There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
The Big Idea: Christians are members of a community and cannot remain healthy outside it.
Many Christians think of participation in a local church as optional and their commitment to fellow believers is low. But without the benefit of strong relationships in a community of faith--that is, the church--Christians really cannot grow (in spite of what Barna may say ;-) We are made for each other. Every Christian has a role to play in the life of the community, so church isn't primarily about what we gain but about what we contribute to others.
This is a totally foreign concept to most Christians, since the way we generally approach church is based on our own preferences--whether we like the music, preaching, kids' programs, etc.
So . . . . give me a hand on this one.
What do you think?
5 comments:
Larry,
I’m so glad you’re going to be preaching! After hearing you speak at Write to Publish, I think it’s definitely one of your gifts.
You asked for thoughts on why people don’t become more involved in church. From my perspective, it’s often because we believe one of two lies.
The first lie is, “Church is only for the spiritual part of your life.”
In I Thessalonians 2:8 Paul says, “We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.” This is one of my favorite verses because it’s such a beautiful description of Christian community. Church is about sharing all of life--spiritual, physical, social, mental, and emotional.
Our small group is reading Cure for the Common Life by Max Lucado. We just finished the chapter on the Church. One of my favorite quotes from that section is, “The church. More than family, we are friends. More than friends, we are family.”
As long as we believe that Church is only about one part of our lives then we’ll naturally only be partially invested in it.
The second lie is, “Church is only for people who have it all together.”
Max Lucado also says in Cure for the Common Life, “He grants gifts so we can ‘prepare God’s holy people.’ Paul reached into a medical dictionary for this term. Doctors use it to describe the setting of a broken bone. Broken people come to churches. Not with broken bones, but broken hearts, homes, dreams, and lives. The limp in on fractured faith, and if the church operates as the church, they find healing."
His statement also reminds me of another story, one told by Lamar Steiger, a Community Pastor for my church. Lamar struggled for many years with numerous issues and, at one point, even came close to taking his own life. Then God worked in a powerful way through the church and several men who came alongside Lamar to walk with him through his healing.
Several years later, when Lamar was asked to be a Community Pastor, he questioned, “How can you choose me in spite of all my struggles?” The response from Directional Leader Robert Cupp was clear. “We’re not choosing you in spite of those things; we’re choosing you because of them.”
I love that kind of scandalous grace because it reminds me so much of Jesus! You may have seen the video “Cardboard Testimonies” on GodTube. It powerfully shows how the Church can be a place for that kind of healing and transformation. Here’s the link: http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=8616c1559ab4221b3910
As long as we believe the Church will only accept part of us then that’s all we’ll offer.
Those are a few thoughts off the top of my head. I feel like I’ve preached my own little sermon. (: Of course, there are many other reasons people don’t fully invest in church ranging from music preferences to football kick-off times!
Thanks for inviting us to contribute. I know you’ll do a great job—with or without us! Will there be a podcast of your sermon we can listen to?
Hope it works out wonderfully, Larry. Glad you'll be "in the pocket" there at FCreek.
My sister-in-law Amanda Drury preached here at College Church last summer on Baptism and had some cool "superhero" jokes about being a "Baptizan"... that might be fun.
Also, I think theologically it's good to point out that we are to baptize in "the name of" the Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit. Most people miss it, but we don't baptize "in the NAMES of" the Father, etc... or "in the name of the Father, in the name of the Son, in the name of the Holy Spirit..." etc.
So there is an inherrent Trinitarian emphasis in THE NAME in our baptismal liturgy. It's something Steve DeNeff emphasized here recently in a message on the 10 Commandments.
As far as MY OWN ideas... well, everything I've preached on Baptism has been pretty derivative [it IS Baptism, after all]..., my favorite quote is from Tertullian because of some of the interesting wording he uses: "With great simplicity, without pomp, without any considerable novelty of preparation, and without expense, a man is dipped in water. Amid the utterance of some few words, he is moistened, and then rises again, not much the [physically] cleaner. Because of that, the consequent attainment of eterneity is esteemed the more incredible."
Larry:
Whenever I read the passage(vv 4-6), I am reminded of UNITY. The passage speaks of ONE body, the body of Christ. Continuing, Paul focuses on ONE Spirit-the Holy Spirit. Paul, then reminds the Ephesians(and us)of our calling by ONE Lord into One faith via One Baptism.
In my faith system, baptism is 'an outward sign of an inward work.' That inward work has to be done first. We have to repent from our sins. We have to ask Jesus to forgive us. Without repentance we just go through the motions.
Cecelia from TWV2
Thanks for the comments here (and others via e-mail). All good stuff.
So far, you've been emphasizing:
1. Unity--of the church (and Godhead).
3. The power of grace.
2. Cleansing from sin and the water metaphor.
Holley--nice video suggestion. Also, we're not podcasting right now. I'll keep you posted.
I'm thinking of using my son's Marine book camp experience as an illustration of unity. The sign at Parris Island: "We make Marines." When I went to graduation, I couldn't pick Uriah out of the crowd, only 20 feet away. He had surrendered himself to the Corps.
one baptism one body and one family meaning once you go down in the water you are a part of the family.
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