Over the last 3-4 weeks I have been focusing on the foundational role which the Cross has in helping us to think properly about ourselves, relate well to one another and to worship.
We who follow Christ have a most unique identity. We are sinners who have been redeemed and beloved sons and daughters of God. These two idea must be ‘experientially’ true, and not merely precepts. Together they make the possibility of contentment a reality. When they are believed they make possible honesty regarding my sins, weakness and immaturity’s. When they are held weakly I increase the chances that I will be quick to make excuse, rationalize and otherwise avoid responsibility for my own shortcomings.
If both of these biblical ideas are held close we can also walk together as a body with greater success. As I have been saying conflict is an inevitable outcome of getting human beings together. That conflict is unavoidable as long as we sin, and until Christ returns and we receive the fullness of the promises of redemption we will have this proclivity. Sober estimates of myself (Romans 12:3) play an important role in helping me to maintain peaceful, edifying and encouraging relationships with my brothers and sisters.
In my last post I spoke at length about the hinderances which defensiveness, rationalizations and sinful anger play in making Christian community difficult. If you haven’t read my last post, consider doing it. I think there are some useful ideas about how we must not let defensiveness or anger keep the body from unity. The Cross of Jesus provides both the motivation and the power to enable us to be sanctified by the vicissitudes of human relationships. Today I want to focus on several positive exhortations found in the epistles. This material, sometimes referred to as ‘didache’ (or practical teaching) very often follows a doctrinal section of an epistle. The reason for this is that Paul, under the power of the Spirit’s inspiration would often follow ‘doctrinal’ material with the practical outworking of that theological truth.
For example Ephesians chapter 4 begins with some very exalted language about the church - (4) There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— (5) one Lord, one faith, one baptism, (6) one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (7) But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. (8) Therefore it says,”When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” (9) In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? (10) He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) (11) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, (12) to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, (13) until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, (14) so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. (15) Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, (16) from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
What does this mean, and how does it relate to building Christian Community?
First, Paul states a series of things which are expressed as simply the ‘way things are.’ (1) There is only one body (what the Nicene Creed calls ‘one holy catholic and apostolic Church.‘) This means that no matter what we see in the multitude of denominations, there is in fact only one church. (2) There is only one Spirit. The promised gift sent by the Father can be found wherever the people of God are found. The same Holy Spirit can be found among Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists, Pentecostals, Orthodox, Catholic and the many other groups who claim Jesus as there Lord and Savior. (3) God has given leadership to the Body for the purpose of equipping the people of God so that they can build up the Body of Christ into increasing maturity. Paul calls this ‘the stature of the fullness of Christ.’ (Ephesians 4:13) Paul describes the healthy body of Christians as people committed to the truth, but spoken in love for the purpose of helping us grow up into Christ. Paul sees this being accomplished not by some elite body of leaders, but by the contribution of every believer, doing whatever God has given them to do so that the body might build itself up in love. That is an exalted theology of the supremacy of Christ, and how the body of Christ increasingly matures in glorifying Jesus.
Then in verses 17-19 Paul brings back a reminder of what the old life apart from Christ is like. Darkened thinking, isolation, and addiction to only those things that are of the senses. It is a sober and stark reminder of what we are capable of in our sinful nature. And I love the way he transitions into his positive exhortation - ‘But that is not the way you learned Christ!’ We who have trusted Christ have experienced a radical discontinuity with our old life, and we are now capable of a whole new range of choices. We can ‘put of’ the old self and be renewed in the spirit of our minds’ (more about this in a moment). We can also ‘put on the new self’ which has been created in the image and likeness of God himself.
Putting off and putting on?
I can draw an analogy which can help us understand this. In January I made the decision that I was going to stop using my injured leg as an excuse for not exercising (I managed to milk that for 4 years). I had begun to see a decline in my health, and I knew I needed to make a choice to take better care of myself. So I began with something simple - walking daily to improve my health. I started out in January with roughly 30 - 40 minutes a day (about 2.5 miles a day). I hated it at first. Little by little I improved in stamina. About a month ago I was able to increase my exercise substantially. Strangely now it seems like something I can’t do with out. Strenuous exercise now seems like a norm to me.
Sanctification is a process analogous to my experience with walking. Putting off has to do with breaking old sinful habits, patterns and things which ’seem’ automatic to our sinful nature. It is accomplished by ‘putting on’ a who new set of godly ideas, attitudes, perspectives, and conduct. It happens with daily reliance on Christ through prayer, scripture meditation, scripture study, worship, fasting, times of silence/solitude, service to others and the sacraments. Old ideas of bearing grudges give way to forgiveness and reconciliation. Old ideas of lustfully relating to our sexuality give way to purity and valuing the opposite sex as beautiful, beloved of God and fellow heirs of the gospel. Old ideas of greed, hoarding and consumption give way to generosity and investment in the Kingdom of God. It takes time, and it takes getting up when we fall and pressing on by confession and repentance. But over time the Holy Spirit yields results in our character, producing in us the likeness of Jesus.
Notice then how extraordinarily practical are exhortations of Ephesians 4:25-32. Each of these clauses is worthy of consideration:
(25) Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
Remember that Jeremiah 17:9 says that the heart is deceitful above all else and desperately wicked. The prophet describes the fallen heart of man with amazingly succinct accuracy. But now we are in Christ, with new natures and we must be all about ‘putting away falsehood.’ Obviously this refers to lying, or misrepresenting the truth in any way. But it also has subtler implications. All of us will from time to time be inclined to be swept away by some deception that gets the best of us. It will often be wrong conclusions we draw about some conflict we are having with another person. We crystalize our point of view and believe we are seeing the whole picture. We then proceed to see only what supports this point of view. This is one reason I believe so completely in the plurality of elders. I need my fellow elders to be able to find wisdom when difficult matters come before me. I need to make sure I am not acting in anger, or being driven by some exaggerated point of view. From time to time I as a pastor, along with my fellow elders have to judge a matter that requires sober judgment. I have learned not to trust myself without consulting my brother elders.
Here in Paul’s exhortation to the Ephesians he begins with this simple idea. Christian community depends in part on a shared consensus to love the truth and to be willing to speak it to one another (remember that in another place he says we are to do this in love). Why? We are members of one another. What does that mean? The word translated ‘member’ can actually refer to a part of the human body, like an arm or a leg. In the context of this passage Paul is trying to say something about the interdependency of Christians - it is as though we are physiologically joined together with one another. Why do we lay aside falsehood and speak the truth to one another? Because we are a part of each other, in as real a way as the various physical parts of a human body. Could you imagine the transformation to Christianity if people actually believed this to be the truth. People leave churches, move from one to another and very often leave behind people hurt by their abruptness or seeming capriciousness regarding their decision to leave. It is virtually unheard of for people to process decisions like this - they just leave. The worst examples are those who leave and then hurl back a few bombs as they go, feeling no responsibility for the collateral damages.
Can you hear Paul - You are members of one another. (26) Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, (27) and give no opportunity to the devil. Will we get ticked at one another? Of course, it really cannot be avoided. But, as members of one another do not sin in that anger, and make sure you work it out as quickly as possible, trying your best to be at peace before the sun goes down on the conflict. It is fomenting anger which lies the ground work for what the writer of Hebrews calls the ‘bitter root.’ Hebrews 12: (15) See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled… Defilement is a word which the bible tends to associate with the corrupting influence of coming into contact with those things which make one ‘unfit’ to be in the presence of holiness. Anger that isn’t dealt with properly, and gets nursed (rumination is the precise term I’m thinking of) ends up causing trouble (because angry people typically can’t help but talk to others about their anger) and by that they end up making themselves and potentially others ‘unfit’ to be in the presence of God. In a word they defile themselves and others who join them in their sin. Paul in his exhortation states ‘give no opportunity to the devil.’ Angry people are like cars that are speeding down the road with no driver. Satan is perfectly willing to take the wheel and cause as severe an collision as he possible can.
(28) Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. There is of course the obvious sense in which Paul means this. If someone was converted from a life of criminal behavior, he must not return to that behavior. We have experienced this on a number of occasions in reaching out to people who alleged that they want to ‘change’ from a criminal past and straighten themselves out, only to later steal from us with pretty abysmal results.
But I also think this has a much broader application, as a statement calling for reciprocity in the body of Christ. Allowing the bulk of the work of a church community to fall on just a few is a form of stealing. Early Paul exhorts us to work together in such a way that ‘the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly.’ The body of Christ is meant to be a cooperative, with everyone looking for ways to serve one another. The church is to function like a family, and in healthy families everyone contributes to build that family. What we call ‘dysfunction’ is really just a fancy way of saying that the family isn’t working together. It is a dysfunctional church in which ‘professionals’ do most of the work and the constituency sits back and is ’served’. Paul reminds us - each part supplies something vital.
(29) Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. (30) And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Faithful adherence to verse 29 would forever change Christian community into a paradise here on earth. Can you imagine a community where a premium was placed on edifying speech and we really and truly tried to speak well of one another? I believe it can be done, because Paul exhorts us to it, and Christ always enables what he commands. We really can, by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit build community by words of encouragement, and blessing.
Prov. 10:19 - When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.
Pro. 12: 6 The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the mouth of the upright will deliver them.
Prov. 16:24 - Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
Prov. 17:27 - He who restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
Note verse 30. Just how much of this passage can be applied to the admonition ‘not to grieve the Holy Spirit’ isn’t clear. But it is a fairly safe bet to assume that at the very least this warning against ‘grieving the Spirit’ at least applies the verse which comes right before it (29). The Spirit is certainly grieved when Christians wound each other with unkind words, carelessly thrown around.
(31) Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. (32) Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Here Paul concludes Ephesians 4 with a laundry list of things he exhorts the church to ‘put away.’ Nearly all of them are related to uncontrolled anger. Please note that very carefully. And I believe this passage of practical Christian teaching reaches it’s only reasonable finale in verse 32 with a return to the Cross and what Christ has accomplished for us. What is that which stands as our inspiration and our empowerment to do as we are inspired by the Word - Christ. Kindness, tenderness and forgiveness is possible for one reason and one reason only - because God in Christ has done all these things for us. He has been kind when we deserved judgment. And now his kindness can empower our kindness to one another. He has been tender when we deserved the ‘roughest’ treatment. And that tenderness can propel our hearts to be tender toward one another. He gave forgiveness when I deserved condemnation. And that spiritual truth can set me free to extend forgiveness again and again to my brothers and sisters.
Brothers and sisters this entire next year will have a renew focus on building Christian community. We will have a pattern of regular community meetings and meals to help give us a pattern which encourages us to be together. But a pattern is only a strategy - in the end it is the choices we make to actively engage the Lord by consistently engaging one another. May God bless each one of the body here at Lamb as we endeavor to deeply the bonds of love.
Scripture is filled with concern for peace. Romans 12:18 - If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. That sets before us a weighty responsibility to seek and maintain peace with one another. This begins with family life. Husbands and wives are required to ‘as far as it depends’ on themselves to live at peace with one another. This exhortation extends to the church community. We are too, ‘as much as it depends’ on our actions to seek to live at peace with one another. That is formidable, but it is the word of God and it is possible to be obedient to that word. 
This past week ‘The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life‘ published the results of a survey on the ‘U.S. Religious Landscape.’ The results illustate some of the reasons why Western Evangelical Christianity is in such a state of decline.
Sometime very soon (hopefully we will nail down a date for mid-June) we will announce a community meeting for Lamb of God. This is a gathering when members and attenders can come together for different concerns which relate to the entire church community. In some ways I guess this is a ‘business’ meeting for the church, although the topics tend to have little to do with a traditional ‘business’ meeting. The purpose of this meeting in June is to talk about the future, and a vision for where we should be going as a church.
In Acts 13 a remarkable thing occurs - we get an inside look at how the early Christians launched ‘new ministry.’ 
I grew up in a Christian home. This is something for which I am deeply grateful. My father, Charles, also grew up in a Christian family and at least on my dad’s side this Christian linage goes back several generations. This is a wonderful blessing.
You may never hear about it, or it may become the next ‘big’ thing in Charismatic circles. Is it real? Is it fake? Is it revival?
Sometimes, well actually many times it is hard to figure God out. This past Sunday I had a message I really hoped would be heard by the church. However, many folks were missing. I will put it on the site, but it is likely that only a few more will actually hear it even after making it available on-line. But let me make this clear - its not that I think ‘Oh, my preaching is so important you can’t miss it - rather it is that I believe that God gave me something which is really necessary for this season of our life as a church.