Being Ordinarily Equipped To Reach Our Neighbors

Throughout the Bible, we see time and time again God using the most unlikely individuals as messengers to reach His people. We sometimes fail to realize that the primary way God has chosen to reach people is through ordinary people. 1 Corinthians 1:27–29 tells us why He does this: “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.” God chooses to use people, because in doing so, He receives the maximum glory as He works in our lives in spite of our weaknesses. This concept is correct in us today as well as in the very apostles that Jesus chose over 2000 years ago. Some people get uncomfortable when it is mentioned that these men were not perfect. We have a tendency to lift up these men and think that they were perfect, holy, and without blame. An honest look in the pages of scripture would reveal a different idea. These men were not scholars, they were not religious leaders, and as a matter of fact they were quite ordinary, and far from what would be characterized as leaders by most. The way these men are portrayed in the bible demonstrated their humanness. The Bible does not hide the characteristics of these men. It presents God as perfect, and it presents the apostles in their true human character, problems and all. Jesus did not call them because of how great they were, He chose them because of how insignificant they were. He did not seek out men that were proud, rich, or those that had a formal education. He wanted men that He could teach and mold to His image. Jesus took a personal role in their lives and this is what made the difference in the apostles. All the apostles had to do was make sure they were available and obedient to their master’s call.

Jesus selected these twelve men to change the world. Many today would ask, “What was He thinking when He chose those men?”
Let’s be serious, a zealot who was a sworn enemy of Rome, a tax collector who worked for Rome, and a few fishermen. What could these men possibly contribute? They were not highly educated men, they were not theologians, they were common men asked to team up and work together for a common purpose–God’s purpose. It would be these men that would impact the world by the power of the Holy Spirit and their difficulties and triumphs are recorded in history for us to learn from.

In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus gives a command to “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.” Then, He gives the apostles a few words of encouragement knowing fully the task that was before them. “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” What else do we need if we have the Holy Spirit with us?

As community is rolled out in our neighborhoods, you can bet that there will be some difficulties and challenges. But at the same time, we can expect that the Lord will be right there with us. You just need to make yourself available and be obedient to His call and right now you are called to be a light in your neighborhood. The command that Jesus gives in Matthew 28 is one that tells us to go out and engage our neighbors and bring them the good news. You’re already equipped to do that.

by Mike Steinwender

Confessions of Inconsistency or The Church Cart before the Church Horse

I cannot tell you how many times I have taught or have been taught by others that “context is key.” The basic idea is, if you want to accurately understand a passage of scripture, then you must analyze the context in which it was written. This principle is deeply ingrained in the way I study the Bible. Or so I thought. To my surprise, I recently discovered that I have not been consistent with this principle as it pertains to a particular passage of scripture.

Over the years, I have often thought about what the church ought to be and do. One passage that I have been drawn to in this regard is Acts 2:42-47. I would read this description of the early church and try to imitate their example. They met together, prayed together, ate together, and devoted themselves to the apostle’s teachings. After years of reading this passage, I have become very familiar.

But one day it struck me: this passage needs to be seen in its context. This may not be enlightening, but Acts 2:42 comes after Acts 2:41, and those both follow Acts 1:8.  In chapter one Jesus gave the newly formed church a huge task. They were to take the gospel everywhere, including the very ends of the earth. When we come to Acts 2:41, we read that 3,000 people were added to the church. 

Then we get to Acts 2:42-47. There was a reason they were meeting together, eating together, selling things in order to meet each other’s needs, and devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching. They were responding to what had happened earlier in the book.  Jesus sent them on a mission. In order to accomplish this mission, the early church needed to meet together, to pray together, to share with those in need. These were things that were essential to accomplishing the task that Jesus sent them on.

As I examined my life and ministry I realized how frequently I tried
to imitate the activities of Acts 2:42; I would meet with people
(often good friends), eat with them, pray with them. In taking part of these activities, I thought that I was being faithful to what the early Church did. 

I was wrong! The early church did not just meet together for the sake of meeting; they were meeting together for the purpose of taking the Gospel throughout their town and even to the ends of the earth. The central issue was not meeting, sharing, or eating together (even though they did those things). The primary issue was accomplishing the mission that Jesus gave them to fulfill.

If I am passionate about reaching a particular area (e.g., my neighborhood), then it makes sense for me to meet with other people who share in that same passion. But rather than simply meeting for the sake of meeting, I should probably meet with them in order to figure out how to best care and pray for that area. My problem has been that I have not been reading Acts in context. I need to remember that Acts 1:8 comes before Acts 2.  Taking the gospel throughout the region needs to be primary. Meeting together is a good thing, but it cannot be an end in itself. In the early church, it was a means to an end. And that end is fulfilling the mission that Jesus has given us.

The Power of the Resurrected Christ is Within Us!

It’s one thing to say that you know Christ; it’s another to say that you know the power of the resurrection of Christ. This difference would be the same as saying one “knows a person” and one who “wants to resemble a person.” It’s not about the relationship but about super-
natural character growth. In Philippians 3:10 it says, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death.” When the author Paul says, “I want to know Him (Christ),” he means he wants to be with Him. When he says, “I want to know the power of His resurrection,” he means he wants to be just like Him.

Look at your life, your lifestyle, and the part that would be considered the deadness in your life.  For some, this is the time before you lived in faith of Christ’s death and resurrection. For others, this is when you currently live without faith. For example: How do you treat others?  How often do you pursue your own personal gain?  How are you going to turn that into pursuing the gain of others toward Christ’s kingdom? Look at your insecurity. How is that going to be turned into confidence? Look at the self-centeredness. How is that going to be turned into compassion and generosity? How? The answer is letting the dead part to be taken over by the Spirit of God. The second you decide to live in faith of the resurrected Christ, you let the Spirit of God, the same Spirit that resurrected Christ from the dead, take over and lead you. In Galatians 5:16-18 it says, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

We are not to live in a way that satisfies our deadness, the things that gratify the desires of the flesh, but rather live in the Spirit. When we live in the Spirit, it promises to produce something that isn’t possible within ourselves. In Philippians 4:13, Paul says, “We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.” It’s in Christ’s resurrected power, the power of the Spirit that dwells within us as we live in faith, that produces a fruit of the Spirit as listed in Galatians 5:22-26, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” Amazingly, we can strive to become or display any or all of these fruits and never accomplish it on our own. The only lasting change comes from living out faith in the resurrected Christ. Thank you God for giving us your Spirit, the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead.

by: Pastor Bill Lucas

Christ died so that we can continue sinning?

Christ died on the cross for our sin. Is this a past historical fact to you only or is this a present reality truth that you live in light of? As a Christian I believe that Christ died on the cross for my sin. In other words, God took my sin that I was covered in (past, present and future) and put it on Christ on the cross (Isa. 53:6). Christ bore (wore) my sin on the cross. Why is it then that I willingly choose to live in sin. I cannot live in sin (not struggle, habitually practice sin) and also believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sin. My sin is either on the cross or it is on me. Who is bearing my sin?

We often look at the cross and we think that Jesus Christ died on the cross to simply pay the penalty for our sin. That is partially true. Christ died on the cross for my sin and therefore took the penalty as well. Many would prefer to have Christ pay the penalty for their sin while they would keep the pleasure of living in sin itself.

Think about how you present the gospel. You say, “Do you want to go to hell”. The obvious response is, “no!” Then if you do not want to go to hell, you must believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins. People then believe the gospel as a means (avoid hell) to inherit eternal life not because of Christ. I do not want to overstate my case but this is a perversion of the gospel. When we present the gospel, the incentive for accepting the gospel should be Christ Himself and not eternal life alone. It is true that we will inherit eternal life by believing the gospel but you must present Christ. Otherwise people fall in love with eternal life and not Christ. Ask people why they are looking forward to going to heaven…they look forward to being reunited with their family and loved ones, they are looking forward to being free from sin and suffering. Although there is some truth to this, we should look forward to heaven because of being united with Jesus Christ and being in His presence.

Do you believe that Jesus Christ died on Good Friday for your sins? Do you believe that He bore or wore your specific sins on the cross? Here is an illustration. Here is my sin (put on a muddy, filthy, stinky, wretched shirt). When I believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins I am believing that these sins are nailed to the cross so that I bear them no more (take off the shirt and nail it to the cross). But this is essentially what we do. We go to the cross and take our sins back and try to leave the penalty on Christ’s shoulders. We are basically telling Christ that we would rather live in our sin than live in the freedom that He is giving us. In other words, we are telling Him, “thank you for giving me the freedom to live in my sin without consequence. That is NOT what Christ did on the cross. That is a complete perversion of the gospel.

As a side note. Many of you might be thinking, I do believe that Jesus Christ bore/wore my sins on the cross but I find myself struggling with sin. The issue is not the struggle or battle with sin, the issue I am addressing is living in sin. This is the misunderstanding that Paul was addressing in Romans 6:1-3. “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” If we really believe the truth the Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins we are believing that we have died to sin and therefore we cannot live in it. If we choose to live in sin we are rejecting the cross and Christ’s sacrifice. We are essentially crucifying the Lord Jesus all over again (Heb. 6:6) each time we come back to Christ. There are some who live in sin all year long and then this time around the Easter season they abandon the life of sin temporarily out of respect for Christ’s sacrifice and then, once again, resume their indulgence in sin.

Christ died on the cross for our sin. Notice the passage says, “who is going to believe this” (Isa. 53:1) -the one who believes it is the one who is disgusted with their sin. We cannot begin with the issue of urging people to believe that historical fact, “Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sin”. John the Baptist, Jesus, Peter and Paul did not begin with belief, but with repentance. We must be utterly disgusted with our sin, broken by our sin, distraught and in turmoil because of our sin before we can believe the truth of the gospel. Christ dying on the cross for our sins is not “good news” until we believe that living in our sin is unbearable. The idea that Christ took or removed our sins is only good news to those who do not want to live in it any longer. Otherwise, believing the reality that Jesus Christ bore our sins on the cross is a bummer and a downer because he is taking away that which we find pleasure in.

As Christians we must continually be repenting of sin. Since the residual effects of sin are still present in my life (I am not yet perfect but I am pursuing perfection-Phil. 3:12-13) I must adopt the habit of repentance and reject the lure and enticement to sin. I am daily and hourly repenting of sin. Every time I see my sin, which I believe Jesus Christ bore on the cross, I must reject (repent) that sin and look back at the cross and be reminded that I bear it no more. Always in a willingness and desire to go the other way. The thrill of living in a state of repentance. Flees from darkness and flees back to the light. A thrill that my sin is on the cross and not in my life!

He bore our grieves and carried our sorrows (Isa. 53:4). How can you believe that Jesus Christ bore on the cross your grief over sin and your sorrow over sin if you are the least bit troubled by your sin. You cannot find peace and pleasure in your life of sin and also believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins.

by: Pastor Matt Moore

Being Gospel-Centered, Community-Oriented, and Mission-Mobilized

The gospel conference sponsored by Cornerstone, led by Pastors Jeff Vanderstelt and David Fairchild, has been a blessing and a source of renewing joy in my life. I can’t think of a time in my life when the beauty of the gospel, found in Jesus Christ, has been more precious to me or when the desire to live out its implications in community and mission has been stronger. What do you feel when you hear gospel truths like these: “Jesus did because we didn’t,” “Jesus rescued and redeemed what we wrecked,” “Jesus loved us first because we couldn’t love Him,” and “Jesus will always be faithful even when we are faithless.”

I know in the past my heart has been numb to statements like this, but now I can’t help but read those phrases and well up with unspeakable joy. Along with that the more I have come to understand the idea of the body of Christ as a community living out the gospel together in all of life, the more I have come to understand what Christ actually came to do. Christ did not come to redeem individuals so they could continue in their individualism, but Christ came to redeem a people so that they could come together as a people. However not a purposeless people, but he came to redeem a people on a mission to display, in a massive way, the grand, glorious, and infinite beauty of their redeemer Jesus Christ.

My soul has also been fed by this gospel conference with practical meat on how to actually start implementing this gospel-centered, community-oriented, mission-mobilized lifestyle. First, as the speakers demonstrated, its best to start with the thing “of first importance,” which is getting to know the gospel. This is accomplished as Sinclair Ferguson said by “expending our energies admiring, exploring, expositing, and extolling Jesus Christ.” Second, get to know your brothers and sisters in Christ, especially those who live in your neighborhood. This should not be hard because you all have one major uniting thing in common; you love Jesus Christ. Third, as those relationships forge and form into community, start to strategically and casually engage your unbelieving neighbors together. Get to know them in a deep and welcoming way by asking about them and listening to them. In doing this, make sure that you keep the main thing the main thing, namely the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Understanding the practical nature of how to live out the gospel as a community in order to engage the unbelievers around us is very freeing, but it can be a freeing failure if we don’t implement the most important thing. And the most important thing is that we be a people consumed with and soaked in prayer. We must ask God to do all things before we can do anything, and we must ask God that we do all things for Himself or else we will do everything for ourselves. As believers in community, we must continually be praying that God would do the most important thing among us and through us and that is that He would glorify Himself by using us to bring people to saving faith in Jesus Christ. The gospel we believe in must be believed in through prayer. The communities that we live in must be lived in through prayer. The mission we live out must be lived out through prayer. Prayer is the plug that connects us to the power source of infinite energy and mobilizes us to be a people that have God working on their behalf instead of apart from Him.

 by: Andrew Jacobson