Strategy - The Necessity of Strategy.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] Good morning once again, I feel like we just talked but I’m back [0:05] Let’s talk to you once again if you’re new here, my name is Steve. I’m one of the pastors here at the village [0:10] I’m grateful that you guys are here today [0:13] One of those holiday weekends a lot of you guys have off tomorrow and you fought the temptation to leave town [0:19] Just to be here with me this morning and I tell you that makes me feel really good about myself [0:24] I know that uh, that we’re why you’re here

[0:27] But I am glad you’re here if you have your Bibles go ahead and open the first Corinthians chapter 10 [0:33] that’s gonna be where we’re gonna camp out for a while and [0:36] Also, if you want to kind of put your thumb there and turn over to Romans chapter 14 [0:43] We’re gonna be there for a little while as well [0:46] I’m not gonna make you flip around the Bible too much, but I am gonna go between those two passages because [0:52] What Paul says in Romans chapter 14

[0:56] It seems of course in the chronological order that the books in the New Testament were written [1:01] He is referring to the issue that he deals with between first Corinthians 8 and 10 and what he talks about in Romans 14 [1:09] But today what we’re gonna talking about as we talk about it kind of our third week of strategy [1:15] And we’re kind of gonna bring the core series to to a completion today [1:19] We’re gonna talk about the necessity of strategy as we take the gospel into the culture [1:25] A lot of people don’t think too much about how they relate to the people in the culture where the gospel is

[1:33] Concerned but what we’re gonna talk about today is the fact that if you just kind of run headlong into [1:39] Culture with no strategy as to what you’re doing or who you’re actually dealing with in the culture [1:46] Then you will open up a lot of problems not just in your life [1:52] But also in the lives of those around you [1:55] So culture the fourth core value that we have here at the village culture is one of those things that really takes [2:02] The most discernment it takes a great deal of wisdom

[2:06] I believe that this is exactly what Jesus was talking about in Matthew chapter 10 when he told his followers [2:12] He says you need to be as wise as serpents, but as innocent as doves [2:16] And I think the issue of culture is exactly [2:19] What Jesus was kind of referring to there as he was sending his disciples out into the world [2:24] To take the message of the kingdom of God and the message of repentance to them [2:29] He told them to do it with great wisdoms wisdoms with great wisdom

[2:34] I don’t think you can pluralize that word [2:35] But I just did with great wisdom because it’s one of those things where once you are a follower of Jesus Christ [2:41] Once you are a believer once you have experienced the redemption that is in Jesus [2:46] You become a steward of the message of the gospel [2:50] Quite often we think of stewardship and we think of it in financial terms that we’re stewards of our money and how we use our [2:57] Finances is how responsible we are but we’re also we’re necessarily

[3:01] I think more than anything else in this world if you’re a follower of Jesus if the gospel has taken root in your life [3:07] And you have been redeemed in Jesus. You are now a steward of the message of the gospel and [3:13] How you use your life and the wisdom that you take into your life and the [3:17] Strategies that you set up for the decisions that you make about your life, especially when going into culture with that message [3:26] Takes a great deal of wisdom [3:28] Because you can either use it or you can waste it

[3:33] Just like with our finances [3:35] We can use our money for wise things we can we can do good things or we can just waste our money [3:41] Go buy a lot of comic books or something you know and if you buy comic books [3:46] I’m not trying to offend you [3:48] But we do have a community group that could probably help you through that if you especially if you’re an adult [3:53] And there’s somebody out here that collects comic books, and you will never come back because I just picked on you. I am sorry

[4:01] Please I have comic books. I’ll admit it all right. I’m talking about myself here. I I’m ashamed of myself not really they’re cool [4:08] Some of them are even more money who knew I [4:12] Did not know I didn’t I was like 12 and I bought most of them, but uh [4:16] You should see some of them. They’re kind of funny, but anyway. I don’t even know there’s not enough time [4:21] Let’s uh let’s let’s move right along [4:23] I just got myself on a trail that I have no idea how to jump off of and get back on the road as to what

[4:29] I was actually talking about [4:30] But when we’re talking about being stewards of the gospel [4:34] The reason that we set up our core values in the way that we set them up if I could just get that up there [4:39] Really quick [4:40] The way that we set up our core values. We did this purposefully and this graphic really really represents [4:47] Why our core values are in the order that they’re in why they look the way that they do and why we have arrows

[4:53] And why we have arranged them at in a cycle [4:57] We started out with redemption, and I’m gonna really today what we’re really gonna [5:01] Do is we’re really gonna go through all of them in a really quick way today to help you understand how they relate [5:07] How they interact because if you’re not careful you’re just gonna look at them as being completely separate [5:12] But what they really are is inseparable once you separate mission from redemption you’ve lost the gospel and you’re wasting it [5:20] You’re not being a good steward of the gospel once you separate community from mission and community from culture and community from redemption

[5:27] You’ve lost what is so pure about community and you’ve lost the gospel and now you’re just a member of a social club [5:33] If you take culture out of the equation and try to just focus on culture by itself [5:39] You’re setting yourself up to live a life where you will be tempted to sin and tempted to fall into sin or [5:45] You will be tempted to set up a culture that doesn’t have very much to do with redemption and mission [5:51] It’s just a religious sect and it can become very cultic and have nothing to do with the gospel whatsoever [5:57] And then you’ll be bound to a life of legalism where you think you’re a really good person

[6:01] Because of all the moral things that you do and isn’t God lucky to have you all right [6:06] So when you look at our core values understand they are connected [6:10] You cannot have one without the other and you cannot get them out of the order that we’ve set them up in

[6:18] And and I’m not trying to be brash. I’m not trying to be proud [6:21] I’m not trying to say I have the market cornered on how to grow as a Christian [6:26] But yeah, I am but you know just kidding [6:29] But here’s the key [6:31] Understand that redemption is the gospel that is when the gospel takes root in your life [6:36] That is the work of redemption that God does in your life through the work that Jesus did on the cross and through the resurrection

[6:43] When redemption takes root in your life that is when you become a Christian [6:48] That is when you become a follower of Jesus and in that moment [6:52] God does an amazing work in your life when he baptizes you with the Holy Spirit at the moment of conversion [6:58] And he regenerates you and you’re then given the gift of faith and [7:03] Now you have faith in Jesus when he transforms you [7:07] He sets you on a life of mission

[7:11] They are not separable things [7:15] If you think that redemption has taken place in your life, and you do not have a sense of mission

[7:24] Then there’s a problem in [7:26] What you have learned what you have been taught or you don’t really understand the gospel that you claim to believe in [7:33] You cannot be redeemed and have no sense or urgency [7:39] For the mission of Jesus, and I’m not saying you’ll become this amazing missionary immediately that leads a thousand people to Christ [7:45] That’s not what I’m saying at all what I’m saying is is that God puts you on a trajectory [7:50] When he redeems you to live his mission to this world and for some it happens fast and for some it happens slow

[7:57] But your trajectory will lead you to a life of mission [8:01] And if you live your entire life without mission, how can you ever be certain of your redemption? [8:07] Paul tells us in Scripture to work out our salvation

[8:13] We must live lives of mission and mission is not something that you can do alone [8:18] When you go into a life of mission it must necessarily [8:23] Drive you into community with other believers because that is where discipleship happens in Matthew chapter 28 [8:30] When Jesus gave his mission to his disciples. He did not give it to one person [8:36] He gave it to somewhere between 120 and 500 people probably closer to 120 [8:42] But there’s 120 people he told in Acts chapter 1

[8:46] He said now go together back into Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit [8:51] The Church of Jesus Christ when it was founded by Jesus in Matthew chapter 28 and in Acts chapter 1 [8:57] And then when it came to fruition in Acts chapter 2 when the baptism of the Holy Spirit actually came it happened [9:04] While community was taking place [9:07] So when you have been transformed [9:09] When redemption has taken root in your life and here’s the key redemption rarely takes root when two people aren’t involved

[9:17] Romans chapter 10 says how will they know if no one preaches?

[9:22] Somebody probably told you about the gospel

[9:27] Rarely do you find a person and this does happen there are exceptions to every rule rarely do you find a person’s walking down the street [9:33] And then all of a sudden they just know the gospel [9:37] You know like well sometimes people read the Bible on their own absolutely [9:41] That’s rare [9:43] It’s rare that somebody just walks into a bookstore. I was like hmm Holy Bible. I think I’ll check that out [9:49] All right, typically somebody told them about that

[9:52] All right, so you see the necessity for relationship and plus if you add to mission [9:59] community [10:01] The mission goes really full steam because in your redemption God is redeeming you [10:05] Back to the way he created us to be [10:09] He’s bringing us back to where we declare his image to the world when we talked about community [10:14] What did we talk about when we talked about God God exists in community?

[10:18] God the Father God the Son God the Holy Spirit God does not exist outside of community [10:23] So when he redeems us back to himself. He’s redeeming us back into community [10:29] Through what the gospel?

[10:33] The church [10:34] What Paul talks about in Ephesians 2 and he says that God in his redemption has set a foundation on Jesus as the [10:42] Cornerstone and the foundation is the Apostles and then we are building the walls of the structure [10:48] Together God does not save us to be lone gunmen [10:52] We would love to think he saves us and then we become by ourselves these Jack Bauer type [10:58] People who are secret agents for the Lord and we don’t need anybody else because if they come into our lives

[11:03] Well, they’re just gonna hinder us from really completing the mission [11:06] You have not spent much time in Scripture if that’s the idea that you have even Paul who probably the closest to a Jack Bauer [11:13] Type character in Scripture did not travel alone in his missionary journeys. He took his small group with him [11:19] And some of you that are in my community group like I don’t want to travel the world with you. I understand completely [11:24] I’m not asking you to do that [11:26] But what I’m saying is is is we’re not lone gunmen

[11:29] We’re called into community the mission drives us into community because community is where discipleship takes place [11:35] God did not go tell us just to go convert people. He said go make disciples and [11:41] Discipleship happens life on life [11:44] Teaching each other helping each other you cannot make this journey alone [11:50] It’s like trying to be a husband with no wife [11:53] Who are you a husband to

[11:56] Or a wife with no husband. Who are you a wife to? [11:59] Can’t have that separated you cannot have a gospel life [12:02] You cannot have a church with more than one person with without more than one person [12:08] Jesus himself said where two or three are gathered in my name. I will be there

[12:15] All right the mission of Jesus drives us into community and then the mission [12:21] Drives community into culture

[12:28] See the problem with many with our lives many times is we’re okay [12:33] When we get into community, but then community becomes the self-focused [12:38] Self-absorbed ritual that we do week in and week out so that we think we’ve done enough

[12:47] That’s not the purpose of community the mission drives us into community, but then the mission doesn’t stop driving us [12:55] See we think that we can lose the mission once we’re in community. Okay. I’ve moved from mission to community [13:01] No [13:01] Our core values they never leave they’re still there. It’s a holistic [13:06] You’re always focusing on all of them you go from redeemed a static reality where you know that your identity that your security that your [13:14] Redemption is fully in the work of Jesus and not in our work. It’s totally on Jesus

[13:21] To redeeming which is a dynamic reality [13:24] Which is something that always keeps going always progresses in our lives it when we stop this perpetual movement in [13:33] The core values in redemption mission community and culture if we stop at any point [13:40] We cease to grow and we cease to follow Jesus [13:45] So when we’re driven from mission into community the community must then be driven out into the culture [13:52] Because what does it look like to be a fully devoted follower of Christ?

[13:58] It looks like a person who is constantly progressing through this cycle [14:04] Because typically we look at a fully devoted follower of Christ as someone who just shows up every week and is in church every [14:10] Week well your man. You’re really living it [14:13] This is not where it stops [14:16] It’s hard to be even be in community here on Sunday mornings [14:21] You don’t talk to each other you just look at me

[14:25] But it drives the community into the culture [14:28] And if we don’t grab a hold of that we cease to live the mission of Jesus see the mission of Jesus [14:36] And that’s what we see in the church is that it forms a culture around the hope of the gospel [14:39] But that culture of the gospel is also formed around the concept and the moving force of the mission and then that mission [14:49] Always keeps perpetual movement going on [14:52] And what happens inside of the community of Jesus in the community of the church is we see

[14:57] Changed people changing people through the hope that is found in Jesus [15:01] Because that’s who we are and who is left to change if we just keep focusing on each other

[15:09] Gotta get outside these walls. We got to get into the culture with this hope, but we do that together [15:14] So we come as a community to grow each other to develop to become disciples so that we can head outside [15:20] Sometimes together, but always connected [15:24] To the source which is a community who has a source from the mission who has a source in the redemption [15:29] Which is fully based on the finished work of Jesus Christ [15:34] But when we get disconnected from any of those

[15:38] We get it all messed up [15:41] And we run headlong into some type of sin be it rampant immorality or rampant legalism [15:48] You’re gonna fall into one of those two traps, which is simple [15:52] Remember the first week we talked about culture. We said there’s three ways to deal with culture separation [15:57] I’m gonna totally separate from culture demonize it become legalists [16:02] buy 50 acres in Montana

[16:04] Set up a cult [16:07] We can be syncretists we can blend with the culture lose everything that’s beautiful about the gospel everything that is offensive about the gospel [16:15] Which calls sinners to repent we can lose all that and just become a social club helping each other feel good about ourselves [16:22] Telling each other how to have your best life now [16:24] We could do that

[16:28] Or we can engage the culture with the truth of the gospel

[16:35] And today we’re gonna talk about what happens when we start doing that in a community of people that struggle because here’s the key [16:43] When mission drives community in the culture some of us are gonna struggle if not all of us I [16:49] struggle [16:51] Because here’s the key I have baggage that sometimes I don’t give to Jesus and I want to deal with it on my own [16:57] I have places in my life when I swear I struggle to believe the gospel I [17:02] struggle to believe it’s true if you’re honest you do too

[17:07] So what happens when a bunch of people with this type of baggage a bunch of people who fail to be missional [17:13] Who failed to really give in the community and be authentic with each other who fail and all these points? [17:19] Strive to take the gospel into the culture [17:21] Well first understand that we’re all gonna fail at some point in this [17:26] And that’s the beauty of missional humility that we talked about last week when you admit that you can’t only God can through the gospel [17:34] That’s the beauty of a missional community is it’s not based on us who’s driving this train through redemption mission community and culture

[17:41] Jesus Christ it’s based on him not on us so when we fail [17:46] It’s good to be in community so that other people can help us get back up and can tell us to believe the gospel [17:51] All right open your Bibles to first Corinthians chapter 10 [17:55] Last week we started talking about an issue of whether or not the people in Corinth [18:00] Could eat meat or couldn’t eat meat that had been offered to idols [18:04] All right, and we got caught it at one point in first Corinthians chapter 9 where Paul told them

[18:10] They’re asking the wrong question [18:11] The real issue is is what is the most effective way to take the gospel to the culture around them? [18:16] He said to the Jews I become as a Jew to the Greek I become as a Greek [18:20] Said I become all things to all men so that I may win more of them [18:24] All right, so Paul had this missional vision in his life [18:30] That continued to drive him into the culture and he doesn’t want to leave his community because he knows if he leaves his community

[18:38] It will cease to be about the gospel and become about him so what he does is he tells his culture come with me [18:44] I will help you we will help each other live in this culture because all of us have certain giftings [18:51] All right [18:52] But now let’s fast forward to chapter 10 where he’s really gonna put a book end on the issue of whether or not [18:58] They’re allowed to eat meat that had been offered to idols because if you’ll remember some of the people you came out of a [19:04] Lifestyle of idol worship and they were trying to tell everybody else hey we used to worship those idols

[19:08] You better not eat that meat that was offered to idols and some people in the church were like well [19:12] What what other meat are we allowed to eat because this is what they sell at the butcher shop?

[19:19] First Corinthians 10 looking verse 23

[19:24] All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful [19:29] All things are lawful, but not all things build up [19:33] Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor [19:37] Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience [19:46] For the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof [19:50] If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner, and you are disposed to go eat

[19:56] Whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience [20:01] But if someone says to you this has been offered in sacrifice [20:05] Then do not eat it for the sake of the one who informed you and for the sake of conscience [20:10] I do not mean your conscience, but his [20:13] For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience all right so Paul has really set up some serious tension here [20:23] All right, and this is why we’re talking about strategy today

[20:25] Because this is exactly the type of situation where strategy is needed now [20:29] We’re not going to deal with issues of meat that has been offered to idols at least I don’t think they may deal with that in another county [20:36] But I haven’t exactly seen it take place in middle otheon where we people are willfully offering meat to idols [20:43] Maybe it is taking place and you tell me about that later because I’ll help you strategize as to how to reach those weird people [20:48] But we’re going to deal with a lot of different issues where this type of stuff is concerned [20:53] Last week I kind of alluded to some of the stuff that we’re going to deal with

[20:57] Should a Christian drink alcohol? [20:59] Should a Christian go into bars? [21:00] Should a Christian watch R-rated movies? [21:02] Should a Christian do this? [21:03] Should a Christian do that? [21:04] Should we watch TV?

[21:05] Should we sell our TVs and cut off our internet so that immorality can never even be a temptation to us? [21:12] And Paul gives great answers to all these [21:15] But he gives them real life scenarios as to where it works out [21:19] But before we settle this we must understand that engaging cultures [21:24] Engaging culture requires strategy [21:29] If you head out into culture without the type of strategy that Paul is talking about today

[21:34] You’re going to either forsake community to reach the culture [21:38] Or you’re going to have to forsake culture in order to keep your community intact [21:42] And so Paul deals with that here [21:44] He says all things are lawful but not all things are helpful [21:50] All things are lawful but not all things build up [21:53] What in the world is Paul talking about right there?

[21:56] He lets you know in the very next part [21:58] He says if meat is offered to you that has been offered to idols, eat it

[22:05] God owns that meat [22:08] It’s not Satan’s meat [22:11] Have a meal [22:13] There’s nothing sinful about meat

[22:20] But understand why he uses it as a preface that he’s allowed to do anything he wants to [22:30] Because all things are lawful [22:31] Like we said last week his security was in Jesus [22:33] Not in what he did he could do anything [22:36] But he says not all things are helpful [22:38] All things are lawful but not all things build up

[22:40] He says this many times throughout the book of first Corinthians [22:43] It’s a phrase that he keeps coming back to [22:46] He says it in exactly this way a few times [22:47] And he changes it up and says it a little different way a few times [22:50] But this is a phrase that he keeps coming back to [22:52] In first Corinthians chapter 6 he actually says

[22:55] All things are lawful but I will not be enslaved by anything [23:02] All right? [23:03] It’s important to understand that verse [23:05] Because right over last week when we talked in first Corinthians chapter 9 [23:10] He made the statement that I am free from everything [23:17] Yet I have made myself a servant to all

[23:21] The word servant means slave [23:25] So he says over in chapter 6 he says I will not be enslaved by anything [23:29] But then over in chapter 9 he says I will make myself a slave to all people [23:34] So what kind of mentality is that? [23:36] He seems to contradict himself [23:37] Not at all

[23:38] In chapter 6 he was talking about things [23:40] In chapter 9 he’s talking about people

[23:44] There’s this idea that Paul’s dealing with things versus people [23:50] See our problem is as we read first Corinthians chapter 8 through 10 [23:54] And we’re just focused on the meat [23:56] We want to know if we can get some A1 sauce and have a meal

[24:01] And Paul tells them why are you so worried about the meat when people are going to hell?

[24:08] Why are you so worried about whether or not you can have steak [24:11] When there are people inside of your church that are struggling with idolatry [24:17] He says their problem isn’t the meat [24:18] The problem is they’re actually being tempted to go back into that pagan temple and worship the idol [24:24] And you’re worried about eating meat?

[24:31] See Paul is giving them a mentality that they have to strategize because there’s far more at stake [24:37] Than whether or not they are or aren’t allowed to do things [24:41] See when Paul says I’m all things are lawful but I won’t be a slave to anything [24:45] He’s giving the people in Corinth the idea that they have become enslaved to lifestyle [24:51] Over enslavement to the gospel [24:54] And we struggle with exactly the same thing

[24:59] We struggle with enslavement to things over living for the gospel [25:07] Look at your life [25:09] What would you be willing to give up so that you could live for the gospel more? [25:15] You say well I’ve never had to deal with that and I don’t think I will ever have to deal with that [25:19] Did Jesus not look at the rich young ruler and say sell all your possessions?

[25:25] One thing you lack buddy sell all your stuff then you can come follow me

[25:31] See those things that have more of a hold on your life than the gospel has hold on your life

[25:42] You’re a slave to those things

[25:47] It could be money, it could be relationships, it could be anything [25:55] But Paul is telling them the idea that they should not live lives enslaved to things [26:00] They should live life enslaved to the mission of Jesus because it’s the mission of Jesus that people need

[26:10] The problem is that most people

[26:14] Never get past a desire to follow Jesus [26:18] To actually setting their life up so that they can follow Jesus with reckless abandon [26:27] See if I were to take a poll of all the believers in here [26:30] Now if you’re not a believer you’ve been disqualified from this poll I’m sorry [26:32] But if you’re in here and you’re a follower of Jesus if I were to poll every one of you and say [26:37] Do you want to grow in your relationship with Christ?

[26:40] I don’t think anyone would look at me and say not really [26:44] Because if you say not really you’ve disqualified yourself from the poll because you’re not a Christian [26:50] But if you’re in here and a Christian I ask you do you want to grow in your relationship with Christ [26:55] You say absolutely all right you’d be really excited you have a desire [27:01] But what if then I say well come over here and I start going through the scriptures and I say [27:06] Well tell me about your life that’s a barrier to the gospel in your life and you understood that I was right

[27:13] And then he said tell me more that’s a barrier to the gospel in your life [27:17] That’s a barrier to the gospel you’re not missional because of this or because of this because you love this more than you love Jesus because you love this relationship with this guy more than you love Jesus or you love this relationship with this girl more than you love Jesus or [27:30] You mean you really are sacrificing the mission so that so that you can appease your wife who’s actually leading you rather than you leading her or [27:38] You’re sacrificing for the mission because you’re scared that your husband will think you’re a holy roller [27:43] And then you won’t have as much as much harmony in your marriage or man you’re sacrificed for the mission so that you can make more money or you’re sacrificing for the mission because you’re working too many hours maybe you could cut back and you could cut some of those monthly bills out of your life so that you could live for the mission more

[27:59] See that goes past desire to actual perpetual movement in the cycle and that’s where a lot of us are like well you’re asking too much [28:10] Hey listen I’m not asking anything

[28:17] God is

[28:20] See how we relate and react inside of the cycle of becoming a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ [28:29] Shows where our faith really is and what we really have faith in

[28:36] See because most of the time we wouldn’t really have to sacrifice any of those things [28:41] We would just have to not be a slave to those things anymore [28:46] And we would be a slave to Jesus [28:50] Let me tell you [28:52] Your marriage is not going to end if you follow [28:54] I rarely meet a woman who said you have ruined my husband how he loves Jesus now

[29:01] Right that doesn’t happen often typically the answer is [29:05] My husband’s totally different now. He loves Jesus. Thank you for preaching the gospel

[29:12] Because if you’re upset that your husband wants to serve Jesus more you need to get saved

[29:19] Husband if you’re upset that your wife is following Jesus too closely you need to get saved

[29:30] If sacrifice for the mission tastes like bitter and sour milk to you [29:38] We have a problem with your relationship with Jesus

[29:43] The problem is not the church the problem is you

[29:49] Engaging culture requires strategy [29:53] Because this is the hardest thing you’ll ever do Jesus said [29:56] Hard is the road and narrow is the road that leads to heaven and he wasn’t talking about wearing uncomfortable clothes [30:04] He was talking about lifestyle change see the problem [30:08] Is change none of us really want to do it because it’s uncomfortable. Hey, I know [30:13] I’m as sinful as you are sometimes even more

[30:18] I think it’s easy for me. It’s no easier for me than it is for you [30:22] Gospel change is hard because we have sin inside of us fighting the spirit every step of the way [30:30] But true worship requires sacrifice [30:34] But notice in first Corinthians 10, let’s keep moving

[30:40] Look at verse 28

[30:45] But it’s not easy for me [30:46] If someone says to you [30:49] This is where it gets really hard by the way that other stuff was like the easy part. This is where it gets really hard [30:55] But if someone says to you [30:58] This has been offered in sacrifice [31:01] Then do not eat it for the sake of the one who informed you

[31:06] And for the sake of conscience, I do not mean your conscience [31:11] but his

[31:14] Conscience [31:15] Why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? [31:20] This is where it gets really hard [31:22] Because this is where we have to talk about the strategy of where you fall in the in the cycle [31:30] Of core

[31:35] Community

[31:38] Excuse me culture [31:42] Must not sacrifice community

[31:47] All right [31:48] This is where we run into tons of issues in our desire to take the gospel because man when we take the gospel [31:54] When we get redeemed sometimes we get really excited and we get transformed [31:59] And we see the mission and we’re excited about the mission [32:03] Then we run into community [32:05] Sometimes we run into problems and we have people inside of our community who have real struggles

[32:11] And real problems and they have real hang-ups and they get really offended because sometimes the meat offered to idols [32:18] Temps them to go worship the idols

[32:24] And they say don’t eat the meat I can’t handle it [32:29] And typically what most people in churches do they look at them and say you’re just weak get over it [32:35] We’re going into culture. Ah [32:38] Let’s eat the meat [32:39] And they’re over their suffering. They’re hurting they’re tempted and then they relapse into sin [32:47] This is like drinking six beers in front of an alcoholic and not expecting him to be tempted back into his life of alcoholism

[32:59] And so we just say forget you let’s run headlong into culture. Let’s take the mission forget community [33:04] We’ll just draw a line from mission to culture [33:08] This is where most parachurch organizations come from [33:12] Because the church was holding them back

[33:17] And so we say mission leads to culture

[33:25] Beginning of first corinthians chapter 10 [33:28] Paul looks at the church at corinth and he says [33:30] Some of you in your desire and i’m paraphrasing some of you in your desire to go headlong into the culture without worrying about [33:37] Your community have gone into the culture and because you didn’t have a community to help you keep believing and keep growing in the gospel [33:44] Some of you have blended with the culture and what that happened in corinth was is they were actually [33:49] Going into the temple where the pagans would have their sexual worship of pagan gods

[33:55] And they would engage in that sexual worship for the sake of culture [34:00] And what had happened was is they started believing that and so they started bringing it back into the church and they were having pagan worship [34:07] inside of the church

[34:13] They forsook community so they could blend with the culture

[34:21] Community trumps culture and you’re like, but why church people hold me back [34:28] Here’s why when we go into the culture we take the message of redemption [34:34] Or we’re taking the mission to the culture to the culture to get them redeemed

[34:43] The source of discipleship god has designed it such that it’s the church it’s the community [34:49] When you go into the culture and you forsake community you hurt the community and the community is unhealthy [34:56] It’s uncaring it’s unloving [34:58] It’s a bunch of individuals who want to beat each other up who want to bite each other [35:02] And who just don’t care about each other [35:04] We start hating each other you’re telling me you’re going to take the gospel out into culture

[35:08] And then you’re going to bring them back into community and in this community they’re going to see the love of christ

[35:15] If you trample over you community your community to reach the culture [35:20] You have no community to bring the culture into [35:24] Because the gospel is not in the community the village must be a community where [35:31] Disciples are really being made where the gospel is going deep down into the ground where we have deep wells of [35:38] Satisfying water that comes from the holy spirit for people to come in and to drink and to be refreshed [35:45] And to have peace in christ and to see jesus through the way we interact with each other

[35:50] But if we go past community [35:52] It’s like going out into the ditch and getting water out of the ditch and telling people here’s a satisfying drink

[36:01] What’s not it’s a disgusting drink you gotta have a ditch [36:04] We don’t want to dig ditches. We want to dig wells and you cannot dig a well without your community

[36:13] You cannot bypass community in order to reach the culture

[36:20] Turn into romans 14 real quick

[36:28] Paul was [36:29] Making reference to just such an issue in first corinthians chapter 10 in romans 14 [36:35] So reading in verse 13. He says therefore [36:38] Do not let us not pass judgment on one another any longer [36:41] But rather decide never to put a stumbling block or a hindrance in the way of a brother [36:47] I know and am persuaded in the lord jesus that nothing is unclean in itself

[36:53] There’s no part of culture that’s unclean and i’m not talking about specific sins [36:59] If you want to live in a culture of the strip joints, all right. Yeah, that’s going to be a sinful culture [37:05] All right, because it’s one based on sexual immorality paul’s not talking about that paul’s talking about just culture at large [37:12] He’s saying it is not [37:14] sinful [37:15] No

[37:16] Go into it take the hope of jesus into it [37:20] but use common sense [37:23] If any well just use common sense. All right, uh verse 14. I know and am persuaded [37:30] In the lord jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it is unclean [37:37] 14

[37:40] For if your brother is grieved by what you eat [37:43] You’re no longer walking in love [37:46] By what you eat do not destroy the one for whom christ [37:51] died

[37:54] You see that [37:58] See a lot of us especially [38:00] If you’re 20 something like me, i’ve got a few months left. Thank god still in my 20s. I can still claim [38:07] Less no exactly two months left in my 20s

[38:13] We are all about the christian liberties [38:16] Because we grew up don’t drink don’t smoke don’t run with girls that do

[38:23] And a lot of us went off to college and we learned how to study scripture we learned greek we learned hebrew

[38:29] And we started saying man, that’s nowhere in the scriptures let’s have a beer [38:35] And we ran headlong into the culture [38:38] Started drinking a beer [38:40] Started smoking started exercising our christian liberties. We started we why would I wear a tie to church? Jesus didn’t that’s why I could wear a tie [38:49] All right started getting tattoos started getting our ears pierced. I don’t understand those guys get their ears pierced

[38:56] What about the weirdos [38:58] If you’re visually impaired mine are

[39:04] So we started exercising our christian liberties said oh man, this is freedom [39:10] And then we came back into the community and we said what’s wrong with all of you?

[39:17] And there were people that had legitimate struggles with certain areas of culture [39:24] And they were tempted to sin or they had a lot of hurt from culture that we didn’t understand at all

[39:33] And we became enslaved to our christian liberties

[39:41] More than we became enslaved to the mission [39:45] So our life in christ was defined by all these fun things that we’re now allowed to do because we’re so [39:53] Rebellious and you say but steve there’s nothing sinful about those things. You’re right

[39:59] Those things have been redeemed so that we can reach the culture [40:03] You’re absolutely right, but let me tell you something most of you when you’re doing those things [40:08] You don’t have the gospel on your mind. You have those things on your mind and how much fun they are [40:15] Okay, roman’s 14, what does it say about people that struggle with these liberties that those of us who are stronger and don’t have the hang-ups [40:22] When we exercise those things look at it what it says it says in verse 15 [40:26] If your brother is grieved by what you eat don’t you’re no longer walking in love

[40:32] By what you eat do not destroy the one for whom christ died [40:37] There’s the idea of mission driving the community [40:40] Driving us into culture [40:42] This is not about those things [40:44] It’s about the people who jesus died for and whether or not you love them when you’re exercising your christian liberty [40:53] At this risk of making someone’s faith in jesus stumble

[41:02] You are not controlled by the gospel you’re controlled by those things

[41:10] Whether you like it or not, it’s true

[41:16] And i’ve probably got people on both sides that are offended right now [41:18] I don’t know if you’re offended by the gospel [41:21] The bible says what the bible says there’s nothing to do about it [41:25] But there is something we can all do about it. We can live for the gospel over living for either our license

[41:32] Which says that we have christian liberty that god has redeemed all these things [41:35] Or we can be legalists about it and just say the world would be better off if none of us [41:40] Did any of those things?

[41:44] Verse 16 so do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil [41:49] For the kingdom of god is not a matter of eating or drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the holy spirit [41:55] Whoever thus serves christ is acceptable to god and approved by men [42:00] So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding [42:07] strategize [42:07] Understand that some people are going to struggle with the issues that you do not struggle with

[42:13] When you are with them when you are discipling them when you are in relationship with them [42:19] Give up your christian liberties for the sake of the gospel [42:23] Stop causing people to stumble if you are in a discipleship relationship [42:28] Or you find out that someone that you’re very close to who needs to come to jesus is struggling with the issue of alcoholism [42:34] How dare you drink alcohol in front of them and tell them that’s their problem they need to get over it

[42:43] If you’re dealing with someone who’s going through a divorce [42:48] And is struggling with sexual purity issues

[42:53] Don’t kiss your wife in front of them [42:57] Wait till you get home

[43:02] You’re saying well steve you’re taking this way too seriously the gospel is urgent for all of these people [43:09] And the issue is do you love them or do you not love them? [43:14] Do you love the gospel or do you love the things that make you feel good in this life? [43:19] Because the gospel should be what makes you feel good in this life [43:22] And if the gospel isn’t what makes you feel good then you probably don’t know jesus

[43:30] You’re like this is going to create a lot of tension and i’ve got to strategize and i’ve actually got to know where people are in their lives and where people struggle and where people need to grow in jesus and what needs to happen with people this is so much to worry about [43:43] Yeah, it’s called community

[43:47] It’s called loving people and it’s pretty hard to love somebody you don’t know [43:51] So yeah, some of you are going to have to get over your anti-social american macho life where you don’t want to let anybody in [44:01] I’m a rock

[44:06] You’re a rock that’s not living for the gospel because you’re not helping anybody [44:10] Because you actually are thinking that you don’t need anybody to help you but what about the people that need you to help them?

[44:21] Don’t forsake community so that you can set up a culture that makes you comfortable

[44:29] I am very uncomfortable in community most of the times

[44:33] Become my friend and you’ll learn that very quickly

[44:39] But luke chapter 9 says take up your cross and follow me it says die to yourself and follow me [44:47] That applies to me, too [44:49] Just as much as it applies to you

[44:53] It’s not about your comfort it’s about the gospel what if it was all about jesus’s comfort [44:59] I know this is like a hypothetical situation that couldn’t exist in any reality [45:02] But think about it. Did jesus go through discomfort so that we could have redemption pasha

[45:10] All right, maybe you should too [45:13] You

[45:15] Jesus didn’t say he saved us so that we could tiptoe through the tulips with each other [45:19] He actually said if I suffer you’re gonna suffer too and sometimes suffering for me is just going out to dinner with someone

[45:27] Oh great, it’s gonna be some awkward conversation fantastic. I don’t know these people i’ve got enough friends

[45:34] Yeah [45:36] Selfishness I have to die to myself [45:38] But what about [45:40] All right, so we’ve established the fact [45:43] Culture does not come before community [45:45] But are there ever any times in our lives and some of you are like phew

[45:49] So i’m have to be totally committed to the community above anything else. No [45:55] No [45:56] Are there ever any times where the community must disunite? [46:00] Are there ever any times when you must break your unity with with someone? [46:04] Is there ever a time when community is not the most important thing? [46:06] Absolutely if the community tries to come before the mission

[46:12] That’s wrong, all right community must not hinder mission ever

[46:18] All right, look back at romans 14 real quick [46:21] 14 verse 20 do not for the sake of food [46:25] Destroy the work of god. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make any another stumble [46:32] By what he eats? [46:34] All right, here’s a big key look if you look back in verse 20 it says destroy the work of god. All right [46:40] What is community built upon?

[46:43] the mission of jesus [46:46] The community can never come in front of the mission of jesus

[46:51] When the community begins to hinder the mission

[46:56] Then you must disunite from that community or that person [47:00] Typically what’s going to happen is is the community needs to [47:03] Be pretty tough and drive that person out of its presence and you’re like steve [47:07] Can you give me a legitimate example here because I don’t understand absolutely galatians chapter 2 [47:12] All right in galatians chapter 2 peter had been doing some ministry at the church at aniok [47:17] All right

[47:18] Church at aniok was made up mostly of gentiles and if you understand jewish culture [47:24] Gentiles are very unclean and they’re unacceptable [47:28] Jews did not have fellowship with gentiles because they were seen as unclean [47:32] Well when jesus brought the gospel [47:36] He completed the mission of god and not brought gentiles into the community of god [47:42] All right, so people in an tiak which is a mostly gentile town

[47:47] Well some missionaries who’d been driven out of druslim because the persecution went to aniok and just started preaching the gospel [47:52] And he was like what in the world because gentiles started getting saved [47:55] So they planted a church [47:58] Pete paul and barnabas came and began to disciple people and they set up a church [48:02] They set up authority structures [48:03] They ordained pastors and they had a church made up mostly of gentiles. Well peter down in jerusalem

[48:09] He’s like i gotta check this out [48:10] So peter goes up to an tiak and peter is discipling gentiles is something he’d never really experienced before [48:16] And he’s discipling gentiles. He’s having meals with gentiles and for a jew that was huge to have a meal with a gentile [48:23] They just didn’t do that, but then Pharisees [48:27] Came up through an tiak and [48:30] Pharisees were the law enforcers and if you were having table fellowship with a gentile

[48:35] You were breaking god’s law and those Pharisees would persecute you [48:41] Well, the Pharisees came through aniok and peter looked at the gentiles and he said look scram. I don’t want to have anything to do with you [48:47] right now [48:48] And so he separated himself from them [48:51] And when the Pharisees came through town peter’s like in the synagogue with nothing but jews and he says i’m being a good jew [48:59] No gentiles around here

[49:02] Paul hears about this [49:05] Paul goes to an tiak and in galatians chapter 2 paul writes i opposed peter to his face

[49:15] And paul basically to sum it up paul goes up to peter and says buddy you don’t believe the gospel

[49:25] The gospels for the gentiles how dare you for the sake of unity with the Pharisees [49:33] Break your unity with the gentiles [49:38] Paul risked his community with peter right there because he didn’t know how peter would respond

[49:45] To that now peter repented [49:49] but if anything stands in front of the mission of jesus [49:55] You got to stop them sometimes the kindest thing we can do to some people in our church is tell them that they’re wrong for their [50:02] legalism [50:04] All right somebody comes in here and starts tearing us down for the things that we do so that the mission can go forward [50:09] I’m going to look them in the face and tell them that they’re wrong and that they’re

[50:12] Stupid [50:14] Because I want to offend them and you’re like well, they’re a weaker brother [50:18] No, they’re not [50:19] Weaker brother stronger brother what paul’s talking about in romans chapter 14 [50:23] Is issues that people are tempted to fall into sin over [50:28] All right. Some people are just pious and self-righteous

[50:33] And love religion [50:35] That’s not a weaker brother issue. That’s just a person that needs to stop being weird [50:41] Because they’re hindering the mission of jesus [50:44] If you’re in here and you’re a legalist hear me being weird is not a spiritual gift [50:52] All right, so take the doily off your head [50:55] Ladies start wearing some pants and quit being legalistic

[50:58] Go to a movie this afternoon [51:01] All right drink some caffeine if you think that’s a sin [51:06] All right now if you have some real serious hang up where caffeine causes you to stumble [51:13] I don’t know if that’s possible. Don’t go drink caffeine. All right

[51:20] All right [51:21] But sometimes the best thing that could ever happen to us is if we’re offended [51:24] And we take it to heart and we search the scriptures and we repent

[51:30] This is about the mission of jesus this is not about the community because when the community [51:36] Trumps the mission [51:38] One of two possibilities you’re either going to become a completely legalistic sect and possible cult [51:45] Who doesn’t care about the mission and separates totally from the culture? [51:49] Or you’re just a social club of people trying to help each other feel better about themselves and the lives that aren’t for the mission [51:56] either way

[51:57] At best you’re going to waste your life and at worst you’re going to split hell wide open because you never knew the gospel

[52:06] All right [52:08] Because we have to understand that culture is engaged for redemption [52:14] This is where it comes full circle [52:17] We are the hope of the world the first week of culture [52:19] We talked about jeremiah 29 where the israelites were in captivity and jeremiah writes to them. He says plant gardens [52:26] Get married have babies do it all for the sake of the city for the sake of the bavillonians

[52:32] Pray for them that they would come to know god because you’ve been put in captivity by god so that they could worship god [52:38] Same thing applies to us [52:40] The key in understanding how you deal with culture is to understand that you’re not we’re not put into culture [52:46] So that they could see what morality looks like we’re put into culture so they could see what hope looks like

[52:54] The currency of the church is not morality the currency of the church is hope

[53:00] In a hopeless world we have hope in jesus

[53:06] When jesus says in matthew 5 you’re the light of the world

[53:11] He’s not talking about the way we dress what we drink what we eat the way we vote

[53:21] He’s talking about hope [53:23] So when we engage the culture when we take part in what they take part in we’re there to give them hope [53:31] Is it going to be moral hope yeah, don’t hear what i’m not saying guys

[53:38] But the mission has to drive what you think morality looks like [53:44] Because if you’re moral for the sake of morality that’s not gospel

[53:50] This is what hope looks like [53:53] It’s typically counterculture to what we think it looks like [53:57] Looks like the shed blood from the broken body of jesus [54:02] That’s hope [54:05] Because he shed his blood so that we could know god

[54:12] And when we have the missional humility to admit that we don’t know how to live our lives [54:18] For the gospel that’ll drive us into community so that we can learn how to live for the gospel [54:24] And that’ll drive us out into culture, but we must never get past the gospel because when we get past the gospel

[54:31] All hope is lost [54:35] Jesus shed his blood he broke his body so that we could know the father [54:39] When we reflect on this sacrament when we reflect on the lord’s supper [54:45] Understand that when you take in the cracker when you take in the juice [54:50] It’s symbolic of jesus giving you his righteousness [54:55] And you’re proclaiming to the church at large. I believe the gospel

[55:01] Do you believe the gospel enough? [55:04] To engage the culture so that the cycle can come full circle [55:10] And we can replicate our faith in others [55:13] That comes from jesus [55:15] Let’s pray god we come before you and I just want to thank you and praise you [55:20] For your word

[55:22] I want to thank you and I want to praise you that you have given us redemption in your son jesus

[55:29] Lord may we grow in the gospel as a community may we grow together [55:35] As people on mission may our community go into the culture and see redemption mission community [55:42] And culture just go on over and over as a continuous cycle that never stops in this church [55:49] Lord as we now proclaim your death [55:52] May we proclaim it with truth. May we proclaim it with belief

[56:00] Lord bless this time amen