Practicing Gospel Relationships

In taking a close look at 1 Corinthians 16:5-8, we get a picture of how Paul practiced having gospel relationships.

The first thing we see is that Paul was intentional. He knew that having gospel relationships didn't just happen anymore than getting a spouse just happens, picking up a paycheck from a job just happens, or getting a college degree just happens. It all demands effort and intentionality. Paul planned to see the people in Corinth...he made an intentional effort to be with them. And not just to be with them, but to invite them on mission with him... "so that you may help me on my journey" (v. 6). Gospel relationships always include being on mission together for the gospel.

The second thing we see is that Paul created time margin. He had no desire to go through Corinth "in passing" but rather wanted to "spend some time" (v. 7). This really rubs our American culture! We're a drive-by, drive-through, microwave, Starbucks Via kind of culture. We value burning the candle on both ends and in the middle. But that does not allow gospel relationships to foster. You have to aggressively create margin in your life for relationships to flourish.

The third thing we see is that Paul lived in rhythm. He talks a lot about seasons and holidays (Pentecost - v. 8) to order his life. Rhythms are important to us. God gave us the gift of time and the Sabbath to help us order our finite lives around for our benefit. Having daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly rhythms allow people to be healthy physically, spiritually, emotionally, and relationally. Saying you're a "spontaneous" person is just a nice way of saying that you're chaotic, lack self-control, and are ineffective. Developing and living in rhythms don't enslave you at all; rather, they free you!

So in an effort to live out gospel relationships, take some cues from Paul and be intentional, create some margin in your life, and develop some rhythms.

Next up: The Benefits of Gospel Relationships

What are Gospel Relationships?

Have you ever wrestled with the question (as Christians), why are we here? Not individually, but corporately. What is the purpose of this community called the church?

Many times, the answer comes from bible verses like Genesis 2:18 (it's not good for man to be alone), or Psalm 133:1 (good for brothers to dwell in unity), or Proverbs 27:17 (iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another). While all these things are fully true, to simply define the purpose of community as a cure to my loneliness, my need for camaraderie, or my personal growth is just shallow and selfish (notice all the "my's"). Don't you think God wants something deeper and bigger for his church?

Of course he does. One passage we can look to is 1 Peter 2:9. We see that God has indeed made for himself a people, and that his people are to proclaim the excellencies of God. So what we see right away is that community is first and foremost God's (not ours) and that the purpose of community is to share the gospel. I think this is the point to where the best descriptor of community is "gospel relationships." Looking at community through a gospel lens points us vertically toward God and horizontally out to people, not for the purpose of getting our needs met, but giving the gospel to those who need it.

But what about the real needs that you and I have? This is where it gets beautiful. When we fully live for God's glory and live on mission for the gospel, along the way our needs get met. Our loneliness is cured as we are on mission with other. Our camaraderie is met as we have a deep common goal. Our personal growth happens as others sharpen and encourage us along the journey. It truly is the best of both worlds!

Community - gospel relationships - are interconnected to mission. You can't fully have community without mission, and you can't fully have mission without community. This is what we see littered all throughout scripture, in particular the new testament. People on mission together in community enjoying God Himself and the benefits of each other.

Next up: Practicing Gospel Relationships

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

The family and I just got back from an 8-day excursion that took us from Springfield to Hot Springs, Arkansas to Lake of the Ozarks. Here's a few things I learned:

• U.S. 67 is a boring and slow way to travel through Missouri into Arkansas. I'll stick to I-55 next time.
• I'm pretty sure there's a Wal-Mart in every town in Arkansas.
• Of all the hub-bub influential cities get, the amount of rural America is immense.
• Speaking of rural America, you've got to love names like Knob Lick, MO and Toad Suck Park in Arkansas. I'm being very serious.
• Flying a plane is fun.
• The amount of food you're offered at Lambert's (where they throw the rolls at you) should be illegal.
• Watching a lightning/thunderstorm roll in at midnight over Lake of the Ozarks is a very spiritual experience.

One last thing: I've gained some deeper appreciation for gospel community and gospel hospitality. Here's what I mean: my family of SEVEN travelled about 1000 miles, stayed in two cities, and while I haven't added up all the receipts just yet, my estimations is that this trip only cost us about $400! How is this possible? It's possible only because of the gospel.

We visited and stayed with some dear friends in Hot Springs, which is a beautiful area of the country and boasts a very unique National Park. These are the type of friends where Dawn and I are "Aunt & Uncle" to their kids, and they are the same to our kids. The community we have because of the gospel is what really makes this friendship so deep and true community. When we're together, everything is shared and it really feels like family (in the best way!).

For our Lake of the Ozark leg of the trip, we were given an amazing condo to stay in. For free. By people we've never met. Talk about hospitality! The hearts of these dear people is for their condo (which is right on the Lake; which they've named "Still Waters") is for people to connect with Jesus and find some rest for their souls. Just take care of the place and clean up when you're done. They understand that it really isn't "their" condo, but it's God's, and it's to be used for His glory.

May we all truly live out Gospel Community and Gospel Hospitality.

Transforming Your Life

A couple weeks ago we began a new series called "Transformissionary" (named after this blog) at Delta where we're looking at our mission statement of "Loving God...Transforming Lives...Changing the World."  Yesterday was on "Transforming Lives", and I realized that I had a lot of information, so I thought I'd post it here to save people from writing their hands off from taking notes.  Here's the highlights:

2 Corinthians 5:17 gives us the promise of our transformation through the Gospel.
Acts 3:1-10 gives us an example of this Gospel-transformation in action.  The man was:

• Regenerated: He became a new creature...his depression was turned to joy!
• Justified: He longer sits outside the Temple; he now IS a temple of God!
• Sanctified: His new ability to physically walk mirrors his new spiritual walk with Jesus, becoming more and more like Him.
• Glorified: His physical healing is a foreshadowing of his complete future restoration when he'll be in heaven with Jesus.

But when Delta talks about your transformation and my transformation, what exactly are we talking about?  We mean that we desire that you transform from:

• Unchristian to Christian - Ephesians 2:1,4,5.  You have no hope for anything else unless you are a Christ-follower.
• Self-centered to God-centered - 2 Corinthians 5:14-15. Jesus gave us everything, and our only appropriate response is to give everything back to Him.
• Consumer to Servant - 1 Corinthians 9:19. Being an inward-focused consumer will only lead to your isolation and ineffectiveness.  Being an outward-focused servant will bring you friendship and bring about Gospel-transformation in others.
• Member to Missionary - John 20:21. Church is not about belonging to an elite club that just sits and soaks.  Church is about being infused into the world, bringing the transforming power of the Gospel with you.
• Fence-sitter to Influencer - Matthew 9:9,10. We stop letting life pass us by and taking what we can get.  We begin influecing those in our lives toward Jesus.

We know that Jesus is the initiator and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6).  But what about the inbetween?  How do we best join Jesus in his transforming work in our lives?  The answer lies in community.  We need to fully engage in the community of Christ-followers in obedience to what the Bible says about community

• There's importance of being together - Hebrews 10:24-25.  Being together at church, in homes, in community group, or any other gathering is how we're loved and encouraged to live for Jesus.  And we are to "consider" this: planning it, prioritizing it, making the most of it.
• There's importance of those who have gone before us - Hebrews 12:1. We find encouragement and victory over sinful, destructive patterns in our lives by learning about saints that have gone before us.  God has always used common, fallen people to do great things for Him through their simple faith.
• There's importance of submitting to spiritual leadership - Hebrews 13:17.  God gives us Elders and Deacons to teach us, guide us, comfort us, and discipline us so we can love Jesus more.  We submit to their leadership willingly for our own good, and for their own good as they will stand before Jesus one day to give an account on how they led and cared for people.
• There's importance of the community's role in healing - James 5:16.  Confession to other people doesn't provide forgiveness of sin (only Jesus does that); but confessing our sin to others who love and care for us helps unload the burden of sin, finds that we're not alone in our struggles, and allows the Body of Christ to love like Jesus does.

Remember that we are all like the lame beggar.  We all need our lives radically transformed as only Jesus can do, but we also need someone to grab our hand and help us up.