Posts Tagged ‘Community’

Called to COMMUNITY

Thursday, March 15th, 2012

You’ll never be too small to serve your community, only too BIG, Never too dumb, only too SMART, never too poor, only too RICH, never too inept, only too CLEVER.”

“Human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and can’t really get rid of it.”       

“This year, or this month, or, more likely, this very day, we have failed to practice ourselves the kind of behavior we expect from other people.”                                                     The Case for Christianity – CS Lewis

Mark 3: 13   ` Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14He appointed twelve–designating them apostles, that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15and to have authority to drive out demons.

COMMUNITY

In his book The Connecting Church, Author Randy Frazee writes, “The experience of authentic community is one of the purposes God intends to be fulfilled by the church. The writings of Scripture lead one to conclude that God intends the church, not to be one more bolt on the wheel of activity in our lives, but the very hub at the center of one’s life…..”(36/995)

The church or a local community of believers is essential to our spiritual well-being. In the New Testament there are no “Lone Ranger” Christians. Believers needed each other and God expected them to be there for each other. Likewise, we need each other and God expects us to be there for each other.

God has ordained that we play a vital part in each other’s faith. For that reason we are commanded in Hebrews 10:25 not to, “…GIVE UP MEETING TOGETHER, AS SOME ARE IN THE HABIT OF DOING, BUT LET US ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER….” God has a purpose for putting us together.

DECISION MAKING

Proverbs 16:9 – We make our own plans, but the LORD decides where we will go.

Proverbs 18:1 – it’s selfish and stupid to think only of yourself and to sneer at people who have sense. 

  • When you are just trying to get there, to heaven, the one thing that can drive your decision-making is based upon fear.
  • Right and wrong decision, sin or not.
  • Once you say yes to Jesus, you are not to be driven by fear

Sometimes the Lord never tells you what to do; he just says I will bless whatever decision you make. If God makes all the decision you have nothing to give account for.  God is not going to give account at the end for you, you will.

  • Not an issue of right or wrong, it’s a good decision based upon relationships
  • Move into a role of son or daughter, the authority that becomes ours because he trusts us more than we may trust ourselves.
  • He’s going to work with us.  Proverbs 16:9 – We make our own plans, but the LORD decides where we will go.
  • I trust you, what do you what to do?

If you have the solution to every problem living inside you, then you have the ability to take the risk, make decisions

  • Isolation, pay attention to the presence of peace, even if it’s scary
  • The Lord loves to co-labor with his kids
  • King David and building the temple
  • Joshua and the talk about taking Jericho
  • In the Kingdom the lights green until it turns red.

And as Henri Nouwen points out, “We are unified by our common weaknesses, our common failures, our common disappointments and our common inconsistencies.”

Luke informs us that “ALL THE BELEIVERS WERE ONE IN HEART AND MIND.

 


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Communitas

Thursday, February 16th, 2012

(Communitas is a Latin noun commonly referring either to an unstructured community in which people are equal, or to the very spirit of community)

With the summer months behind us, it’s been some time since we’ve connected via written communication or in person.  Lena and I had a wonderful summer, leading two camps, attending a spirit-filled conference and enjoying vacation time.  I trust that you are rested and ready for the ministry that is calling your name – its harvest time!

During times of rest and seeking God, I have been experiencing a deep hunger for ’the more’ that God has for us as a fellowship.  Moving forward to the place of unconditional love and building Christ-centered communities is a compelling force and passion I can’t escape.  When Jesus washed the disciple’s feet, the Bible says, “He showed them the full extent of His love.”  What does the full extent of our love look like for us today?

The spirit of community helps take people from their inadequacies and through the life transformation of Christ’s Holy Spirit, enables imperfect souls to seek the best for one another.  I came across an article by Dan Rockwell where he lists mistakes we can make and noticed things I see in my life – see what you think as you move down the list.

Top 25 Dumb Mistakes Leaders Make

  1. Creating complexity.
  2. Losing sight of vision while focusing on details.
  3. Using the same relational-methods with all employees.
  4. Assuming people know what they’re thinking.
  5. Giving conclusions without explaining thought processes.
  6. Interrupting.
  7. Relying too heavily on email for communication.
  8. Blaming.
  9. Lying.
  10. Listening to critics that don’t share organizational values.
  11. Talking while in the heat of emotion.
  12. Creating urgency and then not following through.
  13. Focusing on problems rather than solutions.
  14. Hiding in the office.
  15. Wasting time in unfocused meetings.
  16. Intimidating.
  17. Not managing others emotional energy.
  18. Neglecting their energy.
  19. Postponing tough conversations.
  20. Paranoia.
  21. Partiality.
  22. Not providing timely feedback.
  23. Preaching teamwork while rewarding individual performance.
  24. Focusing on low performers while neglecting high performers.
  25. Tolerating behaviors that create office drama.

Most mistakes we make are done in private or isolation; this is why we are called to community and have joined forces as a fellowship of churches and ministers.  The verses in Eccl 4:9-12 (MSG) speak succinctly on this matter of living life together.  “It’s better to have a partner than go it alone. Share the work, share the wealth. And if one falls down, the other helps, but if there’s no one to help, tough! 11 Two in a bed warm each other. Alone, you shiver all night.  12 By yourself you’re unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped.”

Two are better than one:

  • If you fall…there’s someone there to pick you up.  Not just falling physically, but emotionally, spiritually or morally.  Does anyone even know what you are going through?  If you’re alone, no one will know and that is the plan of Satan, to keep you isolated and in fear.  As your brother in Christ, I want to see your treasures and know your pains in order to walk with you in an honest and real way.
  • To warm you up…it’s cold out there.  It may be 31 above as I write this but winter’s coming and in Alberta & the NWT we know what it means to put a “–“in front of the 31.  It’s cold inside some of our churches too and that’s unacceptable.  How do you, the pastor, the leader, gauge accurately whether your church is a loving, friendly, healthy, Christ-centered community?  If we really knew each other the way God knows us and we know ourselves, would people inside the church still accept us and love us the way Christ does?  The scriptures say, “They will know us by our love.”  We have got to be different than the status quo.
  • Protecting your back…when the military goes into combat, they prepare for hand-to-hand fighting…they train to protect the other’s back.  When you have someone with you, they can watch out for you.  I thank God for our District team – they’ve got my back!
  • A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped…if you have someone in your life that walks with you like David did with Jonathan, like Elijah did with Elisha, like Paul did with Timothy, and then you have GOD in the center of that relationship, you have a threefold cord that is not easily broken.  In Isaiah 40:31, it says, “But those who wait upon God get fresh strength, they spread their wings and soar like eagles, they run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind.”  Very interesting is the meaning of the word, wait.  The primitive root means to bind together (perhaps by twisting).  Isn’t that fantastic – those that wait or are twisted together with God get fresh strength!   Fellowship with God and being in Communitas is what guarantees that you and I won’t have to walk life’s journey alone.  We were born to be in relationship with God and man and to be released into the destiny that has been given to us by our heavenly Father.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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