Christian Community - About Spiritual Gifts

Scripture passages regarding Spiritual Gifts
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
1 Corinthians 12:28
Romans 12:6-8
1 Peter 4:10
Ephesians 4:7-11

I have always loved the idea of team, and the dissection of team into its unique parts.
During the summer of 1967, our family was on vacation at Daytona Beach. One afternoon, my dad took me to see the new Lee Marvin movie, "The Dirty Dozen." I fell in love with that movie - the idea of 12 unique personalities coming together for a mission many considered failed before it began. The idea of "team" just resonated with every cell of my being.

In 1991, when we moved to Lexington, I served as publisher-editor of what was then The Dispatch-News, the county's oldest publishing newspaper. I inherited parts and built with others a "Dream Team" news operation. In three years, we won more than 30 awards for news coverage, layout and design, and editorial writing. Working with that team made coming to work a lot of fun, and many of us remain great friends today. We all brought specific personalities, skills, temperaments and personalities to the table. And, we recognized it and embraced it.

My Vicki and I are blessed to have four sons. I would have loved to have had a daughter, but the Lord gave me this "team" of boys. Each is so incredibly different in personality and temperament, and yet they love and care deeply for one another. When we gather around the kitchen table for a meal, each brings his own wit and personality to the mix. No television show or movie could ever be that entertaining.

Maybe you can imagine how excited I am about the relaunch of our class in 2014, especially as we consider the "sum of the parts" within Christian Community. I love the idea of everyone being different, and everyone bringing themselves to the community, and the community being stronger because of every individual’s contribution. (And, it's even okay if we disagree on some things).

But, I want to state and state again that Christian Community is different than any other community. It trumps them all. Does your life reflect that? As a believer, it should and you should be challenged accordingly. The Christian Community is a supernatural organization comprised of individuals who are spiritual beings acknowledging this supernatural condition. I know, it's mind-boggling, but it's true. You and I are simply dust in the wind here on this Earth - this life is a page within the larger book of our supernatural, spiritual existence. And, as Community, we have little precious time to do all we can to point many others to faith. To do that it requires a lot of individual parts working together as one.

Now, we come to spiritual gifts. The Holy Spirit within each believer - God in reality - brings gifts to believers. These gifts allow believers to love and serve within the Christian Community so that the whole can impact the Kingdom. As we dive into an examination of specific gifts over the next few weeks, I want put forward a 30,000 foot view of spiritual gifts and some reminders.

1. Spiritual Gifts are supernatural empowerments given by the Holy Spirit to the followers of Jesus so that followers can do the work of building up the Christian Community  and extend the Kingdom of God throughout the world. The Holy Spirit owns and dispenses gifts (1 Corinthians 12:7, 11 – “given to each of us so we can help each other.” And, “It is the one and only spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.”) We are the stewards of these gifts – the managers and protectors of them. (1 Peter 4:10) – (“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.”)
2. Spiritual Gifts are not natural talents or professional skills. They allow one believer to minister to other believers within the body. Many people err by trying to translate spiritual gifts into what they do well professionally or within hobbies. My No. 1 is Exhortation. Webster's Dictionary defines exhortation as “strongly encouraging or urging someone to do something” but as a spiritual gift it means “Those who exhort stay focused on helping people maximize their own potential and live from within their own gifts and skills. They build confidence in others.” Can you see the difference?
3. Strengthening the body includes encouragement and comfort. So, almost all gifts are shadowed by encouragement and comfort. So, don’t be surprised if your gifts come around to the same end-game – encouraging and comforting others. Encouraging others can be corrective, as in, "Let me encourage you to treat your family with more respect."
4. Spiritual gifts should work together, complementing each other. They must be used – framed – in love, and if not used in love they will be abused and cause trouble in the body. Love, when used with gifts is like oil in a machine. Love makes all the parts work well together. Believers must love one another.
5. What kind of ministry do you enjoy the most and which shows the most fruitfulness? That probably indicates your giftedness. If you enjoy teaching and find that people are edified through your teaching ministry, it is likely that the Holy Spirit has given you a gift of teaching. If you find that the Lord puts people in your path who are ready to surrender their life to Christ, you probably have a spiritual gift of evangelism. If you enjoy inviting people to your home, either for a meal or to stay, you probably have a gift of hospitality. Spiritual gifts will not be a chore. My lowest is Compassion. That doesn't mean that I am hard-hearted toward the misery of others. But, those with the gift of Compassion hear about a need, drop everything and respond to it. That's not who I am. When I hear about someone in the hospital, I find myself saying, "Should I go see them or just let them rest?" Those with the gift of Compassion don't ask that question - they just respond with no expectation.
6. Spiritual Gifts can also have a witnessing effect on non-believers. People will “know us by our love.” 2 Corinthians 5:20, “So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” While the gifts are first and foremost for strengthing the community, unbelievers are always watching.
7. Gifts can be received upon conversion, but are often received at various moments subsequent to conversion. It’s believed that Timothy (1 Timothy 4:14) was gifted when he was commissioned by the church to begin his ministry. “Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received when the elders of the church laid hands on you.”
8. Pastor, preacher, author A.W. Tozar wrote, “No one ever received the Holy Spirit’s power without knowing it. (Keys to the Deeper Life). A creed of power without the experience of power is worthless. It is a Biblical necessity that believers discover and move into the arena of spiritual giftedness. You can't really call yourself a follower of Jesus and ignore the giftedness of the Holy Spirit. Spiritually, you would be at odds with yourself and probably implode.
9. A spirit-filled life is evidence by the fruits of the spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. “The Holy Spirit produces fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” These qualities are produced by the Holy Spirit, and demonstrate the Spirit is in control of a believer’s life. People are always wondering about the evidence of spirituality, and the fruits give us that.
10. Other evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit is a fruitful ministry. In Acts 1:8, Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would give power to His witnesses – introducing others to Jesus. I believe a follower's life will always point people to faith in Jesus. The person who dies having never influenced another person toward faith would be unable to make a compelling case of his own faith . . . regardless of what else they did on this Earth. The Holy Spirit wants us to have a holy life for effective service. The good news is that exercising your gifts, whatever they are, will empower you to influence others for faith.
11. I believe exercising gifts will be an emotional thing. Exercising gifts will always involve a sense of joy, and may involve tears and even laughter. 
12. Discovery of spiritual gifts must be a spiritual experience. The Holy Spirit will reveal His gifts in our lives. However, diagnostic instruments can help us uncover what God has given. These diagnostics, however, should not be confused with personality tests. That would be degrading of giftedness.

Christian Community - Sum of the parts

Bunt Strategy With A Man On First
The Catcher fields it if he can get it other; otherwise, he calls out to get the lead runner at second or the hitter at first.
The Third Baseman breaks toward home. If the bunt goes to anyone else, he hustles back to third.

The Pitcher covers third base if the third baseman plays the bunt.

The First Baseman holds the runner at first and breaks toward home.

The Second Baseman covers first base.

The Shortstop covers second base.

The Left Fielder, on a ball down the first base line, backs up second. If the play will be made at first, he starts toward third in case he's needed to cover the base.

The Center Fielder backs up second base.

The Right Fielder backs up first base.

All nine players are moving; all nine players have a specific job to do. No one can be a spectator. A player who chooses to be a spectator isn't really a part of the team, and his inclusion on the roster is a lie.

The church at Corinth had problems. Members of the church had started playing politics with one another, condemning some for not being “Christian enough” and using their spiritual gifts to manipulate others into doing this or that. The Apostle Paul uses his first letter to the Corinthians as a condemnation for all of this pettiness. And, within this letter, he writes chapter 12 to talk about spiritual gifts and the valuable role of each member within the Christian Community. (Read and Study 1 Corinthians Chapter 12)

The Christian Community, as we have discussed, is the gathering of believers – you must be a confessing follower of Jesus – who advance the cause of Jesus. It is not a group of church-going friends who gather to tailgate together, oh, and someone remembers to say the blessing. It can be that provided these church-going friends are also confessing followers of Jesus and the tailgate is seen as a means to an end: How can we use this to spread the gospel and make disciples?

The Christian Community is not limited to the formal church meting under a Main Street steeple or in a renovated grocery store. The Christian Community can be a Sunday School class, a men's group, a women's group, families that come together for worship and discipleship across church affiliations. As a Sunday School class, we are a Christian Community, purposefully advancing the need for people to know Jesus.

When you came to know Jesus – if you have – as your Savior, the Holy Spirit invaded your mind, body and soul as a literal (and very real) presence. God came to live within you. For me, that's just so unbelievably humbling, especially when I consider the places I have taken Him and the things I've done to the temple in which He resides. A human conscience was replaced by the authentic Whisper of God. Do you hear Him? If you don’t, that should be telling about your journey with Jesus. A believer will hear from the Holy Spirit through encouragement, blessing and conviction of right and wrong. Do you listen? That should tell you about how closely you are following Jesus. The more we reject the Holy Spirit's compelling, the more miserable we will be.

The Holy Spirit, in some supernatural way, that my feeble mind can't easily wrap around, uses an individual’s passions, hobbies, skills, personality and even temperament. The Holy Spirits brings gifts to each person, and these gifts allow the believer to love and serve within the Christian Community. These spiritual gifts are motivational gifts. For example, someone with the gift of Giving would help the Christian Community make wise decisions to prevent waste; would find joy by figuring out effective ways to manage valuable resources so that the community could impact more people for Jesus; they have a heart for giving and want to give to as many as possible; and they tend to shy away from public recognition. They are Servant Ninjas.

Provided by the Holy Spirit in concert with our uniquely made personalities, spiritual gifts are never chores. They are the Holy Spirit’s way of using the wonderfulness of an individual’s creation to serve the Christian Community and impact the world for Jesus; not just to do good stuff – but to see people come to salvation that only faith in Jesus can provide.

Do you know your spiritual gifts? Are you exercising them to discover the joy that God has for your life through serving others? Just like the baseball players moving on a bunt play, everyone in the Christian Community has a job - has a role to play - exercising spiritual giftedness.

In 1 Corinthians 12:12, Paul writes, “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all of its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.” I love the verses in chapter 12:14-21, where Paul uses parts of the human body as an analogy of each part's value to the whole body, and why it is ridiculous to compare body parts and claim one as more important to the whole than the other. He also celebrates individuality, writing, "v. 17, If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if the whole body were an ear how would you smell anything?" We are each wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)."

In 1 Corinthians 12:20, Paul writes, "Yes, there are many parts, but only one body" and in 1 Corinthians 12:27, "Now all of you together are Christ's body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it." He goes on in chapter 13 to write that all of the Christian Community's work is 'governed' by love for one another and especially those who don't know Jesus.

I am the oldest of four children. A total of five years separates me and my two brothers. Then, a decade after my youngest brother, Russ, was born, my sister was born. She grew up largely as an only child, not really remembering when Tim and I were at home, and not sharing a lot of childhood life experiences with Russ. But, for me, Tim and Russ, we were all in it together, and we each had and have very, very unique personalities, skills, hobbies and temperaments.

Both of my parents worked from high school to retirement. And, so my brothers and I had to share in all of the household chores. We cleaned bathrooms, we cleaned the kitchen, we dusted the house, we vacuumed the floors, we did laundry, we cut the grass, we washed windows, and we did all of these chores on a weekly basis as our respective roles in the larger family system. We weren't paid to do them; we did them as members of the family community. 

We became good at different things. I became good at keeping us on a schedule, and I loved cleaning the bathrooms. I enjoyed seeing things go from nasty and chaotic into shining and orderly. Tim was the multi-tasker, he had the vision to see how several jobs could be performed with minimal energy. Russ was the detailer – when he dusted, he got down and into the baseboards. It's funny - I still see some of these personality traits in myself and each of my brothers today.

We learned that our contributions to the household caused the household to work more efficiently. There was more harmony at home because our parents were less stressed. There was a pride in that we are all in this family – together. My parent never fussed about taking us places, or buying us a milk shake. I can tell you that my greatest champions and my greatest encouragers were my parents.

We did not have a Leave It To Beaver family, by any means. We had some very hard, hard economic times in the 1970s. But, we had joy because we each poured into life together. I still chuckle out loud, remembering dinnertime conversations that left us all - even my parents - howling with laughter. I confess that conversations and language veered into the PG-13 / R rated categories at times, and that's the household Vicki and I have, too. After dinner, we boys shared in the cleaning of the dishes and the kitchen.

My dad would joke, “You boys are going to make a someone a good wife one day.”

My mama would say, “We are not going to raise pitiful men who can’t clean their own home or wash their own clothes. I want them to lead their families by example.”

Within the Christian Community, what is your role? What position are you playing? What contribution are you making to the whole body? How has the Holy Spirit gifted you for service within the Christian Community? These are valuable questions that must be answered by every member of the Christian Community.

In 2014, every member of this class will be a contributing member. Some will have assignments that occur every Sunday. Some will have big one-time assignments during the year. Some will lead mission trips, some will bring refreshments, some will visit hospitals and funeral homes, some will be callrf to bear the deep pain of others – taking off work to stand in the gap, some will teach, some will go out and serve in the church as our missionaries to the church, some will make chicken casseroles for the sick and hurting, some will lead parties, some will open their homes for small group Bible studies, and some will lead us in prayer. But, everyone – every single member – will have a job, and all those jobs will be known. 

I believe to my soul it’s going to be a game-changer for each of us, taking our spiritual journey to the next level. I believe that “better together” you and I can spark revival in our church and within this community. I believe God is going to lead us to shine brightly in Lexington so that men, women, boys and girls move into knowing Jesus and following Him deeply. Watch and see what God will do through us. I hope and pray - if it's God's will for you - that you will be a part of our Christian Community in 2014 and beyond.

Christian Community - We come alone

Understanding that we come to faith as an intimate, personal and lonely decision helps us better understand how the personal faith journey fits into our family and friend relationships, including marriage.

My grandmother used to love to sing the 1912 hymn by C. Austin Miles, In The Garden. Interesting, it was recorded in 1950 as a duet between Roy and Dale Rogers. You probably know the hymn, which begins with these words, "I come to the garden alone . . ." and has the familiar chorus, "And, He walks with me and He talks with me." This beautiful song almost always brings me to tears because it describes the one-on-one intimacy between a believer and the Savior. My grandmother also sang it from a place of pain, living with an alcoholic who despised the church and did not acknowledge Jesus. (My grandfather came to faith later in life and died a believer.)

Matthew 16:24-25 also points us to this individual, lonely approach to faith. "Then Jesus said to his disciples (which would include us today), 'If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross and follow me." To be a follower of Jesus requires:

• "If any of you wants to be my follower," implies an individual ownership of faith. Any of you.
• "You must turn from your selfish ways," implies an individual repentance that puts serving God and others ahead of selfish ambition, want and desire. You must turn.
• "(You) must take up your cross and follow me," implies a metaphorical execution of the old self, and acknowledges that the new self will face persecution from others.
• "Follow me," implies that Jesus knew this world was temporary and that He was a stranger here. Following Him, means we accept an urgency to help people meet Jesus as personal Savior and that we don't become obsessively distracted by things of this Earth.

Every believer's approach to Jesus must be . . . an individual, lonely decision. As the hymn, In The Garden, implies from the story of Mary Magdalene in John 20, she came to the tomb alone and there she encountered the resurrected Jesus. And, she believed. And, then she went to tell others about Him. More than anything, it's that "go and tell" that defines us as true, intimate followers of Jesus.

As I visit with believers, I find most don't fully understand or want to acknowledge this lonely approach to faith. Even in my own life, it's taken 50-plus years to really wrap my head around it. This is evidence that the Lord is always teaching and moving us to deeper levels of discipleship.

We don't like to think about a lonely, personal walk with Jesus because we are taught to appreciate "safety in numbers" or "being lost in the crowd" or "misery loves company." Unfortunately, the supernatural world of faith does not respect that thinking. Each of us is born alone, dies alone, and comes to Jesus alone. Each of us will face the judgement of a sovereign God . . . alone . . . unless, we follow Jesus, who took that judgement for those who call Him Savior.

I believe the horror story beyond all imagination lies in the story of the individual who dies without knowing Jesus, but thinks they do know Him, and then suddenly confronts God all alone. In panic, that individual will cry out, "Where is my wife to testify for me?" or "Where are my friends who can testify to my goodness?" or "Where is the charity that I helped?" or "Where are the people that I served?" Where are the character witnesses? I believe millions of people die each day are found as God wrote on the wall in Daniel 5, "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin" (mee-nee, mee-nee, tek-uhl, yoo-farh-sin or translated, 'You have been measured and have been found wanting." You are eternally doomed.

What the heck does all this have to do with Christian Community?

I stand at the cross alone, needing nothing but Jesus, and through that faith I can thank God for His provision of Christian Community to encourage and correct me along my faith journey. The Christian Community is the individual believer's support system for continued discipleship, and against which we can measure and find peace in the reality of our faith.

No believer will ever be completely comfortable in the loneliness of the faith journey, but the lonely faith journey is required to be comfortable in the faith community.Too many people believe following Jesus is synonymous with the church or attendance at something. No, being a part of Christian Community is impossible without the loneliness of a pre-existing faith journey.

I get some kind of cardiovascular exercise every day. During the week, I love to go out to the Gibson Road soccer fields at lunch, and walk about three miles at a brisk pace. I have discovered that these walks - often I'm the only one out there - are when I experience a worship almost beyond description. I put on my head phones and listen to downloaded Christian contemporary music and some of the old hymns that I love. As I walk, I let the music guide my worship. I pray for people I love, and I listen to the Holy Spirit as He puts people into my prayers. Sometimes, quite honestly, I am driven to tears of joy as I worship there; sometimes, I am driven to my knees in prayer and conviction. It is a lonely worship, which - for me - makes my corporate worship with the Christian Community even that much sweeter.

When you and I wrap our lives around this personal, faith journey we quickly realize that no other human being can really negatively impact that one-to-one relationship with Jesus. But, Jesus will affect all of my other human relationships. I want to close this lesson with some perspective on that and its implication for the believer's involvement in Christian Community.

Friendships
Drop the name of Jesus in your conversation with friends, and you will see a reshuffling of your friends. The name of Jesus forces a response - support, encouragement, or denial. That's part of the cost of following Jesus. Those who deny Him will also deny you. If following Jesus didn't cost my life, then Jesus' sacrifice for me would be a cheap and inexpensive grace. And, it wasn't. It was a costly grace. Jesus draws a line in the sand and forces people to react to that line. Those who can't draw the line may need to self-examine the reality of their faith journey with Him. If you can't talk about the ones you love, including Jesus, you may not really love them.

Personally, my faith journey is such a part of me that I talk about it with the same ease that I talk about my Vicki or my boys. But, I don't force the conversation; I just see an opportunity to talk about my faith and I dive into that opportunity. I let the other person react accordingly. I never give up on people, and anyone desiring to be my friend can be my friend. I never take a "nose in the air" approach to relationships. I let others choose what to do with my Jesus and what to do with me. I have found that an authentic, genuine, respectful approach to others and to my faith helps me with sharing my faith. The door also opens for me to talk about my Christian Community.

Family

My family includes unbelievers and unchurched people. I don't know that there's a difference. For me, believers will be drawn to Christian Community by the Holy Spirit alive within them. I've had family members whisper to me, "As we all get together, let's keep religion out of it . . . we don't want people to be offended" as if I'm some wild-eyed John-the-Baptist evangelist. (That's hilarious). 

When I'm with my family, I go to church. If I were in Lexington, I would go to church; if I'm away from Lexington, I go to church. If timetables don't allow church, I've offered simple devotions for those interested. I usually lead a blessing over the table. I talk about our Sunday School class and our church is doing in ministry. These are key parts of my life. Why would I not talk about them in candid conversation? Certainly, I am not a Christian bully, and I am not easily offended, but at the same time, my faith is my core and the Christian Community is the most important community of my life. How my family responds, well, I yield that to the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit.

Marriage

My marriage to my Vicki got off on the right foot. As a believer, I prayed for her before I knew her. In 1981, I prayed for the Lord to send her. He did. Because He sent her, and he desires married people to be equally yoked (2 Corinthians 6:14), she was naturally a believer, too. That equal yoking is foundational to our marriage, and made a faith approach to Christian Community very, very easy.

I know many, many married couples who struggle with the role of faith and Christian Community. The marriage started in a general, spiritual place (both believers, both unbelievers, or unequally yoked). Shifts in personal faith began to occur. A saved person longs for Christian Community; an unsaved person is not. In some marriages, the believer will resist Christian Community to preserve harmony in the marriage. I can tell  you that the believer who resists Christian Community is going to be a miserable person. So much of the non-clinical depression that I see is because the believer has resisted Christian Community and is at odds with the Spirit within them.

Because the faith journey is a lonely one, and growth is individual, I believe it's completely natural and normal for spouses to be on different journeys. Vicki and I have experienced it. She and I approach prayer differently, approach Bible study different, approach church involvement different, and personal evangelism differently. That's normal and healthy because at Ground Zero we are both believers and we both value Christian Community.

Marriage reminders:

• God loves you. God loves marriage between two believers. God does not love chaos between two believers, especially husband and wife bound in Holy Matrimony. The couple in Holy Matrimony should be comfortable talking about respective faith journeys, and should be respectful of those. I would never preach to Vicki about what her faith needs to look like. I would never be self-righteous about it, I would not use guilt trips, I would not argue about it, and I would not preach about it. But, as the coin turns, I would never let her hold back my faith journey and involvement in Christian Community. Live your faith and let it be a testimony to your spouse, your family and your friends.
• Pray every day for your spouse, especially if your spouse is an unbeliever and  if your spouse is rejecting Christian Community. Put your marriage second only to your faith journey. Be a living testimony of joy and peace for your spouse. And, be encouraged by your own deep plunge into Christian Community.
• Understand that the personal faith journey of your children and grandchildren is absolutely affected by your personal faith journey. The priority you place - and best if through your marriage - on faith and Christian Community will set an example for other generations of believers. That should be our legacy.

All of this begins with me. It begins with me, alone at the cross, alone in the garden, with my Savior.

Christian Community - The role of Scripture

Late this week, I posed the question: If you were stranded on a desert island with no hope for rescue and you could choose one book and one book only, what book would you want on the island? Would you take:

• Les Miserables (Lay Mee-say-hrabl), a lengthy and superb adventure about overcoming oppression?
• Robinson Crusoe, the fictional account of man stranded on an uninhabited island, hoping to glean some tips or hope for the future?
• The Boy Scout Handbook, which includes lots of tips on First Aid, camping and knot tying? 
• The SAS Survival Handbook For Any Climate In Any Situation? 
• The Holy Bible?

Would your faith and spiritual journey be so intact that Scripture is all you would need when faced with isolation, starvation, lack of housing, lack of medical care, lack of food, and lack of resources? Would Scripture be enough?

Why is this so important to our discussions of Christian Community?

A Christian Community is defined as “followers of Jesus” who are engaged in life together. Just like a neighborhood, neighbors know one another well. Neighbors care for one another. Neighbors look out for one another. Neighbors warn and caution one another? Neighbors both encourage and correct one another. Neighbors contribute to the whole of life together.

But, what separates secular community, which can be found in neighborhoods, workplaces, and recreation, is that every single member of the Christian Community is and must be a confessing follower of Jesus Christ. Focus on that word "confessing" follower of Jesus. In Romans 10:9, Paul reminds us "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Confession. There is no such thing as a private or secret Christian. There is no hiding from it. There is no saying, "It's between me and the Lord." People must know that you follow Jesus.

Confessing followers of Jesus (Christians), through the Holy Spirit, become a part of the universal Christian Community. That's why I could feel very at home last week 3,000 miles from Lexington with a Lutheran congregation near Sacramento, CA. The spirit binds us regardless of silly signs out front. But, those signs also bind us in local churches, which are also Christian Communities. And, then Sunday School classes and small groups within churches become even more intimate Christian Communities. And, let me tell you, it's those Christian Communities like our Sunday School class that I love most of all. I deeply love them.

But, understand. No one can come to any Christian Community except by way of the cross and the resurrection of Jesus. And, the only way - the only true and trustworthy way - we can understand God, Jesus and faith is through Holy Scripture. Southern Baptists believe so deeply in Scripture as the voice of God that in a list of what Southern Baptists believe, Scripture sits in the No. 1 position. Here's what Southern Baptists believe about Scripture:

"The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation." Click to read what Southern Baptists believe.

Within the Christian Community, Scripture - The Holy Bible - becomes our playbook, our authoritative guide, and our compass for daily living. Believers join Christian Communities and believers anchor their lives in Scripture.

Unbelievers will turn to pulpit personalities, the emotion of worship services, the feel-good of service projects and say things like, "My loyalty and involvement here makes me a good Christian - a good person."

No! Only a lonely and personal walk with God through a lonely and personal faith in Jesus identifies a person as a follower of Jesus, and gives that person entrance into the Christian Community. And, then, only through that lonely and personal faith can a follower of Jesus fully embrace the worship, fellowship, the missional service, the encouragement and the correction of the Christian Community.

What do we call the unsaved person who sits in a worship service? We call that person a spectator. That's the best we can call them. What do we call the saved person who sits in a worship service? We call that person a member of the Christian Community. The unsaved person does not own a Bible, or owns one only as a living room centerpiece. For the believer, there is no book that trumps Holy Scripture - not for a deserted island, not for the advice and counsel of a single day.

And, I would argue that the person who does not turn to the Bible for counsel and advice, who does not touch the Bible except to dust the cover, and who does not even own a Bible, well, that person can't possibly call himself or herself a follower of Jesus. I would approach that person with the love and prayer and encouragement that I would approach any lost and unsaved person; not condemning them, not judging them, but expectantly praying and begging God for the opportunity to share my faith with them.

To follow Jesus, and not be led astray by false prophets and warped churches, a believer must personally be engaged with and led by Scripture . . . every single day.

How in the world could I be an employee if I didn't own, read and use an employee handbook? How could I be a quarterback if I didn't own and use a playbook? How in the world could I be a Boy Scout if I didn't own a Boy Scout handbook? How in the world could I be a mechanic if I didn't own and use a manual that helped me understand how to fix cars?

How in the world, then, can I call myself a follower of Jesus and ignore Holy Scripture that says of itself in Revelation 22:18: “ I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the prophetic words of this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. And, if anyone removes any of the words of this prophetic book, God will remove that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.”

Do you know of any other book, any other guide to Christian living, anything on Amazon.com that takes itself so seriously as to say, “If you screw around with this book, you will be removed from the tree of life?" If those words don’t convict you and me of the importance of Holy Scripture to the life of a true believer, I don’t know what else to say to you.

When your children or family or friends come to you for advice, do you say “well, experience tells me” or “here’s what I think” or “here’s what I read in a John Piper or John Maxwell book” or do you say, “Let’s explore what Scripture says about that.” This alone convicts me of the role of Holy Scripture in my life, my dedication to following Jesus, and my place in Christian Community. Holy Scripture is the playbook for the Christian and the Christian Community to which he or she belongs. Nothing else.

Closing thoughts:

• If you need a Bible or a study guide, my advice is to visit a LifeWay Christian Bookstore. I can't speak for other Christian bookstores, but I know the employees of LifeWay are followers of Jesus. Just tell them, "I need a Study Bible that I can easily understand, and that has a built-in commentary that can help me understand Scripture's meaning for my life."
• Read the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Reads Acts and Roman. Chase the cross-references and read the commentaries.
• Pray the Psalms. You don't know how to pray? Read the psalmist's prayers aloud to God. It counts. He loves it.
• If you have questions, my recommendation is to visit www.got questions.org. There are hundreds of thousands of everyday questions with answers that are full of Bible references.

As we move forward in Christian Community, Holy Scripture will be our playbook. And, those who cry out “Lord, Lord” will anchor their lives in it, and let it truly be, as Psalm 119:105 states, “a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

Christian Community - Others

By Chuck Cordovano - For most of my life I was a loner.  I always seemed to feel alone and grew to be comfortable alone.  And being comfortably alone, I became self centered.  I spent many years alone and in pain and I drank alcohol to ease my pain.  I learned at 44 years old, I didn’t have to live alone and in pain.  I learned that through the grace of God and Jesus on the cross I was saved and I learned that other believers would help me in my time of need. Today, I believe Satan feeds on our loneliness so we must come together to fight Satan.  We must care for and help others.  When we work together and help one another the devil flees and looks for easier prey.

In Matthew Chapter 4: 1-11, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert where he was tempted by Satan.

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”  Matthew 4:1

Notice Jesus was “led by the Spirit… to be tempted.”  We are guided by the Spirit in everything we do, even when we are tempted to sin.  We also have been given free will so we choose, after the temptation, to sin or not.  Jesus, alone in the desert, was tempted by the devil.  The Life Application Study Bible points out that the temptation of Christ shows us the following:

• That Jesus is the Son of God because he overcomes all Satan’s temptations
• We, too, will be tested and knowing this we should be alert and ready for it
• Satan is real and always trying to get us to live his way or OUR way – not God’s way
• Temptation itself is not sin, we sin when we give in to temptation and disobey God
• Jesus wasn’t tempted when he was in the temple or at his baptism, he was tempted when he was alone, hungry, and tired.

Satan’s temptations of Christ focused on three important areas of human nature:

1. Physical needs and desires
2. Possessions and power
3. Pride

Hebrews 4:15 says that Jesus, “faced all the same testings we do, yet did not sin.”  Jesus, as man, experienced what we experience and is there to help us in our pain and struggles.


So, in 1999 I was working at Lowe’s in West Columbia.  I was 41 years old.  A year earlier I left my job as a National Accounts Manager with a major cutting tool manufacturing company where I had worked for 5 years and had been very successful.  I had decided to start my own business and wanted to know more about the Home Center Retail/US Hardware market.  I wrote many business plans, unfortunately, all on cocktail napkins.  I like to say I went from making $70,000 a year to $7.00 per hour.

As miserable and alone as I was, the Holy Spirit was with me.  I did everything I could to ignore God.  I didn’t listen when he spoke to me through others.  I hung out at the worst bars I could find.  I never went to Church – that thought never crossed my mind.  I didn’t pray.  I was right where Satan wanted me.  But the Spirit is stronger than Satan.

In 2001, I was as miserable and alone as I had ever been.  In my deepest despair, I prayed and Jesus spoke to me – no, he yelled at me… “You don’t have to live like this anymore!”

“What do I do, Lord?” I asked.

“Listen to others.” He said.

Did I listen?  No!  It was Masters weekend and I liked to drink during major sporting events and the Masters was a 4 day major sporting event.  By Sunday night I was beat down and Jesus spoke to me again, “You don’t have to live like this, listen to others.”

The next day, I checked myself into rehab and I began to listen to others.  The first group of “others” I had to listen to – the first community I was a part of, was alcoholics and drug addicts.  Looking back, I see that my healing began through community.  After the rehab community came the intensive outpatient community and them the AA community.  But AA doesn’t work without “a God of our understanding.” The God of my understanding was Jesus so I needed a Church community – Washington Street United Methodist Church.

In 2003, I started my business representing companies to the Home Center retailers and National Industrial Distributors.  Businesses are about making money but by this time I had changed.  I decided the purpose of my business was to “bring businesses together” and that I would look at my business as an opportunity to help others… there’s that word again.

At this point in my life, I needed to get some exercise.  I’ve always played golf and tennis.  Golf can be a solitary game so the Spirit leads me to tennis.  There is a huge tennis community in Lexington and I found myself playing with others, even joining teams!  And I met Windy.  The Holy Spirit gives me, an old, undeserving drunk the greatest gift of all – family.  Windy, Taylor and me – wow!

Windy & Taylor were attending Gateway Baptist Church and I was attending Washington Street United Methodist Church, but not for long.  Together we found our Church home, after visiting many Churches, at Lexington Baptist Church.  Jan Kinard tells Windy we should visit the V class.  Jimmy thinks I won’t make it long because I dress up to much for Church – look at Jimmy today!

Look at Ecclesiastes 4:9-12:

9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. 11 Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? 12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

I am here today, sober for 12 years, with a family, a member of Lexington Baptist Church and the V Sunday School class.  People even invite me to be on their tennis teams.  I have a business and care about my clients and customers.  I have friends, not people I drank with in bars, but people with whom I worship.  Two years ago I went to North Dakota with members of this class to teach young boys and girls to play football.  I learned so much from those men and those children.  For one week I was a part of that community; a community of sharing and giving to others in a place far away from home.

My family, this Church, this Sunday School class, all of you, are important to me.  Life isn’t about me, it’s about others.

Why do people join Christian Communities?

Everyone on the planet is a part of a community – or a group of people – even if it’s involuntary as in being a member of a family. But, beyond family, most people will join one or more groups. Why do people join groups? Why do people join Christian Communities - churches, small groups, Sunday School classes?

First, a bit of social psychology
In 2008, Michael Hogg, Zachary Hohman and Jason Rivera published a social-psychological report about this very topic. Why do people join groups? Here are three reasons they discovered:

1. The Sociometer Model. This model argues that people have a need to belong, and that self-esteem is a meter of successful group belonging. Have you ever seen those resumes or introductions that list a person’s group involvement going back to college or high school? Greater inclusion in groups equates to higher self-esteem.
2. The Terror Management Theory. This theory asserts that people join groups to reduce their fears of death and that groups provide “safety in numbers” and “shared beliefs.” It’s comforting to be with others who share the same world view and to hear similar views that provide a sense of meaningful existence. 
3. The Uncertainty-Identity Theory. This theory argues that people have a need to reduce uncertainty about themselves and their place in the world, and that group identification reduces that security. Who am I and Do I Matter? 

Hogg, Hohman and Rivera argue that each of these - in part - can be involved in a person’s decision to join a group, but that most people who join groups fall into the Uncertainty-Identity Theory category while searching for the meaning of life: I want to matter to someone; I want my life to count for something.

I believe we have people who join Christian Communities for each of the above reasons.

• Sociometer: "My neighbors get up and go to church therefore I need to go to church. If I don't go to church, and my neighbors do, I am 'falling behind' my neighbors."
• Terror Management: "The world is big and I am small, and there is safety in numbers. I will join a church so that if bad things happen to me I will be surrounded by people who can help me." Or, "If I don't connect to a church, bad things will happen to me. God is there; the bogey-man is out here. I don't want the bogey-man to get me."
• Uncertainty-Identity: "I need to be a part of something larger than myself so I will identify with a group. Churches are full of good people, I am a good person - I can find my place in the world at church."

There's another reason that I run into periodically. I call it The Business Networking Model: "I am in sales and service, and there are a lot of potential customers gathered at the church under one roof. This will be like shooting fish in a barrel." (Don't laugh, I have seen this ilk come and go, come and go, come and go throughout my life.)

But, NONE of the above is why followers of Jesus come to a church.

The reason that 70-80 percent of North American churches, including most steeple churches, are in decline is because we have approached church believing people join it like Hogg, Hohman and Rivera talk about groups. 

We have said things like, “Come and belong here” or “Find sanctuary here” or “Find your place in the world here” and while we all agree that, yes, those are relevant messages – they are only relevant messages after someone has repented of sin and confessed Jesus as Savior.

Consider this:

• People are made in the image of a Sovereign, Powerful, Almighty, Omniscient, Omnipotent God, who knows all, sees all, hears all at the same time for everyone and sorts it out. When I consider the mind-warping magnitude of God, I think of the Book of Isaiah, which the prophet fills with descriptions of God. Read Isaiah 66:1: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool . . . My hands have made both heaven and earth; they and everything in them are mine. I, the Lord have spoken." EVERYTHING is God's - you and me, and everything we claim to own.  Does that sound like anything of this Earth? What about Isaiah 40:18-26, where God hangs the stars and calls them each by name, forgetting not a single one? Supernatural. Wind-warping. 
• Return with me to Acts 2, Peter says in v. 17 . . . In the last days, God said, “I will pour out my spirit upon all people." This sovereign God pours out His spirit (The Holy Spirit) upon all people, inviting people to (v. 21) call on the name of Jesus. "And, anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." God, through the Spirit, calls each man, woman, boy and girl to be saved through the sacrifice of His son. Again, Supernatural.
• Now, got to Acts 2:43-47, Luke writes: "Believers were added, by God, to the church."

The church - including church groups like our class - are Supernatural entities formed by a Supernatural God, who is Sovereign over all the Earth and to whom every man, woman, boy and girl will one day be accountable. And, as people come to know Jesus as Savior, God adds "the believers" to the church. And, Acts 2:44 says these believers "shared life together." They sacrificed and poured into one another. No where - not one place in Scripture - is the life of a believer defined by sitting and watching others do the work of the church.

People may join booster clubs, hunting clubs, book clubs, garden clubs, charities, card-playing clubs, neighborhood associations, and professional organizations. But, people do not join churches. God adds believers to churches. That's why you will always hear me say to people, "Be where God sends you; be and do what God calls you to do."

Today's problem

Today, friends, we have people who have penetrated the North American church as they do all kinds of other Earthly organizations, and they have warped the frame of the church. We now have consumer churches, where people come for their own benefit, to sit and listen and consume information. For these consumers, all you hear them talk about is how church has "made my life better" or "I am fed at that church." That consumerism attitude - "it's for me and about me" is the ultimate sin, turning the Supernatural work of a Holy God into something sinfully self-serving.

The church is a Supernatural group that trumps every group in your life. Attendance and membership is not something to be taken lightly, and I argue won’t be taken lightly by those who know and follow Jesus, are sent by the Holy Spirit  to join the church and who are tangibly working to share life with one another.

Where are you? Regardless of your spouse, or your friends, where are you?

Do you know Jesus as your Savior? Can you point to a mile marker on your life and say, “Here, right here, is where I surrendered my life to the risen Savior.” And, then can you point to a second mile marker and say, “Right here is where I joined with xyz church because it’s where I knew to my core that God was sending me.” And, can you say, clearly, right here, this “is where I saw the church differently – not for what I got from it, but what I gave to it. And, I am now giving to it."

Last . . .
Do you know why, in church, 20 percent of the people do 80 percent of the work?

In the booster club, we call it laziness or just being sorry when 80 percent of the people watch 20 percent do all the work, but in the church we call it what it is . . . lostness or living without a Savior. Lost people latch onto a church as a social organization content in watching others do all the work . . . for them. I believe it is impossible to know Jesus without connecting to a church, and without being involved in that church. Because, what God sends you to do (the church), The Spirit will cause you to be restless until you are doing it. You cannot sit idle in a church and be filled with the Spirit that comes from salvation. That kind of restlessness would be unbearable.

As St. Augustine said, "You awaken us to delight in your praise; for you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.” The measure of your restlessness for the things of God may be a sign of your fellowship – or lack thereof – with God.

What is Christian Community?

What is Christian Community?

A community is a group of people, living in the same place, feeling a sense of fellowship as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests and goals.

What is fellowship? It’s a friendly association around shared interests.

Within these definitions, a Christian Community is really a gathering of believers – people who have repented of sin and live as followers of Jesus – within the same geographic area, in friendly association, and sharing interests – interests like evangelism, fellowship, baptism, missions, ministry, and discipleship.

What did Jesus do when He began His ministry? Look at Matthew 4:18-22. Jesus called two sets of brothers to be his disciples. And, that grew to 12. And, these men, and probably others who not as set apart, traveled with Jesus. They became a Christian Community. They were connected; they were involved in life together.

Now, we turn to Acts 1 – the disciples are now referred to as the apostles. They are still together. In chapter 2, following Pentecost, Peter launches into his famous sermon to the people, where in v. 40, “Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, ‘Save yourselves from this generation that has gone astray.’” Beginning in v. 43, “(then at the close of Peter's sermon) a deep sense of awe came over them all” and v. 45 “they sold their possessions and shared the proceeds with those in need. They worshipped each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity – all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And, each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.” Do you see the community in that – people engaged in life together?

Christian Community took a giant step forward, and what was born then continues today through the Universal church, through the Baptist denomination, through Lexington Baptist Church, and into our Sunday School class. We, in this class, we, are a Christian Community. We live in the same place, we share lives – highs and lows – that are generally similar, and our interests and goals – sociologically – would be very similar.

Now we go over to Acts 6. The community was rapidly multiplying, and there were rumblings of discontent. Those who spoke Greek complained. Those who spoke Hebrew complained. The Greek-speaking Jews said their wives were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food. So, the disciples called a meeting. They said, “It is insane for us to be administering a food program. We should be teaching and preaching the word of God.” So, a committee was formed, and this committee was anointed to judge. Organization occurred, giving us a glimpse of the community's seriousness. One of these on the committee was Stephen.

Stephen was arrested and then he preached a lengthy sermon, infuriated the Jewish temple leaders, and was stoned to death. This launched a season of persecution against the church, but guess what – it didn’t dissolve the church; persecution strengthened the church. The community was strengthened by adversity and persecution. Forged by fire. That is a central theme to following Jesus – persecution and adversity leads to a deeper faith.

I was about 12, and was at home alone one evening – my parents had gone to dinner and a movie – and my brothers were at my cousin’s house. A prisoner on a Georgia chain gang escaped and was on the loose in our rural part of the county. Of course, I had no idea, but my granddaddy called and told me to get my things ready – he was coming to get me. And, he did. And, back in his house, I watched as our little community came together. Everyone turned all their lights on, men loaded their guns, some women loaded their guns, conversations took place by telephone – back and forth.

I had seen all these people come together in the Brookwood Baptist Church cemetery, just up the road, when someone died. But, this was different. This was sharing life in a different kind of way – in fear and trouble. Arm-in-arm, shared geography, shared ideology, shared commitment to family, and looking out for one another. (Community looks out for one another).

My grandfather suddenly realized that his renters, who lived in a remote house he owned down at the end of his farm, had no telephone. They did not know the potential crisis at hand. And, so he and my uncle Coy, and cousin Billy, drove down to the rental house, and brought the family back to my grandfather’s house.
It was community. To this kind of commitment and caring for one another, we lay the layer of Christianity.

Now, it’s possible for you and me to be involved in Christian Community that overlaps several different churches in Lexington. Not all of my Christian friends attend Lexington Baptist Church. Within the worldwide Universal church of Christ, I am in a macro community all of these believers – all over the world.

For the purposes of our discussion this fall, we will look specifically at our Christian Community – this Sunday School class, primarily. And, why membership and participation are important. In fact, we are going to look toward a new chapter in January 2014, building a database of everyone's spiritual gifts, skills, hobbies and interests. Beginning in 2014, what we do together is going to look and feel different, moving into really being community the way the New Testament calls us to be. We are going to be on this journey together and invite people to join us.

And, yes, we are going to talk about formal membership. Yes, we are going to stress membership because in Acts 2:41, “Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to that community. They joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship.”

That’s the earliest statement of the earliest “church” as we know it. People were added and they joined, and a byproduct of that was devotion.  Devotion is defined this way: “Love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity or cause.” You and I will quickly say, we are devoted to family, but when’s the last time you and I claimed devotion to Jesus and to His prescribed Christian Community? Get ready. Be praying now about your future with this class. Membership and Devotion – not to me – but to Jesus and to His people will be an expectation . . . as it should be for all those involved in Christian Community.