Missional Community.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] If you have your Bibles, go ahead and open them to the book of Ephesians chapter 4.

[0:05] Ephesians chapter 4. It’s a privilege to be before you this morning and that [0:14] you’re willing to come out and hear me talk to you for a little while. Last week [0:21] we started a new series called not yet called missional environments and the [0:30] environments in our lives that we walk into that propel or further the mission [0:36] of Jesus into and out of our lives and the fact that it doesn’t just happen by [0:41] accident that we won’t just kind of slip and fall into a life of mission but

[0:45] rather we have to be intentional we have to be purposeful for those of us that [0:50] in Jesus as our Savior we are to create environments in our lives that will cause [0:58] us to live the mission of Jesus in Matthew chapter 7 Jesus puts it this way [1:05] he says that everyone who hears the words that I say and does them is like [1:13] the man who builds his house on a foundation of rock but the man that [1:18] hears the words that I say and he does not obey them he is like the man that

[1:24] builds his house with a foundation of loose sand and you know if you know [1:28] anything about homes or if you live in Brandermill you know that when you build [1:32] your house on less than appropriate foundation that anytime the soil around [1:40] it gets wet or dries out from a storm the wrong way it can shift your [1:44] foundation or even worse it can make the foundation to crack and crumble and [1:50] Jesus says that the person that hears him and doesn’t do as he says that man

[1:56] is on the foundation of sand and when the rain comes his house crumbles but for [2:03] the one who hears him and takes heed that’s old King James English for just [2:09] listens and does what I say he’s built his house on a solid rock and when the [2:16] storms and the tribulations and the wind and everything that comes and hits it [2:22] the house stands stands firm it does not crumble and so what we’re really talking [2:32] about in this series is the idea of if Jesus meant what he said and if he is

[2:39] God then we must listen we must pay attention to his words we must actually [2:49] walk into a life that he says will bring us joy that he says will cause our lives [2:57] to be built on a firm foundation because the rain is coming we saw a lot of [3:03] that this week but tribulations are coming you’re not going to get through [3:08] this life and never have a problem and you certainly will not face death and [3:16] need hope and if he is God if he is the Creator if he does sustain life with his

[3:24] very hand and we will need him and we do whether we realize it or not and so [3:32] what we’re talking about here is the fact that we have to kind of maneuver [3:37] life in such a way so that it goes in the trajectory that we want it to go is [3:43] that not right it’s kind of like if you want a million dollars and you spend [3:47] every dollar that you get well then you will never get to a million dollars it’s [3:54] common sense well if you want the life that Jesus says that you need and you

[4:02] see and if you agree yes Jesus he is God he is right and you don’t go about [4:07] putting your life in such an order that it will happen then you will never have [4:14] the life that Jesus meant for you to have it’s just kind of common sense if I [4:18] want to run a marathon and I eat cheese puffs and sit in front of the TV and [4:23] watch other people run marathons I’ll have a heart attack before I ever get to [4:26] actually running a marathon and Paul actually says that the Christian life is

[4:33] like a marathon he says that when you are an athlete you beat your body into [4:38] submission you actually go out and you do physical activity he says run the [4:43] race of the gospel that Jesus has set out in the journey of what it looks like [4:48] to be a Christian run that race with endurance but oftentimes we find [4:55] ourselves too busy too distracted with too many other things kind of on our [5:04] plate so that those environments that will actually lead us to growing in our

[5:09] life they never actually happen and we say things will that next week next month [5:18] I just this you don’t know what September is like for me October the [5:24] way Halloween’s coming November no thanksgiving just Christmas okay New [5:29] Year’s resolution that is when oh wait taxes are doing April that’s gonna take [5:34] like three months all right well let’s just keep pushing it it’s I got I got [5:38] all this stuff and before you know it life has really passed you by and you

[5:46] have never put into practice those things and I don’t even think is that we [5:51] don’t know it those things that we know will lead to our growth in the life [5:58] journey that Jesus has for us we know it’s true we just never do it and so [6:05] couple of weeks of series is kind of us saying let’s actually do it let’s [6:11] actually create some environments as a church that we will walk into and last [6:16] week we unpacked for Matthew 28 the mission that Jesus has for each and

[6:22] every one of us and that mission is that we set up our lives in such a way that [6:26] we’re actually going in his authority and using our lives to make disciples and [6:33] actually the way Jesus says it in the language there kind of tells us that [6:38] when we do go through life whether it be career whether it be family whether [6:43] it be a sporting event whether it be church no matter what you’re doing that [6:47] is going the imperative there is make disciples and what he’s saying is every

[6:56] going that you do must find as its base purpose making disciples

[7:06] okay I don’t know how I’m gonna go construction job and make disciples but [7:10] I guess I’ll just figure that out but we won’t so what we said as a church is [7:16] that we’re gonna put some steps in place okay I called last week step one where [7:20] these are actually ways in which we can become saturated with mission so that [7:25] we’re actually out there doing our thing it’s just happening and last week [7:29] we talked about the fact that step one is a Sunday morning worship experience

[7:34] that this is something that as a church that we use as a way of going that [7:38] people who aren’t even believers they just show up in church because in [7:42] America that’s where you go here about Jesus so we set up our service in such [7:47] a way that those who don’t necessarily believe in Jesus they’re not gonna have [7:50] to get all over all of the barriers of religion and tradition but rather [7:55] they’ll be here comfortable and hear a very uncomfortable message but in a

[8:00] pretty comfortable environment very loving environment very hospitable [8:04] environment and that when we do that on Sunday mornings we learn a couple of [8:07] things well we’re a portable church so we learn servanthood we have to set all [8:12] this up and tear this down and it’s not me that does it we have amazing [8:16] volunteers that show up weekend and week and do that and they’re servants [8:20] they’re living the mission of Jesus and then well during the service we learn

[8:24] something when we’re being hospitable to those who may not actually believe [8:28] well maybe we learn to actually set our lives up to be a little more hospitable [8:32] because I think sometimes we come to church where we’re hospitable to people [8:37] who maybe aren’t very religious but then you go into your life and I think you [8:41] may put up a few barriers maybe you need to take down those barriers take down [8:47] those walls be more hospitable and this week we’re gonna talk about something

[8:53] we’re gonna talk about really steps 2 through 20 don’t worry not gonna be that [8:58] long we’re gonna talk about missional community we’re gonna talk about what [9:03] does it mean for us as a church to come together to live the mission do I need [9:09] the church do that why can’t I just do that by myself you know it’s kind of [9:13] like this idea of being you know kind of the Lone Ranger out there living the [9:17] because when you involve other people it gets really complicated okay it’s

[9:24] kind of like somebody at your job that says I don’t get anybody else to do it [9:27] because nobody will do it as good as I do well you can’t really take that idea [9:31] into the mission of Jesus and I’m gonna explain why in just a moment in Ephesians [9:35] chapter 4 I want to start reading this morning in verse 11

[9:45] and he gave the Apostles the prophets the evangelists the shepherds and [9:53] teachers to equip the Saints for the work of ministry for building up the [10:00] body of Christ and we’ll pause right there and I want to tell you what all [10:06] Paul has gotten to this point from we’re in the fourth chapter so that means [10:10] that there were three chapters before this one and for those three chapters [10:14] Paul unpacked I’m really excited because in January we’re gonna go through the

[10:18] whole book of Ephesians as a church I’m stoked about that it’s one of my favorite [10:21] books in the New Testament it’s gonna be awesome because in Ephesians he just [10:25] says this is the church do it all right but what he does in chapter 1 is he [10:30] unpacks and he says this is who you are in Jesus he says things like God has [10:35] with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Jesus like in him we [10:43] have life in him we have been chosen in him we have everything that could ever

[10:48] happen and then at the end of chapter 1 after he’s unpacked all of these amazing [10:52] blessings of God he says that Jesus is far and above and we went over this last [10:57] week he’s far and above everything ever because he is the Creator and through [11:03] the gospel he has been elevated and everything is under his feet [11:07] everything is under his authority and then he says and he is the head over all [11:12] things to the church who fills all in all so he designates this very special

[11:21] place for his people the church but he does not in that single anyone out he [11:27] collectively that when we are together as his people we actually represent the [11:35] fullness of Jesus that separate we cannot show the fullness of Jesus it is [11:40] only when we come together as the church to live his mission that we can in any [11:46] way show what Jesus is all about and then in chapter 2 he unpacks how the [11:52] the church he says things like through Jesus the dividing wall of hostility

[11:59] that existed between God and man has been forever torn down that where once [12:06] there was separation now there is inclusion that sin was this wall of [12:12] hostility but Jesus came and he tore down that wall by taking our sin on to [12:18] himself and giving us a relationship with him the greatest gift that the [12:23] gospel has to offer is a relationship with God through Jesus Christ because so [12:29] often I think through the gospel and through trusting in the death burial and

[12:33] resurrection of Jesus for the redemption of our sins were actually [12:36] saying I want these other gifts because maybe if I follow God I will avoid pain [12:41] maybe if I follow God I will avoid sickness maybe if I follow God I will [12:46] that is not the chief end of the gospel and that isn’t even the greatest things [12:52] that God can give you if that’s all that God would give us he would still be [12:57] giving us less than he is capable of because of anything that he gives us and

[13:02] he says this is the best thing that you have that is God then and that is what [13:06] we must worship but in the gospel the greatest thing that God gives us is the [13:12] gift of himself because he is God therefore there’s no greater thing that [13:18] we could possibly have but him but then he says something else very similarly he [13:23] says that dividing wall of hostility that God tears down in the gospel is not [13:28] the only thing that he tears away he also tears down the dividing wall of

[13:34] hostility between human beings you see as soon as sin entered the world and I [13:39] performed a wedding for a couple of villagers yesterday and I say every [13:43] wedding I do I just say this marriage represents the gospel but only as it [13:52] reflects Jesus because if marriage just was kind of an institution in and of [13:57] itself it would be less than because if you see in the Garden of Eden when sin [14:02] enters the world our first married couple the example of examples of why

[14:06] men and women struggle so much in relating with one another is Adam and [14:10] Eve as soon as one of them since when they eat of the fruit and God comes down [14:18] and he says hey something happened what’s going on what does Adam say that [14:25] woman you gave me you really messed up when you design that one God me no [14:33] that woman what do you see you see this wall of hostility to imagine the look on [14:39] Eve’s face when he said that I see the look on my wife’s face when I say a lot

[14:44] of things I’ve never said anything that mean about her I can only imagine the [14:48] look on Eve’s face that day that wall of hostility comes up between them and what [14:53] Ephesians says is that wall of hostility that it divides humanity from one another [14:59] in Jesus that wall of hostility is torn down so that we can come together and [15:05] reflect the unity that God experiences inside of the Trinity that perfect [15:11] community where sin does not divide we can experience that in the gospel

[15:17] because we can then once and for all forgive one another and not just pretend [15:23] we’re forgiving but we can actually forgive because I know some of you have [15:28] forgiven people and you didn’t forget and the next time you saw them it’s like [15:35] I’m not holding it against them anymore but I’m not gonna forget what they did [15:38] well you’re still holding it against them I just don’t know if you realize [15:41] that or not you haven’t really forgiven them but in the gospel it’s not a baseless

[15:45] forgiveness it’s not an overlooking of anything it’s the same that Jesus took [15:49] that sin that’s been done against me onto himself justice has been served in [15:54] the cross he’s forgiven so I can actually go when James the singer when [15:58] he does something that really hurts my feelings I can actually go to him and [16:03] say I forgive you I truly do more than that he can forgive me for things that I [16:09] do against him I can really forgive my wife when she hurts my feelings hasn’t

[16:13] happened yet but she can forgive me when I hurt her feelings happens all the time [16:20] you too can forgive and I think that is what really keeps us from coming [16:26] together as a community oftentimes because we’re afraid people will sin [16:32] against us because people have done that haven’t they I say I’m not gonna let [16:38] anybody do that to me again well in that there’s a lack of forgiveness it’s based [16:45] on the gospel and there’s actually a lack of faith in the gospel you see

[16:52] community coming together for the purpose of the mission of Jesus as God [16:57] intends it and we’ll see a little more of how that happens in a second it takes [17:01] a great amount of faith to actually do that it takes a great amount of faith to [17:05] give people the opportunity to hurt you it’s just a great amount of faith [17:09] because you’re saying something is more important than your hurt and most of us [17:14] never take that step but that is the chief step in discipleship you know I

[17:23] want you to understand something this morning missional community is the [17:27] environment of discipleship and you will never experience true discipleship as [17:35] designed by God until you enter into community with other believers and [17:44] sometimes that means opening yourself up to some hurt but here’s what the gospel [17:48] does see typically because of sin in the world our vision of community is often [17:54] driven by sin we have a sin filled vision of community that’s why most of us

[17:58] like to be the leader of whatever little club or friendship that we’re in we like [18:03] to be in the driver’s seat we typically don’t like someone else directing the [18:07] relationships that we’re in and it’s typically because we’re very hell-bent on [18:11] self-preservation we want to preserve ourselves so we keep people a little bit [18:17] like this I know all about you but you don’t know me the funny thing is is that [18:23] the person on the other end of your hand is actually thinking the same things and

[18:26] you’re just smacking each other like this but through the gospel what we do is [18:31] that tears away the sin filled vision of community and it gives us a grace filled [18:38] vision of community it’s not about going into relationships with other people with [18:43] this idea where we overlook people and the problems that they have no trust me I know [18:48] a lot of you and I see lots of problems none of you are perfect and you’re not [18:54] fooling me I see your sin and guess what you probably see mine but grace filled

[19:02] community is me looking at your direction and saying there’s some problems [19:08] and there’s some baggage but you know what the gospel is greater than that and you know what we [19:11] need to love each other so that both of us can get over our stuff see a sin [19:16] filled vision of community looks at you and says whoa it’s a lot of baggage I’m [19:20] gonna keep my distance and you’re probably thinking the same thing about [19:26] me to see that dividing wall of hostility but grace filled vision of

[19:32] community brings us together and look back in Ephesians chapter 4 where he [19:36] says and he gave the actual word in verse 11 for he gave is Jesus actually [19:42] because he just gets done talking about how Jesus came and descended to the [19:45] earth and he actually did fulfill the gospel that he gave of himself is the [19:51] idea there in other words there’s no people that are just naturally good at [19:56] all of these prof all of these offices inside of the church of being the

[20:00] apostle being the prophet the prophet being the evangelist doing that kind of [20:04] there’s nobody that just oh they’re just good there’s good at what they do I [20:08] wish I was good no it’s actually saying Jesus actually gives himself over and he [20:14] puts those gifts inside of us he puts those abilities inside of us and then he [20:19] says and he gave them to the church for what purpose though to equip the Saints [20:29] for the work of ministry and this is why missional community is the only place

[20:34] where discipleship can take place it’s kind of like your first day on the job [20:39] at work did you know what you were doing immediately no I didn’t just know [20:44] how to talk in front of people the first day I did it now it came a little [20:48] easier to me because I just haven’t do one of my spiritual gifts I don’t really [20:51] get that nervous but it took me and I still do I have to learn from people [20:57] that have been doing this for years so what’s that a fulfillment of Ephesians

[21:03] some of you struggle you’re a little too prideful to admit that you don’t know [21:07] how to do everything when so you are missing out on the greatest gift that [21:12] God really gives us in this life and that is each other you’re missing out on [21:19] a lifetime of learning when you pridefully and ignorantly think that you [21:25] know it all you know how to do it all and so you’re just gonna do it forever [21:30] number one what happens when you die and no one knows how to do what you know

[21:33] how to do and number two what if you could have known how to do way more and [21:36] then you die and you missed out on a lifetime of blessing from God by being [21:41] able to serve and equip others in the church we’re not an organization we’re [21:45] an organism and what do organisms do they split off they grow they develop [21:50] what is cancer cancer is when cells stop dividing and cells start dying why do [21:58] churches die because we’re not equipping one another for ministry we’re

[22:05] not entering into missional community so that each one of us can learn how to [22:11] live a life of mission most of you give up on mission before you ever take the [22:15] first step of learning because you say I can’t do a hundred things

[22:29] see what’s preventing you from entering into a life of discipleship is not that [22:34] you can’t it’s that you won’t you won’t rearrange your life like we talked about [22:42] last week so that mission takes precedence over everything see what [22:48] you’re doing is you’re choosing one thing over another thing and sometimes [22:52] we take very good things and we make them ultimate things and they turn into [22:58] God things so what is it that’s preventing you from living a life of

[23:04] mission well that is your God the verse 12 says to equip the saints for the [23:12] work of ministry for building up the body of Christ isn’t that interesting [23:22] that when we come together what actually happens is that we build up the body of [23:28] Christ so that it can be all that God intended it to be what is it about the [23:35] Christian life that you find mediocre what is it about the Christian life that [23:41] you are apathetic about what is it about the Christian life that keeps you from

[23:46] desiring it more than you desire the other things of this world let me fill [23:53] you in your job does not necessarily have eternal consequences the things [24:04] that you were pouring yourself out into do not necessarily have eternal [24:09] consequences

[24:14] but what does have eternal consequences see for me when people choose leisure

[24:30] over the mission we’re all guilty of it I just feel we’re very short-sighted [24:40] and that we have this microscopic view of a telescopic realm and we see just [24:49] the next five minutes where God sees the next million years and we’re pouring our [24:56] lives into something that will give us joy not real joy just the kind of joy [25:02] that we can wrap our minds around for a couple of years when God says you get [25:10] 70 75 years on that earth but then there are millions that come after that are

[25:18] you preparing your life for that and see when we do not walk intentionally into [25:26] environments that develop missional community into our lives we’re [25:31] preparing ourselves for the next five years when we’re not promised the next [25:35] five minutes or worse yet we’re allowing something that happened in the past [25:43] dictate the future when God says I’ve already paid for the past on the cross

[25:52] stop letting your pain stop letting your problems stop letting your hurts dictate [25:59] your life and allow the gospel of Jesus Christ to dictate your life and enter [26:05] into intentional environments of discipleship stop wasting your time you [26:12] are wasting your life mom dad I love sports I have a two-year he’s almost two [26:19] I get scared to say his name wrong is age wrong because I’m on tell my wife [26:22] and she’ll fuss at me so I just kind of estimate but I pretty much know how old

[26:27] he is just kidding 21 months old that was a joke all right what if he’s 22 [26:32] months old and I’m gonna pay for that when I get home but I love him and he’s [26:38] gonna play sports he’s gonna play lots of them I’m a huge baseball fan he’s [26:44] gonna play little league because it develops kids into amazing people he’s [26:48] gonna be able to play any other sport that he wants to and I’m gonna be one of [26:52] the coaches I hope I’m gonna be there for every game I’m gonna clear my

[26:56] schedule I’m gonna be at every game but here’s the thing don’t allow little [27:03] league to be God don’t sacrifice your child’s adulthood for little league a [27:14] little ball wrapped in cowhide is a terrible God and adults a computer [27:25] with football stats on it and benching the defensive lineman and freaking out [27:31] because you know Peyton Manning is not gonna play this year and so fantasy [27:35] football is ruined what is it that you aren’t doing so that you can play

[27:40] fantasy football more I mean we have so many silly gods that don’t allow us to [27:48] enter into environments of discipleship that we should really laugh at ourselves [27:53] it’s ridiculous what reason is keeping you from community group that’s an [28:02] environment of discipleship that we as a church have created what is keeping you [28:07] from that what is keeping you from volunteering with other people what is [28:12] keeping you from going to the village serve projects that we have what is

[28:16] keeping you from entering into intentional environments of discipleship

[28:23] well that is the thing that’s going to keep you from growing as a follower of [28:26] Jesus and you say well you know you’re being a little legalism you don’t have [28:31] to do those things right but what things are you doing I’m not saying you have to [28:35] do those things but I would like the list of things you are doing because I [28:41] don’t think they exist you have to enter into intentional environments because [28:47] the mission of Jesus is not a banana peel that you’re gonna slip on someday

[28:50] and fall into it

[28:55] discipleship equips us to live the mission of Jesus you will not be a [29:02] missional person a person that is just saturated with this desire to take the [29:08] gospel to other people if you never saturate yourself with the gospel

[29:15] people ask me how do you know scripture so well [29:18] I read it I read it it’s not really that complicated of a mathematical [29:26] equation for me I sit down I saturate my life with it and some of its days and [29:32] those are the ones I spew out on Sunday morning

[29:37] yeah it’s shocking yeah well how did you learn your career see the problem is is [29:44] that this isn’t a career to me this is just a blessing that God put in my life [29:50] but here’s the key I don’t saturate myself so that I can preach that would [29:55] be idolatry if this is all I had then I’m not entering in to environments of

[30:07] discipleship I go to the word because it is what propels the relationships in my [30:13] life before the mission of Jesus see I surround myself with people on the staff [30:22] here and people in my community group yet even I have to go to a community [30:26] group so that I can keep living the mission I do that so that the gospel [30:31] will stay alive in my life and part of the reason that the gospel is alive in [30:36] your life and discipleship isn’t that attractive to you is because you are not

[30:39] surrounding yourself with people who want to grow in the gospel with you you [30:46] cannot disciple yourself it is not the way God intended for it to happen look [30:53] in verse 13 says for the building of the body of Christ until we all attain to [31:00] the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to mature manhood to [31:05] the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ you know that tells [31:08] me that tells me that I am not where I need to be that tells me that I am not a

[31:20] fully devoted follower of Jesus yet that tells me that I have not achieved all [31:27] that God has for me in my life I am 31 years old if I have grown to the point [31:34] where God is done with me what in the world am I gonna do for the next 30

[31:42] years and the problem is that some of us enter into life I don’t care how old or [31:46] how young you are and you’re like well I know just about all I went through a [31:51] one is you know with the royal ambassadors I learned a lot of Bible [31:54] verses I memorized you know I used to be a deacon I used to do all that stuff I [31:57] used to be in the choir thank God we don’t have one I used to be you know one [32:04] in your car so it’s okay if I make fun of it but it’s not one of the funny

[32:08] things is that people like I love choirs show me your choir CDs it’s like so you [32:13] don’t just pretend to alright somebody someone has like the whole collection [32:20] you’ve actually got choir season I’m sorry all right they’re great all right [32:26] burn me some copies all right I’ll get I’ll get it back in just one second I [32:39] forgot where I was all right but here’s the thing you are not all that God has [32:46] for you yet so you’re in one of two boats you need to humble yourself and

[32:53] realize that discipleship is a lifelong practice I’m a pastor and I’m still [32:58] being discipled

[33:02] another pastor in the community pours into me he’s way older than I am and [33:09] some of the men here pour into me I’m not done by a long shot

[33:17] you don’t want to grow in Christ you think it’s irrelevant you just don’t see [33:24] where it fits in your life here’s the key Jesus doesn’t ask to fit in your [33:27] life he says you fit your life into mine so the problem isn’t that Jesus means [33:32] changes that you need to change or you’re in trouble and you need to come [33:39] to faith in Christ

[33:47] missional community and discipleship require intentional relationships look [33:57] in 1st Corinthians chapter 12 just for a moment I want you to see something it’s [34:02] gonna be up on the screen speaking of the body of Christ again here’s what Paul [34:07] says because sometimes we look into communities we look into church and we’re [34:11] like who I don’t see anyone like me I don’t have anything in common with these [34:16] people here’s what Paul has to say about that this is for the body does not

[34:21] consist of one member but of many in other words not all about us if the foot [34:28] because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body that would not make it any [34:34] less a part of the body and if the ear should say because I am NOT an eye I do [34:38] not belong to the body that would not make it any less a part of the body if [34:42] the whole body were an eye where would be the sense of hearing if the whole [34:46] body were an ear where would be the sense of smell but as it is God arranged

[34:51] the members in the body each one of them as he chose if all were a single member [34:57] where would the body be as it is there are many parts yet one body here’s the [35:02] thing if I looked at my feet I said man I wish I could hold a can of soda with [35:11] my foot why can’t it be more like a hand and so I went out and this is gonna be [35:20] way out there she’s gonna have to go with me and I had a doctor remove my [35:26] feet and place hands in them would there be problems yeah there would be a few I

[35:36] go to the gym and I try to do these tricep dips sometimes and usually fail [35:39] miserably but if I let all six million pounds of me rest on my wrists after a [35:48] few minutes I am in an excruciating pain because that’s a lot of weight on your [35:53] wrist imagine if my ankle were a wrist I was walking around could I do how much [36:01] pain would I constantly be in how many fingers would I break when I tried to

[36:06] run or if I looked at my hands and I said man I wish I could do a handstand [36:10] but I can’t some people can Steve can’t ah we have my hands replaced with feet [36:18] now I’ve got the fix for everything until I try to eat a sandwich and then I’m trying to hold them like this and I don’t want feet on my sandwich so we’ve got all sorts of problems there but how ridiculous are these examples about as ridiculous when we enter into church life when we enter into [36:42] other believers and say well I’m not like them so I don’t want to do what I can’t do that so I guess I have nowhere to play well I just I don’t know what I’m good at so I’m not good at anything so I’m out that is ridiculous because here’s the key God says some of us we all represent his body we’re all the fullness some of us represent the mouth and all we can do is talk and we’re all the fullness and we’re all the fullness and we’re all the fullness and we’re all the fullness and we’re all the fullness and we’re all the fullness and we’re all the fullness and we’re all the fullness and we’re all the fullness and we’re all the fullness and we’re all the fullness and we’re all the fullness and we’re all the fullness and we’re all the fullness and we’re all the fullness and we’re all the fullness and we’re all the fullness and we’re all the fullness and we’re all the fullness and we’re all the fullness and we’re all the fullness and we’re all the [37:12] that’s about as far as my talents go but I’m not a very good ear talkers are not good listeners ask my wife some of us are the hands we get our hands dirty and we’ll sweat and we’ll work some of us are feet we’ll go we’ll walk we’ll get into culture some of us represent so many other places but here’s the thing [37:42] if I took my kneecap off kneecap really I don’t really even know what it does so it’s insignificant I take it off I will not be able to walk anymore it says a little later in that same chapter that those parts of the body that seem the most insignificant give God the most glory because they’re absolutely necessary to make the whole body work

[38:09] no matter what you see when you look into the mirror no matter what you think about your abilities or your disabilities God sees you and sees someone absolutely integral for the gospel to go forward through the church of Jesus Christ

[38:34] do not disqualify what God has qualified I’ve been to seminary but that is not what qualifies me for the work of the ministry you know what qualifies me for the work of the ministry Jesus that’s all I need but here’s the key that’s all you need [38:59] you play a very important part but here’s the thing until you come into relationship with the other people in the church until you walk forward and you go all in until you come forward and say I want to worship Jesus with my talents with my abilities I want to be in relationship with other people until you enter into those intentional environments [39:27] you are saying I’m not a part of the body so I’ll just let everybody else be a part of the body well here’s the key I need elbows I need kneecaps I need shins I need hips I need ears I need eyes I need lips I need a nose I don’t know how the nose thing is going to work in the analogy if you’re just a good sniffer I don’t know [39:52] but we need you because if you cut my nose off I look weird we need you because that is how God designed the church to function we are not separate what God wants us to be together it might be a little awkward at first you might not understand everything that everyone says [40:19] you may not think the same way everybody else thinks but ultimately God will get the glory because you and I will grow if not in anything else than learning how to forgive each other for being so weird

[40:33] God will get glory out of that somehow he does it he keeps doing it and he’s going to keep doing it but when we enter into relationships intentionally and here’s the key when we enter into community if you know anything about our core values [40:47] redemption mission community and culture you notice something very interesting mission comes before community see and that’s why I think we can come together as the body of Christ and be so different because we’re not building a culture club for a click of people that have in common with each other [41:07] we are building a community that is pushed and propelled by the mission of Jesus we’re building a community where the gospel is enough not that we know it but that we’re learning it there are so many places in my life where I don’t trust the gospel for everything that I need [41:27] but when I enter into relationships with other people that have that kind of faith they teach me to have that kind of faith every shortcoming that you have that you are allowing to be your identity every shortcoming that you are allowing to dictate what you will and won’t do what you can and can’t do [41:46] that is a place that you need to grow in faith in the gospel and until you intentionally enter into relationships with other believers you will not grow you won’t

[42:02] look back in Ephesians [42:05] look at what he says verse 14 when he talks about we need to grow into maturity he says in verse 14 so that we may no longer be children [42:19] I didn’t say that Paul did so don’t get mad at me [42:23] tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine by human cunning by craftiness and deceitful schemes rather speaking the truth in love we’re to grow up in every way into him who is the head into Christ [42:43] from whom the whole body that body talks about in first Corinthians joined and held together by every joint every person is significant with which it is equipped when each part is working properly makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love

[43:09] you know what the key to church growth is you know what the key to us becoming fully devoted followers of Jesus is it’s us coming together and making the body of Christ driven by the power of the Holy Spirit because of the finished work of Jesus on the cross

[43:27] that’s it [43:29] so when we disqualify ourselves when we refuse to be a part of it when we just want to do our own thing and just let everybody else do that thing you just thought you can’t grow [43:42] you can’t grow because you’re not going with the intense purpose of making disciples because to make disciples you kind of need to be a disciple

[43:55] missional community equips disciples with enduring faith [44:02] in closing I want to just tell you a few things that Paul wrote about his own life and he writes this to churches and he does this to encourage them [44:13] in first Corinthians chapter 15 verse 58 Paul says therefore [44:17] the therefore is therefore because he just finished unpacking the truth of the resurrection of Jesus and how they are to build their lives around that resurrection [44:26] and he says because of the resurrection my beloved brothers be steadfast and movable always abounding in the work of the Lord [44:36] knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain

[44:42] then over in Colossians chapter 1 starting in verse 28 he says [44:46] him we proclaim warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom that we may present everyone mature in Christ [44:55] he’s talking about in the context of the church presenting everyone mature in their faith in Christ [45:00] for this I toil struggling with all this energy that he powerfully works within me [45:09] now the reason I give you those two verses is because of one word in each of those verses [45:15] in 15 58 put that on the screen real quick he says abounding in the work of the Lord knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain

[45:24] and then over in Colossians he says in verse 29 he says for this discipleship discipling other believers in the context of the church [45:32] I toil struggling with all energy [45:35] now what I want you to understand is that word for labor in verse 58 of chapter 15 of first Corinthians [45:40] and that word toil in Colossians chapter 1 they are the same word [45:47] and Paul says this word it actually the idea behind it in the Greek is to work yourself to exhaustion [45:58] and in Colossians he actually says for this for discipleship I work myself to exhaustion

[46:06] and then he actually says the word struggling and the word struggling I think I’m pronouncing this right is agonoidai [46:12] which is the word that we get the word agonizing from [46:17] and in Colossians 1 28 and 29 he says for this I work myself into exhaustion with agonizing pain I work my hardest [46:27] so that disciples will be made

[46:34] Paul had a vision for discipleship that brought him to the place where he says if I’ve got one more ounce of energy in my life [46:47] it’s going to be for making disciples

[46:53] you say well how does that fit into this whole community context [46:57] I think Paul writes this for two reasons

[47:03] the first reason is so that they will not forget the mission

[47:08] because often in our lives I think we become so distracted by the temporary things of this life

[47:18] by the TV’s and let’s get a new couch and the new cars and the careers and you know just the fun and the leisure [47:26] I got it [47:28] just all the little different things [47:32] we get so distracted by them [47:35] that’s a great object example actually

[47:38] it’s happened to me don’t feel bad [47:41] I’m not meaning to pick on you [47:45] but I just couldn’t help myself

[47:50] we get so distracted that I think what happens in our lives

[47:55] is that we forget all about it [47:58] if you live a normal life you can go weeks, months, years without ever thinking about the mission of Jesus [48:03] just left to your own devices [48:06] but I think there’s a second reason Paul writes this [48:10] is I think he does it and he writes it to communities [48:13] so that they will number one know that they’re not alone

[48:16] that if they’re tired he’s tired with them [48:21] but he’s giving them an example to follow [48:24] that our lives must be made up of making disciples of Jesus Christ with everything that we have

[48:35] and what we do here at the Village is we just want to give you a few environments [48:40] to just get your feet wet in discipleship [48:44] just get your feet wet

[48:47] Sunday morning is a great place to start the ground

[48:52] the community groups is where the message comes to life

[48:59] and then we come together and we do things like we did yesterday as a group [49:03] we went and cleaned the football field up at Clover Hill High School [49:06] we served the community together

[49:11] there was a lot less trash when there were a few more of us [49:14] there would be a lot less trash if there were more of us than that

[49:20] and over the summer we took care of a shut-in’s lawn

[49:26] and if we all came together [49:30] put our heads together [49:32] how many more environments for discipleship could we create [49:39] if more than just five people were creating those environments [49:46] what part can you play in the story that God is writing through the Village

[49:57] you can only take part if you take those first few steps [50:04] and you join us as we strive to be a community [50:09] driven by nothing less than the mission of Jesus Christ [50:16] who loved us and gave himself for us [50:21] so that wall of hostility could be thrown away

[50:27] let’s pray [50:28] Father, thank you so much [50:33] you have blessed us with every blessing in the heavenly places [50:39] you have given us everything that we could ever want [50:43] and often times there are things that we don’t know that we need [50:48] but in the gospel you reveal to us what we really need

[50:52] God, may we become a people desiring to give you glory [50:57] may we become a people obsessed with your glory [51:02] may someday our lives look like Paul’s [51:06] may we be where he was giving every ounce of energy that he had [51:10] to living your mission to make disciples of all nations [51:16] may we leave a legacy

[51:18] may we equip each other for the work of the ministry [51:21] so that the village will endure for generations to come [51:26] may we be and make disciples [51:30] right now we are going to enter into a time of reflection through communion [51:35] if you are a follower of Jesus the tables in the front and the back are open for you [51:41] but as you come and proclaim the gospel to each other through his broken body and his shed blood

[51:48] may you also proclaim this morning [51:50] that you want to be and you want to make disciples