisely steward God's creation.
Creation ultimately belongs to God. So our rule over creation should reflect the fact that it ultimately belongs to God. In addition, we were made in the image of God. So our rule over creation should reflect the God in whose image we were made. We should see ourselves as parental guardians over all the things of this world. We should not exploit or abuse creation but treat it with wise care. As an example note Prov 12:10. Here we see that man does truly have charge over his beast (it's his beast) but in this he should be compassionate in his care for the life of his beast.
3. Look ahead to the redemption of creation by telling people the gospel message so that they might be saved.
Creation's ultimate yearning is to see God draw his children to himself and revealed to all the cosmos (see Rom 8:19-23). And creation's final end is to sit under the reign and rule of Christ (see Col 1:16).
God has tied the destiny of creation to his redemptive plan. As people are redeemed and made brand new in Christ, so also creation will be redeemed and made brand new by the power of Christ.
Thus, telling people about Jesus must always be the first place activity of the 21st century Christian. More and more people being brought to salvation is the one thing that will ultimately have the greatest impact on every relationship, every neighborhood, every government, every social structure, every plant, animal, star, and planet.
So what are your thoughts? How should the 21st century Christian live within and interact with creation given the biblical truths we've been looking at?
Friday, July 3, 2009
The 21st Century Christian and Technology
Technology has a great impact on human life. It provides us with new and powerful ways of interacting with the world. These interactions are geared towards making things more effective, efficient and convenient for us. So for example portable music players mean that I am able to enjoy music when I want to as opposed to only when there is a live performance.
Such advances are certainly enjoyable and satisfying. At the same time however we must recognize that the values of efficiency and convenience are not necessarily God's highest values. The Bible often shows God having his people do things that are decidedly inefficient and inconvenient (ex. Israel marching around the walls of Jericho, the command to only carry the ark of the covenant only by poles, Israel having to hamstring any horses they captured as they conquered the land of Canaan).
Instead, what the Bible is concerned to teach us is that our lives must be oriented first and foremost around God's standards. Everything in our lives should submit to God - no matter how inconvenient this might be. The basic assumption of Romans 12:1-2 is that there are some ways of life that Christians must wholeheartedly reject. God tells us to instead "think differently" by having a renewed mind so that we can live the transformed life that fits with God's will, namely all that is good and acceptable and perfect.
Christians begin to have a renewed mind when they believe in Jesus. In Christ they gain a new life with God. But this new life must be nurtured and matured. We must "test" it so that it aligns with God's will.
Too often our approach to life is a naive immediate consumerist adoption of everything shiny and new that comes our way. The transformed life of the Christian will instead "test everything" before swallowing it down and incorporating it into our lives and churches (cf 1 Thess 5:21-22).
It's from this vantage point that we begin to realize the importance of great discernment when it comes to technology. Technology has great value for us but it also holds great danger for us. For technology impacts us not just in how we use it but in the fact that we use it, that we then begin to depend on it, and that we then demand to have it. So for example cell phones have made it easier for us to contact people. However, the use of cell phones also changes our expectations about contacting people. We begin to expect that we should always be able to contact people whenever we want to (and thus get frustrated whenever this doesn't happen), and we begin to live in such a way that we expect to be easily contacted by others (which means we get used to constant interruptions throughout our day).
At a certain point, technology can become like a god. It subtly but powerfully reshapes our persepctive, priorities, and expecations away from what God wants us to do towards whatever is most convenient and satisfying for us to do. Neil Postman writes how technology has become a god for us in that, "...people believe technology works, that they rely on it, that it makes promises, that they are bereft when denied access to it, that they are delighted when they are in its presence...and that, in the born-again mode, they will alter their lifestyles, their schedules, their habits, and their relationships to accomodate it."
This is why it is absolutely crucial to be discerning when it comes to our engagement with technology. Such discernement and testing I believe will reveal some clear dangers to avoid and some major biblical emphases to embrace.
Dangers in the technologically centered life
1. Tendency to elevate information
Technology makes it easier and easier to find out whatever we want about anything. But just because we have a lot of knowledge available to us doesn't actually mean we actually know anything! As Christian blogger Tim Challies recently wrote, we can begin to think that memorizing the Bible is unimportant if we think that we can always just instantly call up any information we need off our laptops or cell phones.
2. Tendency to elevate the trivial.
In every generation there is a tendency to drift towards diversion, to dwell on silly and useless things. Note for instance Paul's instruction to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:4.
It says a lot about us, that we are able to find time to check our Facebook page throughout the day but struggle to find even a few minutes to pray or read fromt eh Bible. We are able to carve out time to watch a few of our favorite hourlong dramas on television each week but have a number of excuses for why we can't make a weekly church gathering. We stay up on what new movies or new music is coming out but are clueless about what's really going on in other people's lives.
3. Tendency to elevate the immediate.
Our current technological world has effectively rewired many people's attention spans. We've become addicted to getting an immediate and constant flow of media, which it makes it harder to stay focused on any one thing. Our minds constantly wander from whatever task we are engaged with to something else. In the space of 15 minutes we will go from working on a paper to checking email to answering a cell phone.
4. Tendency to elevate a "browsing" lifestyle.
We "skim" or "browse" through life, never really engaging with anything or anyone. Douglas Groothuis in his book "The Soul in Cyberspace" describes how many go through their days having an "absent presence." We might be physically there with people, but not really engaged with them. We are simply browsing through our interactions with people as we busily text and chat and watch TV.
There tends to be a false sense of intimacy born out of the "browsing" lifestyle. We will for instance reveal very personal things through technology but remain superficial when it comes to talking face to face with someone.
The above list clearly holds great danger for the Christian concerned to live in right relationship with God and others. In contrast to this the Bible emphasizes certain things that will instead orient us to God and rightly develop our lives with God.
Emphases in the God-oriented life
1. The importance of being present.
The Hebrews writer directly tells us in Heb 10:24-25 to not give up the habit of meeting together. He ties in important "one anothers" like loving one another or encouraging one another with the habit of meeting together. True Christian relationship come out of people coming together regularly and knitting themselves together in the love of Christ. Note also 1 John 1:1,3, where we see that the disciples' physical encounter with Jesus launched them to start proclaiming the gospel that announced a way for all people to have a relationship with God through Jesus. As we proclaim the gospel and develop relationships that involve real presence and deep engagement with others, we carry on the mission that the apostles' first began.
Technology has a bad habit of pointing us away from this biblical emphasis. But it can also help encourage and point us towards these kinds of relationships. They can be used to extend and further enhance and deepen our existing relationships.
The apostle John for instance certainly took advantage of the technology of writing and the Roman road system to connect with various Christians in the 1st century. But nevertheless he affirms that there are some things that could not be conveyed in letters, that required physical presence. As he writes in 2 John 1:12, "Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete."
2. The importance of humility and authenticity.
Technology can facilitate honest and humbly engagement with people or destroy it. The internet too often is a place where peopel engage in driveby shootings of people's character. In addition, it is geared to making you be the star. It provides tools for you to promote yourself, to obssess about yourself and what other people think about you. Josh Harris rightly points to what the Bible instead emphasizes when he writes, "I need to grow in self-forgetfulness. I need to worry more about what God is thinking of me. I need to be preoccupied with what he's written in his word, no what somebody just wrote on my 'wall.'" The "one anothers" of Scripture imply that our basic orientation is not to oursleves but towards others. And our highest priority is to be what God wants to do in and through us; it is not about us but about God!
A practical guideline to these first two points would be to encourage habits of life that make us engage people fully. Put the phone down and instead look be present with people.
3. The importance of reflection and "digestion."
Just as we should be present/engaged with people so also we should seek to be present/engaged with God's word and our own lives. We must regularly engage in the practice of examining and thinking over the word and then taking its truths into our hearts in such a way that our lives are deeply affected and radically changed.
On reflective digestion of the word, see Ps 119:11, 1 Tim 4:13, and 2 Tim 3:14-15. On reflective examination of one's own life, see 1 Cor 11:28 and 2 Cor 13:5.
A practical guideline here would be develop sustained attention over immediacy. This means:
- Reducing multi-taksing and any other habits that encourage distration and an ADD type of spirituality.
- Engaging in regular media fasts/techno-Sabbaths
- Truly studying God's word. Then study yourself in light of what you study in God's word.
4. The importance of words - specifically God's words
The Christian faith is a word-centered faith. Our technology tends to be image-centered. Images are important and significant. But they are important and significant to the degree that they implant certain words within us, more specifically, God's words. Note how the tabernacle and the temple in the Old Testament, while they had some striking visual elements, all had at their center a box within which you found not a statue of God but stone tablets on which was written the law of the Lord. When Satan attempted to tempt Jesus to live strictly by his physical senses, Jesus told him, "Man will not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."
What we see can't be understood apart form being anchored to God's word. Technology, wisely used, can help spread and reinforce this word into our lives.
A practical guideline for this point is that we must diligently develop a love for God's word over media. This means:
- Regularly read scripture aloud and in community
- Have a solid bible that you regularly bring with you and whose truths you apply as you are out in the mix of life.
5. The importance of wisdom and understanding.
We have tons of information instantly available at our fingertips. But just because we have a lot available doesn't mean we are actually doing much with it. The Bible calls us to not having simply a lot of knowledge but towards having wisdom. Indeed, wisdom begins with the "fear of the Lord" (Prov 9:10) This will often mean dealing with inefficient and inconvenient things like suffering and patience.
A practical guideline here would be to develop wisdom over trivia. This means:
- Reduce useless information and trivia in your life. Instead seek to read large chunks of important things. Seek to know and memorize important things (like God's word)
- Use technology for the sake of cultivating wisdom. If you are using things like facebook, blogs, and text messaging, then saturate it with stuff that points people to God and to the kind of lives that we want to live with God.
- There's some technology that some of us, probably most of us, should absolutely reject and avoid. It takes up valuable time and energy and more often than not engages us in useless diversion as opposed to developing wisdom within us. Do we really need to watch as much TV as we do or have as many TV channels as we do? Do we really need to have an account with the newest social networking thing out there? Do we really need to daily check as many websites as we do? Answer to all these questions: No!
In the end, we must say that while technology is a great and powerful tool, let it always be seen as a power that submits to the far far greater power of God that is able to bring salvation to everyone who believes (Rom 1 1:16). It is this power that we should embrace, seeking the salvation of many through it. We bring all other things in this world, including technology, in service to this great mission.
What are your thoughts on being a Christian in a technological world? How has technology functioned in your life and how do you make sure it functions in a way that does not slowly deteriorate your walk in the Lord?
Such advances are certainly enjoyable and satisfying. At the same time however we must recognize that the values of efficiency and convenience are not necessarily God's highest values. The Bible often shows God having his people do things that are decidedly inefficient and inconvenient (ex. Israel marching around the walls of Jericho, the command to only carry the ark of the covenant only by poles, Israel having to hamstring any horses they captured as they conquered the land of Canaan).
Instead, what the Bible is concerned to teach us is that our lives must be oriented first and foremost around God's standards. Everything in our lives should submit to God - no matter how inconvenient this might be. The basic assumption of Romans 12:1-2 is that there are some ways of life that Christians must wholeheartedly reject. God tells us to instead "think differently" by having a renewed mind so that we can live the transformed life that fits with God's will, namely all that is good and acceptable and perfect.
Christians begin to have a renewed mind when they believe in Jesus. In Christ they gain a new life with God. But this new life must be nurtured and matured. We must "test" it so that it aligns with God's will.
Too often our approach to life is a naive immediate consumerist adoption of everything shiny and new that comes our way. The transformed life of the Christian will instead "test everything" before swallowing it down and incorporating it into our lives and churches (cf 1 Thess 5:21-22).
It's from this vantage point that we begin to realize the importance of great discernment when it comes to technology. Technology has great value for us but it also holds great danger for us. For technology impacts us not just in how we use it but in the fact that we use it, that we then begin to depend on it, and that we then demand to have it. So for example cell phones have made it easier for us to contact people. However, the use of cell phones also changes our expectations about contacting people. We begin to expect that we should always be able to contact people whenever we want to (and thus get frustrated whenever this doesn't happen), and we begin to live in such a way that we expect to be easily contacted by others (which means we get used to constant interruptions throughout our day).
At a certain point, technology can become like a god. It subtly but powerfully reshapes our persepctive, priorities, and expecations away from what God wants us to do towards whatever is most convenient and satisfying for us to do. Neil Postman writes how technology has become a god for us in that, "...people believe technology works, that they rely on it, that it makes promises, that they are bereft when denied access to it, that they are delighted when they are in its presence...and that, in the born-again mode, they will alter their lifestyles, their schedules, their habits, and their relationships to accomodate it."
This is why it is absolutely crucial to be discerning when it comes to our engagement with technology. Such discernement and testing I believe will reveal some clear dangers to avoid and some major biblical emphases to embrace.
Dangers in the technologically centered life
1. Tendency to elevate information
Technology makes it easier and easier to find out whatever we want about anything. But just because we have a lot of knowledge available to us doesn't actually mean we actually know anything! As Christian blogger Tim Challies recently wrote, we can begin to think that memorizing the Bible is unimportant if we think that we can always just instantly call up any information we need off our laptops or cell phones.
2. Tendency to elevate the trivial.
In every generation there is a tendency to drift towards diversion, to dwell on silly and useless things. Note for instance Paul's instruction to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:4.
It says a lot about us, that we are able to find time to check our Facebook page throughout the day but struggle to find even a few minutes to pray or read fromt eh Bible. We are able to carve out time to watch a few of our favorite hourlong dramas on television each week but have a number of excuses for why we can't make a weekly church gathering. We stay up on what new movies or new music is coming out but are clueless about what's really going on in other people's lives.
3. Tendency to elevate the immediate.
Our current technological world has effectively rewired many people's attention spans. We've become addicted to getting an immediate and constant flow of media, which it makes it harder to stay focused on any one thing. Our minds constantly wander from whatever task we are engaged with to something else. In the space of 15 minutes we will go from working on a paper to checking email to answering a cell phone.
4. Tendency to elevate a "browsing" lifestyle.
We "skim" or "browse" through life, never really engaging with anything or anyone. Douglas Groothuis in his book "The Soul in Cyberspace" describes how many go through their days having an "absent presence." We might be physically there with people, but not really engaged with them. We are simply browsing through our interactions with people as we busily text and chat and watch TV.
There tends to be a false sense of intimacy born out of the "browsing" lifestyle. We will for instance reveal very personal things through technology but remain superficial when it comes to talking face to face with someone.
The above list clearly holds great danger for the Christian concerned to live in right relationship with God and others. In contrast to this the Bible emphasizes certain things that will instead orient us to God and rightly develop our lives with God.
Emphases in the God-oriented life
1. The importance of being present.
The Hebrews writer directly tells us in Heb 10:24-25 to not give up the habit of meeting together. He ties in important "one anothers" like loving one another or encouraging one another with the habit of meeting together. True Christian relationship come out of people coming together regularly and knitting themselves together in the love of Christ. Note also 1 John 1:1,3, where we see that the disciples' physical encounter with Jesus launched them to start proclaiming the gospel that announced a way for all people to have a relationship with God through Jesus. As we proclaim the gospel and develop relationships that involve real presence and deep engagement with others, we carry on the mission that the apostles' first began.
Technology has a bad habit of pointing us away from this biblical emphasis. But it can also help encourage and point us towards these kinds of relationships. They can be used to extend and further enhance and deepen our existing relationships.
The apostle John for instance certainly took advantage of the technology of writing and the Roman road system to connect with various Christians in the 1st century. But nevertheless he affirms that there are some things that could not be conveyed in letters, that required physical presence. As he writes in 2 John 1:12, "Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete."
2. The importance of humility and authenticity.
Technology can facilitate honest and humbly engagement with people or destroy it. The internet too often is a place where peopel engage in driveby shootings of people's character. In addition, it is geared to making you be the star. It provides tools for you to promote yourself, to obssess about yourself and what other people think about you. Josh Harris rightly points to what the Bible instead emphasizes when he writes, "I need to grow in self-forgetfulness. I need to worry more about what God is thinking of me. I need to be preoccupied with what he's written in his word, no what somebody just wrote on my 'wall.'" The "one anothers" of Scripture imply that our basic orientation is not to oursleves but towards others. And our highest priority is to be what God wants to do in and through us; it is not about us but about God!
A practical guideline to these first two points would be to encourage habits of life that make us engage people fully. Put the phone down and instead look be present with people.
3. The importance of reflection and "digestion."
Just as we should be present/engaged with people so also we should seek to be present/engaged with God's word and our own lives. We must regularly engage in the practice of examining and thinking over the word and then taking its truths into our hearts in such a way that our lives are deeply affected and radically changed.
On reflective digestion of the word, see Ps 119:11, 1 Tim 4:13, and 2 Tim 3:14-15. On reflective examination of one's own life, see 1 Cor 11:28 and 2 Cor 13:5.
A practical guideline here would be develop sustained attention over immediacy. This means:
- Reducing multi-taksing and any other habits that encourage distration and an ADD type of spirituality.
- Engaging in regular media fasts/techno-Sabbaths
- Truly studying God's word. Then study yourself in light of what you study in God's word.
4. The importance of words - specifically God's words
The Christian faith is a word-centered faith. Our technology tends to be image-centered. Images are important and significant. But they are important and significant to the degree that they implant certain words within us, more specifically, God's words. Note how the tabernacle and the temple in the Old Testament, while they had some striking visual elements, all had at their center a box within which you found not a statue of God but stone tablets on which was written the law of the Lord. When Satan attempted to tempt Jesus to live strictly by his physical senses, Jesus told him, "Man will not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."
What we see can't be understood apart form being anchored to God's word. Technology, wisely used, can help spread and reinforce this word into our lives.
A practical guideline for this point is that we must diligently develop a love for God's word over media. This means:
- Regularly read scripture aloud and in community
- Have a solid bible that you regularly bring with you and whose truths you apply as you are out in the mix of life.
5. The importance of wisdom and understanding.
We have tons of information instantly available at our fingertips. But just because we have a lot available doesn't mean we are actually doing much with it. The Bible calls us to not having simply a lot of knowledge but towards having wisdom. Indeed, wisdom begins with the "fear of the Lord" (Prov 9:10) This will often mean dealing with inefficient and inconvenient things like suffering and patience.
A practical guideline here would be to develop wisdom over trivia. This means:
- Reduce useless information and trivia in your life. Instead seek to read large chunks of important things. Seek to know and memorize important things (like God's word)
- Use technology for the sake of cultivating wisdom. If you are using things like facebook, blogs, and text messaging, then saturate it with stuff that points people to God and to the kind of lives that we want to live with God.
- There's some technology that some of us, probably most of us, should absolutely reject and avoid. It takes up valuable time and energy and more often than not engages us in useless diversion as opposed to developing wisdom within us. Do we really need to watch as much TV as we do or have as many TV channels as we do? Do we really need to have an account with the newest social networking thing out there? Do we really need to daily check as many websites as we do? Answer to all these questions: No!
In the end, we must say that while technology is a great and powerful tool, let it always be seen as a power that submits to the far far greater power of God that is able to bring salvation to everyone who believes (Rom 1 1:16). It is this power that we should embrace, seeking the salvation of many through it. We bring all other things in this world, including technology, in service to this great mission.
What are your thoughts on being a Christian in a technological world? How has technology functioned in your life and how do you make sure it functions in a way that does not slowly deteriorate your walk in the Lord?
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
The 21st Century Christian and Conflict
Last Sunday the sermon topic was on conflict. Conflict is always a reality for human society. Whenever you have a relationship or a community of relationships, there is always the potential for conflict.
There are several ways people typically deal with conflict:
1. Deny deny deny (i.e. pretend nothing is wrong)
2. Run away! (i.e. avoid the situation by any means possible)
3. The quiet boil (i.e. say nothing, just quietly simmer with resentment)
4. Take no prisoners (i.e. do whatever it takes to make sure your side "wins" in the conflict)
5. The viral epidemic (i.e. gossip; tell people about "your side," which ensures that more people get drawn in and "infected" by the conflict)
None of these are effective, because they don't deal with the root cause of conflict. Fortunately this is what God does for us in the Bible in the following manner.
Understanding conflict
James 4:1-3 shows us that conflict is a heart issue. It arises when desires become dictatorial lusts that rule over our lives. They become the idols of our hearts and guide us toward choices and actions that bring about conflict. We go from simply wanting something to then demanding that we have something and reacting in sin when we can't have that something.
Addressing and resolving conflict
1. Humble yourself/Examine yourself
James 4:7-8 shows us that we must first turn to God. Out of control desires bring conflict primarily not at the human-to-human level but at the God-to-human level. God alone should rule over our hearts; conflict shows that we have tried to dethrone him and put our desires on his rightful throne in our hearts. So we must humble ourselves, come before God, and admit our sin towards him. In so doing, God "will draw near" to us. This puts us in position to then examine our hearts, a process that Matthew 7:1-5 commends to us. This passage does not say that we should ignore what's going on in another person's life. We are to remove "the speck," but we must do so by first being keenly aware of our lives and our sin. Because from our perspective, as CJ Mahaney as rightly said, you are the worst sinner you personally know because only you know the dark things that reside in your own heart. In that sense, knowing only the inner life of your own self, there is rightly a "log" to address before removing "specks" from others' eyes. In this process you might rightly discover that the offense committed is one that is best quickly forgiven and overlooked (cf Prov 19:11, 12:16, 17:14).
However, it may be that the offense committed is significant enough that it cannot and should not be overlooked. Peacemaker Ministries offers the following helpful questions to determine if a particular offense is something that should not be overlooked and must be dealt with: 1. Is the offense seriously dishonoring God? 2. Has it permanently damaged a relationship? 3. Is it seriously hurting other people? 4. Is it seriously hurting the offender himself?
2) Confront
If an offense is serious and/or persisently ongoing, it must then be confronted. This is a divine obligation (see Matt 5:23-24, 18:15-17). This means going and talking directly the offender. Not doing this affects the worship and the long term spiritual health of a church body. Persistent unresolved sin is truly like a slow cancer that will eventually kill a church community.
3) Always aim, as much as is possible, for reconciliation
The Matthew verses show us that the goal of biblical confrontation should always be, as much as is possible, reconciliation and the restoration of the offender into the church community. This means then that while biblical confrontation must involve speaking truth, even hard truths, it should be done in the soil of grace, wisdom, and above all love. (cf Gal 6:1)
Some more practical tips from Peacemaker Ministries on how to do this:
1. Pray for humility and wisdom.
2. Plan your words carefully
3. Choose the right time and place
4. Assume the best about the other person until you have facts to prove otherwise (Prov 11:27)
5. Listen carefully
6. Speak only to build others up
7. Ask for feedback from the other person
8. Recognize your limits - remember that ONLY God can change people
Now sometimes, sadly, the other person with whom you are interacting does not respond and is unwilling to take the necessary steps towards reconciliation. In such cases it could then be necessary to bring other people in to help (see Matt 18:16). Ultimately, it may be that the other person never takes the steps necessary to bring about reconciliation. This however should not be the end of things for you. To again quote Peacemaker Ministries, "The Christian should never close the Bible." We should continue to seek biblical insight, guidance and counsel about the situation. And we should always be in position to extend grace and forgiveness toward the person once they are willing to take the necessary steps and so complete the process of reconciliation and restoration. Ultimately, we must trust God and leave all situations like this in his hands.
Avoding conflict - how we should instead relate to each other
Galatians 5:13-15 and Ephesians 4:16 show us how our relationships should look like; they should be characterized by love of neighbor, humility and gentleness, and an eagerness to maintain unity. Colossians 3:12-14 and Ephesians 4:31-32 show us that the real key to rightly relating to one another is found in the gospel. If we are to forgive others and thus maintain unity, it will happen to the degee in which we understand how we've been forgiven by the Lord. The gospel shapes how we can rightly deal with conflict and also how we can avoid pointless gospel. I especially appreciated CJ Mahaney's words in "The Cross Centered Life." Towards the end of the book he reminds us that "because of sin relational conflict is inevitable. You'll sin against others. They'll sin against you." The gospel however helps in that "when I become bitter or unforgiving toward others, I'm assuming that sins of others are more serious than my sins against God. The cross transforms my perspective. Through the cross I realize that no sin committed against me will ever be as serious as the innumerable sins I've committed against God. When we understand how much God has forgiven us, it's not difficult to forgive others. God's been patient with me so I can be patient with others. God has forgiven me so I can forgive others. God's grace is changing me so I can trust that he can also change others."
So, what are your thoughts on this topic? Here are some potential starter questions: Why do you think people, including many Christians, have so much unresolved conflict in their lifes and often seem unwilling to address it in the right biblical way? Why do you think people are afraid of biblical confrontation or quickly reject it when it's done towards them? How can we encourage a church environment where biblical confrontation is normal and welcome? And how can we can we cultivate a church community known more for the unity among its members rather than conflict?
There are several ways people typically deal with conflict:
1. Deny deny deny (i.e. pretend nothing is wrong)
2. Run away! (i.e. avoid the situation by any means possible)
3. The quiet boil (i.e. say nothing, just quietly simmer with resentment)
4. Take no prisoners (i.e. do whatever it takes to make sure your side "wins" in the conflict)
5. The viral epidemic (i.e. gossip; tell people about "your side," which ensures that more people get drawn in and "infected" by the conflict)
None of these are effective, because they don't deal with the root cause of conflict. Fortunately this is what God does for us in the Bible in the following manner.
Understanding conflict
James 4:1-3 shows us that conflict is a heart issue. It arises when desires become dictatorial lusts that rule over our lives. They become the idols of our hearts and guide us toward choices and actions that bring about conflict. We go from simply wanting something to then demanding that we have something and reacting in sin when we can't have that something.
Addressing and resolving conflict
1. Humble yourself/Examine yourself
James 4:7-8 shows us that we must first turn to God. Out of control desires bring conflict primarily not at the human-to-human level but at the God-to-human level. God alone should rule over our hearts; conflict shows that we have tried to dethrone him and put our desires on his rightful throne in our hearts. So we must humble ourselves, come before God, and admit our sin towards him. In so doing, God "will draw near" to us. This puts us in position to then examine our hearts, a process that Matthew 7:1-5 commends to us. This passage does not say that we should ignore what's going on in another person's life. We are to remove "the speck," but we must do so by first being keenly aware of our lives and our sin. Because from our perspective, as CJ Mahaney as rightly said, you are the worst sinner you personally know because only you know the dark things that reside in your own heart. In that sense, knowing only the inner life of your own self, there is rightly a "log" to address before removing "specks" from others' eyes. In this process you might rightly discover that the offense committed is one that is best quickly forgiven and overlooked (cf Prov 19:11, 12:16, 17:14).
However, it may be that the offense committed is significant enough that it cannot and should not be overlooked. Peacemaker Ministries offers the following helpful questions to determine if a particular offense is something that should not be overlooked and must be dealt with: 1. Is the offense seriously dishonoring God? 2. Has it permanently damaged a relationship? 3. Is it seriously hurting other people? 4. Is it seriously hurting the offender himself?
2) Confront
If an offense is serious and/or persisently ongoing, it must then be confronted. This is a divine obligation (see Matt 5:23-24, 18:15-17). This means going and talking directly the offender. Not doing this affects the worship and the long term spiritual health of a church body. Persistent unresolved sin is truly like a slow cancer that will eventually kill a church community.
3) Always aim, as much as is possible, for reconciliation
The Matthew verses show us that the goal of biblical confrontation should always be, as much as is possible, reconciliation and the restoration of the offender into the church community. This means then that while biblical confrontation must involve speaking truth, even hard truths, it should be done in the soil of grace, wisdom, and above all love. (cf Gal 6:1)
Some more practical tips from Peacemaker Ministries on how to do this:
1. Pray for humility and wisdom.
2. Plan your words carefully
3. Choose the right time and place
4. Assume the best about the other person until you have facts to prove otherwise (Prov 11:27)
5. Listen carefully
6. Speak only to build others up
7. Ask for feedback from the other person
8. Recognize your limits - remember that ONLY God can change people
Now sometimes, sadly, the other person with whom you are interacting does not respond and is unwilling to take the necessary steps towards reconciliation. In such cases it could then be necessary to bring other people in to help (see Matt 18:16). Ultimately, it may be that the other person never takes the steps necessary to bring about reconciliation. This however should not be the end of things for you. To again quote Peacemaker Ministries, "The Christian should never close the Bible." We should continue to seek biblical insight, guidance and counsel about the situation. And we should always be in position to extend grace and forgiveness toward the person once they are willing to take the necessary steps and so complete the process of reconciliation and restoration. Ultimately, we must trust God and leave all situations like this in his hands.
Avoding conflict - how we should instead relate to each other
Galatians 5:13-15 and Ephesians 4:16 show us how our relationships should look like; they should be characterized by love of neighbor, humility and gentleness, and an eagerness to maintain unity. Colossians 3:12-14 and Ephesians 4:31-32 show us that the real key to rightly relating to one another is found in the gospel. If we are to forgive others and thus maintain unity, it will happen to the degee in which we understand how we've been forgiven by the Lord. The gospel shapes how we can rightly deal with conflict and also how we can avoid pointless gospel. I especially appreciated CJ Mahaney's words in "The Cross Centered Life." Towards the end of the book he reminds us that "because of sin relational conflict is inevitable. You'll sin against others. They'll sin against you." The gospel however helps in that "when I become bitter or unforgiving toward others, I'm assuming that sins of others are more serious than my sins against God. The cross transforms my perspective. Through the cross I realize that no sin committed against me will ever be as serious as the innumerable sins I've committed against God. When we understand how much God has forgiven us, it's not difficult to forgive others. God's been patient with me so I can be patient with others. God has forgiven me so I can forgive others. God's grace is changing me so I can trust that he can also change others."
So, what are your thoughts on this topic? Here are some potential starter questions: Why do you think people, including many Christians, have so much unresolved conflict in their lifes and often seem unwilling to address it in the right biblical way? Why do you think people are afraid of biblical confrontation or quickly reject it when it's done towards them? How can we encourage a church environment where biblical confrontation is normal and welcome? And how can we can we cultivate a church community known more for the unity among its members rather than conflict?
The 21st Century Christian and Singleness
Two Sundays ago (June 7th) the sermon topic was on singleness. We looked at examples of singleness in the Old Testament and the New Testament (see the chapter on singleness in "God, Family, and Marriage" for a great treatment on this). From there I laid out two biblical truths on singleness:
1. Singleness is a gift from God
1 Corinthians 7:7 sees both singleness and marriage as gifts given by God. To a certain extent then, singleness is a gift that all people have in their life for at least some period of time. God, being a good and perfect God, gives only good and perfect gifts (James 1:17). So we should see singleness as a good and perfect gift from God, to be used in praise of God for whatever period of time we possess this gift. This leads us to the second biblical truth.
2. Singleness is an avenue for "undivided devotion to the Lord."
1 Corinthians 7:31-35 is the passage in which we find this phrase "undivided devotion to the Lord." The idea here is of being without distraction, of focusing completely on a specific task or service. The Bible is saying then that those who are unmarried are uniquely poised to give complete attention and focus to the Lord and his mission. Singleness should be a period of time of which we take full advantage! It provides us the opportunity to serve the Lord and enjoy him at a level that is without parallel in this life.
We also considered several practical areas of application for these truths, which included the following:
1. Ministry
Singles/Unmarrieds should jump into God's mission with full force. They should afford themselves of the opportunity to do radical things when it comes to being involved in people's lives, to serving in the city and the world, to praying and reading God's word, knowing that as they devote themselves fully to the Lord they will find him faithful to fully satisfy their souls.
2. Dating and 3. Sex
Men must be real men, honest and direct and not passive Peter Pan boys, when it comes to dating relationships. They must be careful to guard the hearts of the women around them, always treating all unmarried women, including those they date, as their sisters in Christ (1 Timothy 5:1-2). Women must be careful not to idolize relationships. They must be sure that only Jesus takes the role of Lord and Savior in their life and not being a relationship. And certainly both men and women must be careful to see that all sexual or sexually related activity find its proper place within marriage, where it was especially meant for (cf 1 Thess 4:36, 1 Cor
7:2-4, 9).
4. Parenting
Single parents can also show undivided devotion to the Lord by focusing their attention on an area that is central in the Lord's mission - raising their kids to know and follow Jesus. They should gladly see this as their first and foremost ministry before God.
Ultimately, the gospel is the key background for us to understand singleness. Because of the gospel, no person is truly "single." Without Jesus, we all were enslaved to sin and thus unable to be a true, unified relationship with God or with each other. In this sense, every person, no matter their marital status, was spiritually speaking "single." The good news of the gospel is that we who were once thus apart from God and one another are now brought near to God, reconciled to him and to one another in Christ. Because of this gospel of Jesus Christ, we are all intricately connected as brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. It is in fact this commitment, as one church, united in and to Jesus, that will last forever. This connectiveness is something we must continually reinforce, embrace, and express within the church.
What are your thoughts on this subject? How can we better speak of singleness and even embrace it as Christians?
1. Singleness is a gift from God
1 Corinthians 7:7 sees both singleness and marriage as gifts given by God. To a certain extent then, singleness is a gift that all people have in their life for at least some period of time. God, being a good and perfect God, gives only good and perfect gifts (James 1:17). So we should see singleness as a good and perfect gift from God, to be used in praise of God for whatever period of time we possess this gift. This leads us to the second biblical truth.
2. Singleness is an avenue for "undivided devotion to the Lord."
1 Corinthians 7:31-35 is the passage in which we find this phrase "undivided devotion to the Lord." The idea here is of being without distraction, of focusing completely on a specific task or service. The Bible is saying then that those who are unmarried are uniquely poised to give complete attention and focus to the Lord and his mission. Singleness should be a period of time of which we take full advantage! It provides us the opportunity to serve the Lord and enjoy him at a level that is without parallel in this life.
We also considered several practical areas of application for these truths, which included the following:
1. Ministry
Singles/Unmarrieds should jump into God's mission with full force. They should afford themselves of the opportunity to do radical things when it comes to being involved in people's lives, to serving in the city and the world, to praying and reading God's word, knowing that as they devote themselves fully to the Lord they will find him faithful to fully satisfy their souls.
2. Dating and 3. Sex
Men must be real men, honest and direct and not passive Peter Pan boys, when it comes to dating relationships. They must be careful to guard the hearts of the women around them, always treating all unmarried women, including those they date, as their sisters in Christ (1 Timothy 5:1-2). Women must be careful not to idolize relationships. They must be sure that only Jesus takes the role of Lord and Savior in their life and not being a relationship. And certainly both men and women must be careful to see that all sexual or sexually related activity find its proper place within marriage, where it was especially meant for (cf 1 Thess 4:36, 1 Cor
7:2-4, 9).
4. Parenting
Single parents can also show undivided devotion to the Lord by focusing their attention on an area that is central in the Lord's mission - raising their kids to know and follow Jesus. They should gladly see this as their first and foremost ministry before God.
Ultimately, the gospel is the key background for us to understand singleness. Because of the gospel, no person is truly "single." Without Jesus, we all were enslaved to sin and thus unable to be a true, unified relationship with God or with each other. In this sense, every person, no matter their marital status, was spiritually speaking "single." The good news of the gospel is that we who were once thus apart from God and one another are now brought near to God, reconciled to him and to one another in Christ. Because of this gospel of Jesus Christ, we are all intricately connected as brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. It is in fact this commitment, as one church, united in and to Jesus, that will last forever. This connectiveness is something we must continually reinforce, embrace, and express within the church.
What are your thoughts on this subject? How can we better speak of singleness and even embrace it as Christians?
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
The 21st Century Christian and Money
And we're back! Again sorry about the long hiatus in postings. But as I said in the previous post, I hope to get back to a more regular schedule of postings, starting this week.
For this post I want to open it up to any further discussion or thoughts on the topic of last Sunday's sermon. Last Sunday we began a series called "The 21st Century Christian: Living out the Gospel Story within Today's Culture." The basic gist of the series is to try and develop a gospel-centered biblical theology on a couple of different subjects. This past Sunday's subject was money (see http://www.rooseveltchurch.org/resources/sermon-archives/ for the audio). We looked over a whole bunch of passages and based on those passages I elaborated on the following 4 biblical truths and 3 biblical practices based on those truths.
4 biblical truths:
1. Money must not be your God
2. Having money is not necessarily evil
3. God is deeply concerned with how you get your money
(i.e. Do you work justly to gain money for what you need or are you working unjustly to gain money? Do you work hard or are you lazy and expect things to always be given to you?)
4. God is deeply concerned with how you use your money
(i.e. Are you generous or are you a hoarder?)
3 biblical practices:
1. Generously use money to do good, especially for the least in our world and especially for those within the church
2. Be content
3. Trust God
We also spent some time quoting a number of sad statistics (all from a recent book entitled "Passing the Plate: Why American Christians Don't Give Away More Money") about how little American Christians actually give away of their money (basically 1-2% of their income). We then considered the astounding amount of ministry that could be accomplished if we became modestly generous with our money (giving a minimum of 10% of after tax income; the additional money that would generated would be $133.4 billion dollars).
So, what are your questions and thoughts on this subject? Here are a few questions to get things started (mostly provoked from Mike Bullmore's own application questions based on his sermon on this topic from 1 Corinthians 16):
1. How much should Christians be talking about the subject of money to one another? Should we be more open about how we spend our money and how much we give away to one another? Should this be part of being accountable to one another?
2. Is your giving a consistently planned priority? Why should it be important to have giving be a consistently planned priority?
3. How does the gospel release us and encourage us to be generous givers? How has the gospel done this in your life?
Monday, May 4, 2009
Brief Hiatus
As I'm sure the couple of you who follow this blog have noticed, things have been a bit quiet around here lately. I've been a bit busy the last month or so, mostly revolving around a recent move and the beginning of fostering a 7 year old boy and his 4 old year sister (Niko and Mya - see my wife's blog, exploringlove.blogspot.com, to learn more about this exciting development for us and to see our new kids in action!)
By the end of the month however things will settle down a bit and regular activity on this blog will resume. You might consider it a relaunching of this blog, and over time it will include:
1. Postings at least once a week, hopefully even twice a week.
2. Sermon recaps geared towards further discussion and interaction.
3. Spotlights on books I'm reading or have read.
4. Regular "big boy" theology postings - basically a post on something meaty that will hopefully help your faith get stronger and thicker and help you run the race harder and better.
If there are other things you'd like to see on this blog be sure to post below and let me know.
Thanks, see you soon!
By the end of the month however things will settle down a bit and regular activity on this blog will resume. You might consider it a relaunching of this blog, and over time it will include:
1. Postings at least once a week, hopefully even twice a week.
2. Sermon recaps geared towards further discussion and interaction.
3. Spotlights on books I'm reading or have read.
4. Regular "big boy" theology postings - basically a post on something meaty that will hopefully help your faith get stronger and thicker and help you run the race harder and better.
If there are other things you'd like to see on this blog be sure to post below and let me know.
Thanks, see you soon!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
"Paul's Final Shout Outs" Colossians 4:7-18
Paul closes this letter with some final greetings, or "shout-outs," from himself and some of his associates. In these shout-outs we see the close connection between ministry and community. Christian community operates in ways that help further and support true Christian ministry. Here are some of the lessons worth noting in this regard from this final part of Colossians.
1. In Christian community we commit to one another (Col 4:7-18)
Tychicus was a behind-the-scenes kind of guy. But he was absolutely committed to supporting Paul's ministry and thus indispensable to Paul's continued ministry. True commitment, to God and to others, involves seeing yourself primarily in relation to other people (i.e. I am primarily a brother of someone, a faithful minister to others, a fellow servant of others).
2. In Christian community we reconcile with one another (Col 4:9)
Onesimus, a runaway slave, was sent back to Colossae with Tychicus in order to reconcile with his master Philemon. Paul himself also practiced reconciliation as shown by his mention of John Mark in Colossians 4:10, a man whom he did not want to continue doing ministry with because of how Mark had left him during his first missionary trip. Yet at some point Paul was able to reconcile with Mark and now see him as a fellow worker.
True Christian community means always being always to take steps towards reconciliation, as much as we are able. Conflict will come within the church. But the church that is truly Christ's church is one where people are quick to identify conflict, deal with it head on, and encourage one another to take the necessary steps towards healing and unity, so that ministry can continue unhindered.
3. Christian community functions as an encouragement for each member (Col 4:10-11)
Aristarchus, Mark, and Jesus called Justus seem to have been the only Jewish Christians working alongside Paul at this point. This had to have been a discouragement to Paul since he desperately yearned to see Jews come to faith in Christ. But having at least these Jewish guys with him was a means by which God encouraged Paul in his ministry. In fact, these verses suggest that Aristarchus willingly gave up his freedom so that he could more personally be with Paul and encourage him. Similarly, in v.8, Paul writes how he expects the arrival of Tychicus in Colossae will be an occassion to encourage the church. True Christian community should be a place where people are quick to encourage one another in our growth inChrist and our ministry on behalf of Christ.
4. In Christian community we pray hard for one another (Col 4:12-13)
Epaphras is noted for how hard he prays for the Colossian Christians. Prayer is hard work. So we must be committed to praying for one another - regularly and consistently.
5. In Christian community we sometimes let each other down (Col 4:14)
Demas is mentioned here, a man whom we later discover, from Paul's last letter, will abandon Paul. This is a reminder that people will disappoint us, let us down, and even desert us within the church. This means we must have a realistic and eternal perspective on Christian community. A realistic perspective means that we don't idealize the church to the point that we put it in the place of God. Christian community is not perfect. At the same time, an eternal perspective means that we live within community always aware of and thanking God for how he is steadily making his imperfect church into his pure and spotless bride. Thus, Christian ministry can still be accomplished even when Christian community falters, for our God's plans are bigger than all our failings and sins.
6. In Christian community we learn with one other (Col 4:15-16)
Paul's letter was to be publicly read among the churches. There was already the understanding that what Paul wrote had authority behind it and was applicable to several churches. Soon the Lord had his letter become part of the Scriptures where it could be read and learned from all the Christian communities to come, such as ours today. Always then, at the core of church community, must be the reading of God's word together in public and learning from what he tells us in this word together as a community. This is the essential foundation for any true ministry.
7. In Christian community we urge one another to do the Lord's work (Col 4:17)
True Christian community doesn't let people sit on their butts. Archippus had been given a commission to fulfill and Paul urges him to fulfill it. A church should be a community where we are diligent to stir one another up to love and good works (Heb 10:24-25).
Paul concludes the letter in Colossians 4:18 with a final request that the Colossian Christians remember where he's at (the implication being that they will regularly pray for him) and a final blessing of grace for them. This repeats how he began the letter in Colossians 1:2. And it's an appropriate bookend to this letter. Christian community needs the grace of God in order to exist and depends on the grace of God in order to be all the things we noted in this chapter, so that it can be an effective minister of the gospel of God's grace in Christ. For it was God's grace to us in Christ that led to us being rescued from the rule of sin and Satan and death and now brings us under the rule of Christ, where we experience life and redemption and have been empowered to represent him in our world.
How have you seen this chapter highlight the importance of community, as opposed to individualism? What "lessons" on community particularly stood out to you in this chapter? And what stood out to you the most in this entire letter? What did God impress upon your heart the most? How can you make the truths you learned part of the regular rhythm of your life?
1. In Christian community we commit to one another (Col 4:7-18)
Tychicus was a behind-the-scenes kind of guy. But he was absolutely committed to supporting Paul's ministry and thus indispensable to Paul's continued ministry. True commitment, to God and to others, involves seeing yourself primarily in relation to other people (i.e. I am primarily a brother of someone, a faithful minister to others, a fellow servant of others).
2. In Christian community we reconcile with one another (Col 4:9)
Onesimus, a runaway slave, was sent back to Colossae with Tychicus in order to reconcile with his master Philemon. Paul himself also practiced reconciliation as shown by his mention of John Mark in Colossians 4:10, a man whom he did not want to continue doing ministry with because of how Mark had left him during his first missionary trip. Yet at some point Paul was able to reconcile with Mark and now see him as a fellow worker.
True Christian community means always being always to take steps towards reconciliation, as much as we are able. Conflict will come within the church. But the church that is truly Christ's church is one where people are quick to identify conflict, deal with it head on, and encourage one another to take the necessary steps towards healing and unity, so that ministry can continue unhindered.
3. Christian community functions as an encouragement for each member (Col 4:10-11)
Aristarchus, Mark, and Jesus called Justus seem to have been the only Jewish Christians working alongside Paul at this point. This had to have been a discouragement to Paul since he desperately yearned to see Jews come to faith in Christ. But having at least these Jewish guys with him was a means by which God encouraged Paul in his ministry. In fact, these verses suggest that Aristarchus willingly gave up his freedom so that he could more personally be with Paul and encourage him. Similarly, in v.8, Paul writes how he expects the arrival of Tychicus in Colossae will be an occassion to encourage the church. True Christian community should be a place where people are quick to encourage one another in our growth inChrist and our ministry on behalf of Christ.
4. In Christian community we pray hard for one another (Col 4:12-13)
Epaphras is noted for how hard he prays for the Colossian Christians. Prayer is hard work. So we must be committed to praying for one another - regularly and consistently.
5. In Christian community we sometimes let each other down (Col 4:14)
Demas is mentioned here, a man whom we later discover, from Paul's last letter, will abandon Paul. This is a reminder that people will disappoint us, let us down, and even desert us within the church. This means we must have a realistic and eternal perspective on Christian community. A realistic perspective means that we don't idealize the church to the point that we put it in the place of God. Christian community is not perfect. At the same time, an eternal perspective means that we live within community always aware of and thanking God for how he is steadily making his imperfect church into his pure and spotless bride. Thus, Christian ministry can still be accomplished even when Christian community falters, for our God's plans are bigger than all our failings and sins.
6. In Christian community we learn with one other (Col 4:15-16)
Paul's letter was to be publicly read among the churches. There was already the understanding that what Paul wrote had authority behind it and was applicable to several churches. Soon the Lord had his letter become part of the Scriptures where it could be read and learned from all the Christian communities to come, such as ours today. Always then, at the core of church community, must be the reading of God's word together in public and learning from what he tells us in this word together as a community. This is the essential foundation for any true ministry.
7. In Christian community we urge one another to do the Lord's work (Col 4:17)
True Christian community doesn't let people sit on their butts. Archippus had been given a commission to fulfill and Paul urges him to fulfill it. A church should be a community where we are diligent to stir one another up to love and good works (Heb 10:24-25).
Paul concludes the letter in Colossians 4:18 with a final request that the Colossian Christians remember where he's at (the implication being that they will regularly pray for him) and a final blessing of grace for them. This repeats how he began the letter in Colossians 1:2. And it's an appropriate bookend to this letter. Christian community needs the grace of God in order to exist and depends on the grace of God in order to be all the things we noted in this chapter, so that it can be an effective minister of the gospel of God's grace in Christ. For it was God's grace to us in Christ that led to us being rescued from the rule of sin and Satan and death and now brings us under the rule of Christ, where we experience life and redemption and have been empowered to represent him in our world.
How have you seen this chapter highlight the importance of community, as opposed to individualism? What "lessons" on community particularly stood out to you in this chapter? And what stood out to you the most in this entire letter? What did God impress upon your heart the most? How can you make the truths you learned part of the regular rhythm of your life?
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