Hey guys... for all two of you :) who might like to hear my sermons. Check out the link below and you can see a video of a message I did entitled, "an extraordinary message for ordinary men." I hope it would be an encouragement to someone. This was preached at my last Church. Click on Video Sermons and then look for me in the bottom right hand corner.
http://www.infinitylaurel.com/Default.aspx?tabid=130
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Short Cuts
Tonight I was driving from Pikesville to White Marsh at 5:30pm in the rain (all you Baltimore people know where this is going) and there was bumper to bumper traffic. Being the versatile man that I am I quickly consulted my map and found a "short cut" around the traffic. As I pulled off the beltway I thought to myself, "those simple minded fools... if only they knew MY short cut."
Well, as the traffic backed up at the 3rd light I realized that my short cut was not so short. I don't know what it is but I often look for short cuts when I am driving. I think it's a guy thing. We feel manly and like we've "gotten over" on the rest of the ingnorant masses of people going the "normal" way if we drive some other route that we think is faster. This is one of those topics than men discuss and swear that they've found the fastest way from point A to point B.
As I was sitting in the traffic of my short cut it caused me to think about life. There are no short cuts in life either. Yes, many of us try but it never ends up being shorter. Men and women want the rights (sexual intimacy) of marriage without the responsibility. We want money but don't want to work. People continue to look for short cuts in life but there aren't any. There is only the long hard road. If you want a good marriage you have to spend time daily with your spouse. If you want to raise your kids to follow Christ, you have to read the Bible to them regularly. Life takes work. I think part of our sinful nature is that we look for the easy way out. But there is none. However, I do believe that there is satisfaction in working hard and not taking those tempting short cuts.
Well, if you are wondering how the story ends... about 15 minutes wasted later I pulled back onto the beltway and arrived at my destination. Honestly, it was kind of a revelation that I could get back on my original course. I guess I thought at first that because I took the supposed short cut I should stay on that course all the way through. That's also true with life. If you've attempted to make life work with short cuts the good news is you can get back on course.
I want to challenge you to take the long hard road if you are sitting around looking for a short cut. I want to encourage you that if you have attempted to take a short cut through life, the good news is that you can repent by getting back on the right course.
Well, as the traffic backed up at the 3rd light I realized that my short cut was not so short. I don't know what it is but I often look for short cuts when I am driving. I think it's a guy thing. We feel manly and like we've "gotten over" on the rest of the ingnorant masses of people going the "normal" way if we drive some other route that we think is faster. This is one of those topics than men discuss and swear that they've found the fastest way from point A to point B.
As I was sitting in the traffic of my short cut it caused me to think about life. There are no short cuts in life either. Yes, many of us try but it never ends up being shorter. Men and women want the rights (sexual intimacy) of marriage without the responsibility. We want money but don't want to work. People continue to look for short cuts in life but there aren't any. There is only the long hard road. If you want a good marriage you have to spend time daily with your spouse. If you want to raise your kids to follow Christ, you have to read the Bible to them regularly. Life takes work. I think part of our sinful nature is that we look for the easy way out. But there is none. However, I do believe that there is satisfaction in working hard and not taking those tempting short cuts.
Well, if you are wondering how the story ends... about 15 minutes wasted later I pulled back onto the beltway and arrived at my destination. Honestly, it was kind of a revelation that I could get back on my original course. I guess I thought at first that because I took the supposed short cut I should stay on that course all the way through. That's also true with life. If you've attempted to make life work with short cuts the good news is you can get back on course.
I want to challenge you to take the long hard road if you are sitting around looking for a short cut. I want to encourage you that if you have attempted to take a short cut through life, the good news is that you can repent by getting back on the right course.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Goodbye Infinity Church
For the past year and 3 months I have had the priviledge of working at a church plant in the suburbs of Laurel, Md called Infinity Church (www.infinitylaurel.com). Infinity is a predominantly African American congregation that was planted by Aaron Pankey over 9 years ago with a vision to plant more churches and become multi-cultural.
This Sunday was my last official Sunday on staff there and I thought it would be appropriate for me to reflect on the great brothers and sisters in Christ that I have had the priviledge of serving with.
First I am thankful to Pastor Aaron Pankey for calling me up in Portland, Or after he found out we had a heart to move back to Baltimore. He offered me a job at Infinity to help him establish some ministries most of which we able to do and I might not be back if employment at Infinity had not made that possible. Thanks man!
Sean and Shanika Robinson were among the first couple to extend hospitality to us as they drove all the way from Randalstown to North East B-more with their children to bring us a meal that first week we had moved back. I think our love for Baltimore, Theology, and our families connected us. Sean is a good brother and I am grateful for all the theological, urban, and real life conversations we have had. I look forward to seeing how the Lord uses him in his home and community.
Jeremy Dickson is a great brother with a true heart for the Lord. I am so grateful he invited me to speak into his life on several occasions and I can honestly say he has become a true brother to me. I know he is honest with me and I can be honest with him. I am also thankful for his wife Christina and her friendship to my wife.
Rob Reynolds, Turrae Jones, Eric Collier, and more recently Craig Walker and Chester Dade were all brothers who served along with me in various ways. I have been impressed with their character, teachability, and willingness to serve Jesus. I am a better man because of them and know I have made some life long friends with these guys!
Sidney Cutchins is a fellow Baltimore brother (at least until he moves to PG with the rest of Infinity :). When I first met him I was pretty intimidated as he is a Baltimore City Police Officer in the Western District (yeah that is where they filmed the Wire) who doubles as an immovable wall whenever you need one. But he opened up to me and let me in his life and for that I am grateful. He is an incredible bro with a great heart for Jesus and people. I know he is a brother for life and I can't wait to see him and Eb tie the knot!
Maina Mwaura is another incredilbe brother whom I've had the privilege of working with and becoming friends with at Infinity. Maina and I are pretty different and probably wouldn't be friends naturally except that we were forced to get to know each other working on various things throughout the year. Though we butted heads a few times he has become a close friend and a peer I go to for advice and wisdom now. He has been a huge blessing for me especially over the last few months.
Along with these men, there are some other incredible men of integrity at Infinity. These are guys who I could count on if I needed them and guys whose character stood out to me. If I died I could honestly say to my son's, "Hey, follow that guy and be like them." Dj Jordan, Mr.Pankey, James Willis, and Shannon Pankey all are great brothers and Infinity is a better church because of them.
Raphael Taylor, Mike and John McAdams, Arkim, Devon, Mark Blair and I am sure there are many more of you I could write about. Thanks for all the memories at our Home Community, HC leaders meetings, Servant team meetings, and Monday night leadership meetings. We love you all and though it didn't work out for us to serve with you for a longer season of time we are personally thankful for all your friendship and partnership in the gospel.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Christians and Voting
With all the hype on the election for this year. I thought the following advice was dope and worth considering. For those of you unfamiliar with Dr. John Piper he is one of the top 5 pastor/theologians alive in the world today. He makes all of his books free online at www.desiringgod.org.
If you would like to read one of his works I would recommend "Don't waste your life," along with the corresponding study guide. Which you can download at...
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/OnlineBooks/ByTitle/1593_Dont_Waste_Your_Life/
Let Christians Vote As Though They Were Not Voting
________________________________________
By John Piper October 22, 2008
________________________________________
Voting is like marrying and crying and laughing and buying. We should do it, but only as if we were not doing it. That's because "the present form of this world is passing away" and, in God's eyes, "the time has grown very short." Here's the way Paul puts it:
The appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away. (1 Corinthians 7:29-31)
Let's take these one at a time and compare them to voting.
1. "Let those who have wives live as though they had none."
This doesn't mean move out of the house, don't have sex, and don't call her Honey. Earlier in this chapter Paul says, "The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights" (1 Corinthians 7:3). He also says to love her the way Christ loved the church, leading and providing and protecting (Ephesians 5:25-30). It means this: Marriage is momentary. It's over at death, and there is no marriage in the resurrection. Wives and husbands are second priorities, not first. Christ is first. Marriage is for making much of him.
It means: If she is exquisitely desirable, beware of desiring her more than Christ. And if she is deeply disappointing, beware of being hurt too much. This is temporary—only a brief lifetime. Then comes the never-disappointing life which is life indeed.
So it is with voting. We should do it. But only as if we were not doing it. Its outcomes do not give us the greatest joy when they go our way, and they do not demoralize us when they don't. Political life is for making much of Christ whether the world falls apart or holds together.
2. "Let those who mourn [do so] as though they were not mourning."
Christians mourn with real, deep, painful mourning, especially over losses—loss of those we love, loss of health, loss of a dream. These losses hurt. We cry when we are hurt. But we cry as though not crying. We mourn knowing we have not lost something so valuable we cannot rejoice in our mourning. Our losses do not incapacitate us. They do not blind us to the possibility of a fruitful future serving Christ. The Lord gives and takes away. But he remains blessed. And we remain hopeful in our mourning.
So it is with voting. There are losses. We mourn. But not as those who have no hope. We vote and we lose, or we vote and we win. In either case, we win or lose as if we were not winning or losing. Our expectations and frustrations are modest. The best this world can offer is short and small. The worst it can offer has been predicted in the book of Revelation. And no vote will hold it back. In the short run, Christians lose (Revelation 13:7). In the long run, we win (Revelation 21:4).
3. "Let those who rejoice [do so] as though they were not rejoicing."
Christians rejoice in health (James 5:13) and in sickness (James 1:2). There are a thousand good and perfect things that come down from God that call forth the feeling of happiness. Beautiful weather. Good friends who want to spend time with us. Delicious food and someone to share it with. A successful plan. A person helped by our efforts.
But none of these good and beautiful things can satisfy our soul. Even the best cannot replace what we were made for, namely, the full experience of the risen Christ (John 17:24). Even fellowship with him here is not the final and best gift. There is more of him to have after we die (Philippians 1:21-23)—and even more after the resurrection. The best experiences here are foretastes. The best sights of glory are through a mirror dimly. The joy that rises from these previews does not and should not rise to the level of the hope of glory. These pleasures will one day be as though they were not. So we rejoice remembering this joy is a foretaste, and will be replaced by a vastly better joy.
So it is with voting. There are joys. The very act of voting is a joyful statement that we are not under a tyrant. And there may be happy victories. But the best government we get is a foreshadowing. Peace and justice are approximated now. They will be perfect when Christ comes. So our joy is modest. Our triumphs are short-lived—and shot through with imperfection. So we vote as though not voting.
4. "Let those who buy [do so] as though they had no goods."
Let Christians keep on buying while this age lasts. Christianity is not withdrawal from business. We are involved, but as though not involved. Business simply does not have the weight in our hearts that it has for many. All our getting and all our having in this world is getting and having things that are not ultimately important. Our car, our house, our books, our computers, our heirlooms—we possess them with a loose grip. If they are taken away, we say that in a sense we did not have them. We are not here to possess. We are here to lay up treasures in heaven.
This world matters. But it is not ultimate. It is the stage for living in such a way to show that this world is not our God, but that Christ is our God. It is the stage for using the world to show that Christ is more precious than the world.
So it is with voting. We do not withdraw. We are involved—but as if not involved. Politics does not have ultimate weight for us. It is one more stage for acting out the truth that Christ, and not politics, is supreme.
5. "Let those who deal with the world [do so] as though they had no dealings with it."
Christians should deal with the world. This world is here to be used. Dealt with. There is no avoiding it. Not to deal with it is to deal with it that way. Not to weed your garden is to cultivate a weedy garden. Not to wear a coat in Minnesota is to freeze—to deal with the cold that way. Not to stop when the light is red is to spend your money on fines or hospital bills and deal with the world that way. We must deal with the world.
But as we deal with it, we don't give it our fullest attention. We don't ascribe to the world the greatest status. There are unseen things that are vastly more precious than the world. We use the world without offering it our whole soul. We may work with all our might when dealing with the world, but the full passions of our heart will be attached to something higher—Godward purposes. We use the world, but not as an end in itself. It is a means. We deal with the world in order to make much of Christ.
So it is with voting. We deal with the system. We deal with the news. We deal with the candidates. We deal with the issues. But we deal with it all as if not dealing with it. It does not have our fullest attention. It is not the great thing in our lives. Christ is. And Christ will be ruling over his people with perfect supremacy no matter who is elected and no matter what government stands or falls. So we vote as though not voting.
By all means vote. But remember: "The world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:17).
Voting with you, as though not voting,
Pastor John
If you would like to read one of his works I would recommend "Don't waste your life," along with the corresponding study guide. Which you can download at...
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/OnlineBooks/ByTitle/1593_Dont_Waste_Your_Life/
Let Christians Vote As Though They Were Not Voting
________________________________________
By John Piper October 22, 2008
________________________________________
Voting is like marrying and crying and laughing and buying. We should do it, but only as if we were not doing it. That's because "the present form of this world is passing away" and, in God's eyes, "the time has grown very short." Here's the way Paul puts it:
The appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away. (1 Corinthians 7:29-31)
Let's take these one at a time and compare them to voting.
1. "Let those who have wives live as though they had none."
This doesn't mean move out of the house, don't have sex, and don't call her Honey. Earlier in this chapter Paul says, "The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights" (1 Corinthians 7:3). He also says to love her the way Christ loved the church, leading and providing and protecting (Ephesians 5:25-30). It means this: Marriage is momentary. It's over at death, and there is no marriage in the resurrection. Wives and husbands are second priorities, not first. Christ is first. Marriage is for making much of him.
It means: If she is exquisitely desirable, beware of desiring her more than Christ. And if she is deeply disappointing, beware of being hurt too much. This is temporary—only a brief lifetime. Then comes the never-disappointing life which is life indeed.
So it is with voting. We should do it. But only as if we were not doing it. Its outcomes do not give us the greatest joy when they go our way, and they do not demoralize us when they don't. Political life is for making much of Christ whether the world falls apart or holds together.
2. "Let those who mourn [do so] as though they were not mourning."
Christians mourn with real, deep, painful mourning, especially over losses—loss of those we love, loss of health, loss of a dream. These losses hurt. We cry when we are hurt. But we cry as though not crying. We mourn knowing we have not lost something so valuable we cannot rejoice in our mourning. Our losses do not incapacitate us. They do not blind us to the possibility of a fruitful future serving Christ. The Lord gives and takes away. But he remains blessed. And we remain hopeful in our mourning.
So it is with voting. There are losses. We mourn. But not as those who have no hope. We vote and we lose, or we vote and we win. In either case, we win or lose as if we were not winning or losing. Our expectations and frustrations are modest. The best this world can offer is short and small. The worst it can offer has been predicted in the book of Revelation. And no vote will hold it back. In the short run, Christians lose (Revelation 13:7). In the long run, we win (Revelation 21:4).
3. "Let those who rejoice [do so] as though they were not rejoicing."
Christians rejoice in health (James 5:13) and in sickness (James 1:2). There are a thousand good and perfect things that come down from God that call forth the feeling of happiness. Beautiful weather. Good friends who want to spend time with us. Delicious food and someone to share it with. A successful plan. A person helped by our efforts.
But none of these good and beautiful things can satisfy our soul. Even the best cannot replace what we were made for, namely, the full experience of the risen Christ (John 17:24). Even fellowship with him here is not the final and best gift. There is more of him to have after we die (Philippians 1:21-23)—and even more after the resurrection. The best experiences here are foretastes. The best sights of glory are through a mirror dimly. The joy that rises from these previews does not and should not rise to the level of the hope of glory. These pleasures will one day be as though they were not. So we rejoice remembering this joy is a foretaste, and will be replaced by a vastly better joy.
So it is with voting. There are joys. The very act of voting is a joyful statement that we are not under a tyrant. And there may be happy victories. But the best government we get is a foreshadowing. Peace and justice are approximated now. They will be perfect when Christ comes. So our joy is modest. Our triumphs are short-lived—and shot through with imperfection. So we vote as though not voting.
4. "Let those who buy [do so] as though they had no goods."
Let Christians keep on buying while this age lasts. Christianity is not withdrawal from business. We are involved, but as though not involved. Business simply does not have the weight in our hearts that it has for many. All our getting and all our having in this world is getting and having things that are not ultimately important. Our car, our house, our books, our computers, our heirlooms—we possess them with a loose grip. If they are taken away, we say that in a sense we did not have them. We are not here to possess. We are here to lay up treasures in heaven.
This world matters. But it is not ultimate. It is the stage for living in such a way to show that this world is not our God, but that Christ is our God. It is the stage for using the world to show that Christ is more precious than the world.
So it is with voting. We do not withdraw. We are involved—but as if not involved. Politics does not have ultimate weight for us. It is one more stage for acting out the truth that Christ, and not politics, is supreme.
5. "Let those who deal with the world [do so] as though they had no dealings with it."
Christians should deal with the world. This world is here to be used. Dealt with. There is no avoiding it. Not to deal with it is to deal with it that way. Not to weed your garden is to cultivate a weedy garden. Not to wear a coat in Minnesota is to freeze—to deal with the cold that way. Not to stop when the light is red is to spend your money on fines or hospital bills and deal with the world that way. We must deal with the world.
But as we deal with it, we don't give it our fullest attention. We don't ascribe to the world the greatest status. There are unseen things that are vastly more precious than the world. We use the world without offering it our whole soul. We may work with all our might when dealing with the world, but the full passions of our heart will be attached to something higher—Godward purposes. We use the world, but not as an end in itself. It is a means. We deal with the world in order to make much of Christ.
So it is with voting. We deal with the system. We deal with the news. We deal with the candidates. We deal with the issues. But we deal with it all as if not dealing with it. It does not have our fullest attention. It is not the great thing in our lives. Christ is. And Christ will be ruling over his people with perfect supremacy no matter who is elected and no matter what government stands or falls. So we vote as though not voting.
By all means vote. But remember: "The world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:17).
Voting with you, as though not voting,
Pastor John
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Cigar, a stout, and spurgeon
"Be content to be nothing, for that is what you are." Spurgeon, p.164 in "Lectures to My Students."
I am sitting on my porch, it's about 10:45pm enjoying a Mayorga cigar (Nicaragua) and a Black Hawk Stout reading Spurgeon. My block is pretty quiet and I am a blessed man. My wife just came out to pray with me. We haven't done everything right in our marriage but the one thing we have done consistently for 9 years is pray every evening before we go to bed. I am just thanking God right now for her and the cross that allows us to pray to the God of the universe. Wow... I am so blessed!
Tomorrow my kids go back to school. Miriam is going into third grade and is ready to go. Samuel on his way to first is a little nervous and was acting out today because of it. That was tough to deal with as I wanted to come down hard on him for teasing his little sister and talking back but I had to also have some grace for him as he is worried about tomorrow. Ellie is going to pre-k and she too was starting to tear up as she thought about the unknown of "school." My wife and I just prayed for them asking God to protect them, give them a good teacher, and good friends. Again I am thankful for my kids and all the joy they bring me as a father. Truly it is a blessed thing to be a parent.
I haven't written in awhile. I hope all is well with the five of you who read my blog. I hope to hit this up more. I've had a great summer and have been spending alot of time praying and writing in preparation to begin casting a vision, gather a core team, and prayerfully launch a church in the city of Baltimore sometime in the next year.
I close with the quote I started with. Spurgeon has reminded me to look to Jesus alone and I pray you will do the same.
peace to you and your fam...
p.rob
I am sitting on my porch, it's about 10:45pm enjoying a Mayorga cigar (Nicaragua) and a Black Hawk Stout reading Spurgeon. My block is pretty quiet and I am a blessed man. My wife just came out to pray with me. We haven't done everything right in our marriage but the one thing we have done consistently for 9 years is pray every evening before we go to bed. I am just thanking God right now for her and the cross that allows us to pray to the God of the universe. Wow... I am so blessed!
Tomorrow my kids go back to school. Miriam is going into third grade and is ready to go. Samuel on his way to first is a little nervous and was acting out today because of it. That was tough to deal with as I wanted to come down hard on him for teasing his little sister and talking back but I had to also have some grace for him as he is worried about tomorrow. Ellie is going to pre-k and she too was starting to tear up as she thought about the unknown of "school." My wife and I just prayed for them asking God to protect them, give them a good teacher, and good friends. Again I am thankful for my kids and all the joy they bring me as a father. Truly it is a blessed thing to be a parent.
I haven't written in awhile. I hope all is well with the five of you who read my blog. I hope to hit this up more. I've had a great summer and have been spending alot of time praying and writing in preparation to begin casting a vision, gather a core team, and prayerfully launch a church in the city of Baltimore sometime in the next year.
I close with the quote I started with. Spurgeon has reminded me to look to Jesus alone and I pray you will do the same.
peace to you and your fam...
p.rob
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Another Sermon
Please take a moment and listen to a recent message I did on "servant evangelism" and the obstacles to why many people don't share their faith. One of those obstacles which took up most of the sermon was on the reality of Hell.
Click the link
http://www.infinitylaurel.com/Default.aspx?tabid=130
Then click on the "audo sermons" box and find my pic with the title "servant evangelism"
love to hear your thoughts
Click the link
http://www.infinitylaurel.com/Default.aspx?tabid=130
Then click on the "audo sermons" box and find my pic with the title "servant evangelism"
love to hear your thoughts
Thursday, June 26, 2008
God hates visionary dreaming
Provocative title huh?
They are actually the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer in a small book he wrote called "Life Together." His words are challenging to us who follow Christ and are a part of His community called the Church. Read them carefully...
"Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than this," (p. 6-7). We come into this community through Jesus. We exisit in community with Jesus. And our community is not centrally anything more or less than this!
This is significant to me because I often hear zealous Christians within the church and non-Christians outside of the church making comments on what the church should be. However, Bonhoeffer challenges us with our ideals about church.
"Innumerable times a whole Christian community has broken down because it had sprung from a wish dream. The serious Christian, set down for the first time in a Christian community, is likely to bring with him a very definite idea of what Christian life together should be and try to realize it," (p.14).
Wow! We cannont come to the church with some lofty ideal of what the church should be. This would include visions of perfect brotherhood, no division, no sin, a perfect racial diversity (for those of you who think every church should be equally balanced culturally), a "cool" church that "really" reaches the unchurched, etc. A warning to us is to examine our hearts and minds. Do we have a specific ideal of what "church" should be? Or do we come with a simplicity that realizes our fellowship with each other is in Jesus and then seek to work that out?
A warning to Church Planters...
"Every human wish dream that is injected into the Christian community is a hindrance to genuine community and must be banished if genuine community is to sruvive. He who loves his dream of a community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the later, even though his personal intentions may be ever so honest and earnest and sacrificial," (p.15).
Often times those of you who may be church planters or thinking about planting a church are encouraged to "dream big" for your church plant by various church plant networks and denominations who may be involved in your plant. This is dangerous. It encourages you to falsely come up with some dream of what you want your church to look like and usually with younger planters like myself we have a specific type of person we see in our church and we see a specific type of culture represented there (usually young, cool, hip, etc.). Planters are often asked, "What is your target group?" This allows us to play into ourselves and our preferences too much and we can easily make our "target group" people like us and people who we feel most comfortable with. But may I suggest that Christian community ceases whenever we get to pick all of those with whom we are in community with. Jesus picked the 12 disciples from varying back grounds. They didn't all know each other naturally and didn't all grow up in the same neighborhood. James warns us in Chapter two to "show no partiality" and I am afraid that much of this does exactly that.
Shaun Garman, pastor of Red Sea Church in Portland, Or taught me this principle well. We don't get to choose who comes to our churches and who doesn't. Our job is to throw the gospel seeds everywhere we can and watch to see where they grow. Then we need to effectively tend those "shoots" by discipling those who respond to the gospel.
If we don't heed this warning this is where it takes us...
"God hates visionary dreaming; it makes the dreamer proud and pretentious. The man who fashions a visonary ideal of community demands that it be realized by God, by others, and by himself. He enters the community of Christians with his demands, sets up his own law, and judges the brethren and God accordingly. He stands adamant, a living reproach to all others in the circle of brethren. He acts as if he is the creator of the Christian community, as if his dream binds men together. When things do not go his way, he calls the effort a failure. When his ideal picture is destroyed, he sees the community going to smash. So he becomes, first an accuser of the brethren, then an accuser of God, and finally the despairing accuser of himself," (p.15).
While I have been addressing church planters this warning goes for all of us in the church who at times become dissatisfied with the church and perhaps cling to an ideal. Read these last words by Bonhoeffer to get a biblical picture of Christian Community.
"Because God has already laid the only foundation of our fellowship, because God has bound us together in one body with other Christians in Jesus Christ, long before we entered into common life with them, we enter into that common life not as demanders [ie. demanding a certan ideal of Christian Community exist] but as thankful recipients. We thank God for what He has done for us. We thank God for giving us brethren who live by His call, by His forgiveness and HIs promise," (p.16).
"Christian brotherhood is not an ideal which we must realize: it is rather a reality created by God in Christ in which we may participate. The more clearly we learn to recognize that ground and strength and promise of all our fellowship is in Jesus Christ alone, the more serenely shall we think of our fellowship and pray and hope for it," (p.l9).
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