Sermon Jan 29, 2012 words with friends = Church Mt 28:16-20
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Words w friends = church
No more glorious
God’s face on the earth
A human institution-
[best commitments are based on reality, not the honeymoon factor]
Are you comfortable with the word church?
Sometimes we get it wrong
Organizations
Bishops
Structures
Pastors
Committees
Activity
Brushing elbows with the movers and shakers..
Something that appeased my guilt
Right doctrine
Fire insurance - My ticket punched for heaven
Partly right, but missing the point
This doesn’t work – does it
So we have questions like
Why am I not getting fed
Why do I get burned out
I don’t like the changes at my church
I don’t want a bigger church [jeff prefers a church of 300]
I don’t prefer
If we get it wrong sometimes, what do those outside the church think?
Why don’t people come to church, repsoect church as they used to do? Remember the blue laws?
Why do they think this?
They have witnessed-
Christians who have fallen into bad habits
We thought we would say who the good ones are and
Who goes to heaven
Romans 1:20 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
We held our head s up and snubbed our noses
My kid and tagging the picture-
You were there? They serve alcohol
You never understand the nature of judgment until you have been the recipient
Some of us even blamed Katrina on bad behavior –
Mt 5:4343 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[h] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies[i] and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
This kind of thinking must be stopped
It must not be tolerated
It must not be nurtured
Why do we settle for this?
It is easier to be human than divine
Budgets, pledge cards, committees, buildings pastors and staff are there only to support this
When we lose sight of our mission, all that is left is the junk
Someone once asked me if I am a professional minister…………
It is easy to become one . someone who simply takes care of systems and expects people to help
That is not enough. We must speak to our mission our purpose
This is what the church is
Go into tall the world and teach
What is the lowest common denominator and still be a church?
Jesus did not formulate a doctrine
He didn’t write a creed
He stepped into the face of the religious leaders and the religious systems and said, no
What did he teach?
Love your neighbor
Love the lord your God
Jn 13 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Oh, now I get this sermon, you are telling us that the church needs to be about love.
Absolutely
To the extendt that we judge others, we are not the hands and feet of Christ
To the extent that we hold up who the good ones ae, we are not the voice of our father
Not doctrine
But love – check the words of jesus
The church has spoken to the words of Jesus
Paul has spoken to, interpreted the words of jesus
It is time that the words of jesus speak to the church
The voice of jesus must be the loudest
Teach love. Live love
1 cor 13
1 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[b] but have not love, I gain nothing.
Cheap grace is thinking that you can do this stuff and no have love and its enough.
Cheap grace is thinking hat we can do the human part and leave out the love.
Conclusion
When we show love, we find some Great stories of the church
Children are welcome
Inviting friends
Transforming lives
The broken are cared for
We are his body
I ask you to relieve yourself of false notions of the church and join me in our mission
Set aside your humanness
When those from the outside sense God’s love bouncing around in here, they will want to be a part of this church, this movement, this kingdom.
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