Membership Matters	October 4, 2015

Bridge Builders and Web Spinners

Each one of us has had varying experiences when it comes to attending and being a part of a church. For how many of you is Sooke Baptist the only church you’ve attended (not just visited, but regularly attended)?

How many of you have attended five or less churches in your lifetime?

How many of you have attended 6-10 churches?

How many of you have attended more than 10 churches?

When you put our collective experiences together –we’ve been involved in hundreds of churches.

As we go to our coffee/question time, think back upon a positive church experience and share with another person your answer to this question: - what in your estimation made that church experience positive?

Feedback

Why these next seven weeks are important.

Example of synergy: one Clydesdale draft horse can pull five tons.

Two Clydesdales can pull twenty three tons.

Example of people in a dingy.

Example of competition rowing.

We want to be a church where synergy happens; a church where we are in step with one another.

My hope is that you will have many good and engaging discussions these next seven weeks with those in your life group.

In the Membership Matters booklet, you will find a blank page with each week’s teaching title. After that page there are additional articles for you to read through. I have deliberately given you more than you will be able to use in your life group. Please discuss the questions or issues that are most pressing and applicable to your group members.

Each week I will also give you a condensed version of my notes – so that if there are questions or issues that come out of the teaching you can explore and discuss that. If you want my complete notes, they will be on the webpage.

For this week, the extra material is the Introduction and an article by Rick Warren. Both will help you to grapple with what it means to be and to belong to the church. If additional questions come out of your Life Group discussion, you are welcome to email those questions to me. I will either answer you immediately or let you know that I’m going to answer the question on the following Sunday.

There are two passage we’re going to consider today. The first one reminds us of what the church is. And the second, speaks of what the church does.

Matthew 16:17-19.

v.17 – what was revealed to Peter? Look at v.16.

God the Father revealed to Peter who Jesus is – he is the Christ, the Son of the living God. The word Christ is a title that means Messiah.

Jesus is the King who rescues the world. He is more than a good man; more than a prophet; more than a religious leader. He is God the Son.

And we must not miss what Jesus said – the knowledge of who he is… is a revealed knowledge. It’s something none of us can figure out on our own.

God has to make it known to us.

v.18 – upon what rock would Jesus build his church?

The name Peter in the original language is petros.

The word ‘on this rock’ in the original language is petra.

James McCarthy writes: Jesus’ choice of words was significant. Though Peter’s name means rock (petros), Jesus did not say, "You are Peter (petros), and upon this rock (petros) I will build my church." What He said was, "You are Peter (petros), and upon this rock (petra) I will build My church."

The word Jesus chose to use for rock, petra, is a feminine noun that refers to a mass of rock. The New Testament uses this word in Matthew 7:24-25 to refer to the bedrock upon which a wise man built his house.

Peter’s name, petros, on the other hand, is a masculine noun and refers to a boulder or a stone. Greek literature uses this word when speaking of a small stone that could be picked up and thrown.

Jesus’ choice of words indicates that the rock on which the church would be built was something other than Peter. http://www.reachingcatholics.org/rock.html

What was that something else? The context gives us the answer.

The bedrock upon which Jesus would build his church is… himself - who he is and what he did on the cross when he gave his life as a ransom for all of humanity, and what he began to do when he walked out of the tomb three days later.

What Jesus said next about his church is astounding: the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

Jesus did not say, “and Hell will not overcome it.”

Why is that important?

Because it is not hell that is coming against the church and threatening to overwhelm and eradicate it.

Jesus said, “and the gates of Hell will not overcome it.”

Gates are defensive. Gates protect.

Who is coming against who?

It is the church of Jesus that is... storming the gates of hell.

And Jesus said, hell will not be able to withstand my church’s onslaught.

Do you realize how significant that is?

It changes how we live in this world.

The church is on the defense; it’s on the offense.

This truth also unmasks a strategy used by the darkness.

The darkness tries to create fear by appearing to be more than it is.

1 Peter 5:8 explains, Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

The darkness tries to intimidate. It roars.

I’ve been told a number of times that in Sooke there are ‘x’ number of covens of witches. Canadian Geographic in its Fall 2014 edition did an article entitled, Witchy Victoria. The article confirms there is an active occult presence on Vancouver Island.

Being mindful of what Jude 9 teaches: But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you’ – I simply respond to these pieces of info by stating - we are not to live in fear of the darkness or what it might do.

This is the truth: the darkness is in fear of what the church of Jesus will do.

Our Lord Jesus is actively building his church and it is a church that is on the move – a church that is pushing back the darkness – a church that is rescuing in the words of Colossians 1:13, men and women from the dominion of darkness and bringing them into the kingdom of God, through faith in Jesus.

The fact that the church is called the body of Christ, speaks both to what the church is and what the church does.

When Jesus ascended back to heaven, his activity on earth didn’t cease.

It simply changed.

Jesus is active in this world... through his church.

That is why the church is called “the body” of Christ.

When you think about it, it was a gutsy, incredibly risky decision Jesus made, when he put his reputation and mission in our hands.

But this is the wisdom of God. Every generation of followers has been his body.

Now it is our turn!

The second passage helps us to understand what Jesus did when he came to earth. What he did gives us direction and insight to what we are to do.

John 1:9-14

v.9 – it had always been the plan of the Father, Son and Spirit that Jesus would come into the world. There was never a moment when God the Son hesitated or questioned whether he should come. Even in the Garden of Gethsemane knowing the horror he was about to face, Jesus did not deviate from his mission.

Jesus came to the earth to do his Father’s will.

v.10 – when Jesus came, he was present in the world as the Creator (see v.3) but the world did not recognize him.

Jesus came to a world that was indifferent to him.

v.11 – even his own people, the Jews, did not receive Jesus.

Jesus came to people who didn’t want his help.

v.12-13 - not everyone was indifferent; not everyone rejected him.

There were those who received him and believed in him and were born of God.

God lives in unapproachable light.

No one can see him and live.

But in Jesus God made himself visible and accessible.

v.14 - Jesus’ life was an open book; no secrets. He let people get close to him. And as they did, they saw the glory of the person of God.

This passage teaches us that Jesus built relational bridges to people.

He took the initiative.

He came to us.

When his time on earth ended, Jesus told his followers:

As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. John 20:21

Jesus followers are to do what he did.

Our words and our lives are to make God known.

WHEN did Jesus tell his followers he was sending them as he had been sent?

Look at John 20:19-20.

Jesus told his disciples that he was sending them out on the very day he rose from the dead! His victory over sin and death is what they were to announce;

as well as his invitation to all to come to him for salvation.

What the church does is because Jesus lives.

There is one more piece to consider. John 20:21-22.

What did God do after he had formed Adam from the dust of the ground?

Genesis 2:7: …[he] breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

We see in these verses, Jesus doing something similar... but something that is extraordinarily different - that explains HOW his church is to do what it does.

He told them, “I am sending you,” then breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Being “sent” is coupled with the giving of the Spirit.

The two go together. They are inseparable.

What the church does is because of the Spirit’s presence and power in our lives.

Jesus has chosen in this present time to use our voice to be his voice; and our feet to be his feet; and our hands to be his hands in his great mission of rescue.

Martin Robinson, national director of the evangelism group ‘Together in Mission,’ writes: The churches where God is on the move are places where the people have somehow been encouraged to speak frequently, courageously and without fear to their un-churched friends about the incredible goodness of God.

What I want you to walk away with today is a clear understanding of what the church IS (the body of Christ) and what the church DOES (we are sent; we are on mission).

It is my desire that this understanding will lead each one of us to resolve to be a person who builds relational bridges; and who creates webs of relationships with others through which we share the good news of Jesus.

I want to give you a homework assignment. Let me explain it.

Write down the names of people who aren’t yet followers of Jesus, but with whom you have a meaningful connection.

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Then ask God’s Spirit…who do you want me to pray for?

Start with three names.

Simply pray for them each day – that they would come to know Jesus.

People Jesus wants me to pray for.

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As you pray, watch for opportunities that will come your way to interact with these individuals. You don’t have to force the conversation, but when there is opportunity... speak of how good and how wonderful Jesus is.

Then continue to pray for and to stay connected with these people, all the while watching for further opportunities Jesus gives you for additional conversations and interactions.

The Table

The Blessing

2 Corinthians 6:2: Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

The fact that building relational bridges is difficult and time consuming only emphasizes how important it is.

Each of you has already built relationships with many, many people.

It’s these people that Jesus wants you to speak with and to.

Jesus’ plan is for you to share his good news of who he is and what he has done with those you are connected to. As you speak to them, it is with the confidence that it is God who reveals himself to them.

Yes, the same thing that happened to Jesus can happen to you.

There will be those who won’t receive you.

But there will also be those who do.

You and I are to tell the good news. How a person responds to that news is not our responsibility. We simply speak and live the good news – with clarity, simplicity and relevance, trusting God’s Spirit to then shine the truth of the gospel into minds and hearts that are darkened and hard.

To be effective as relational bridge builders who communicate timeless truths you and I need:

to be confident of the message we communicate.

to know how to talk about Jesus with freshness.

to know the people to whom we are trying to communicate.

to know how to meaningfully connect and communicate with people.

Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock asked themselves this question:

What can we do that would cause people to say, ‘No one could do these things unless God were with them?’

This particular church in partnership with over 100 other churches

and over 5000 volunteers in the greater Little Rock area

have served their community by building parks and playgrounds

and refurbishing nearly 50 schools.

They set records for Red Cross Blood donations

and have enlisted thousands of new organ donors.

They have offered LifeSkill classes on finances, marriage, wellness, aging,	etc., which were held in public forums like banks and hotel rooms, with over 5000 people attending.

They have renovated homes.

They have provided school uniforms, school supplies, winter coats

and Christmas toys for hundreds and hundreds of children.

Eric Swanson from the International Coalition of Workplace Ministries says,

Once a church makes the shift regarding how its people will live in their community, it is only limited by its creativity in how it can serve the community.

Eric Swanson from International Coalition of Workplace Ministries writes,

There is a growing awareness that [the church] cannot continue to do the same old things and expect a different result. If [the church] is to be the salt and the light which it was created to be, it will have to do something different…it will have to be something different.

Glenn Gibson of Outreach Canada says,

A whole new type of church needs to emerge. We’re in a culture that is interested in spirituality. To use Jesus’ metaphor of the wine and the wineskins, people still have a taste for the wine. The problem is with the containers. It’s time for us to radically re-think the forms. We’ve got to discover new wineskins.

I believe the incarnation of Jesus illustrates that it is God’s intent that his timeless truth be expressed with relevance and applied with purpose in whatever culture it is shared.

Example of Hudson Taylor; Bruce Olsen

My church experience story.

For the first seven years of my life I attended the church my grandfather helped to plant in Preston, Ontario. As a child I made a commitment to Jesus.

When my family moved to Hespeler, for the next eleven year I attended Hespeler Baptist. As a teenager, I almost gave up on Christianity. But God in his goodness, brought into my life a number of people who didn’t just claim to be Christians; but who clearly lived what they believed. These individuals were authentic; and God used them to re-awaken in me a passion to live for Jesus.

During my years at Bible College I attended two small churches.

One was an inner city church where most of the congregation was black.

The other was a church in the suburbs where most were white.

Both churches gave me the opportunity to serve. Both took risks in letting me speak into the lives of people in the congregation. And both had a huge impact upon me.

At the church where I was the minority, within a short time I stopped noticing skin color. At this church I was reminded afresh of the value of building friendships with those I hoped to influence spiritually.

The other church gave me the opportunity to serve as a student pastor.

They let me preach and would encourage me by saying how God had spoken to them through me. They were very generous in their encouragement – particularly since I’ve re-read some of those first sermons.

They took me into their homes, fed me and talked with me.

It was there I was permitted to do many firsts - first sermon, first funeral, first communion service, first board meeting.

After graduation Barb and I moved to St. Thomas, Ontario where we served for a year as a part-time youth pastor. There had not been a youth pastor who preceded us. As a result, it was all new… for them and for us.

That year stretched and challenged us. But that year was also so rewarding,

as we invested our lives in the youth of that church.

We moved next to Woodstock, Ontario where we served for eight years as the youth, visitation and CE pastor. God helped us to build teams of people who were eager to involve themselves in partnering with the Lord and one another.

When God called us to live in another culture, we were thrilled and excited to be involved in ground-breaking work among the Colombians and the Venezuelans.

In Medellin, Colombia, El Redil was a brand new church filled with brand new followers of Jesus Christ, along with many who were searching after God. That church was permeated with excitement and expectancy.

God was at work. Lives were being transformed. Prayers were being regularly answered. And we felt such privilege to play a small part in what was happening.

After Colombia we were involved for four years in Caracas, Venezuela

There our primary focus was on building relationships with people that God brought into our lives, and then introducing our friends and acquaintances

to the person of Jesus Christ.

Our years there were very challenging. Often we didn’t know what to do next. But God led us – he brought ideas and opportunities and people to us.

It was in the years after we had left, that many of our friends invited Jesus to be the Leader of their life and the Forgiver of their sin.

After Venezuela, we spent ten years in Ottawa. They too were good years, but they were also the hardest years of our lives. There were times when I thought, it doesn’t get any better than this, and there were times when I was ready to quit being a pastor.

I had heard stories, but I had never experienced first hand how nasty, mean and petty people who call themselves Christians can be. But God in his goodness helped us to hang in there. And what was even more astounding to me, is that the Lord brought out of that crucible experience, spiritual renewal in our own lives as well as the life of that church.

Then we moved to and lived in Revelstoke for 9 ½ years. Revelstoke is a small town surrounded by big mountains. The church there had a great heart for God as well as the people of their town. The recession of 2008 brought huge change to Revelstoke as many people in town and in the church moved away because of unemployment or a better job opportunity.

It was during those years we entered into a strategic ministry partnership with Diego Cardona and the El Redil churches to help them as they planted a new church in Sabaneta. As we stepped into that opportunity we learned how to practice servant leadership; how to pray; how to share our faith; and how to build bridges to people.

And then God brought us to Sooke.

For Barb and me, this is our seventh church experience