Building a Community

I often hear people talking about church. Some are adamant that it is an essential part of a Christian's walk with the Lord. Others think it is optional. I have met a lot of people who believe that they are Christians but they do not go to church. They insist that they are more "spiritual" than "religious."

I understand where they are coming from. 

Many of my most spiritual experiences have happened outside of church walls, and I certainly don't believe that a person has to be in a church to commune with God. What, then, is the church for?

Evangelism, of course. And community...more specifically a Christian community.

My hubby is a biogeochemist (don't ask me what that IS exactly), so he often draws life lessons from nature. He had quite a bit to say about the importance of strong community in nature. Here is just one example:

Redwoods have a very unique ecosystem – these are giant trees, some measured at more than 360ft in height, and over 20 ft in diameter – the tallest trees in the world. Sometimes they are called Sequoias; that’s their scientific name Sequoia sempervirens. They average around 200 -240 ft tall with typical diameters of 10-15 ft. But funnily enough it’s not the height that is the most impressive thing about redwoods. 

Early in development they have a fairly deep root system, as the tree gets taller, the roots get shallower and grow more laterally than vertically – typically these roots are within 4-5 feet of the soil surface and in mature trees these roots reach out 100, 150 and even 200 ft (that’s over 4 ac² of influence) and the roots are quite thin maybe 1 – 2 ft in diameter. Redwoods do not have a tap root – roots only penetrate maybe 10-15ft in the ground (not far for a tree that’s 200ft tall).

Now take that idea and think a little broader – these redwoods live in the coastal environment in California – high winds, strong storms … why would a tree that lives in a harsh coastal environment and has a shallow root system grow to be the tallest in the world? Well, they can grow that tall because of the redwood community. All these lateral roots interlock, intertwine and interweave, enabling the trees to protect and support one another

Simply put, these trees survive because of a strong community. Is it such a stretch to think that we might do the same?

I’ll give you three basic tenants for the basis of a strong community, from a biblical perspective:

1.      Foundation of a community: We are all based on one thing – our faith in Jesus Christ that is our foundation. See Ephesians 4:4-6 … There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called to one hope at your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all

Put this passage in context … If you go back to Ephesians 4:3, Paul is writing this letter to the Ephesians and he isn’t praying for the Ephesians to be unified – that has happened already, but for them to stay unified or keep the unity. Therefore, if we have a foundation of a community, we need a purpose …

2.   The purpose of the community: See Ephesians 4: 14-16. The purpose of the community is to speak the truth … this passage points to speaking the truth in love. Sometimes speaking the truth in love is a painful message. One of the fundamental commands given to use is love your neighbor as yourself – sometimes this love needs to be a spoken painful truth. Look back in Leviticus 19:17-18, where the mosaic law is given to the Israelites

Love without truth is weak

Truth without love is harsh.

See also 1 John 1:6-8.

3.      The Characteristics of the community. See Ephesians 4:25-32. Focus on the word opportunity in verse 27. In Greek, this is topos, which means place. Letting the sun go down on your anger creates a place for the Devil, inviting him in.

Paul consistently refers to the church and its member community as a body – the body of Christ – he uses this metaphor 91 times in his letters to the early churches. Each part of the body a necessary and valuable item to making the whole. For example – ligaments – you probably don’t think much about ligaments until you injure one – like tearing your ACL, then you know how a little ligament allows you to walk, run and move.

A final thought... 

Acts 4:32-37 gives us an example of the church as a community:

" ³² All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. ³³ With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all ³⁴ that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales ³⁵ and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need." 

I love the idea of "no needy persons among them." That is the purpose of community. Wouldn't the world be a wonderful place if we truly acted as a community? 

I’ve mentioned this before; I struggle with worry and anxiety. In fact, this was the subject of my post in my other blog! It's a lesson I've been trying to learn for a while.

Last week, God used a very painful neck to teach me (again) that lesson. I woke up on Thursday morning with horrible neck and back pain. It was so bad that I couldn’t turn my head at all. The problem was knots in my muscles, knots caused by stress and worry. Anxiety was becoming a pain in my neck, literally.

God does not want this for me. Stress and worry are part of the life designed for the Christian. See the often quoted Matthew 6:25-34 and Luke 12:22 This is the famous “lilies of the field” passage. God very clearly wants us to “not be anxious.” One thing I think is key in reading the verses is that we as Christians are not to leave trouble-free lives. No, I think the Bible makes it clear that we will encounter trouble, if only for the fact that we are followers of Christ. But, and this is a big but, those troubles are not to cause us anxiety because we know that God is in control of our lives. He will take care of us. Note, too, that the verses do not say that we will not experience pain or sadness or even anger because of those troubles—we most certainly will at times—but we are not to experience anxiety.

I think it is important to realize that anxiety is an emotion we can control, and the absence of anxiety does not indicate our lives are trouble-free. Rather, we can encounter trials in our lives and not experience anxiety. 

The question is: How Do We Not Feel Anxious?

Philippians 4:6 “⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

To me, this verse tells me not only to not be anxious, but it also gives me something to do in anxiety’s place: 1) pray, and 2) give thanks. Whenever I begin to feel anxiety and worry cloud my mind, I will try and stop and pray. I will focus on everything God has done and I will be thankful.

I'm sure I will be dealing with this for a long time (what can I say? I'm stubborn), but now I have ways of dealing with my anxiety. After all, I have a lot to be thankful for.

Why We Give

It seems like a pretty simple concept. Give to those who are less fortunate than we are. If God blesses us, we should pass it on. It has many names. Charity. Tithing. Paying it forward.

Giving is one of those things that everyone agrees is a good thing to do. After all, it makes us feel good. It's just "the right thing to do."

At least that's what I thought. Recently, a friend told me that charity can be a bad thing. Uh? I was completely dumbfounded, but then I thought about. It made sense. My friend made the point that when we give (as an example, writing a check to the Salvation Army around Christmas time), we tend to feel good about ourselves, which often leads to a feeling of "I've done my part." We tend to check giving off our lists, which leads to us ignoring needs that are surrounding us. It makes it all that much easier to walk past someone in need, saying, "Well, I've already given money; I'll let the next person take care of this need."

The question then becomes, not why we give, but are we giving in the way God desires?

Here is what the Bible has to say about giving:

1 John 5:3: "This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome for everyone born of God overcomes the world."

This verse is about love for God; note that this verse didn’t say salvation or eternal life … it says show or demonstrate love – to obey His commands is love. Incredibly, God also says that He will help us overcome this world. Worried that you don't have anything to give? You don't have to worry about that. God will give you everything you need to help those around you.

In Ephesians 4:1, Paul urges us "to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." What does that mean??

As Christians we are called to be each others helpers and keepers so that nobody ever finds themselves in a situation where there is no-way out. We are part of the body of Christ (see I Corinthians 12), and as such, we should be Christ's body here on earth. We act as Christ when we come into other people's lives, so we need to make sure we represent Christ.

Psalms 10:14 says that "you, the father, are the helper of the fatherless." This Psalm is talking about God helping those that are fatherless – but if we are to be, and are made in the image of God, then we also need to be helping the fatherless.

Acts 9: 36 gives us the example of a disciple called Tabitha (or Dorcas), who is helping the poor.

1 Timothy 5:10 defines good deeds (in the context of widows, but I think it can be applied elsewhere too), such as bring up children and showing hospitality.

In this last verse children/child care is brought to the fore-front. It is mentioned specifically in James 1:27: "Religion that God our father accepts as pure and faithless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress...." We are called to help women and children who don’t have the support system that some of us are lucky to have.

I'll leave you with one last passage; this one comes from Matthew 25:35-40:

³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
   ³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
   ⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

We give to others because, in doing so, we are glorifying God. We do it because Jesus gave first to us, and we then can show the world His love and incredible sacrifice. That's why we do it. And that never stops.

Are You One Of The WALKING DEAD?

For everyone who was in Sunday School today, I have one thing to say: WOW. I left feeling so inspired by everything that was said, and I am excited to continue the discussion next week. I am left wondering: what exactly does being a Christian look like? Does my life reflect my beliefs? Do I project Christ to the world? Or am I only projecting myself? For those of you who missed the discussion today, I've included an abbreviated version below:

Ok, to be fair, this lesson actually came from last week’s sermon. Chip made the point that we as Christians need to live the life of a Christian, which means living differently as the rest of the world. He made a clear distinction between true Christians and those who call themselves “Christians” but only profess with their mouths not their hearts. He called this latter group the “walking dead.” Now, I’m sure Chip didn’t mean this as a reference to zombies, but as soon as he said this Robbie looked over at me, and he was smiling. He knew exactly what was going through my mind. 

Just so you can understand: I write horror stories. I also write critical work on the relationship between Christianity and the horror genre, so zombies are something I know a little bit about. By the way, here's a link to my other blog in which I explore that idea more: http://lbkroger.blogspot.com/search/label/ChristianityandHorror.

In most zombie shows, it is not always so easy to distinguish the living from the dead. After all, they all look the same (pretty much—except for the dead thing). Movies like Shaun of the Dead highlighted this fact when the main characters mistake a zombie attack for a drunk in the street. To make matters worse, much of the violence usually comes from the regular humans—not the zombies. That is certainly the case in AMC’s new TV show, The Walking Dead. That got me thinking. If humans look like zombies and act like zombies, how are they different from zombies? If Christians are to be different from the rest of the world, how can we tell if we are? How can we tell that we are not like the rest of the walking dead?

To find out, I began a quick search of the Bible. Here’s what I found. 

Here's How the Bible presents "The World":

Luke 12:29-31 

²⁹ And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. ³⁰ For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹ But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

John 3:18-20 

¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. ¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.

John 1:9-11 

 ⁹ The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

John 7:6-8 

 ⁶ Therefore Jesus told them, “My time is not yet here; for you any time will do. ⁷ The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil. ⁸ You go to the festival. I am not^[a] going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.”

John 14:16-18 

¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be^[a] in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

John 15:18-20 

    ¹⁸ “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’^[a] If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.

Here's How the Bible Characterizes "The Christian":

Romans 12:1-3 

 ¹ Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

2 Corinthians 1:12

 ¹² Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrity^[a] and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God’s grace.

2 Corinthians 10:2-4 

² I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. ³ For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. ⁴ The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

Romans 8:8-10 

⁸ Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.  ⁹ You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life^[a] because of righteousness.

Galatians 5:13-26

¹³ You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh^[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love. ¹⁴ For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”^{[b] 15} If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

 ¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever^[c] you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

 ¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

The Bible makes it clear that the Christian looks differently from the World--primarily because the Christian has died to self and Jesus is now the focus and guide. We do not live selfishly (which as I learned today includes the boastful quality of worrying about things that are in reality out of my control); instead, the Christian lets God lead. Easier said than done, but that is our goal.

Here's the thought for the week: How do we "give it over to God"? How do we make sure that He becomes greater while we become less?